Quick answer
- It is completely free. No ticket, no booking.
- Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. Closed at weekends — this is the thing that catches people out.
- It can close without notice when the floor is being used for a city function. Call (213) 473-3231 the morning you plan to go.
- The address is 200 N Spring St, but you enter on Main Street.
- Bring photo ID. There is a metal detector and a security screening, like an airport.
- The 27th floor takes three stages: lift to 22, second lift to 26, then a short flight of stairs.
- Allow 45 minutes to an hour, including security.
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 floor, it is open to the public, and it is free. It is also, in our opinion, a better view than the paid ones — because it is outdoors, it wraps the entire floor, and there is no glass between you and the city.
Here is everything we wish we had known before we walked over.
how many days you need in Los Angeles
Is the LA City Hall observation deck really free?
Yes. Completely. No ticket, no reservation, no donation box.
That makes it one of the very few genuinely free 360° views in Los Angeles, and it is a working government building rather than an attraction, which is part of what makes it interesting.
When is it open? (Read this before you go)
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
It is closed at weekends. If you are in downtown LA on a Saturday — which most visitors are — you cannot go up. There is no weekend opening, no special arrangement, nothing.
And even on a weekday it can be closed. The 27th floor is the Tom Bradley Room, a real event space used for conferences and city ceremonies. When it is booked, the deck is shut.
Call (213) 473-3231 on the morning you plan to visit. Thirty seconds on the phone saves you a walk across downtown and a disappointed child. This is the most useful sentence in this article.
Where do you actually go in?
The address is 200 N Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 — but the public entrance is on Main Street.
This catches people out constantly. You put the address into your phone, it walks you round to Spring Street, and you find yourself at a door that is not the one you want.
Go to the Main Street side.
Security — what to expect
It is a working city government building, so you go through a proper security check:
- Photo ID is required. Passport or driving licence. Bring it for every adult.
- Metal detector and bag screening, the same as an airport.
- The staff are used to visitors and it is straightforward — but allow ten minutes for it, more at the start of the working day.
With children: they will need to go through the scanner too. Ours found it more interesting than intimidating, but it is worth a word beforehand if yours are nervous.
Getting to the 27th floor — it is not one lift
This is the part nobody tells you, and it is why people give up in the lobby.
- Take the first lift to the 22nd floor
- Change to a second lift, up to the 26th
- Take a short flight of stairs to the 27th
The stairs put you into the Tom Bradley Room, and the doors out to the observation deck are off that room.
If you have someone with mobility difficulties, the stairs at the end are the one obstacle — check with security on the way in about whether there is an alternative that day.
The view
The deck runs all the way round the outside of the 27th floor, so you get a genuine 360° — not one window, not one side of the building.
On a clear day you can see: the downtown towers close enough to feel, the Hollywood Hills and the Hollywood Sign to the north-west, the San Gabriel Mountains behind, and on the clearest days the Pacific.
It is outdoors. No glass, no reflections, nothing between you and the city — which for photographs is worth more than the extra height of the paid viewpoints.
Go in the morning. The haze builds over the day, and the light is better for photographs before midday.
Why is City Hall the one tall old building downtown?
Worth knowing while you are standing on it, and it is a genuinely good story.
Los Angeles City Hall was completed on 26 April 1928. It is 454 feet — 138 metres — and 32 floors, designed by John Parkinson, John C. Austin and Albert C. Martin Sr.
It was the tallest building in Los Angeles for 36 years, until 1964. Not because nothing bigger could be built, but because the city charter capped building heights at 150 feet — with an exception for purely decorative towers.
So for three and a half decades the entire Los Angeles skyline was flat, with one tower standing over it: the seat of the city’s own government, which had written itself the exemption.
That is why the view from the 27th floor looks the way it does, and it is a good thing to explain to children who are wondering why the old building is the tall one.
Doing it with kids
- Allow 45 minutes to an hour, including security. It is not a long visit and it does not need to be.
- It is free, which means nobody has wasted money if it goes badly.
- The three-stage lift journey is part of the fun for younger children.
- The deck is outdoors and high. There are proper barriers, but hold small hands.
- Bring a jacket. It is significantly windier at 27 floors than at street level.
