The City of Angels is one of the most interesting and eclectic cities in the United States. It’s also one of the priciest destinations in North America. I feel like Los Angeles is associated so much with glamor and celebrities that its prices reflect that. That being said, it is possible for you to take a trip to Los Angeles without breaking the bank too much. In this post, I’ve outlined a couple of tips I’ve learned about visiting Los Angeles on a budget after living in LA for 4 years. I hope these tips can be as helpful for you as they were for me.
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Visit During Shoulder Season
LA is one of those cities where you could visit at any time of year and still have consistent good weather. It rarely rains and most days are full of sunshine and clear skies. It’s a year-round destination, as is most of Southern California, so the only thing that’ll really make or break your trip crowd-wise are school schedules and holidays.
Visiting during spring break season, summer, and the holidays will command higher prices for flights and hotels. This is why I believe you should consider visiting during the shoulder or off-peak season. In my opinion, the best time to visit LA would be from the first week of September till the second week of November. It’s right after the busy summer season but before the even busier holiday season. Other good times to visit are after New Years but before Mid-March and the month of May before Memorial Day.
If there’s any time of year you should avoid, I would say avoid the summer months. LA gets incredibly hot and dry in the summer, with temperatures reaching 35 Celsius or about 95 Fahrenheit. The heat is no joke, so I would recommend steering clear of LA from the months of June till August. It simply isn’t worth the heat and the crowds you’ll encounter at most tourist sites.
Fly Into LAX
LAX is a bit of a chaotic mess. Since I’ve moved here it’s been in a constant state of construction, and it’s not the easiest airport to navigate. The process of getting an Uber or Lyft is a pain as you need to ride a bus to take you to the pickup area, which can be difficult if you have a lot of luggage. Immigration at the international terminal can also be a bit long to get through. I’ve never encountered a line at immigration that was less than 45 minutes.
That being said, if you’re on a budget, LAX is still the cheapest LA area airport to fly into. I know there are airports in Orange County, Burbank, and Long Beach, but unless you can find a direct flight from your destination to one of these airports, it’ll still be cheaper to go through LAX. LAX is also the most connected airport, with numerous hotels offering free shuttles to and from the airport, which could save you time and money as well. There are also plenty of rental car services at LAX and there are connections to public transportation at LAX as well, so it’s still worth flying into the airport and dealing with all the headaches you may encounter.
Stay in Hostels
Like I said, when people think of LA, they associate it with the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. But contrary to this, LA has a lot of budget hotels and hostels for those who really want to visit Los Angeles on a budget. You can find hostels for less than $50 a night in areas such as Hollywood and Downtown LA. I recommend checking out Agoda and Booking.com for your hotel booking needs.
Airbnbs and Vrbos in the city are also relatively inexpensive. I would recommend hopping Airbnbs, especially if you rented a car, as some Airbnbs will be cheaper on certain days of the week compared to others. For the best rates, it’s best to book accommodation far in advance. Same advice goes for hotels and hostels. Generally, the farther in advance you book, the cheaper your rates are going to be.
Use Public Transportation (or Rent a Car)
I’m going to come out and say it: LA Public Transport isn’t the best. It’s why so many people in this city choose to drive instead. The buses especially are troublesome. They rarely run on time, sometimes not even running at all, and there are instances when 20-30 minutes will go by before the next available bus arrives. This means they’re also incredibly cramped and can sometimes be full of…interesting characters (to say the least).
The Metro is another story. I’ve found it to be safe for the most part. I’ve ridden it a few times and have never felt unsafe. That being said, I wouldn’t recommend riding it late at night when no one is around. Despite all that, public transportation is still the cheapest mode of transport in this city. It may be massively inconvenient, but paying a couple of dollars to ride the Metro will save you so much more money compared to getting in a $35 dollar Uber to get to your destination.
LA is a big city, so Ubers can really add up, especially if you’re trying to visit Los Angeles on a budget. Which is why if you know you’re going to be going all over the city, or if you’re going to visit nearby cities like San Diego or Santa Barbara, it might be worth considering renting a car for your visit. It gives you the greatest flexibility as you’re not beholden to Uber and Lyft surge pricing and bus and metro schedules, and if you can find street parking near where you’re going, you won’t spend that much in parking fees. Just remember to not leave anything valuable in your car (or at least nothing in plain sight).
Minimize Ubers by Grouping Nearby Attractions Together
If you decide not to rent a car and if you’d rather not take public transportation, then it would be in your best interest to group nearby attractions together. What I mean by this is that you can lower your Uber costs if you visit attractions that are walking distance from one another in one day so that you’re not using Uber and Lyft constantly to get from place to place.
For example, I would group Venice Beach and Santa Monica together because of their proximity to one another. The Grove, LACMA, and the Academy Museum are also walking distance from one another so I would group them together too. Of course all the Downtown LA attractions should probably be visited together on the same day. Doing so will save you time and money, which is vital to visiting Los Angeles on a budget.
Visit Free Attractions
Los Angeles has a plethora of free attractions available to you! I would argue that there are more free things to do than there are things you need to pay for. Keep in mind, however, that while some experiences and tourist sites may be free, you will still need a ticket to enter. This goes for places like The Getty, the Getty Villa, and the Broad museums.
Free places to visit include the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, The Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Griffith Park (where you can hike to the Hollywood sign) and Griffith Observatory, The Grove and Farmers Market, Echo Park Lake, Abbot Kinney, Los Angeles City Hall, The Walt Disney Concert Hall (audio tours are free), Citizen Public Market, the Last Bookstore, the Bradbury Building, the LACMA lights, Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, and the three aforementioned museums. Los Angeles is chock full of free things to do, so it would be advantageous for you to visit these places to keep your visit to Los Angeles on a budget.
Eat at Food Trucks and Farmers Markets
The last tip I have is about one of the cornerstones of travel: food. When visiting a city, it can be tough sometimes to find affordable places to eat. Not every city can be like Singapore which is famous for its Hawker Centers, but Los Angeles is lucky in that not only is its food scene diverse, ranging from Japanese to Mexican and everything in between, but it also has a burgeoning food truck scene.
Food trucks are the ultimate way to save money on your meals while in Los Angeles. They serve everything from tacos to burgers to asian dishes. You can find them scattered throughout Los Angeles and they’re always affordable for what you get. Another place you can check out when you’re in LA are the Farmers Markets. There’s the very famous one located beside the Grove, but you can find more throughout the Los Angeles. You can find their locations and a schedule of when they’re open here.
Conclusion
Los Angeles is a complex city that takes a lot of days to fully explore and appreciate. I have a few more posts about different topics about visiting LA such as itineraries, free things to do, a travel guide, and more! You can access them below. Thanks for reading and enjoy your visit to LA!
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