3 Days in Beverly Hills and the Westside: A Luxury Los Angeles Itinerary

This itinerary is built for travelers who want a polished, upscale slice of Los Angeles rather than an exhaustive tour of the whole city. It stays within a tight cluster of neighborhoods — Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Culver City — and leans into what they do well: boutique hotels, chef-driven restaurants, design-forward shopping and a coastline within easy reach. For a broader, more general first-timer’s tour of the city, the classic three-day Los Angeles itinerary covers more ground; this one goes narrower and deeper.

A practical note before setting out: these four neighborhoods look close together on a map, but they are separate areas connected by surface streets and freeways, not a walkable district. Depending on traffic, the drive between Beverly Hills and Santa Monica can take anywhere from about 20 to 40 minutes, and Culver City adds another leg in a different direction. A car — your own rental, a hired driver, or rideshare — is the default way to move between them, even for what looks like a short hop on the map. See driving and parking in Los Angeles and rental car vs. rideshare for the trade-offs.

One thing this itinerary does not promise: it will not get you a celebrity sighting, and it will not get you inside anyone’s private home. Beverly Hills’ residential streets are lined with gated, privately owned properties, and any drive past them is exactly that — a drive past a facade from a public street, with no access to the grounds and no guarantee of who, if anyone, is around. Treat any “celebrity homes” activity as an architecture-and-neighborhood tour, not a chance encounter.

Where to stay for this itinerary

For this three-day loop, basing yourself in or near Beverly Hills or West Hollywood keeps Days 1 and 2 largely car-light, with a planned drive out to the coast on Day 3. Santa Monica is a reasonable alternative base if beach mornings matter more to you than a Rodeo Drive walk from your hotel door. Either way, expect to budget for valet parking most evenings — self-parking is rare at the properties this itinerary favors. For a broader comparison of neighborhoods and pricing tiers, see where to stay in Los Angeles by itinerary.

Base neighborhood	Best for	Typical drive to Santa Monica
Beverly Hills	Shopping, spa mornings, central location	25-40 min depending on traffic
West Hollywood	Nightlife, dining, design district	30-40 min depending on traffic
Santa Monica	Beach mornings, ocean air, walkable pier area	10-15 min to Beverly Hills off-peak

Day 1: Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive

Start slowly. This is not a day of checklist sightseeing — it is built around Beverly Hills’ shopping core and its quieter residential streets, with a late lunch and a spa block in the afternoon.

Morning. Begin on Rodeo Drive and the surrounding blocks, where flagship boutiques sit alongside smaller independent shops. Give this two to three unhurried hours; the point is browsing and people-watching, not rushing between stores. If you want context on the neighborhood’s history and layout beyond the shopping strip, a Beverly Hills celebrity homes guide is a useful primer before you go.

Midday. A guided bike ride through Beverly Hills and Bel Air’s residential streets is a pleasant, low-effort way to see the architecture and landscaping up close, at a pace a car can’t match. It is framed around the neighborhoods themselves — grand facades, hedged driveways, quiet streets — rather than any promise of who might be home.

a guided bike tour past Beverly Hills and Bel Air’s residential streets and architecture

Afternoon. Book a spa afternoon. Several Beverly Hills and West Hollywood hotels open their spas to outside guests by reservation, and a two-to-three-hour block here is a good match for the pace of this itinerary. See the Los Angeles spa and wellness guide or, if you’re staying closer to Sunset, the West Hollywood spa and wellness guide for options.

Evening. Dinner in Beverly Hills or a short drive over to West Hollywood’s restaurant row. Reserve ahead — the properties that fit this itinerary’s tier book out days or weeks in advance on weekends.

Day 2: West Hollywood and a wider Westside overview

Day 2 shifts north into West Hollywood and uses a half-day guided overview to put Beverly Hills, Hollywood and the wider Westside into context without spending the whole trip behind a rental car’s wheel.

Morning. Walk the Sunset Strip and the Design District around Melrose Avenue — a mix of furniture showrooms, galleries and cafes that reward a slow morning more than a checklist. For things to do specifically in this neighborhood, see things to do in West Hollywood.

Midday. An open-air bus tour through Hollywood and Beverly Hills is a comfortable way to see how the neighborhoods connect geographically — useful context if this is your first visit to the Westside — without adding another day of driving yourself.

an open-air bus tour linking Hollywood and Beverly Hills

Afternoon. For travelers who want a closer look at the Hollywood Sign and the hills above the city without hiking, a small-group afternoon tour combines the sign with Beverly Hills’ commercial core in a single loop, dropped back near your hotel by early evening.

an afternoon small-group tour pairing the Hollywood Sign with Beverly Hills

Evening. West Hollywood’s dining scene runs later than most of the city; a reservation after 8pm is normal here, not late. If you’d rather stay in, most hotels in this tier have a bar or lounge worth an evening on its own.

