Los Angeles 7-Day Itinerary: Getty, Griffith and Catalina

How should you spend 7 days in Los Angeles?

Give day 1 to Union Station and Olvera Street, day 2 to downtown’s museums, day 3 to Hollywood and Griffith Observatory, and day 4 to LACMA and the Academy Museum. Spend day 5 at the Getty and Santa Monica, day 6 on Catalina Island and day 7 in Pasadena. Start on a Wednesday.

Los Angeles is a region, not a compact city, and a week only works if each day stays in one part of it. The Los Angeles 3-day itinerary rushes Griffith, a museum and the beach into three days; this plan gives downtown, Hollywood, Museum Row and the Westside a day each, adds a boat day to Catalina and finishes in Pasadena.

It is a desk-researched suggested route, not one we have travelled. Fares come from LA Metro and LAX, opening days from each venue, ferry fares from Catalina Express and park rules from the National Park Service, checked on 16 and 17 October 2026. Several official sites blocked our checks, including the Huntington and the California Science Center, so their details are left for you to confirm.

Days 1 to 4 and 7 run on the Metro; days 5 and 6 are easier with a car or ride-hailing. Base yourself downtown or in Hollywood near a B Line station, and read where to stay in Los Angeles and best time to visit Los Angeles before fixing dates.

What does the 7-day Los Angeles plan look like at a glance?

Each day sits in one area and has one or two anchors. A Wednesday start fits the closures: The Broad, Griffith Observatory and the Getty Center shut on Mondays, LACMA on Wednesdays and the Academy Museum on Tuesdays. The table lists what to book, the closed days and an indoor swap for each day.

With a Wednesday arrival, downtown falls on Thursday, when The Broad stays open to 8pm; Griffith on Friday; Museum Row on Saturday; the Getty on Sunday; Catalina on Monday, when several museums close; and Pasadena on Tuesday. Rearrange freely as long as you keep those closed days in mind.

Closed days behind that order: The Broad closes on Mondays (The Broad), Griffith Observatory on Mondays (Griffith Observatory), the Getty Center on Mondays (Getty), LACMA on Wednesdays (LACMA) and the Academy Museum on Tuesdays (Academy Museum).

How do you get from LAX and around Los Angeles for a week?

Take the FlyAway bus to Union Station for $12.75, or the shuttle to the LAX/Metro Transit Center for the C and K Lines. Then tap a contactless card on Metro: rides cost $1.75, transfers are free for two hours, and fares cap at $5 a day and $18 a week. Use a car for the Getty or desert.

LAX says FlyAway costs $12.75 one way, accepts contactless Visa or Mastercard or its app, and takes no cash on any route (LAWA). The LAX/Metro Transit Center opened on 6 June 2025, served by the C and K Lines and airport shuttles to the terminals (LA Metro); LAWA describes the Metro Connector shuttle as free with valid proof of transit (LAWA). The airport’s people mover was not yet carrying passengers in October 2026, with service reported as expected in early January (Spectrum News, 24 September 2026).

LA Metro charges $1.75 a ride, with free transfers within two hours when you tap; after three paid rides in a day the rest are free, and you never pay more than $18 in seven days. You can tap a credit or debit card or a phone wallet on buses and at stations, while cash is bus-only and does not count towards the caps (LA Metro, how to ride).

The rail lines that matter here are the B Line from Union Station to Hollywood and North Hollywood, the D Line to Wilshire/La Cienega, the E Line from East Los Angeles to Santa Monica and the A Line from Pomona to Long Beach (LA Metro). For taxis and ride-hailing at the airport, LAWA directs passengers to the LAX-it lot east of Terminal 1, by foot or free shuttle (LAWA). Our LAX transfer guide compares door-to-door options.

Days 1 and 2: how do you see downtown Los Angeles without a car?

On day 1, walk from Union Station across to El Pueblo for Olvera Street and the Avila Adobe, the oldest house still standing on its original site. On day 2, ride the Regional Connector to Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill for The Broad, eat in Little Tokyo, then take the E Line to Expo Park for the Natural History Museum.

