Your Ultimate Guide To WeHo

West Hollywood, affectionately known as WeHo, is one of Los Angeles’s most vibrant and eclectic neighborhoods. This independent city of 1.9 square miles packs an incredible punch with world-class dining, trendy shopping, legendary nightlife, and cultural attractions. Whether you’re seeking outdoor adventure, culinary excellence, or entertainment, here are the top things to do in West Hollywood.

1. Explore West Hollywood’s Three Distinct Neighborhoods

West Hollywood is divided into three main districts, each with its own personality. The Sunset Strip is the legendary entertainment corridor featuring historic music venues, hotels, and nightlife.

The Design District along Melrose and Robertson is home to high-end interior design showrooms, art galleries, and upscale shopping. Boystown along Santa Monica Boulevard is one of the world’s most prominent LGBTQ+ neighborhoods, featuring rainbow crosswalks, vibrant nightlife, and inclusive businesses.

There are also two micro districts, Mid-City and East Side. The five areas offer a different flavor of WeHo’s diverse culture.

2. Dine at Outstanding Restaurants

West Hollywood’s restaurant scene is phenomenal, offering everything from coastal cuisine to farm-to-table fare. Great White brings Venice Beach vibes with its healthy California breakfast and brunch dishes, including stellar avocado toast and fresh-pressed juices. Laurel Hardware combines industrial-chic design with seasonal, locally-sourced dishes in a converted hardware store with a lovely garden patio.

Casa Madera serves elevated Mexican cuisine with a stunning ambiance and creative cocktails. This stylish restaurant inside the Mondrian Los Angeles has panoramic views of the city skyline.

Ladyhawk offers a refined dining experience in an intimate setting within the LaPeer Hotel. We love the inventive fusion of Eastern Mediterranean and Californian flavors. Their homemade breads are to die for!

Head to Bottega Louie in nearby downtown LA to enjoy beautiful pastries and refined Italian-American cuisine in a grand, marble-adorned space. The neighborhood also boasts celebrity hotspots like Catch LA, cozy bistros, and international cuisines representing every corner of the globe.

For a classic Hollywood experience, visit Tower Bar at the Sunset Tower Hotel, where old Hollywood glamour meets exceptional cuisine and craft cocktails. Leave some room for their chocolate chip cookies!

3. Enjoy Coffee and Pastries at Trendy Cafes

WeHo’s café culture is thriving with spots perfect for morning coffee, laptop work, or casual meetups. Ospero at The Sun Rose offers a sophisticated café experience with excellent coffee and Mediterranean-inspired fare. The menu was created by Wolfgang Puck, who also oversees Merois, their rooftop restaurant.

The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker is a beloved neighborhood institution serving excellent coffee and fresh pastries in a cozy atmosphere.

Verve Coffee Roasters brings Santa Cruz’s acclaimed coffee culture to Melrose with expertly crafted espresso drinks and a minimalist aesthetic. Urth Caffé on Melrose offers organic coffee and teas alongside healthy breakfast and lunch options in a bustling, see-and-be-seen environment.

Strings of Life provides a warm, community-focused space with quality coffee and a welcoming vibe.

4. Shop at Stylish Boutiques and Flagship Stores

West Hollywood is a shopping paradise, from independent designers to international brands. The neighborhood features high-end fashion boutiques along Robertson Boulevard, vintage shops on Melrose, and the Pacific Design Center for interior design enthusiasts.

Beauty lovers must visit Glossier on Melrose Place, where the minimalist pink aesthetic and cult-favorite skincare and makeup products create an Instagram-worthy retail experience. For luxury consignment, The RealReal at 8500 Melrose Avenue is the company’s flagship LA location, offering authenticated designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and clothing from brands like Chanel, Gucci, and Prada.

RH West Hollywood (Restoration Hardware) is an architectural marvel – a multi-level design gallery showcasing luxury home furnishings with a stunning rooftop restaurant. Photography enthusiasts shouldn’t miss the Leica Store, where you can explore the legendary German camera brand’s precision-crafted cameras and lenses, attend photography exhibitions, and connect with fellow photography lovers.

Book lovers and collectors must visit Mystery Pier Books, which specializes in rare first editions and collectible books in a charming setting. Photography enthusiasts shouldn’t miss the Leica Store, where you can explore the legendary German camera brand’s precision-crafted cameras and lenses, attend photography exhibitions, and connect with fellow photography lovers.

