Where to stay in Los Angeles

Santa Monica is a separate city on Santa Monica Bay, a resort town with a pier and a small amusement park at the foot of Colorado Avenue and the pedestrian Third Street Promenade downtown. Venice, next to it and part of the City of Los Angeles, has canals, a beach and Ocean Front Walk, a promenade of about 4 km (2.5 miles) with performers and vendors. By road, LAX is about 11 km (7 miles) from Venice and about 15 km (9 miles) from Santa Monica.

Hollywood, the Central Los Angeles neighbourhood whose name stands for the American film industry, is about 11 km (7 miles) from Downtown, the central business district with the Civic Center and the hub of the Metro rail network. Both are about 23 to 25 km (14 to 15 miles) from LAX by road.

Westchester, the neighbourhood that holds the airport, suits a first or last night. Anaheim, in northern Orange County, is home to the Disneyland Resort, with two theme parks, three hotels and the Downtown Disney district, about 55 km (34 miles) from LAX and about 45 km (28 miles) from Downtown.

Since 11 March 2026 the on-airport rental companies at LAX work from one Rental Car Center at 5251 W 98th Street, reached by shuttle from the terminals, and each rental carries a USD 9 a day facility charge for up to five days, according to GetCar's guide Driving in Los Angeles, which also covers the toll lanes, the California rules and the Pacific Coast Highway cameras.

In the City of Los Angeles, meters cost USD 1.00 to 8.50 an hour depending on the area, and all take cards. In the LA Express Park areas, Downtown, Hollywood, Westwood and Venice, prices follow demand. A meter cannot be paid ahead through a Tow Away No Stopping morning peak or a street-cleaning window, and a car may not stay on the street for more than 72 hours without moving. A towed car is released in person, after the fines and the garage's towing and storage fees are paid.

Residential streets in preferential parking districts limit cars without permits. Residents can buy one-day guest permits, so a host can arrange parking for a guest's car; ask before booking. Where a hotel in the City charges for parking, the charge carries a 10% parking occupancy tax.

Santa Monica runs its own garages: Parking Structure 1 on 4th Street charges USD 1 for the first 90 minutes and USD 20 for the day on weekdays, USD 22 at weekends, and Beach Lot 1 North by the pier charges USD 20 per entry from April to October. In Anaheim, Disneyland charges USD 40 for a car in its parking structures (via GetCar).

The City of Los Angeles charges a transient occupancy tax of 14% of the room rent on stays of 30 consecutive days or less, in hotels, short-term rentals and home-shares; cleaning fees that cannot be opted out of count as rent. Since July 2025, hotels of 50 rooms or more also pay a 2% Tourism Marketing District assessment, which they may pass on to guests as a separate line.

Santa Monica charges 15% in hotels and 17% in home-shares, and its tourism district assesses hotels USD 2.30 to 7.25 per room night, depending on the average room rate. Anaheim charges 15%, stated separately from the rent, and the 94 hotels of its tourism district in and around the Anaheim Resort add 2%.

Short-term rentals in the City of Los Angeles are 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 the City grants an extended registration. Every advert must show the City's home-sharing registration number, only one booking may run at a time, and the limit is two overnight guests per habitable room, children not counted. Santa Monica goes further: renting out a whole home without the host present is a prohibited vacation rental, so a home-share there, for 30 consecutive days or less, means staying with the host, and the listing shows the business licence number.

Compare totals with the taxes in: 14% in the City plus 2% at the larger hotels, 15% or 17% in Santa Monica, and 15% plus 2% in Anaheim's tourism district. For a home-share, check that the listing shows the City's registration number before paying.

Plan the parking with the room. A hotel's parking charge in the City carries a 10% tax, and LAX says pre-booking on its own parking site is the only way to guarantee a space there (via GetCar). Santa Monica's beach lot by the pier costs more from April to October than in winter.

Visitors from the UK and 24 of the 27 EU countries need an approved ESTA before flying, at USD 40.27, valid for two years or until the passport expires.

The beach and the pier, in a hotel: Santa Monica.

Canals and the promenade, close to LAX: Venice.

Sightseeing and evenings out: Hollywood.

Business and the Metro hub: Downtown.

A first or last night by the airport: Westchester.

Disneyland: Anaheim.