Discover Los Angeles describes El Pueblo as a living museum on the site of the city’s 1781 settlement, attracting more than 2 million visitors a year; Olvera Street opened in 1930 and the Avila Adobe, built in 1818, is the oldest house in Los Angeles still standing in its original location (Discover Los Angeles). It is a gentle first evening after a long-haul flight, a short walk from Union Station.

The Broad offers free general admission, opening Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 11am to 5pm, Thursday to 8pm and weekends from 10am to 6pm; it closes on Mondays, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, recommends timed tickets and requires advance reservations for the Infinity Mirror Rooms. The Regional Connector, opened in June 2023, added Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill, Historic Broadway and Little Tokyo/Arts District stations (LA Metro).

The Natural History Museum at Expo Park opens daily from 9:30am to 5pm except the first Tuesday of each month and some holidays. Next door, the California Science Center was preparing to open its new air and space centre, with Space Shuttle Endeavour displayed upright, on 13 November 2026, according to a June report (Spectrum News, 24 June 2026); its site blocked our checks, so confirm before you go.

Day 3: how do you combine Hollywood and Griffith Observatory?

Ride the B Line to Hollywood/Highland for the Walk of Fame in the morning, then head to Griffith Observatory, which opens at noon on weekdays and stays open to 10pm. Arrive in the late afternoon for the city view at sunset, and return on the DASH shuttle to Vermont/Sunset station.

Discover Los Angeles places the Walk of Fame’s stars on both sides of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street (Discover Los Angeles), and the B Line stops at both Hollywood/Highland and Hollywood/Vine (LA Metro). A morning on the boulevard leaves the afternoon free for Griffith Park.

Griffith Observatory opens Tuesday to Friday from noon to 10pm and at weekends from 10am to 10pm, closes on Mondays, and charges nothing for admission; the grounds open from 5am to 10:30pm, and parking is pay-and-display by card. Its directions page lists a DASH shuttle from Vermont/Sunset station running daily from 10am to 10pm, every 20 to 25 minutes (Griffith Observatory).

Our guides to Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign tour help you decide how long to give each. In hot weather, start later and stay for the evening, when the terrace is cooler and the lights come on below.

Day 4: how do you spend a day on Museum Row?

Take the D Line, extended in May 2026, to Wilshire/Fairfax. Spend the morning at LACMA, including the new David Geffen Galleries, and the afternoon at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures next door. LACMA closes on Wednesdays and the Academy Museum on Tuesdays, so Thursday to Monday works best.

LA Metro opened the first section of the D Line extension, with Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega stations, on 8 May 2026; the Beverly Hills and Westwood sections are still under construction (LA Metro). That turns Museum Row from a car trip into a direct ride from Union Station, except from 23 October to 1 November 2026, when the Academy Museum says Wilshire/Fairfax station is closed; check LA Metro for the nearest open station that week, or use the bus stop beside the museum or a rideshare.

LACMA opens Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 11am to 6pm, Friday to 8pm and weekends from 10am to 7pm, closes on Wednesdays, and announces that the new David Geffen Galleries are open. Adult tickets cost $30, and everyone gets in free on the second Tuesday of each month (LACMA tickets).

The Academy Museum opens six days a week from 10am to 6pm and closes on Tuesdays; adults pay $25 and visitors aged 17 and under go free. It flagged a closure on Saturday 17 October 2026 for a special event, so check its calendar for one-off closures.

Day 5: how do you pair the Getty Center with Santa Monica and Venice?

Book a free timed entry for the Getty Center’s 10am opening and drive or ride-hail up the hill; parking costs $25. After lunch, head to Santa Monica for the pier and the beach path south to Venice, then catch the sunset and ride the E Line back from Downtown Santa Monica station.

The Getty Center opens Tuesday to Friday and Sunday from 10am to 6:30pm and Saturday to 9pm, closes on Mondays, and offers free admission with a timed-entry reservation; some pavilion galleries were closed for renovation when we checked. Parking is a fee per car, which the Getty sets at $25, falling later in the day.

