The Best Food, Art and Cultural Tours in Los Angeles
These free-of-charge walking tours are the best way to experience LA‘s rich history, culture, art and architecture.
For most travelers, Los Angeles conjures up images of Hollywood glamour, celebrity-spotting haunts and sun-kissed beaches on the Pacific oceanfront. But go beyond the glitzy veneer, and you’ll discover a city of fascinating origins and spectacular architecture. Learn about the city’s Mexican background, immerse in art in Downtown Los Angeles and learn about some of the city’s most iconic attractions by joining a free walking tour.
1. Las Angelitas del Pueblo Tour
Market
A perfect way to begin exploring LA is to start with its origins – at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, a restored 44-acre (18ha) area that purports to be the original colonial settlement of the city, founded by Franciscan priests and Spanish colonizers in 1781. Las Angelitas del Pueblo – a volunteer group founded in 1966 by a small group of women looking to teach others about L.A.’s past – will guide you through this historical quarter, including a walk to Olvera Street, a pedestrianized thoroughfare renovated as a Mexican marketplace. If you get the chance, experience Olvera Street on a weekend when Mariachi bands, Aztecs and Mexican folkloric dancers perform to cheering crowds. To take part in the tour, you’ll have to register beforehand.
2. Los Angeles Times Printing Plant Tour
Museum, Building
For more than a century, the Los Angeles Times made Downtown LA its home. Founded in 1881, the daily newspaper has the fifth-largest newspaper circulation in the United States, picking up more than 40 Pulitzer Prizes over the years. The newspaper, which prints nearly 3.8 million copies every week, offers free public tours every month, taking place in their printing facility in downtown Los Angeles. On the guided tour, you are taken through the different areas of the printing building and can watch how the printing press operates, and how the newspaper is put together before it is distributed. The tour is wheelchair-accessible and offers photography opportunities but no recordings. You’ll have to reserve your spot before attending.
4. Los Angeles Central Public Library Tour
Library
5. Historical Walking Tour on the Santa Monica Pier
Building
6. The Los Angeles Music Center Tour
Music Venue
Established in 1964, the Los Angeles Music Center is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. Located in Downtown LA, the 11-acre (4.5ha) complex houses five venues: the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Mark Taper Forum, the Ahmanson Theatre, the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theatre, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Combined, the center can accommodate up to 8,774 people at once. Of note: famed for its futuristic and fragmented steel exterior, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is ranked as one of L.A.’s most iconic sites for architecture buffs. The free 90-minute visit is led by the Music Center Symphonians, a group of volunteers that have been running the tour since 1965. Covering four theaters, you will be immersed in global art from the 17th century onward, learn about the history of each venue and get a glimpse of the spaces within each of them. Groups of 15 or more are required to register in advance.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.