Where to set up base camp?

[cmlnkb]

Planning a trip first week of September 7 days. Starting at Disneyland for 3 nights. Where can we set up base camp after that to be able to enjoy all things LA? Interests are Santa Monica, Walk of Fame, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, Malibu.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Planning a trip first week of September 7 days. Starting at Disneyland for 3 nights. Where can we set up base camp after that to be able to enjoy all things LA? Interests are Santa Monica, Walk of Fame, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, Malibu.

To give an idea of distance
Santa Monica and Venice Beach are an hours drive from Hollywood Walk of Fame Chinese Theater
Beverly Hills which I assume you mean Rodeo Dr is about 20 to 30 minutes drive from Hollywood Walk of Fame Chinese Theater.

The Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Malibu Pier, is not somewhere I would advise going to. That whole area has been decimated by the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fires. Thousands of houses and buildings have been burnt to the ground. The US Army and other disaster recovery agencies are in the middle of clearing the debris from every single plot of land that had a building leveled or burnt. Huge amounts of people have been displaced and even former homeowners are being advised not to go to the area unless they have to.

 

[cmlnkb]

To give an idea of distance
Santa Monica and Venice Beach are an hours drive from Hollywood Walk of Fame Chinese Theater
Beverly Hills which I assume you mean Rodeo Dr is about 20 to 30 minutes drive from Hollywood Walk of Fame Chinese Theater.

The Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Malibu Pier, is not somewhere I would advise going to. That whole area has been decimated by the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fires. Thousands of houses and buildings have been burnt to the ground. The US Army and other disaster recovery agencies are in the middle of clearing the debris from every single plot of land that had a building leveled or burnt. Huge amounts of people have been displaced and even former homeowners are being advised not to go to the area unless they have to.

Oh gosh that is so awful and sad . Ok is it better to base our camp in Anaheim? Or will going to tourist things in LA cause us to be stuck in lots of traffic? Thanks

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Oh gosh that is so awful and sad . Ok is it better to base our camp in Anaheim? Or will going to tourist things in LA cause us to be stuck in lots of traffic? Thanks

La is huge, I mean huge. Its really not worth it to base in Anaheim for the Hollywood area tourist things. The distance on Google maps does not correlate to actual driving time. You could be on a freeway and the traffic moving normal and 5 miles later everything is at a standstill for no apparent reason.

This is a photo I took as my plane was approaching LAX in 2024.
1 = Skyscrapers of Downtown LA Financial District
2= San Gabriel Mountains

 

[China Expat]

Planning a trip first week of September 7 days. Starting at Disneyland for 3 nights. Where can we set up base camp after that to be able to enjoy all things LA? Interests are Santa Monica, Walk of Fame, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, Malibu.

I recommend Burbank..close to all, easy freeway access, Universal, Warner Bros, etc.

 

[cmlnkb]

La is huge, I mean huge. Its really not worth it to base in Anaheim for the Hollywood area tourist things. The distance on Google maps does not correlate to actual driving time. You could be on a freeway and the traffic moving normal and 5 miles later everything is at a standstill for no apparent reason.

This is a photo I took as my plane was approaching LAX in 2024.
1 = Skyscrapers of Downtown LA Financial District
2= San Gabriel Mountains

View attachment 965285

Great pic!

 

[LKing]

Have you looked at flights? It might be easier to fly into SNA and out of Burbank.

 

[StageTek]

Planning a trip first week of September 7 days. Starting at Disneyland for 3 nights. Where can we set up base camp after that to be able to enjoy all things LA? Interests are Santa Monica, Walk of Fame, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills, Malibu.

Big Bad Tink has offered excellent distances.

There are some nice hotels in Hollywood that would give you closer access to Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Beverly Hills and Malibu - in walking distance to the Walk of Fame. No matter how you do it there is a lot of traffic in and out of those areas. Base camping in Anaheim then adds 30 to 60 minutes of travel time on top of that.

@China Expat suggestion of Burbank is a good one too. Maybe on of the hotels near Universal.

Santa Monica beach area is open and still beautiful and Venice Beach is a must for tourists - locals often tell people not to go there but everyone I know from out of the area love seeing it. It's only north of there that was devastated by the fire.