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The towers of Downtown Los Angeles seen from Baldwin Hills, with snow on the San Gabriel Mountains behind and palm trees in the foreground

Where to stay in Los Angeles

Photographed in 2010. Photo: Eric Chan from Hollywood, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Los Angeles

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Los Angeles

LAX is 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Downtown, and apart from Westchester around the airport, Venice and Santa Monica are the areas closest to it by road. Santa Monica and Anaheim are separate cities with their own hotel taxes and rental rules.

United States. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Los Angeles International (LAX), in the Westchester neighbourhood, 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Source
Hotel tax, City of Los Angeles
14% of the room rent for stays of 30 consecutive days or less, in hotels, short-term rentals and home-shares. A longer stay is exempt with a written agreement at check-in or 31 days paid in advance. Source
Tourism Marketing District
Since July 2025, 2% of room revenue at City of Los Angeles hotels of 50 rooms or more, not charged on stays of more than 30 consecutive days. The hotel may pass it on as a separate line. Source
Hotel tax, Santa Monica
15% in hotels and 17% in home-shares since 1 March 2023; exempt for a person occupying a room for 31 or more consecutive days. Source
Hotel tax, Anaheim
15% of the rent, stated separately from the rent on the bill. Source
Short-term rentals, City of Los Angeles
Allowed only in the host's primary residence, where the host lives more than six months a year, for up to 120 days a year unless extended. Every advert must show the City's registration number. Source
Short-term rentals, Santa Monica
Renting out a whole home without the host present is a prohibited vacation rental. A home-share, for 30 consecutive days or less, needs the host living on site, and the listing shows the business licence number. Source
Street parking
City meters cost USD 1.00 to 8.50 an hour by area and take cards. They cannot be prepaid through Tow Away No Stopping or street-cleaning hours. Source
Hotel parking
Where a hotel in the City of Los Angeles charges for parking, the charge carries a 10% parking occupancy tax. Source
The 30-day line
California's tenancy chapter excludes transient hotel stays that are or would be taxed, which cities may do only up to 30 days. A residential hotel may not make a guest check out before 30 days to keep them transient. Source
Entry
UK and 24 of 27 EU citizens (not Bulgaria, Cyprus or Romania): up to 90 days without a visa, with an ESTA at USD 40.27 approved before travel. No extension. Source
Emergency number
911 Source

Areas of Los Angeles

Visitors walking on the wooden deck of Santa Monica Pier past the Route 66 End of the Trail sign, with shops and the Ferris wheel behind
Photographed in 2017. Photo: Cayambe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Santa Monica

A separate city on Santa Monica Bay and a resort town for its beaches, with the pier and its small amusement park at the foot of Colorado Avenue and the pedestrian Third Street Promenade downtown. It suits a beach stay in a hotel: renting out a whole home without the host present is prohibited here.

LAX
about 15 km
Downtown Los Angeles
about 24 km

Car and parking

City garages downtown, such as Parking Structure 1 on 4th Street, charge USD 1 for the first 90 minutes and USD 20 for the day on weekdays, USD 22 at weekends. Beach Lot 1 North by the pier is USD 20 per entry from April to October. Home-share guests may bring at most one car per bedroom rented, and no more than two, on visitor permits, in a preferential parking zone.

A red canoe moored on one of the Venice canals, with houses, gardens and palm trees reflected in the water
Photographed in 2020. Photo: Américo Toledano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Venice

A beach neighbourhood of the City of Los Angeles, founded as a seaside resort in 1905, known for its canals, its beach and Ocean Front Walk, a promenade of about 4 km with performers and vendors. It suits a beach stay close to LAX, with Santa Monica about 6 km away.

LAX
about 11 km
Downtown Los Angeles
about 23 km
Santa Monica
about 6 km

Car and parking

Venice is one of the LA Express Park areas, where meter prices follow demand within the City's USD 1.00 to 8.50 an hour range. Meters take cards, and a car may not stay on the street more than 72 hours without moving.

Houses on the Hollywood Hills below the Hollywood Sign and a transmitter mast on the ridge, under a clear blue sky
Photo: Mundanemetal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hollywood

The Central Los Angeles neighbourhood whose name stands for the American film industry, part of the city since 1910, with the Hollywood Sign on the hills above. It suits sightseeing and evenings out, with Downtown a short drive away.

LAX
about 23 km
Downtown Los Angeles
about 11 km

Car and parking

Another LA Express Park area with demand-priced meters. On residential streets in preferential parking districts, cars without permits face posted limits and residents buy one-day guest permits, so ask the host how a guest car can park.

The towers of Downtown Los Angeles seen from Baldwin Hills, with snow on the San Gabriel Mountains behind and palm trees in the foreground
Photographed in 2010. Photo: Eric Chan from Hollywood, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Los Angeles

The central business district, made up of districts such as the Arts, Fashion, Theater and Jewelry Districts, with the Civic Center and the hub of the Metro rail network and Metrolink. It suits business trips and days out by train.

LAX
about 25 km

Car and parking

An LA Express Park area. Morning Tow Away No Stopping hours cannot be prepaid at the meter, and a towed car is released in person after the fines and the garage's towing and storage fees are paid. A hotel's parking charge carries a 10% City tax.

The arched Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport with the control tower behind it, seen from the terminal road
Photo: Benoît Prieur, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Westchester and LAX

The City of Los Angeles neighbourhood that holds LAX and Loyola Marymount University. It suits a first or last night and an early return of the rental car.

LAX
about 3 km
Downtown Los Angeles
about 23 km
Santa Monica
about 12 km

Car and parking

The on-airport rental companies work from the Rental Car Center at 5251 W 98th Street, reached by shuttle from the terminals, with a USD 9 a day facility charge for up to five days (via GetCar). On city streets the 72-hour limit and posted meter rules apply.

Harbor Boulevard beside the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, with a bus lane, a sign for the East Shuttle Area and the monorail track behind
Photo: Benoît Prieur, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Anaheim

A separate city in northern Orange County, home of the Disneyland Resort, with two theme parks, three hotels and the Downtown Disney district, and of the Anaheim Convention Center. It suits a theme-park trip rather than a base for the rest of Los Angeles.

LAX
about 55 km
Downtown Los Angeles
about 45 km

Car and parking

Disneyland charges USD 40 for a car in its parking structures (via GetCar); ask the hotel whether guest parking is included. Anaheim's hotel tax is 15%, with 2% more at the 94 hotels of its tourism district.

Guides

Questions

Which area of Los Angeles is best for a first visit with a car?

For the beach, Santa Monica or Venice, about 15 km and 11 km from LAX by road. For the city, Hollywood or Downtown, about 11 km apart. Anaheim, about 45 km from Downtown, suits a trip to Disneyland.

How much tax is added to a hotel room in Los Angeles?

In the City of Los Angeles, 14% of the room rent, plus a 2% assessment at hotels of 50 rooms or more, which the hotel may pass on. Santa Monica charges 15% in hotels and Anaheim 15%, with 2% more at the hotels of its tourism district.

Can a whole apartment be rented short term in Los Angeles?

Only in the host's primary residence, for up to 120 days a year unless the host holds an extended registration, and every advert must show the City's registration number. In Santa Monica, renting out a whole home without the host present is a prohibited vacation rental.

What do UK and EU visitors need to enter the US?

Citizens of the UK and 24 of the 27 EU countries (not Bulgaria, Cyprus or Romania) need an approved ESTA before flying, USD 40.27, for stays of up to 90 days that cannot be extended.