Fashion-forward shoppers will love Kith West Hollywood, the lifestyle brand’s flagship store offering premium streetwear, sneakers, and their famous Kith Treats ice cream. For a sweet treat, don’t miss ButterLove & Hardwork, a pop-up chocolate shop at La Peer Hotel serving artisanal chocolates and confections.

5. Discover Vibrant Street Art and Murals

West Hollywood celebrates public art through its Art on the Outside program, which installs rotating artworks including murals, sculptures, and digital art throughout the city for six months to three years. Notable works include RETNA’s distinctive brushwork at the West Hollywood Library that recalls ancient writing systems mixed with LA graffiti traditions, and murals by renowned artists Shepard Fairey and Kenny Scharf on the library’s parking structure walls.

Take a self-guided walking tour through the Design District to discover colorful murals on Melrose Avenue and along major corridors. The famous Paul Smith Pink Wall on Melrose has become an Instagram landmark, while ever-changing murals outside businesses like Carrera Cafe showcase the neighborhood’s commitment to street art culture.

6. Relax in Beautiful Parks

West Hollywood’s parks offer green spaces for recreation and community gathering. Plummer Park, located between Santa Monica Boulevard and Fountain Avenue, spans over 10 acres and serves as a popular gathering place for the city’s diverse residents. The park features tennis courts, a basketball court, a playground, picnic areas with shaded spaces, and hosts the weekly Helen Albert Certified Farmers’ Market.

West Hollywood Park, located at 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard, features an aquatic and recreation center and serves as the main venue for major city events including WeHo Pride Weekend. William S. Hart Park offers additional green space along the Sunset Strip, perfect for a quick respite during your explorations.

For those seeking hiking trails and panoramic city views, nearby Runyon Canyon Park sits just outside West Hollywood’s northern border, offering easy to moderate trails with breathtaking viewpoints overlooking the entire Los Angeles basin – from downtown to the Pacific Ocean.

7. Laugh in World-Famous Comedy Clubs

West Hollywood is home to iconic comedy venues where you can catch both rising stars and established comedians. The Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard has launched countless comedy careers since 1972, featuring multiple rooms with shows nightly.

The intimate setting allows you to see top-tier talent up close, and you never know when a famous comedian might drop in for a surprise set. The club’s rich history and continued relevance make it a must-visit for comedy fans.

8. Experience the Legendary Nightlife

WeHo’s nightlife is world-renowned, offering something for everyone. The Sunset Strip features iconic venues like The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go, and The Viper Room, where rock legends have played for decades.

Rooftop bars like E.P. & L.P. and the rooftop at The London West Hollywood offer craft cocktails with stunning skyline views – perfect for sunset drinks before a night out. For a unique experience, dive into Lucky Tiki, a retro tiki bar serving tropical cocktails in a kitschy, mid-century Polynesian atmosphere complete with vintage décor and strong mai tais.

Movie fans will love Melrose Rooftop Theatre on the rooftop of E.P. & L.P., an outdoor cinema showing cult classics and new releases with wireless headphones and cozy bean bag seating under the stars.

For dancing, hit clubs like Delilah or Arena for DJ sets and possible celebrity sightings. The Boystown area along Santa Monica Boulevard offers vibrant LGBTQ+ nightlife with clubs like The Abbey (a WeHo institution), Beaches Tropicana and Mickey’s.

9. Rejuvenate at Luxury Spas

West Hollywood’s wellness scene offers numerous opportunities for relaxation and self-care. Treat yourself to treatments at high-end spas throughout the neighborhood, where you can enjoy everything from deep tissue massages and facials to body wraps and wellness therapies.

A standout experience is Ole Henriksen Spa, where you can indulge in their signature treatments including the famous Red Carpet Facial – a luxurious treatment that I was lucky to experience, delivering instantly glowing, camera-ready skin that celebrities swear by. The spa offers a full menu of facials, innovative body treatments such as red light therapy, and massages using Ole Henriksen’s renowned skincare products.

10. Explore World-Class Museums and Culture

West Hollywood and the surrounding area offer excellent cultural experiences. Art enthusiasts should visit Hauser & Wirth at 8980 Santa Monica Blvd, one of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries featuring established and emerging artists. The Pacific Design Center hosts rotating art exhibitions, and the Leica Gallery at 8783 Beverly Blvd is the brand’s largest North American location.

Visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) just minutes away from West Hollywood, where you can explore everything from ancient artifacts to contemporary installations. Don’t miss the iconic Urban Light installation – those 202 vintage street lamps are perfect for photos, especially at dusk.

The nearby La Brea Tar Pits offer fascinating prehistoric discoveries, while the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has some really interesting exhibitions. You can currently see Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, Jaws: The Exhibition and many more.

11. Take a Free Historic Walking Tour

The City of West Hollywood offers free self-guided historic walking tours through its preservation website. Explore the Harper Avenue Historic District, which features elegant 1920s and 1930s apartment buildings in French Chateau and Spanish Colonial Revival styles that once housed Hollywood stars.

The Old Sherman Walking Tour takes you through the city’s earliest historic sites, including locations tied to the Pacific Electric Railway and the town of Sherman that predated West Hollywood. An LGBTQ History Tour is also available, showcasing the community’s rich history in the area, with stops along significant landmarks in Boystown and beyond. These tours offer fascinating insights into the architecture, culture, and personalities that shaped West Hollywood.

12. Attend Fun Events and Festivals

West Hollywood hosts the Helen Albert Certified Farmers’ Market every Monday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Plummer Park’s north parking lot. Operating since 1986, this award-winning market features organic produce, baked goods, fresh fish, artisan breads, and more from local vendors.

For a chic Sunday shopping experience, the Melrose Place Farmers Market takes place every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the palm-lined Melrose Place, offering certified organic produce, artisan goods, fresh pastries, and handcrafted items in an upscale, community-focused atmosphere.

The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is officially the largest Halloween street party in the United States, drawing nearly half a million people each October 31st. First launched in 1987, this free event transforms Santa Monica Boulevard into a mile-long pedestrian festival featuring live DJs, food trucks, elaborate costumes, and performances. It’s considered one of the most spectacular Halloween celebrations in the world and we had a great time at it, even though we hadn’t brought a costume in our luggage!

WeHo Pride is one of the largest annual Pride celebrations in the world, drawing hundreds of thousands of people each year. The festivities begin on Harvey Milk Day (May 22) and run through June, with WeHo Pride Weekend taking place in late May/early June. Events include the OUTLOUD Music Festival featuring major headliners, a free Street Fair, the Women’s Freedom Festival and Dyke March, the colorful WeHo Pride Parade along Santa Monica Boulevard, and the WeHo Pride Arts Festival celebrating LGBTQ+ creativity.

Getting Around West Hollywood

West Hollywood is highly walkable, especially within each neighborhood district, though distances between districts may require transportation. The City of West Hollywood PickUp is a free shuttle service that operates throughout the city on weekends, making it easy to hop between neighborhoods.

Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are abundant and convenient. Street parking can be challenging, but there are numerous public parking lots and structures.

Many visitors enjoy walking or renting bikes to explore the flat, pedestrian-friendly areas. The neighborhood is also accessible via Metro bus lines that run along major streets like Santa Monica and Sunset Boulevards.

Where to Stay in West Hollywood

West Hollywood offers accommodations for every style and budget. For luxury, consider The Sun Rose with its rooftop pool and panoramic views, 1 Hotel West Hollywood for eco-luxury, or the legendary Sunset Tower Hotel for old Hollywood glamour.

The Sunset Marquis offers rock-and-roll history with its own recording studio. Mid-range options include The Grafton on Sunset and various boutique hotels along the Sunset Strip.

Boystown has LGBTQ+-focused hotels that embrace the neighborhood’s inclusive spirit. Location-wise, staying near the Sunset Strip puts you close to nightlife and dining, while the Design District offers a quieter, more residential feel with easy access to shopping and restaurants.

Final Thoughts on the Best Things to Do in West Hollywood, CA

West Hollywood proves that great things come in small packages. This walkable city manages to pack incredible restaurants, world-class shopping, legendary entertainment venues, outdoor adventures, and cultural experiences into less than two square miles.

Whether you’re exploring the rock-and-roll history of the Sunset Strip, discovering vibrant street art, shopping the Design District’s chic boutiques, attending the epic Halloween Carnaval, or celebrating at WeHo Pride, this neighborhood offers something special at every turn. From sunrise hikes to farmers’ market mornings to rooftop sunset cocktails to late-night comedy shows, West Hollywood delivers an authentic Los Angeles experience that keeps visitors coming back for more.

Discover more great things to do in West Hollywood on the official tourism site.

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