Day 3: Santa Monica and Culver City

The final day trades shopping streets for ocean air, with a stop in Culver City on the way back if time and energy allow.

Morning. Drive out to Santa Monica — allow 25 to 40 minutes from Beverly Hills depending on the time of day, closer to 15 minutes if you leave before the morning rush. Walk the pier, then move onto the beach promenade. The Pacific here runs cold year-round, even in summer, so treat it as a walk and a view rather than a swim.

Midday. A guided tour pairing the pier with a scenic drive toward the Hollywood Sign viewpoints is an easy way to combine Santa Monica’s coastline with a wider look at the city’s geography, without adding a separate car trip.

a guided tour combining the Santa Monica Pier with Hollywood Sign viewpoints

Afternoon. Head inland to Culver City for a change of register — this is a smaller, design-conscious neighborhood built around a walkable historic downtown, restaurant rows and a growing arts scene, distinct from the beach and the shopping streets you’ve spent the last two days in.

Evening. Close the trip with dinner in Santa Monica or Culver City, depending on where your flight or next stop points you. If you’re heading back toward the airport, Culver City sits closer to LAX than either Beverly Hills or Santa Monica, which can shave real time off a morning departure.

Practical notes for this itinerary

• Budget expectations. This is a luxury-tier plan: boutique or five-star hotels, chef-driven restaurants and reserved spa time all sit well above the city’s mid-range averages. Beyond room rates, expect valet parking most evenings (commonly $10-30+ per stop) and sales tax added at the till rather than included in menu prices.
• Tipping. US norms apply throughout — roughly 18-20%+ at restaurants, a dollar or two per drink at a bar, and a few dollars for valet and bellhop service are standard, not optional add-ons.
• A driver is not required, but it simplifies things. A private driver or a series of rideshare bookings removes the parking-and-directions overhead between neighborhoods; a rental car gives more flexibility but adds valet fees at nearly every stop. Either way, budget real time for the drives themselves — this itinerary is not designed to be done on foot between neighborhoods.
• What this itinerary is not. It does not include theme parks, and it does not promise access to any private residence or a celebrity sighting of any kind — the residential drive-by on Day 1 is about architecture and streetscape, seen from the public street, nothing more.

For a wider-lens alternative that spreads the same three days across more of the city rather than concentrating on the Westside, compare this plan with the classic three-day Los Angeles itinerary.

FAQ: Three days in Beverly Hills and the Westside

Is three days enough to see Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Culver City?

Yes, at the pace this itinerary sets — one or two neighborhoods per day, with time built in for shopping, dining and a spa block, rather than a packed sightseeing schedule. Trying to add more neighborhoods would mean cutting into the unhurried pace that defines a luxury-tier trip.

Do I need a car for this itinerary?

Effectively yes. The four neighborhoods sit 20 to 40 minutes apart by car depending on traffic, and none of them are realistically connected on foot. A rental car, a private driver or a steady run of rideshare bookings all work; walking between neighborhoods does not.

Can I expect to see celebrities on this trip?

No, and this itinerary does not promise that. Beverly Hills’ residential streets are genuinely worth a slow drive-by for the architecture and landscaping, but any celebrity sighting would be incidental and is never guaranteed.

Can I go inside any of the homes on the Beverly Hills residential tour?

No. The residential portions of this itinerary — whether self-driven or via a guided bike or bus tour — stay on public streets and view properties from outside. None of the homes are open to visitors, and no tour on this itinerary claims otherwise.

How does this differ from the classic three-day Los Angeles itinerary?

The classic three-day itinerary is built for a first-time, generalist visit and ranges more widely across the city. This itinerary narrows the scope to four upscale Westside neighborhoods and prioritizes hotels, dining and shopping over covering as much ground as possible.

Is the ocean at Santa Monica warm enough to swim in?

Not typically. The Pacific off Los Angeles stays cold year-round, including in summer, so most visitors treat the Santa Monica coastline as a walk and a view rather than a swimming destination.

What should I budget for parking and tipping on a trip like this?

Expect valet parking at most hotels and many restaurants, commonly in the $10-30+ per stop range, plus tips of roughly 18-20%+ at sit-down restaurants and a few dollars for valet and bellhop service — all on top of sales tax, which is added at the till rather than shown in the listed price.

Is Culver City worth the detour from Beverly Hills and Santa Monica?

Yes, if you have a half-day to spare. It offers a distinctly different, more design-focused character than the shopping streets of Beverly Hills or the beach at Santa Monica, and it sits conveniently on the way back toward the airport for travelers ending their trip here.