Cruises from Los Angeles starting at $‌409 per person

Due to its location along the Pacific Coast, many cruise itineraries to Mexico, the Panama Canal, South America, the Transpacific and Hawaii depart from the city of Los Angeles. This is the best port to find affordable getaways to the Mexican Riviera.

The port itself is actually located in Long Beach, which is a short drive away from the big-city L.A., but also has its fair share of attractions. You can stay overnight at the Queen Mary, a retired vintage luxury ocean liner that is rumored to be haunted and offers ghost tours. Take a dip in the calm waters at the beach, or take a whale watching tour along the Pacific Ocean. Once you’ve seen it all at the port, a short ride by car, Uber or the L.A. Metro brings you to the star-studded city of Los Angeles, where you can easily spend a week exploring all that it has to offer.

The city of Los Angeles is home to the biggest names in arts and culture, so it comes as no surprise that there’s a large variety of cultural attractions and museums. There are must-see art galleries like The Getty, which features classical exhibitions and artifacts, and the popular new museum, The Broad, which is free to enter, and features more modern exhibits. Music lovers can check out the GRAMMY Museum, or catch a concert at the beautifully designed Walt Disney Concert Hall. Los Angeles is the birthplace of American Cinema, so there’s also a variety of studio backlot tours that you can take, like Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, NBC and more. If you catch yourself walking along the historical streets of Hollywood, be sure to look down and spot some of your favorite celebrities names on their Stars at the Walk of Fame.

There are many ways to snap a picture of the infamous Hollywood sign, depending on the angle you’d like. If you have a car you can make a pit stop along Deronda Drive, and take a quick walk over to the sign. If you’re looking for more of a challenge, take the 6-mile hike along the Brush Canyon Trail, where you’ll eventually get that picture-perfect shot. You can also see the sign from outside of the Griffith Observatory, where for a small fee you can go up to the top of the observatory and take in the best panoramic views of the city of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is also known for its diverse range of shops. For high-end designer trends, be sure to explore Rodeo Drive, where you might even run into a celebrity or two. For hip vintage and thrift shops, walk along Melrose, and for the ultimate cheap finds, check out the Los Angeles Fashion District. There’s also no shortage of food, with delicious restaurants and popular chains on every block. Los Angeles is home to In-N-Out Burger, a popular West Coast fast food chain, as well as many other restaurants owned by celebrity chefs and popular Instagram-worthy cafés.