What Two Weeks in Los Angeles Cost a Family of Four
July 2024 · 15 nights · two adults, two children · every euro The short answer €8,689. That is what fifteen nights in Los Angeles cost the four of us in July 2024 — flights,…
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Basketball Family Travel: Camps, Games and What They Actually Cost
We did not set out to become a family that plans holidays around basketball. It happened one camp at a time, and by now we have taken our two boys to play in Catalonia, Wisconsin,…
Basketball Family Travel: 8 Youth Tournaments in Spain & Europe
Our two sons, Damian and Marc, play basketball, and for the last few years our family holidays have followed the tournament calendar. Since 2024 they’ve played eight youth tournaments: in La Roda, Puigcerdà (twice), Lloret…
How Many Days Do You Need in LA? 3, 5 and 14-Day Plans
The short answer Three days covers the Los Angeles everyone comes to see. Five days lets you add the beaches properly. A week gets you Orange County as well. Two weeks is only worth it…
Best Beaches in Los Angeles for Families: Which to Pick
Best Beaches in Los Angeles for Families: Which One to Pick Quick answer Most LA beaches are free to walk on. You pay for parking, and that is the real cost. Calmest water for small…
Angels Flight and Grand Central Market: LA’s Best $1.50
Quick answer On our last morning in Los Angeles we had a couple of hours, no plan, and two children who had had enough of driving. We spent about four dollars and it was one…
Apple Tower Theatre: LA’s 1927 Movie Palace, Free to Visit
Quick answer We went in to buy an iPad and came out having spent most of our time looking at the ceiling. Apple Tower Theatre is a working Apple store inside a 1927 movie palace,…
Redondo Beach With Kids: The Pier, the Parking and the Sunset
Quick verdict Quick picks: where to stay in Los Angeles with kids Budget · we stayed hereBest Western Westminster Inn – our base for eight nights in Orange County. Free hot breakfast, an outdoor pool…
Downtown LA to Venice Beach: How Far and How to Get There
Venice Beach is 14.9 miles (24 km) from Downtown Los Angeles. That’s about 21 minutes by car with no traffic and 45–75 minutes in the afternoon, or roughly an hour and a half on public…
Los Angeles City Hall Observation Deck: Free 360° Views
Quick answer We were staying in downtown Los Angeles and wanted a view of the city that did not cost forty dollars a head. Los Angeles City Hall has an observation deck on the 27th…
Getty Villa to Point Dume: Free Entry, Parking, Sunset
Getty Villa to Point Dume: A Malibu Evening With Kids Quick answer Allow 2–3 hours at the Villa, then 45 minutes at Point Dume before sunset. 🆕 The Getty Villa reopened on 27 June 2025,…
Santa Monica Pier With Kids: Prices, Parking, What’s Free
Quick answer The Santa Monica Pier was built in 1909 to carry a sewage pipe out into the bay. One of the most photographed structures in the world started life as municipal plumbing. The fun…
Hollywood Walk of Fame With Kids: Is It Worth It?
Quick answer I will be honest with you, because most guides to this place are not: the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a pavement. It is a busy, ordinary city boulevard with brass and terrazzo…
Beverly Hills With Kids: The Free Version, in Two Hours
Quick answer Beverly Hills sounds like the last place you would take children, and I understand why people skip it. It is a luxury shopping district. Nobody’s eight-year-old wants to look at handbags, and the…
Griffith Observatory With Kids: Free Entry, Hours, Parking
Quick answer We went to Griffith Observatory twice on the same trip — once after dark, and once in daylight — and they were so different that I would now tell any family to do…
Crypto.com Arena Statues: Kobe, Magic and Star Plaza
Quick answer Quick picks: where to stay in Los Angeles with kids Budget · we stayed hereBest Western Westminster Inn – our base for eight nights in Orange County. Free hot breakfast, an outdoor pool…
The Biltmore Los Angeles Review: 7 Nights With Two Kids
Quick verdict After a week in Westminster, we moved up to downtown Los Angeles for the second half of the trip, and we booked the Millennium Biltmore — now officially The Biltmore Los Angeles since…
Westminster, California: Little Saigon, Food and Beaches
Quick answer We stayed in Westminster because it was affordable and central for Orange County, and we did not fully understand where we were staying until we got there. Westminster is the heart of Little…
Laguna Beach Day Trip: Treasure Island, Tidepools, Starfish
Laguna Beach Day Trip: Treasure Island, the Tidepools and Starfish Quick answer The best-kept secret in Laguna Beach is that the beach in front of its most expensive hotel is completely public. Treasure Island Beach…
The Whole Foods Hot Bar: How We Fed a Family in California
Quick answer We found this by accident, walking back from Seal Beach, and it changed how we ate for the rest of the trip. Eating out in America with children is harder than it looks.…