Griffith Park, a free observatory and an exceptional panorama

If you're a keen walker, Griffith Park is the place for you! Covering an area of 2,000 hectares, it has over 80km of footpaths. These are walks in the heart of nature, filled with greenery, providing an escape from the city, its buildings and heavy traffic. The views are sublime, 360 degrees. The famous Hollywood sign with its white letters on one side, the city on the other, with the Pacific Ocean in the background. Simply breathtaking. Speaking of breathtaking, the park is the ideal place for a jog. An activity reserved for the more athletic. A word of advice? Go at sunrise or sunset for a unique experience.

⚠️ Please note:

• The park is not open 24 hours a day! It is open between 5am and 10.30pm!

• As this is a wilderness area, you may encounter animals such as snakes and coyotes. Please take care.

So there are plenty of possibilities for walks in the park. But our main objective was to reach the observatory. To do this, we opted for the trail (in the form of a loop) from Ferndell, a wooded valley at the lower end of Western Canyon in Griffith Park. The start is on a small concrete path, south of Fern Dell Dr, near the Bear Statue. Just follow the path, which is quite steep, and you'll find yourself at the observatory, which you can visit free of charge.

Opened in 1935, the Griffith Observatory has become the most visited public observatory in the world. It was named after Griffith Jenkins Griffith, an American industrialist of Welsh origin, who wanted to offer Californians and tourists from all over the world the chance to observe the stars and learn about astronom y via an exhibition hall and planetarium. With the exception of the planetarium, everything else is completely free! In the park surrounding the site, you'll find a bust of James Dean, who starred in the 1955 film La Fureur de Vivre, in which the observatory was used as a film location.

☄️ Observing the sky

The observatory allows visitors to observe the sky through Zeiss and solar telescopes, all free of charge. Explanations and guides will help you to understand a little more about what you are looking at and to find your bearings in space. Every month, the observatory staff draw up a precise list of objects visible in the sky. Galaxies, planets, stars, eclipses, comets, the moon, meteor showers, constellations... You'll come away from this experience with stars in your eyes.

🌌 Exhibitions

Several exhibitions are also on show at the observatory, always in connection with observing the sky. They try to answer some fundamental questions. What do we see? How do we see? And why is it important? Divided into several zones, each exhibition focuses on a unique aspect of space observation.

• Wilder Hall of the Eye, a room devoted to the history of the evolution of human observation

• Ahmanson Hall of the Sky, a room evoking the sun, moon and earth

• Keck Central Rotunda, a rotunda dealing with the link between science and mythology and the history of the observatory

• Cosmic Connection, a room with a sort of chronological frieze featuring more than 2,200 celestial objects

• Edge of Space, a mezzanine floor for understanding space from the ground up

• Gunther Depths of Space, a room showcasing modern observation tools

🪐 Samuel Oschin Planetarium

The observatory's planetarium can hold 290 spectators. It is the only ticketed activity on the site. Several shows are on offer and last around thirty minutes. Tickets are only available on site for the day's shows. They cost 10 dollars full price, 8 dollars reduced price (seniors over 65 or students) and 6 dollars for children (aged 5-12). Admission is free for children under 5.

📍 Location: 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

🚌 Getting there: if the walk described above doesn't appeal to you, it's perfectly possible to reach the observatory by car. Pay parking is available nearby. Prices vary according to the season. If you don't have a car, a shuttle bus is available every day, Monday to Friday from midday to 10pm and at weekends from 10am to 10pm, from the Vermon / Sunset metro station on the Red Line. The fare is 50 cents each way.

⏰ Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 12pm to 10pm and weekends 10am to 10pm. Closed on Mondays.

⭐ Kingsley Courtyard Apartment

This charming flat is located down the hill from the observatory, a stone's throw from the start of the Ferndell walk.