Car hire in Los Angeles
Hiring a car in Los Angeles
California's most famous city, Los Angeles is well known across the world as perhaps the most glitzy and glamorous city known to man. The rich and famous love it here for a reason, and from the happening cityscape and easily accessible beaches, to the truly beautiful Hollywood Hills, it's easy to see why.
LA is that place that really encapsulates what the American Dream concept is all about, and many a dreamer has come to LA over the years to realise their greatest ambitions. It is this notion that gives the city its quite unique atmosphere. Home to skateboarding, pop-punk, gangsta rap and the desire for beauty and riches like nowhere else on earth, LA is glamour and art, and whether you want edgy, cool bars, beaches or are here for celebrity spotting, this city will have something for you.
What you need to know
While Los Angeles is a city that has everything wrapped into one beautiful package, it is a big place, and is best explored by car. Whether you want to experience the inner city and its (relatively) fast paced way of life, head out to the west of the city to see the Pacific coast and the stunning beaches that line it, or drive up into the greenery and opulence of the Hollywood Hills, your car will allow you the chance to pack so much into your LA holiday that you just couldn't without it.
To ensure you get the best car for you, it's always best to book in advance with Holiday Autos. No matter whether you want a comfortable family car, or something that will help you fit in a bit more with the flashier way of life LA personifies, Holiday Autos will allow you to compare the best prices from a wide range of companies, meaning you can get the best car for you at the very best price.
Where to pick up your car
If you're flying into Los Angeles from overseas, then the chances are you will be arriving at the LA area's largest and most important airport, Los Angeles International (LAX). Known for its four parallel runways, one of the only airports in the world that has such a setup, the airport is also one of the busiest and biggest in the world.
Car hire at LAX is all off site in the city itself, so it means needing to find your way into LA. But don't worry, getting into the city to find your car hire is easy with the services on offer at the airport. All of the major car hire companies offer shuttle bus services designed specifically to take tourists into town to their offices, making it a simple process. Simply collect your bags and then head out into the arrivals hall. From there, follow the purple signs to the pickup spot, from where you will easily be able to locate the car hire company you booked with, who will take you to the car you hired in just a few minutes.
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Where to go
Within minutes of arrival in LA, you will be set to go and on the road with your hire car, ready to rub shoulders with the rich and famous. So where will you go and what will you choose to do? No matter what your preference, LA will have something to entice and delight throughout your stay.
Nearby Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a fantastic city with enough things to see and do to take up two or more holidays, never mind one, but when you have a hire car to hand, why not make the most of the opportunity it gives to see more of California? For example, just 20 minutes from LA on the CA-110, you can find Santa Monica, a city that is almost like a relaxed LA. Beach fronts, beautiful bars and wondrous restaurants? This place has it all.
Alternatively, for something quite different, it's well worth taking the chance to head off on the Pacific Coast Highway towards The Getty Villa. Not only is the half hour journey going to give you some of the best scenery you'll see while in LA, but Getty Villa itself lets you see something totally different from the city, which is home to historical study of Greece and Rome, giving you the chance to step back in time and see something a world away from modernity and glamour that typify LA.
Longer drives
Of course, your hire car also means that you have the freedom to explore even further into California during your time in the state, and it's well worth taking advantage of this. Why not head one hour and 20 minutes south of the city, for example, where you will find San Clemente? For those who love the ocean, this is the place to be. A laid back surfing city, San Clemente is home to magazines, competitions and top-notch shops dedicated to the sport. It's worth a look just to get an insight into surfing.
Further south again, around two hours from Los Angeles, is the major city of San Diego. Despite being one of the largest and most populated cities in the USA, this is a city that prides itself on being one of the most laid back you'll discover anywhere in the world. It's relaxed waterfront is a fantastic place to watch the sunset, and a great reason to make the drive south.
Top attractions to visit in Los Angeles
Los Angeles really does have everything, and with so much going on to meet every taste imaginable, the only worry will be that you don't have time to see it all in your time in Los Angeles.
Beverly Hills
Nothing says opulence and glamour in Los Angeles quite like the Beverly Hills area of the city. The rich and glamorous love to come here to shop and mingle, and if you're looking to have your mind blown by some of the fashion and jewellery that those with the money like to fill their homes with, then this is a great place to wander around. Just be warned, if you want to indulge, it may cost you a little bit!
Paramount Studios
Hollywood is the most famous thing about Los Angeles. Of that there can be little doubt, so why not see more of the heart of this industry by paying a visit to Paramount Studios to see how the stars are made? A behind the scenes tour lets you see film makers hard at work on the latest blockbuster, and lucky tourists have even been known from time to time to rub shoulders with some of the biggest film stars in the world today.
Griffith Observatory
One of the most underrated things about LA is how fantastic it looks from afar. Head up to Mount Hollywood and the Griffith Observatory, just a short drive from downtown LA, and you will find some of the most breathtaking views of the city. The urban sprawl that is LA does look particularly wonderful from this height, especially when all the lights come on after the sun goes down.