Most Photogenic Los Angeles Instagram Spots - Rainbow Venice Sign during sunset. — Rainbow Venice Sign during sunset.

The iconic city of Los Angeles has a certain kind of magical aura surrounding it and this is perpetuated by all the glamorous and Insta-worthy places you can explore and photograph.

While there’s really no shortage of Instagrammable places in LA, the spots highlighted in this blog post are the best places to start for beginners and first time visitors. But I promise they’ll be some gems in here for SoCal Instagram veterans and OGs.

When I’m looking for photography inspiration, I gravitate towards bright, airy and colorful backdrops. This applies to restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, murals, iconic landmarks and neighborhoods. Which are basically all the hangout places during a vacation.

In this blog post you’ll find over 50 Instagrammable places in Los Angeles. The sections in this guide are divided up into hotels, best neighborhoods, famous streets, foodie spots, famous and iconic landmarks, beaches and more!

The first part of planning your Los Angeles trip is finding the perfect hotel. Here’s a quick list of my favorite and Instagrammable hotels in LA. They include rooftop pools and lounges, super cute rooms with modern decor and excellent locations where you can walk through picture-worthy neighborhoods.

Santa Monica Proper Hotel - Very modern, minimalist and organic colors and textures. The pool is so Insta-worthy, located on a rooftop with LA city views.
Hotel Shangri-La - Another Santa Monica gem located right across the street from the beach. They’re known for the rooftop bar with ocean views.
The Godfrey Hotel Hollywood - The Godfrey is more centrally located in Los Angeles with the Walk of Fame and Melrose Ave close by. They also have a stunning rooftop pool and very bright and modern decor.
Beverly Laurel Hotel - If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly (around $200 a night) that’s still super cute, then try the Beverly Laurel Hotel. Scroll down to see photos from our stay there.

At the bottom of this blog post you’ll find more Insta-worthy LA hotel suggestions and photos!

Best Los Angeles Neighborhoods for Instagram Photos

Santa Monica

When you’re imagining those California carefree beachy vibes, Santa Monica and Venice Beach are the places you want to be. Santa Monica Beach is a very popular spot for sunbathing and beach-side picnics. And of course there’s the famous amusement park Santa Monica Pier with a ferris wheel, games and rides. You can find cute hangout spots and places to eat in my girls trip guide to Santa Monica and my baby-friendly guide to Santa Monica.

Venice Beach

Venice Beach is famous for the Venice Beach Boardwalk which runs for about a mile down the coast. You’ll find a paved walking trail filled with palm trees, store fronts selling souvenirs and restaurants. During our girls weekend getaway to Venice Beach we rented bicycles and rode from Venice to Santa Monica. You’ll also find famous spots like Muscle Beach, the Venice Sign and the rainbow lifeguard tower in Venice.

West Hollywood

Visitors who are unfamiliar with Los Angeles may think that Hollywood is where all the action is at (I myself made this rookie mistake about 15 years ago). But Hollywood is really mostly a tourist trap with cheesy spots. West Hollywood is actually where the local cool kids hangout and where you’ll find very cute stores, cafes, restaurants, nightlife and more. See my girls trip guide to West Hollywood here.

Downtown LA Arts District

The Downtown LA Arts District is less known by LA outsiders but is definitely worth a visit. There’s a lot of warehouses and buildings with Instagrammable murals and street art. The main hub area of the LA Arts District is at E 3rd St and Traction Avenue. This is where you’ll find trendy foods, coffee shops, ice cream and restaurants. Cafe Gratitude on South Sante Fe Ave is my favorite healthy eats and very cute inside.

A great way to find the best Insta-worthy murals in the LA Arts District is with a dedicated murals walking tour. Make sure to wear comfy walking shoes!

The Office Self-Guided Film Locations Tour in Van Nuys

My friends and I are die-hard fans of the show The Office. We’re such crazy fanatics that we did a self-guided tour of all the film locations from the show and took a bunch of Instagram photos. I was dressed as Jim, my friend Kara was dressed as Dwight and Bri was dressed as Kelly. The majority of The Office was filmed in Van Nuys which is in “the valley” in the LA area. See my The Office filming location guide here!

Most Instagrammable Streets in Los Angeles

Sunset Boulevard

While the Sunset Blvd runs for 22 miles, the most famous parts are Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. This main drag of Los Angeles has iconic spots such as the Chateau Marmont, The Viper Room, Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy Theater. It’s worth it to take a drive down this iconic street and see if there’s anything that really catches your eye. Sunset Boulevard is especially known as a nightlife hotspot for clubs, comedy clubs and bars.

