Guide to Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

Beverly Hills is Los Angeles’ toniest neighborhood, home to swanky celebrity palaces, luxury hotels, and high-end shopping galore. Thanks to that, it’s also one of the best-maintained districts in the city, where the streets are lined by soaring palm trees, lush foliage, and perfectly manicured lawns. The main shopping area around Rodeo Drive is always abuzz with tourists and well-heeled locals picking up designer finds, while the residential backstreets are blissfully quiet (and clean – you could practically eat off the sidewalks here).

By car – Generally, the most convenient way to get to Beverly Hills is by renting a car and driving yourself – just make sure you come outside of rush hour if you want to avoid sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic. There’s plenty of metered parking available on the side streets and it usually takes around half an hour to drive to Beverly Hills from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), while it’s just a short 10-minute drive from Hollywood.

By public transport – If you’d rather not drive, you can also use public transport to get to Beverly Hills. There’s no metro station nearby, but there are several buses you can take. The main ones are the Rapid 704 line, which runs along Santa Monica Boulevard, and the Rapid 720 line, which follows Wilshire Boulevard.

While many of LA’s contemporary art galleries are clustered around Downtown, there are a couple in Beverly Hills that are usually delightfully free from crowds, meaning you can peruse the art in peace. Start with a tour around the sleek Gagosian on North Camden Drive, where you’ll find works by the likes of Cy Twombly, Takashi Murakami, and Anselm Kiefer. If discovering emerging artists is more your thing, head to the Ai Weiwei-designed UTA Artist Space just off Santa Monica Boulevard, where you can learn all about the next big thing in the art world.

How will anyone know you’ve even been to Beverly Hills if you don’t snap a selfie in front of the instantly recognizable Beverly Hills sign? Situated in the picturesque Beverly Gardens Park, above a pretty lily pond, you know you’ve arrived in 90210 as soon as you catch your first glimpse of this 40-foot arched sign.

You’ll probably recognize this Tudor Revival mansion from numerous Hollywood films, where its imposing façade and swish interiors appear as a scenic backdrop. While having a snoop around inside is off the cards unless you’re hiring it for a private event, it’s free to wander around the mansion’s beautiful formal gardens and make a wish at the striking centerpiece fountain.

There are plenty of architectural marvels to behold in Beverly Hills, but this whimsical house – which looks like something straight out of Hansel and Gretel – is one of the most eye-catching around. Referred to by locals at “the Witch’s House,” this fairytale cottage was originally built in 1921 to serve as the offices for a movie studio in Culver City. It moved to its present spot in Beverly Hills in 1934 and has been a private home ever since. While you can’t go inside, it’s more than worth a curbside visit to admire the crooked chimneys and quaint storybook gate.

Address: 516 Walden Dr, Beverly Hills

Eating out in Beverly Hills is all about fine dining, and the area is jam-packed with smart restaurants. If you’re looking for a meal with a side of celeb-spotting, try Wolfgang Puck’s iconic Spago, the 90210 spot that cemented the landmark chef’s fame, or Matsuhisa, the restaurant that launched the Nobu empire. Then there are the classic must-visit spots, like Lawry’s the Prime Rib, a local favorite for over 80 years (unsurprisingly, the best thing on the menu here is the juicy prime rib) and the Polo Lounge, where Marilyn Monroe and Howard Hughes drank cocktails in the bougainvillea-filled courtyard.

If you’re dining in Beverly Hills, be ready to splash the cash – most people don’t come here for cheap bites and a laid-back ambiance. Instead, they come to see and be seen, so we’d advise dressing up if you want to fit in. But if you are on the hunt for something a little more affordable, stop for a corned beef sandwich at beloved Jewish deli Nate ‘n Al’s or an organic coffee and granola bowl at Urth Caffé.

When you think about shopping in Beverly Hills, you think about Rodeo Drive – the two go hand in hand. So, it’s hardly surprising that the district is always flooded with tourists, who mostly come for a spot of window shopping at Prada, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. You’ll find all the luxury retailers along this stretch, as well as on the pedestrian-only cobbled walkway of Two Rodeo Drive.

If you’d rather get all your purchases done in one fell swoop, there are also several upmarket shopping malls for your browsing pleasure, including Saks 5th Avenue (which is located a few doors down from the Beverly Wilshire, where Pretty Woman was filmed), Neiman Marcus, and Anderton Court, whose claim to fame is that it’s the only shopping mall designed by the legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Thanks to the fact that Beverly Hills is one of the best-known neighborhoods in Los Angeles, a stay here is near the top of many travelers’ bucket lists. The sheer number of luxe five-star hotels in the area, plus its upmarket reputation, means it’s perfect for couples looking to ramp up the romance, or those on their honeymoon. But the proximity to many of LA’s key sights and attractions also makes it a great spot for families, who’ll love the fact that Beverly Hills’ main hub, around Rodeo Drive, is very walkable (a rarity in LA).