Romantic Los Angeles: Dates Worth Planning
The most romantic version of Los Angeles moves slower than the tourist highlights: a picnic under the stars at the Hollywood Bowl, a gondola for two on a quiet canal, a bluff over the ocean at sunset. All of it fits into an evening or a single afternoon.
The Hollywood Bowl, with your own picnic
The Hollywood Bowl’s 17,500-seat hillside amphitheater hosts the LA Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel from June through September. For official LA Phil classical and jazz concerts, upper bench seats start at $1 to $15, while pool and garden boxes run $150 to $350 and up, and patrons are allowed to bring their own picnic dinner, wine and beer to their seats. Skip the on-site parking, which can take over an hour to exit after a show, and take Metro’s B Line to Hollywood/Highland, fares and transfers at metro.net , then walk 15 minutes north, or use the Park & Ride shuttle from one of 14 regional lots for $7 to $12 round trip.
A gondola on Naples Island
The Gondola Getaway, operating since 1982 out of Naples Island in Long Beach, sends imported Venetian rowing gondolas along quiet residential canals 25 miles south of Downtown LA. A 50-minute private cruise for two runs roughly $120 to $150, with ice, glasses and corkage included, and blankets provided on evening cruises. This is the only place in the LA area with commercial gondola rides; the Venice Canals do not permit gondola rentals of their own. Search Long Beach and Naples Island tours on GetYourGuide for pairings with a Long Beach evening out.
El Matador State Beach at sunset
On the western Malibu coast, El Matador’s sea stacks, natural arches and offshore kelp beds make it the most photographed stretch of that coastline. A steep staircase descends from a small blufftop lot charging $8 to $10 a day, which fills before 10am on weekends; go at low tide, since high tide submerges the sand.
The Getty Center’s gardens near closing
Free to enter with a timed reservation, Richard Meier’s hilltop Brentwood campus is quietest in the last hour before closing, when Robert Irwin’s Central Garden catches the evening light. Parking runs $25/car standard, dropping to $15 after 3pm and $10 after 6pm. Reserve timed entry at getty.edu .
The Venice Canals after dark
Free and open around the clock, the 1905 Venice Canals are quietest after sunset, when bridge lanterns light the footpaths, well away from the boardwalk’s daytime crowds.
The verdict
Pair the free Venice Canals walk with one paid evening, the Hollywood Bowl’s cheap bench seats or the Long Beach gondola, rather than cramming both into a single night against LA traffic. Santa Monica and Venice hotels can be compared on Booking.com for a Westside base near the canals. See the day trips guide for extending a romantic weekend up the coast toward Santa Barbara.
Before you go
Reserve Gondola Getaway slots at least a week ahead for weekend evenings, and buy Hollywood Bowl bench seats the moment a concert goes on sale.