LA Visitor Information

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Back to Los AngelesLos Angeles Visitor Information Centers

Visitor Information Centers

The Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau (or L.A. INC.; tel. 800/366-6116 or 213/689-8822; www.visitLAnow.com) is the city's main source for information. In addition to maintaining an informative Internet site, answering telephone inquiries, and sending free visitor's kits, the bureau provides a walk-in visitor center at 685 S. Figueroa St., Downtown (open Mon?Fri 9am?5pm).

Many Los Angeles?area communities also have their own information centers and often maintain detailed and colorful websites that are loaded with timely information. These include the following:

The Beverly Hills Visitors Bureau, 239 S. Beverly Dr. (tel. 800/345-2210 or 310/248-1015; www.beverlyhillscvb.com), is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm.

The Hollywood Arts Council, P.O. Box 931056, Dept. 1995, Hollywood, CA 90093 (tel. 323/462-2355; www.discoverhollywood.com), publishes the magazine Discover Hollywood, a biannual publication contains listings and schedules for the area's many theaters, galleries, music venues, and comedy clubs; the current issue is always available online. You can also load up on visitor information at the Hollywood Visitor Center, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 237 (tel. 323/467-6412), on the second level of the Hollywood & Highland mall (between Babylon Court and Awards Walk).

The West Hollywood Convention and Visitors Bureau, 8687 Melrose Ave., M-26, West Hollywood, CA 90096 (tel. 800/368-6020 or 310/289-2525; www.visitwesthollywood.com), is located in the Pacific Design Center and is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm.

The Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau (tel. 800/544-5319 or 310/393-7593; www.santamonica.com) is the best source for information about Santa Monica. The Palisades Park walk-up center is located near the Santa Monica Pier, at 1400 Ocean Ave. (between Santa Monica Blvd. and Broadway), and is open daily from 10am to 4pm. Also check out www.malibu.org for information about Malibu, to the northwest.

The Pasadena Convention and Visitors Bureau, 171 S. Los Robles Ave. (tel. 626/795-9311; www.pasadenacal.com), is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

L.A.'s California Welcome Center -- The California Welcome Center, located at the Beverly Center (a massive shopping mall) on Beverly Boulevard between La Cienega and San Vicente boulevards near the Hard Rock Cafe, offers a wealth of useful tourist information, as well as direct and same-day ticket purchases to L.A.'s main attractions, museums, and entertainment venues. Open daily from 10am to 6pm; tel. 310/854-7616.

Other Information Sources

Local tourist boards are great for information regarding attractions and special events, but they often fail to keep a finger on the pulse of what's "in" in L.A., especially with regard to dining, culture, and nightlife. Several city-oriented newspapers and magazines offer more up-to-date info. L.A. Weekly (www.laweekly.com), a free listings magazine, is packed with information on current events around town. It's available from sidewalk news racks and in many stores and restaurants around the city; it also has a lively website.

The Los Angeles Times "Calendar" section of the Sunday paper, an excellent guide to the world of entertainment in and around L.A., includes listings of what's doing and where to do it. The Times also maintains a comprehensive website at www.calendarlive.com; once there you can find departments with names like "Southland Scenes," "Tourist Tips," "Family & Kids," and "Recreation & Fitness." Information is culled from the newspaper's many departments and is always up-to-date. If you want to check out L.A.'s most immediate news, the Times's main website is www.latimes.com.

Los Angeles magazine (www.lamag.com) is a glossy city-based monthly full of real news and pure gossip, plus guides to L.A.'s art, music, and food scenes. Its calendar of events, which has been getting better lately, gives an excellent overview of goings-on at museums, art galleries, musical venues, and other places. The magazine is available at newsstands around town and in other major U.S. cities; you can also access stories and listings from the current issue on the Internet. Cybersurfers should visit At L.A.'s website, www.at-la.com; its exceptional search engine provides links to more than 23,000 sites relating to the L.A. area.