GMT - 8. Daylight Saving Time is observed.

US Dollar (US$) = 100 cents.

Language

English.

No trip to California is complete without a visit to the second-biggest city in the USA: Los Angeles, the 'City of Angels'. It lives up to its reputation as 'the entertainment capital of the world', offering the best in theatre, symphony and ballet, as well as the chance to spot stars in Hollywood. Alongside museums, sporting events and some of the country's finest restaurants, the city also has miles of sunny coastline. The Beaches area of Los Angeles is a great place to hang out. One can bask in the sun in a quiet cove in Malibu, or bike or rollerblade along a path from Santa Monica, past the street performers of Venice Beach, the day sailors of Marina del Rey, the volleyball players on Manhattan Beach, and the surfers and fishermen off Hermosa and Redondo. Los Angeles is most famous for being home to the film industry, however, and the famous Hollywood sign, nestling in the hills above the city, stands as a constant reminder of its presence. For an insider's view of the industry, NBC, Warner Bros and Universal Studios Hollywood all offer tours – the Universal tour is the most popular artificial attraction in America after the Disney theme parks. Other attractions include Hollywood Boulevard, with its 'walk of fame' etched in the pavement, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Wells Fargo Museum. In the Griffith Park area, one of the largest urban parks in the country, one can visit the outstanding Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park Observatory, Travel Town and the Autry Museum of Western Heritage.

Smart shops, boutiques and department stores are found in downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. In West Hollywood, Sunset Plaza is lined with speciality shops, while Melrose showcases the hottest new designer trends. Good value gifts, jewellery and handicrafts are sold in Little Tokyo and Olvera Street. Some visitors come to California just for the shopping, and the boutiques and department stores of Los Angeles are famous worldwide.

Specialities include steak and seafood. Los Angeles boasts some of the country's top restaurants, whose food ranges from mainstream, such as Mexican or Italian, to the more quirky, such as Nigerian and Uzbek. The state of California is renowned for its excellent wines, which rival many European vintages.

North AmericaUSA