Things to do in Los Angeles in the Morning

One of the best things about getting out of bed early in any major city is the chance to enjoy it at its quietest, in that golden hour before its gears start to grind noisily into life. Los Angeles is no exception, with plenty of opportunities to catch a serene sunrise in peace and, quite often, solitude. Most people come to the Griffith Observatory to ogle the galaxy’s most distant stars, but it’s also a fine spot to watch our own beloved sun put on its morning show of orange, red and golden light as the whole of the Los Angeles Basin comes slowly into focus. Eyes peeled as the downtown LA skyline, famous Hollywood sign, and shimmering Pacific Ocean each swim into view.

A little further west across the Cahuenga Pass, Runyon Canyon offers a more low-key alternative for sunrise spotters, with views that take in the Hollywood Hills and even, on a clear day, Santa Catalina Island. Take the loop trail for some of the best views, nodding hello to the occasional morning jogger and even more occasional coyote along the way.

Everyone knows that if you want to beat the lines at any major sightseeing attraction, you have to get there early. Most LA attractions are up and running by 9AM-10AM so what are you waiting for? Want to explore the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum without getting mired in slow-moving crowds? Get there early for the best views of live asphalt excavations and Ice Age fossils including giant ground sloths and a baby mastodon. Hoping to hop straight onto the popular Transformers and Minions rides at Universal Studios Hollywood? Get there early! Planning to say hey to the resident critters at LA Zoo and the vast Aquarium of the Pacific? Say it loud: get there early!

Here’s the good news: all of these A-list LA attractions are included with a Los Angeles pass from Go City. The pass can save you up to 50% on admission to more than 40 LA tours, activities and attractions, including the Hollywood Sign walking tour, Madame Tussauds, and the Natural History Museum. Hit the buttons below to find out more and bag your pass!

The relatively cool climes of an LA morning are prime time to stroll, jog or otherwise entertain yourself on one of LA’s world-famous beaches. Get down to Santa Monica for sunrise and the lack of spectators may even inspire you to throw caution to the wind, bust out a tomato-red swimsuit, and go full Baywatch mode as you frolic gazelle-like over the golden sands. Venice Beach is an altogether more boho prospect. Find a buzzy brunch spot and set yourself up for a massive pile of pancakes and some of the best people-watching opportunities in town as street performers, skaters and boardwalk body-builders go about their morning business. Or you can get your yoga fix at celeb hotspot Malibu, where you’ll find several donation-based practitioners leading morning sessions. Yoga sessions at Huntingdon Beach, south of LA in Orange County, are included with your Los Angeles pass.

In La La Land, selfie sticks are almost as ubiquitous as LA tans. Lean into the craziness by grabbing your camera phone and hot-footing it to some of the city’s selfie hotpots. There’s the Hollywood Walk of Fame, of course. Morning is hands-down the best time for unobstructed shots with your favorite celebrity star, be that Greta Garbo, Alvin & The Chipmunks, or Donald Trump. Head downtown for a selfie outside the Walt Disney Concert Hall, an angular space-age confection in gleaming stainless steel, designed by the great Frank Gehry. Or make for the Venice Canals just behind Venice Beach, where an early-morning stroll presents many opportunities for serene portraits against the glassy waters, romantic bridges and sun-kissed palms.

We’ve already covered Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon, but these vast urban wildernesses ain’t the only places in Los Angeles where you can enjoy a mindful stroll or cycle surrounded by nature. As ever, mornings are the best time to enjoy these great green open spaces if you value relative peace and solitude over the slow-moving crowds that tend to accumulate later in the day.

Echo Lake Park is another of those great LA selfie spots – all lush palms, graceful swans, soaring lake fountains, and a beloved ‘Lady of the Lake’ statue. Give your legs a workout on a run round the perimeter of this urban lake in the crisp morning air, or by taking to the water on a pedal boat.

Bikers, skaters and rollerbladers will be in clover along the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, aka The Strand, a long, scenic (and mercifully flat) coastal path that connects Will Rogers State Beach north of Santa Monica to Torrance Beach south of Redondo. There’s plenty to see and do along the 22-mile route. Our advice? Rent a bike and set out early, looping down from historic Santa Monica Pier via picture-postcard Marina del Rey to Manhattan Beach and back, pausing along the way to admire the views, enjoy the ocean breeze and devour an ice cream or seven.

Last but not least, the epic Malibu Creek State Park is manna for hikers and ramblers. Pack a picnic and head into the Santa Monica Mountains, where 15 miles of creek-side trails reveal picturesque woodlands, tranquil pools and awesome volcanic gorges. You never know: get lucky and you might even spot a majestic great blue heron out fishing or a shy mountain lion skulking in the trees.

Find more cool things to do in Los Angeles in the morning and save up to 50% with a Los Angeles pass from Go City. Click here for more info and to buy yours!