Santa Monica Pier sits at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue (Santa Monica Pier), and Pacific Park on the pier is an admission-free amusement park whose hours change from day to day (Pacific Park). The E Line runs from Downtown Santa Monica back across the city to downtown (LA Metro).

The Getty Villa on the Pacific Coast Highway, open daily except Tuesdays with free timed tickets, reopened after its Palisades fire closure (Getty Villa, Getty news). Malibu remains fire-prone: on 16 October 2026 the city’s alert centre listed the Bryson Fire with evacuation warnings in western Malibu (City of Malibu), so check alerts before driving the coast.

Day 6: Catalina, Joshua Tree or Disneyland for a day trip?

Choose Catalina for a car-free sea day: Catalina Express sails from Long Beach and San Pedro to Avalon in about an hour, for $103 return for adults. Choose Joshua Tree, open 24 hours with a $30 car pass, for desert scenery outside summer. Choose Disneyland if theme parks matter more than landscapes.

Catalina Express sails from San Pedro, Long Beach and Dana Point to Avalon and Two Harbors. Its fares valid from 8 September 2026 to 31 March 2027 list $103 return for adults from Long Beach or San Pedro, with crossings of about an hour from Long Beach and an hour and a quarter from San Pedro (Catalina Express). The A Line runs to Long Beach from downtown (LA Metro).

Joshua Tree National Park is open 24 hours a day all year, and the NPS warns that extreme heat is a very serious safety risk in summer. A private vehicle pass costs $30 for seven days, and the north and west entrances accept cards only (NPS fees). It is a long drive each way from Los Angeles, so start early and carry plenty of water.

For Disneyland, the resort suggests the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner or Metrolink to ARTIC in Anaheim, then a free connecting bus of about 30 minutes with a valid rail ticket (Disneyland Resort). Compare it with Universal in our Universal Studios Hollywood guide before buying tickets.

Day 7: how do you finish in Pasadena or Universal City?

Ride the A Line to Memorial Park or Del Mar for Old Pasadena’s streets and a long lunch, adding the Huntington’s gardens if they are open that day. Alternatively, take the B Line to Universal/Studio City for a studio day. Either way, leave a generous margin for the drive or FlyAway back to LAX.

The A Line’s Pasadena stations include Del Mar, Memorial Park, Lake, Allen and Sierra Madre Villa, and the line now runs from Pomona North to Long Beach after its extension opened on 30 September 2025 (LA Metro, A Line extension). The Huntington’s website blocked our checks, so confirm its opening days and reservation rules directly before you plan around it.

Universal/Studio City is a B Line station (LA Metro), which makes a theme-park day possible without a car; our Universal Studios Hollywood guide helps you decide whether it earns a full day. Families should read Los Angeles with kids for pacing.

For the airport, FlyAway buses leave Union Station from 5am (LAWA), and the C and K Lines reach the LAX/Metro Transit Center for the shuttle to the terminals (LA Metro). Allow extra time in the afternoon peak if you go by road.

How should weather and safety change the week, and which tours fit?

LA is mostly dry from April to October, hot inland in late summer, and exposed to Santa Ana winds and fire risk from autumn; winter brings most of the rain. Keep days 5 and 6 flexible, check fire and air-quality alerts, and book at most two tours: a Catalina or desert day and a studio tour.

NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals give downtown Los Angeles an August average high of 28.9°C against 24.8°C at LAX on the coast, and February is the wettest month downtown at 92mm (NOAA NCEI, downtown, LAX). The UK government lists California among US areas at higher earthquake risk, warns that wildfires are a danger in dry areas, and says violent crime rarely affects tourists but advises against leaving passports in rental cars (FCDO).

The National Weather Service says Santa Ana winds are most common from September to May and increase wildfire risk (NWS), and South Coast AQMD publishes daily air-quality forecasts (AQMD). For tours, check what is included, the pickup point and the cancellation terms for fire or weather closures. Our GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook comparison explains how refunds differ, and Los Angeles in the rain covers indoor swaps for wet days.

If seven days feel like too much driving, drop day 6 and give Santa Monica and Venice their own day. For more ideas, see things to do in Los Angeles and the Los Angeles destination hub.