Melrose Avenue

The name Melrose has a certain kind of cachet after being mentioned in so many movies and TV shows. This is a trendy and popular shopping and eatery hub in West Hollywood. There’s endless opportunities for fashion and foodie photography in this area of Los Angeles. Notably the famous Paul Smith Pink Wall and Carrera Cafe.

Abbot Kinney Boulevard

Abbot Kinney Blvd is probably my favorite street in LA because it’s just dripping with cool. It has all the best restaurants, edgy and bohemian shopping, murals and lots of palm trees. Located in Venice, it’s more inland that the boardwalk area and has a different kind of vibe.

Santa Monica Boulevard

Santa Monica Blvd is another really long main street drag that runs from the coast in Santa Monica through Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Hollywood. Notable Instagram spots on this 14 mile long street are Gracias Madre West Hollywood, Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Socalo and Flower Child.

Hollywood Blvd’s Walk of Fame Stars

Those famous Hollywood stars you see on the sidewalks (known as the Walk of Fame) are located on the long stretch of Hollywood Boulevard. There are more than 2,700 stars so if there’s one in particular you want to find, it’s best to use the Star Directory.

Los Angeles Instagrammable Foodie Spots

There are tons of really cute and instagrammable restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream spots and more in Los Angeles. It would take an eternity to list them all so I’m writing a quick list of places I’m crushing on these days.

The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker

At the beginning of this blog post you saw the colorful hand painted colorburst lattes from The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker. Latte art has been an Instagram staple for a minute and this cafe takes it to the next level with vibrant colors and designs. They also serve a full menu with all-day brunch and lunch dishes. They have two LA locations - one in West Hollywood and another in El Segundo.

Grand Central Market

Grand Central Market is the perfect place for foodie Instagrammers who love rare and hard to find global cuisines and/or crazy inventive foods. There’s also a lot of coffee, beer brews, ice cream, pies and candy. This indoor marketplace is located in Downtown LA.

Rawberri

If you scroll through this post you’ll see plenty of photos of our colorful acai bowls and superfood lattes. Not to mention their super cute tropical wallpaper. This popular spot is located in West Hollywood and serves all kinds of niche health foods such as smoothies, cold pressed juices, toasts with fruit toppings, detox shots and more. They’ve mastered the pretty colors to make their food photo ready.

Blue Bottle Coffee

Blue Bottle makes fancy coffee with a California cult following. Their cafes always have a minimal, bright and modern design with great lighting for photos. The location on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice has an LED installation and lots of white walls for those who dig the sun-drenched look.

Carrera Cafe

Carrera Cafe is a popular European style cafe right across the street from the famous Paul Smith Pink Wall on Melrose Ave. Inside they have bright white walls and big windows with lots of light. On the outside they have their mural wall which rotates colorful murals every few months. If you check out their Instagram they have all kinds of trendy latte art and matcha drinks.

The Butcher’s Daughter

The Butcher’s Daughter is a very popular plant based restaurant, coffee shop and juice bar in Venice on Abbot Kinney Blvd (they also have multiple New York City locations). Their aesthetics are bright and modern boho trendy cool and the food is super healthy. If you scroll down you’ll see lots of photos from our brunch during our girls trip to Venice and Santa Monica.

Los Angeles Iconic Landmarks That Make for Great Instagram Photos

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall is the iconic home to the LA Philharmonic. Famously designed by Frank Gehry, this music hall has unmistakable bright silver steel architecture with curves and shapes. At golden hour the exterior colors really come alive and it makes for an excellent photo backdrop. Located on Grand Ave in Downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

You’ve probably seen many Instagram photos of the famous grid of light posts outside the LACMA (see an example here). The formal name of this public art installation is Chris Burden's "Urban Light." For lovers of modern art, there’s all kinds of fun, modern and colorful places to take photos. There’s Instagrammable spots both inside the museum and outside around the grounds.

The Last Bookstore

Literary lovers can find their mecca inside the enormous bookstore known as The Last Bookstore. Not only are there books for sale but they also use stacks of books to create artful tunnels and displays. You can check out their Instagram account for photo inspiration.

Griffith Observatory

The Griffith Observatory has spectacular views of the LA skyline and the Hollywood Sign. This giant famous domed building sits on top of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park. It’s actually free admission to anyone and there’s access to the park with hiking trails and gardens. The parking closest to the observatory does have a cost, but there’s free parking further away.

The Hollywood Sign

Probably the single most famous symbol of Hollywood is the Hollywood Sign. You can opt to take photos with the entire Hollywood sign in the distant background or you can hike up to sign to be super up close. For this particular photo spot, I would prefer to pay a small fee to a Viator guide so they can show me all the best angles and views of the Hollywood Sign. Plus they can take group photos for you!