- There is no café, no shop and no exhibition. This is a view, not a day out — pair it with something else nearby.
Parking and getting there
Metered street parking and several public garages in the surrounding blocks. Downtown parking rates vary a great deal by garage and time of day, so check the board before you commit.
If you are staying downtown, walk. City Hall is in the middle of everything and the walk over is short.
It wasn’t far from our hotel, so we had a pleasant walk till here, and after it, we took a bus to Venice beach.
What else is nearby
You are in the historic core, and three of the best things in downtown LA are within a short walk.
The Bradbury Building — from the outside it is an unremarkable 1893 brick block. Inside it is an atrium of wrought iron, open lift cages and light flooding down through a glass roof, and it is one of the most filmed interiors in America. Go in and look up. The public areas are limited to the ground floor and the first landing, and that is enough.
Angels Flight and Grand Central Market — the funicular and the market at the bottom of it, which has been running since 1917. → Angels Flight and Grand Central Market
Walt Disney Concert Hall — Frank Gehry’s stainless steel building, and you can walk the public gardens around it without a ticket.
Crypto.com Arena and the basketball statues — a slightly longer walk, and worth it if anybody in the family follows the sport. → Crypto.com Arena and the basketball statues
The Apple Tower Theatre store — a restored 1927 cinema, and the free classes are genuinely good. → the Apple Tower Theatre store
Where we stayed
We were at the Millennium Biltmore — now officially The Biltmore Los Angeles — which is a short walk from City Hall and made downtown very easy to do on foot.
→ our Millennium Biltmore review, and the room to ask for
Is it worth it?
Yes, and it is the first thing I would do in downtown Los Angeles, for one reason: it is free, it takes an hour, and it gives you the shape of the city before you start moving around in it. Standing up there and seeing how far Hollywood is from the beach explains more about LA than any map.
The paid viewpoints are higher and they have glass floors and gift shops. This one is outdoors, costs nothing, and is a working government building where people are going about their jobs two floors below you.
Just go on a weekday, and call first.
More Los Angeles
Downtown:
Crypto.com Arena and the basketball statues
Angels Flight and Grand Central Market
Coast:
Getty Villa and sunset at Point Dume
Newport Beach and Balboa Island
Classic LA:
Los Angeles City Hall Observation Deck: FAQ
Is the Los Angeles City Hall observation deck free?
Yes, completely free. There is no ticket, no booking and no charge of any kind. It is one of the very few free 360-degree viewpoints in Los Angeles.
What are the opening hours of the City Hall observation deck?
Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. It is closed at weekends. It can also close at short notice when the 27th floor is being used for a city function or ceremony, so call (213) 473-3231 on the morning you plan to visit.
Which entrance do you use for Los Angeles City Hall?
The address is 200 N Spring Street, but the public entrance is on Main Street. Bring photo identification, because you go through a metal detector and a security screening to get in.
How do you get to the observation deck on the 27th floor?
It takes three stages. Take the first lift to the 22nd floor, change to a second lift up to the 26th, then take a short flight of stairs to the 27th. The stairs bring you into the Tom Bradley Room, and the doors to the outdoor deck are off that room.
What can you see from the City Hall observation deck?
The deck runs all the way around the outside of the 27th floor, so the view is a genuine 360 degrees. On a clear day you can see the downtown towers, the Hollywood Hills and Hollywood Sign, the San Gabriel Mountains, and sometimes the Pacific. It is outdoors, with no glass in the way.
Is City Hall suitable to visit with kids?
Yes. It is free, it takes under an hour including security, and the three-stage lift journey is part of the fun. The deck is outdoors and high, with proper barriers, and it is noticeably windier than at street level, so bring a jacket. There is no café, shop or exhibition.
How long does a visit to the City Hall observation deck take?
Allow 45 minutes to an hour including the security check. The deck itself takes about 20 to 30 minutes to walk around properly.
How tall is Los Angeles City Hall?
It is 454 feet, or 138 metres, with 32 floors above ground, and it was completed on 26 April 1928. It was the tallest building in Los Angeles until 1964, because the city charter capped building heights at 150 feet with an exception for decorative towers.
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