Free and cheap · Free museums, free beaches and a cheap fare · Checked against operators’ own pages
Free and Cheap Things to Do in Los Angeles: the Museums Are Free, Extras Run About US$40
Find your Los Angeles experience
Free Los Angeles, one district at a time
Los Angeles’ free things spread across districts, each a drive apart. Our plan: pick one district for the day, not a single walk.
- Griffith Park: free grounds, telescope viewing and trails toward Hollywood Sign viewpoints.
- Downtown LA: The Broad’s free galleries, then browse Grand Central Market for lunch.
- The coast: walk Santa Monica Pier, then Venice’s Ocean Front Walk.
- Hollywood: the Walk of Fame stars along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street.
- Brentwood: the Getty Center needs its own half day for the reservation and tram ride up.
Two free museums, two different rules
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The Getty Center and The Broad are both free inside, but only one of them can be a same-day decision.
Good to know
- Getty Center: free admission, but a timed-entry reservation must be booked ahead; parking is $25 per car, $15 after 3 p.m., $10 after 6 p.m., free Saturdays after 6 p.m.
- The Broad: general admission is always free; a reservation is recommended, but same-day walk-up tickets are released online every day, so you can decide that morning.
- The Broad is closed Mondays; it opens 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends.
Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park, free
The Observatory building, its grounds and its public telescopes are always free; only the planetarium and parking charge anything.
Good to know
- Griffith Observatory: free, open Tuesday-Friday noon-10 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m.-10 p.m., closed Mondays; free telescope viewing runs every open day.
- Griffith Park itself is open daily 5 a.m.-10:30 p.m., including Mondays, with trails near the Greek Theatre climbing toward Hollywood Sign viewpoints.
- Parking right by the Observatory is paid during opening hours; free parking sits about a mile downhill near the Greek Theatre.
- The DASH Observatory/Los Feliz bus from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station costs 50 cents, or 35 cents with a TAP card.
The coast, free, with two exceptions
Every Los Angeles beach is free below the tideline; the two exceptions are Pacific Park’s rides and one Malibu-area state parking lot.
Good to know
- Santa Monica Pier: free to walk any time; Pacific Park’s rides and games are sold separately.
- Venice’s Ocean Front Walk: free, no ticket; its three beach lots and street parking run 6 a.m.-10 p.m., alongside a free county beach shuttle.
- Zuma Beach, Malibu: free access, free lots; nearby Leo Carrillo State Park charges $3-$12 for parking by the hour.
- The Metro E Line reaches Downtown Santa Monica Station, a 10-minute walk from the pier, for the regular $1.75 fare.
Hollywood Walk of Fame, free
The Walk of Fame is Hollywood’s one landmark that needs no ticket, no booking and no fixed route.
Good to know
- Close to 2,900 stars run along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, free to visit at any hour.
- There is no single fixed route or visitor centre, so a family wanting specific names may want to map a few stars out first.
Nearly free, and worth it
A Metro fare and a market visit are Los Angeles’ cheapest sightseeing, and both are worth the small spend.
Good to know
- LA Metro: $1.75 one way; tapping a TAP or contactless card caps the day at $5 after three rides and the week at $18. Cash works on buses only, uncapped.
- Seniors and riders with disabilities pay no more than $2.50 a day before riding free; children under 6 ride free with a paying adult.
- Grand Central Market: free to browse, open daily 8 a.m.-9 p.m.; you only pay for what you eat from its roughly 40 stalls.
Free versus paid: our verdicts
Four decisions come up on every budget trip to Los Angeles, and in most of them the free version is the real experience.
| Option | Our verdict |
|---|---|
| The Getty Center’s free reservation, versus The Broad’s free walk-up ticket | Book the Getty ahead if your day is planned; choose The Broad if you decide that morning. |
| Griffith Observatory’s free telescopes, versus a paid planetarium show | The free telescopes and grounds are the real reason to visit; pay only for a live show you actually want. |
| Santa Monica Pier and Venice’s free walk, versus Pacific Park’s paid rides | The coast itself is free and worth a full afternoon; pay for the rides only if riding is the point. |
| Griffith Park’s free marked trails, versus a guided Hollywood Sign hike | Skip the guide for a short visit; hire one for the longer routes, where trail forks are easy to miss. |
When paying is worth it: about US$40 in extras
Paying is worth it in three cases. A timed planetarium show, a guided Hollywood Sign hike, or Getty parking once the free entry is booked.
Everything else in this guide, from two free museums to the whole coast, costs nothing to see.
See or book a guided Griffith Park hike
Good to know
- Samuel Oschin Planetarium show, adult ticket: one 35-minute live presentation inside the free Observatory building.
- Getty Center parking: a flat per-car fee that drops after 3 p.m. and after 6 p.m., free Saturdays after 6 p.m.
