▲Why not catch a few rays on the beach before chilling out at Pacific Park (the amusement complex set on the pier)? Santa Monica is located in western Los Angeles County.

▲Pictured is the Melrose Gate entrance to the famous Paramount Pictures Studios. Take the tour and explore over 100 years of Hollywood history.

▲Walk with the stars along Hollywood and Vine. There are more than 2,600 stars embedded in the sidewalks, so allow plenty of time to find your own favorite screen idol!

▲Completed in 1928, this plush property has housed presidents and celebrities alike. The hotel was the primary setting for the Richard Gere-Julia Roberts romcom 'Pretty Woman' (1990).

▲This is the place to chow down on Chinese cuisine. Nowhere else in LA comes close. Many Hollywood films have been set here, but it's 'Chinatown' (1974) that always works up an appetite with diners. The film's conclusion was shot on Spring Street.

▲Culture vultures will be suitably rewarded with a visit to this remarkable building. This is where the J. Paul Getty Museum is located. The art collections simply dazzle. And the don't miss? Vincent van Gogh's 'Irises.'

▲Head for Beverly Hills and melt your plastic in LA’s most exclusive shopping district. All the major fashion houses have a retail presence here, including Dior, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Lanvin.

▲

For stargazing of a different kind, take off for this historic landmark facility, which commands a glorious panorama of downtown LA and close views of the Hollywood Sign. Movie buffs will know that sequences of 'Rebel Without a Cause' (1955) were filmed here, among a host of other movies.

▲One of the most celebrated thoroughfares in the world, Hollywood Boulevard is home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Dolby Theatre, which since 2002 has hosted the Academy Awards ceremony.

▲Home of many Hollywood movie stars, scenic Malibu in western Los Angeles County boasts several golden beaches, including Surfrider Beach, Point Dume Beach, and the famous Malibu Beach.

▲This is where you can admire all those handprints, footprints, and autographs made by movie stars in the concrete of the theater’s forecourt since the 1920s.

▲Go behind the scenes of one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. You can even check into the legendary Bates Motel from Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho” (1960).

▲With its laid-back bohemian vibe and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, Venice Beach is where to people watch, mingle with artists and poets, and dine in some seriously funky restaurants.

▲The city’s downtown district is worth exploring for its parks, theaters, and some truly mesmerizing examples of contemporary architecture.

▲What's LA without Mickey and friends? Built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney and opened in 1955, this magical kingdom is where dreams come true.

▲Despite the glitzy atmosphere, smog-bound LA can sometimes bring you down. For a spot of fresh air and a sense of reality, cruise this ocean-hugging stretch of tarmac and get back in touch with the real world.

▲Even before stepping inside the largest art museum in the western United States, visitors are wooed by the magnificent 'Urban Light' installation set outside the main building.

▲Legendary architect Frank Gehry triumphed with this masterpiece, an entertainments venue that's home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Several movies have used its stunning contemporary design as a backdrop.

▲They've been serving and selling here since 1917. Vendors like Horse Thief BBQ and Kismet Falafel nourish the imagination.

▲The critically acclaimed film 'Sunset Boulevard' (1950) put this palm-fringed major thoroughfare firmly on the LA map.

▲Don't let David Lynch's weird neo-noir mystery 'Mulholland Drive' (2001) put you off burning rubber on one of Hollywood's most significant streets. Up in the mountains the route offers some jaw-dropping vistas of the sprawling city below.

▲Check out what's on at the Bowl during your LA trip. Legendary bands like The Beatles, The Doors, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience have all played there.

▲One of the city's newest cultural attractions and easily recognized by its unorthodox facade, this snazzy art museum offers free general admission to its permanent collection galleries.

▲Looking for a giddy view of downtown LA? Head to the top of the third-tallest building in California and the OUE Skyspace observation deck.

▲

This is probably the closest many will get to their Hollywood heroes. Among the actors interned here are Judy Garland and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Jr.

▲A less ostentatious alternative to Rodeo Drive, The Grove is LA's favorite shopping, dining, and lifestyle destination. It's chock-full of bars, boutiques, and bistros, but is also family-friendly.

▲Tick off the landmarks on this West Hollywood street, such as the Art Deco Sunset Tower (pictured) and nightclubs including Whisky a Go Go and the Viper Room (once partly-owned by Johnny Depp and where River Phoenix died of a drug overdose in 1993).

▲

Nip into this national historical landmark for a drink and imagine you're rubbing shoulders with the likes of Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Douglas Fairbanks, or Frank Sinatra.

▲

On May 16, 1929, the first Academy Awards ceremony took place inside the hotel's Blossom Ballroom. It remains the oldest continually operating hotel in the city.

▲

Los Angeles draws starstruck visitors year-round, but the city positively buzzes in February when Tinseltown hosts the glittering Academy Awards ceremony. Tourists in town when the Oscars are handed out can grab a piece of the Hollywood spotlight by ticking off some of the city's most celebrated visitor attractions, including many with links to famous films and actors of past and present.

Click through this gallery for your own take on the entertainment capital of the world.