Flights from Denver (DEN) to Los Angeles (LAX)

You’re more likely to have heard about the traffic in L.A. than you are to have learned that Los Angeles is actually home to a subway system. The Los Angeles Metro Rail is made up of six different lines: two rapid transit subway lines and four light rail lines. When you deplane at LAX, you can take a shuttle to the Green Line and ride into the city. If traffic is part of your California dreaming, though, you can always call a cab, a ride share, or rent yourself a drop top for a chance to feel the wind in your hair.

If you don’t find yourself flying down the Pacific Coast Highway and instead opt to tour the City of Angels, you won’t want to miss Hollywood. From glitz to kitsch, there’s something for everyone to see in the city’s most famous neighborhood. Take a hike up to the Hollywood Sign and enjoy the sights of the city from perched on Mount Lee of the Santa Monica Mountains. Originally an advertisement for real estate, it’s now an iconic piece of Americana. Old Hollywood awaits, but the modern motion picture industry is available to you, too—take your chances with a hop-on-hop-off tour of celebrity homes for some quintessential touristy kitsch.

While L.A. is often called the Creative Capital of the World thanks to the entertainment industry, there’s plenty else to explore. Architecture buffs can tour several case study houses and revolutionary residence examples, and see examples of styles ranging from mission revival, Norman French provincial, beaux arts, art deco, and streamline moderne. Museums and galleries abound as well, of course, to say nothing of the culinary arts—Michelin-starred meals to food trucks.