Getty Museum

The Getty Museum is another spot located high up on a mountain top with excellent panoramic Los Angeles city views. They also have unique modern architecture, lush gardens and lots of light for photos. We have an entire blog post with photos at the Getty Museum here. You can also scroll down in this blog post to see some of the Getty Museum highlight photos.

Colorful Murals for Instagram Photos in Los Angeles

The Paul Smith Pink Wall

In LA there’s no shortage of colorful murals, you’ll find them scattered all over the city. Probably the most famous mural for Instagram photos is the Paul Smith Pink Wall on Melrose Ave in West Hollywood. This huge wall is painted in a particular shade of pink that the millennial generation loves.

Funny story, there’s a guard posted outside the pink wall at all times and he only allows you to take photos with your cell phone. No cameras of any kind are allowed for photography. I’m sure this is to prevent commercial use of the wall in photos. Come prepared with a high quality iPhone for photos.

The pink wall is located at 8221 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046.

If you scroll through this blog post you’ll see photos of the following murals:

California Dreaming - Located outside Chinese Laundry at 3485 La Cienega Blvd.
fnnch’s Honey Bears - You can find the DTLA Art District artist themed honey bears mural in the Urban Radish parking lot at 661 Imperial St, Los Angeles.
90’s inspired abstract mural with watermelons - You can find it in the Zooom Productions parking lot at 1733 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice.

I have a complete guide to all my favorite murals in Los Angeles on the blog - see it here!

Best Beaches in Los Angeles for Instagram Photos

Venice Beach

There’s a reason why everyone loves Venice Beach so much. The shore is filled with beautiful white sand and it’s not rocky at all. You can comfortably throw down a towel or picnic blanket and you’re set. There’s pretty pastel and rainbow lifeguard towers which make for cute photos. Palm trees line the paved walkways and of course we all love beach sunsets.

Santa Monica State Beach

If you’re looking at the Santa Monica Pier as the dividing point, Venice Beach is on one side and then the Santa Monica Pier is on the other. Both beaches have beautiful sand and picturesque coastal scenery.

El Matador State Beach in Malibu

There’s a famous rock arch formation that I’ve seen in many photos. After some research I finally found out that it’s located in El Matador State Beach in Malibu. This beach has a different kind of vibe, it’s more rugged rocks but there still is sandy beach where you can lay out.

Los Angeles Amusement Parks & Tourist Favorites

Disneyland

The happiest place on earth aka Disneyland is known by Disney fans all over the world. I’ve been to this park many times in my life and I can’t wait until my kids are older to take them. Disneyland is located in Anaheim which is located about an hour south drive from the center of Los Angeles.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Another popular destination for movie fans is Universal Studios Hollywood. This park is located out in “the valley” which gets pretty hot in the summer. Many savvy visitors like to go first thing in the morning when the park opens to beat the heat. This means you’ll have to find an early breakfast spot to eat before you head into Universal Studios. Luckily I have a whole blog guide on breakfast places that are open early and are located just 10 minutes from Universal Studios. And I have lots of healthy food options too!

Warner Brothers Studio Tour Hollywood

Do we have any fans on the show FRIENDS out there? The hit sitcom was filmed at Warner Brothers Studios and they offer a tour of the recreated sets. You can take photos inside Rachel and Monica’s apartment or have a faux cup of coffee inside Central Perk. Buy your tickets here!

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

I will admit that one of the first times I went to LA with friends as an adult we took photos at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum with the faux celebrities. If you prepare your outfits in advance and use some creativity you can actually take some pretty awesome photos. Buy your tickets here!

Los Angeles Celebrity Homes Tour

Probably one of the most old-school Hollywood tours is the Celebrity Homes Open Air Bus Tour. You will drive through very fancy residential neighborhoods and see first hand where the rich and famous actually live. Get your tickets here!

Fans of the show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills can take a small group dedicated tour of filming locations from the show. Get your tickets here!

Grauman's TCL Chinese Theatre

And finally there’s one last iconic Hollywood visiting spot that I'd be remiss if I didn’t mention - Grauman's TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. The Forecourt of the Stars has hand prints and footprints of famous stars such as Marilyn Monroe. You can also take a tour inside to see the grand theater and view historic props and costumes.

The Controversy Over the Beverly Hills Hotel

I wanted to quickly explain why I never feature The Beverly Hills Hotel in my guides even though it’s super cute and Insta-worthy. The Beverly Hills Hotel is owned by the Sultan of Brunei who promotes Sharis Law in his country. Under this Islamic Penal Code gay people are sentences to death because homosexuality is outlawed. There’s been extensive boycotts of this hotel which you can read about here. I am a proud supporter of gay rights and I can’t bring myself to encourage anyone to stay at this hotel given the circumstances.