Los Angeles · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Sprawling and car-shaped, but the trains reach the beach, the canyons and Hollywood for pocket change.
Hollywood and Venice hostels
Dorm beds concentrate on Hollywood Boulevard and along the Venice boardwalk. Venice for sun and skate parks, Hollywood for the metro and the noise.
What a day costs
Bed 40–70 USD, food 20–40 if you live on taquerías and Grand Central Market, and transit caps at 5 a day on a TAP card.
Getting around cheap
A TAP card caps fares daily and weekly; the B and D lines serve Hollywood, the E line runs to Santa Monica, and Metro Bike fills the gaps.
Free by day
Griffith Observatory charges nothing to enter, the Getty Center is free with paid parking, and the Broad releases free timed tickets. So is the Venice boardwalk.
Where travellers meet
The Venice boardwalk and the Muscle Beach end pull backpackers all afternoon, and the Hollywood hostel rooftops run pub crawls most nights.