All of the best free things to do in L.A.

Tucked between the chaotic Venice Boardwalk and the posh Abbot Kinney, the Venice Canals offer a completely different side of the famed beachfront neighborhood. Take a stroll through these three canal-lined blocks—hence the name, Venice—and you’ll discover an idyllic scene: arching pedestrian bridges, charming beach houses, bunches of ducklings and the occasional paddle boarding bulldog.

Free timed tickets required. Infinity Mirrored Room requires a reservation, too.

Three words: Infinity Mirror Rooms. Downtown’s persistently popular contemporary art museum has two of Yayoi Kusama’s immersive, mirror-laden rooms (and the standy queue to prove it). Elsewhere in the free museum, Eli and Edythe Broad’s collection of 2,000 post-war works includes artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Barbara Kruger and Jeff Koons.

The iconic amphitheater doubles as a semi-secret county park. As long as the venue isn’t holding a performance (an admittedly rare occurrence from July to September), you’re welcome to park for free and stroll about the grounds as you please. Hike all the way up the hilly environs to admire the views or walk into the seating area where, chances are, you’ll see people working out on the stairs or, if you’re lucky, an open LA Phil rehearsal on summer mornings (classical shows tend to fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays but the schedule varies, so it’s best to call 323-850-2000 to find out for sure).

This 160-acre park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains has one main loop, plus a bevy of dirt hiking trails. The sea of buff trainers and their sleek, sweaty clients can get to be too much during the busy morning and weekend workout traffic, but you’ll be rewarded with some of the best views of the city (and, if you’re lucky, a chance to gawk at power-walking celebs). If you’re only after the views and not hiking, head to the northern entrance on Mulholland Drive, which is just a short walk from the summit.

From the ocean to the mountains northeast of Downtown L.A., the panoramic views from this artopolis more than compensate for its relative inaccessibility (you need to ride a tram to the museum). You’ll find proper picnic tables down the hill at the tram station, but we highly suggest sitting on the lawn adjacent to the Central Garden. While the museum is free with a timed ticket, you’ll have to pay $20 for parking.

The vista here is stunning, particularly at night when Los Angeles twinkles below. Inside (except for Mondays, when the museum is closed) you’ll find a bevy of exhibits, including a Foucault pendulum, Tesla coil and planetarium show. Give yourself plenty of time before the 10pm closing to gaze through the 12-inch refracting telescope on the roof, otherwise you can look through the far less crowded modern, reflecting telescope on the front lawn. Just a heads up that parking now costs $10 per hour—though you can catch a DASH bus up there for only 35 cents or park lower down for free and hike up.

The real attraction at this kid-friendly museum is the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which was very pubicly paraded through L.A. to reach its temporary home at the Samuel Oschin Pavilion. But you’ll need to hurry: The shuttle is only on display in its current location until the end of 2023, after which it’ll be transitioned into an upright position in a forthcoming museum expansion.

The grand, white concrete tower has stood tall as a city icon since 1928, and today it’s the easiest way to take in an elevated view of Downtown and beyond. If you’re ever passing through the Civic Center during public hours—weekdays 9am–5pm, enter on Main Street—then you owe yourself a visit to the 27th floor observation deck. While you’re there, walk around the surrounding park and look for the 1984 Olympic torch near the Spring Street exit.

Perched over the Pacific sits one of the most idyllic spots in all of L.A.: the Korean Bell of Friendship. The mighty metallic bell’s rusty green finish complements the ornately painted hipped roof—its paint job has seen better days, but that doesn’t detract from the beauty of the 1976 goodwill gift from South Korea. The exposed, grassy bluff is an ideal spot to fly a kite or just lounge in the grass of Angels Gate Park.

Get lost in your thoughts at one of L.A.’s best kept secrets: the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine. Set on a 10-acre site that was used as a film set during the silent era, its lovely gardens offer some increasingly rare assets today: peace and tranquility. You’ll need a reservation right now to visit the meditation gardens, which are open for free from Wednesday through Sunday.

No matter how much some Malibu spots may try to gatekeep their exclusive shores, know this: Any expanse of sand below the high tide line is open to the public. Parking, on the other hand, is an entirely separate beast. That’s why Westward Beach is our go-to; you can skip the paid lots at Zuma and Point Dume and search for free all-day street parking on this stretch between the two. Plenty of spots are available along the Pacific Coast Highway and among the ritzy neighborhoods farther up the Malibu coastline, but those beaches aren’t nearly as spacious as the one here.

And we’re not just talking about books. You can stream classic films, download e-books and audiobooks, take language-learning courses, follow software tutorials and even nab free parking at a state park with your library card. If you don’t feel like going to a physical library (though you should), you can apply for a library e-Card on the Los Angeles Public Library website. It grants access to the aforementioned online resources. If you have a County of Los Angeles Public Library card, you can also reserve free tickets to a handful of local museums.