The block-long, pedestrianized 'birthplace of Los Angeles' (circa 1781) may now be a festive Mexican marketplace with gaudy decorations and souvenir stalls that scream ‘tourist trap’, but you can still find authentic experiences here. Visit Avila Adobe, the city's oldest house, shop for Chicano art, slurp thick Mexican-style hot chocolate, or pick up handmade candles and candy. At lunchtime, construction workers and cubicle drones swarm the little eateries for tacos, tortas (sandwiches) and burritos.
Olvera Street
Transportation
- train: Union Station
- metro: Union Station
Contact
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
20.13 MILES
What started as a simple berry farm is now a sprawling 160-acre operation with rides, live shows and lovable Peanuts characters roaming the grounds. Knott…
5.51 MILES
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14.43 MILES
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15.41 MILES
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1.08 MILES
Perched atop the city's tallest building to roof level, this is LA's loftiest observation deck, offering knockout views of LA, its hills, ocean and…
8.64 MILES
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7.03 MILES
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Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
0.45 MILES
LA is unlike any other city, and this cathedral is unlike any other cathedral. Seat of the US's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese (some five million…
Nearby attractions
1. Italian American Museum of Los Angeles
0.02 MILES
Aptly located inside Italian Hall – built in 1908 as a social hub for the area's Italian community – this small, interactive museum sheds light on the oft…
2. América Tropical Interpretive Center
0.03 MILES
Everyone from Hollywood stars to LA intellectuals attended the 1932 unveiling of América Tropical, a rooftop mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros, one of…
3. El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument
0.03 MILES
LA didn’t spring from the head of Hollywood directors; it was a full-blown community a good century before DW Griffith showed up. A short stroll northwest…
0.04 MILES
The oldest surviving house in LA was built in 1818 by wealthy ranchero and one-time LA mayor Francisco José Avila. After subsequent lives as a boarding…
0.12 MILES
Founded as La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles (Our Lady the Queen of the Angels Church) in 1781, and now affectionately known as la…
0.15 MILES
Built on the site of LA’s original Chinatown, Union Station opened in 1939 as America’s last grand rail station. It’s a glamorous exercise in Mission…
0.16 MILES
The city’s oldest fire station (1884) is now a one-room museum filled with dusty old fire-fighting equipment and photographs.
0.16 MILES
El Pueblo’s central, magnolia-shaded square is crowned by a pretty wrought-iron gazebo. Sleepy and a little sketchy during the week, it often turns into a…
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- path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
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