- A guided Griffith Park hike adds the Hollywood Sign viewpoints and the trail context a first visit can miss.
| Item | US$ | € |
|---|---|---|
| Griffith Observatory Samuel Oschin Planetarium show, adult | US$12 | ≈ €11 |
| Getty Center standard parking, per car | US$25 | ≈ €23 |
Paying is worth it for the planetarium show (US$12) or Getty Center parking (about US$25); most of a Los Angeles day stays free.
Prices checked 17 Sep 2026 · per person, tickets and transport, excluding accommodation
What it costs, and where to book
| Plan | Tickets and transport | Book |
|---|---|---|
| Griffith Observatory Samuel Oschin Planetarium show, adult | US$12 | – |
| Getty Center standard parking, per car | US$25 | – |
| A planetarium show plus Getty Center parking | about US$40 | – |
Prices checked 17 Sep 2026 · per person, tickets and transport, excluding accommodation. Amounts over 20 are rounded up. Ticket prices are per person for the first reviewed ticket and change by date.
Explore Los Angeles Before You Book
Take a virtual drive or walk, then find tours and tickets for the places you like.
Where paying is worth it, and where it is not
Griffith Observatory, the Getty Center, The Broad and the coast cost nothing to see. Spend on a planetarium show, Getty parking or a guided Griffith Park hike only where a show time, a car or the trail itself is the actual product.
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Questions people ask
Is the Getty Center really free?
Admission is free, but every visitor needs a timed-entry reservation booked before arrival, and parking is a separate flat fee that changes for evening arrivals.
Do I need to book The Broad in advance?
No. A reservation is recommended, but same-day walk-up tickets are released online every day, so a booking is not required.
Is Griffith Observatory free at night?
The grounds, the building and the public telescopes stay free whenever the Observatory is open, including its Tuesday-through-Sunday evening hours. Only a planetarium show is ticketed.
Are Los Angeles beaches free?
Yes, every beach is free below the tideline, including Santa Monica, Venice and Malibu’s Zuma Beach. Some Malibu-area state park lots charge for parking even though the sand itself stays free.
What is the cheapest way to get between the free things?
LA Metro’s tapped fare and the Observatory’s DASH shuttle are inexpensive enough that a full day of connections costs less than a single paid attraction ticket.
Plan deeper in Los Angeles
Sources (17)
Every figure above was checked on the dates shown.
- Mubboo reviewed ticket options for Los Angeles (the booking platform destination 645); per-person prices read when the page is built — mubboo.flights/los-angeles/tours (checked 2026-09-17)
- Discover Los Angeles (LA Tourism & Convention Board), Facts About LA — www.discoverlosangeles.com/media/facts-about-la (checked 2026-09-17)
- Discover Los Angeles, Hollywood Walk of Fame — www.discoverlosangeles.com/hollywood-walk-of-fame (checked 2026-09-17)
- Wikipedia, Hollywood Walk of Fame (documented fallback: walkoffame.com returns a Cloudflare bot challenge to automated review) — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame (checked 2026-09-17)
- Getty Center, Visit (admission, reservation and parking) — www.getty.edu/visit/center/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- The Broad, Visit (admission, reservations and hours) — www.thebroad.org/visit (checked 2026-09-17)
- Griffith Observatory, home page (free public telescopes, star party) — griffithobservatory.lacity.gov/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- Griffith Observatory, Getting Here (hours, parking, DASH bus, Griffith Park hours) — griffithobservatory.lacity.gov/visit/getting-here/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- Griffith Observatory, Samuel Oschin Planetarium (show times and ticket prices) — griffithobservatory.lacity.gov/exhibits-shows/samuel-oschin-planetarium/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- Grand Central Market, home page (hours) — grandcentralmarket.com/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- Santa Monica Pier, home page (free pier, Pacific Park as a separate paid attraction) — santamonicapier.org/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- Santa Monica Pier, Directions & Parking (Metro E Line, Big Blue Bus, Metro bus fares) — santamonicapier.org/directions-parking/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- LA County Beaches & Harbors, Venice Beach (free access, parking, free shuttle) — beaches.lacounty.gov/venice-beach/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- LA County Beaches & Harbors, Zuma Beach (free access, parking hours) — beaches.lacounty.gov/zuma-beach/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- California State Parks, Leo Carrillo State Park (day-use parking fees) — www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=616 (checked 2026-09-17)
- LA Metro, Fares — www.metro.net/riding/fares/ (checked 2026-09-17)
- Mubboo Tours search, Los Angeles (the booking platform destination 645) — mubboo.flights/api/tours/search?destinationId=645&term=Griffith%20Observatory¤cy=USD&mode=keyword&sort=featured (checked 2026-09-17)