Los Angeles takes some explaining. It's not one city so much as a hundred of them stitched together by freeways, and visitors often bounce off it because they try to see everything in three days. We lived here, and after years of driving between the beach, the mountains and Anaheim, we've learned the trick. Pick a corner of the map each day and stay in it. Do that and LA becomes one of the best family destinations in the country.

For the big family pilgrimage, our Disneyland packing list for travelling with a baby covers everything to bring through the gates.

Why we love Los Angeles

Where else can you surf before breakfast and hike above the Hollywood Sign before lunch? We came from Copenhagen, where the ocean is a cold, grey idea for most of the year. Here it's a way of life. The light is real, the produce is real, and every neighborhood has its own personality and food scene. It's also a working city, not a theme park, which keeps it honest. Our kids think it's normal that their playground sometimes has a film crew next to it. It still isn't normal to us.

What to see and do

  • Griffith Observatory and Griffith Park. The observatory is free, the views over the basin are unbeatable, and the Hollywood Sign is a short hike away.
  • The beaches. Santa Monica Pier for the classic postcard, Venice for the boardwalk chaos, and Malibu or Manhattan Beach for a calmer family day.
  • Disneyland in Anaheim, south of Los Angeles. Travel time depends heavily on where you start and traffic, so treat it as its own day rather than a quick city stop.
  • Museums that kids actually enjoy. The Natural History Museum and the La Brea Tar Pits with its Ice Age skeletons, plus the Getty for art and gardens above the 405.
  • Studio tours if your kids are old enough to care how movies get made.
  • A drive up the Pacific Coast Highway toward Malibu, windows down, no destination.

Where to eat and drink

LA eats better than almost anywhere on earth, and it does it casually. Mexican food is the backbone of the city, from taco trucks to the sit-down institutions of East LA. Korean food in Koreatown, Thai in the Valley, Japanese in Little Tokyo, and seafood shacks along the coast all reward a little driving. The food truck culture is real, and kids love eating standing up next to a truck more than any restaurant we've tried. Beach towns do breezy patio dining well, and Anaheim around the parks is built for families, if a little touristy.

When to go and how to get around

Any time works weather-wise. Late spring and early fall give you warm days without summer crowds at the beaches and parks. July and August are hot inland and packed at the coast. You need a car, and you should plan around traffic rather than fight it. Distances look short on a map and aren't. Base yourself near what you came for, beach people near the coast, Disneyland families in Anaheim, and don't zigzag across town twice a day. If you're building a wider Southern California trip, San Diego is two hours south, Palm Springs is two hours east, and Temecula sits conveniently between them.

Our Los Angeles guides