Los Angeles · A-Z Dates

Cheap Date Ideas in Los Angeles

15 cheap date ideas in Los Angeles, hand-picked from our A-to-Z guide — from Amoeba Music to Zuma Beach. Every spot below was verified by an editor on the ground, with the address, the best time to go, and a one-line reason it earns the trip.

Record store aisle with vinyl binsA

Amoeba Music

Hollywood

  • $
  • Afternoon
  • Shopping

World's largest independent record store. Free in-store concerts. In-N-Out across the street. The most LA afternoon under $30.

Tip World's largest independent record store. New location since 2021 at Hollywood + Vine (the historic Sunset Blvd one closed). Free in-store concerts (calendar online). In-N-Out across the street at 7000 Sunset for the cheap legend. The 'What's in my bag?' video series shoots here — your favorite musician has bought records in these aisles.

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Beverly Hills sign in front of waterB

Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills

  • Free
  • Afternoon
  • Shopping

Three blocks of bourgeois performance art and a 24-hour cupcake ATM. Walk, don't buy.

Tip Walk the 3-block stretch of Rodeo from Wilshire to Santa Monica Blvd. Two Rodeo's cobblestoned cul-de-sac is the Instagram shot. Sprinkles Cupcakes ATM (24/7 — you tap a screen, a cupcake dispenses, you film it). The shopping is performance art — go to watch, not buy. Then escape east to La Cienega for actual food.

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Red paper lanterns hanging in ChinatownC

Chinatown

Downtown LA

  • $
  • Evening
  • Food

Far East Plaza food court IS the date. Howlin' Ray's hot chicken first — yes, wait in the line.

Tip Far East Plaza is the hub — Howlin' Ray's Nashville hot chicken (line is long but moves; come 4:30 PM weekdays for under 30min), Endorffeine for coffee, Joy on Yale for Taiwanese. Phoenix Bakery for almond cookies since 1938. LA's Chinatown is smaller than NYC's but the food density is real.

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Echo Park Lake fountain with skyline backdropE

Echo Park Lake

Echo Park

  • $
  • Daytime
  • Nature

Swan paddleboats in summer, lotus blooms in July, the LA Eastside spine one block north.

Tip Swan paddleboats on the lake ($15 for 30min, book online on weekends). The lotus flower bloom mid-July is the iconic shot. Walk the lake perimeter — about 1 mile, flat. Echo Park Lake Cafe at the southwest corner for sandwiches. Sunset Boulevard is one block north — the eastside food spine.

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Archway leading to the top of Griffith ObservatoryG

Griffith Observatory

Hollywood Hills

  • Free
  • Sunset
  • View

90 minutes before sunset. Golden hour to city lights. The most-filmed building in LA. Free to enter.

Tip The most-filmed building in Los Angeles (La La Land, Rebel Without a Cause, every other CW show). Arrive 90 min before sunset — golden hour into city lights is the date moment. Free admission. Planetarium shows $10. Park at Charlie Turner Trailhead and hike up if upper lots are full. The Hollywood Sign view from the western terrace is the iconic photo. Walk the back side to find Bronson Canyon (the hidden ★) on the way out.

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Hermosa Beach pier stretching into the oceanH

Hermosa Beach Pier

South Bay

  • $
  • Afternoon
  • Beach

22 miles of the Strand bike path. Pier Plaza for cheap beers. The South Bay's quietest beach hour.

Tip Walk to the end of the Hermosa Pier. Rent bikes ($15/hr at Hermosa Cyclery) and ride The Strand — the 22-mile beach-bike path that connects Hermosa to Manhattan Beach (north) and Redondo (south). Pier Plaza has bars and outdoor patios. Off-season weekday afternoons feel like a beach town off the country's radar.

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SoFi Stadium exterior in InglewoodI

Inglewood

South LA

  • $
  • Afternoon
  • Activity

SoFi Stadium's neighborhood. Randy's giant donut, Hilltop coffee (Issa Rae's), the walkable PARK SOFI plaza.

Tip Inglewood is SoFi Stadium's neighborhood. PARK SOFI is the walkable plaza with bars and food trucks. Randy's Donuts (805 W Manchester) — the iconic giant-donut roof has been LA since 1953, 5min drive from the stadium. Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen (founded by Issa Rae) at 5440 Crenshaw is the locals-pregame spot.

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Malibu beach view from a hilltopM

Malibu

Westside Coast

  • $
  • Sunset
  • Beach

PCH drive 45 min north. Cliff trail with 180° Pacific. Malibu Farm pier dinner. The LA sunset of legend.

Tip Drive PCH 1 north from Santa Monica — 45 min to Point Dume. The cliff trail goes up over the headland with a 180° Pacific view; gray whales migrate Nov–Apr. Westward Beach below is the wide sand. Malibu Farm Pier Cafe for dinner — sit on the deck at sunset. Nobu Malibu is the splurge. Pure-magic-hour drive at sunset.

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Highland Park hillside view of LAN

Highland Park

Northeast LA

  • $
  • Afternoon
  • Food

York Boulevard between Avenue 50 and 56. Joy on York, Donut Friend, the eastside hip strip.

Tip York Blvd between Ave 50 and Ave 56 is the strip. Joy on York for Taiwanese, Donut Friend for vegan donuts, Wax Paper deli, Block Party for vintage. Highland Park Brewery's taproom one block south. Kindness & Mischief Coffee. The most genuinely-cool eastside neighborhood that hasn't been completely gentrified out of itself.

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Cobblestone street and white buildings on Olvera StreetO

Olvera Street

Downtown LA

  • $
  • Afternoon
  • Cultural

LA's birthplace (1781). 5-cent-feeling taquitos at Cielito Lindo since 1934. Union Station's Art Deco grandeur across the street.

Tip LA's birthplace — the original pueblo from 1781. Walk the brick street, eat taquitos at Cielito Lindo (since 1934, no seats just a window). LA's Olvera is a tourist trap done right — the heritage is real, the food is cheap, and Union Station is right across the street (the most beautiful train station in America, Art Deco + Spanish revival, 1939). Combine the two into one half-day.

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Pasadena street with palms and clock towerP

Pasadena

Northeast LA County

  • $
  • Daytime
  • Cultural

Norton Simon and the Huntington Library for the half-day art-and-garden hit. Old Town for dinner.

Tip Old Town Pasadena = Colorado Blvd between Pasadena Ave and Arroyo Pkwy. Norton Simon Museum ($20 — one of LA's quietest world-class art collections, Rembrandt + Van Gogh + Degas). The Huntington Library ($29, 120 acres of botanic gardens + the Gainsborough's Blue Boy) is the splurge half-day. Roma Italian Deli for old-school subs. Café Santorini for date dinner.

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Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel during golden hourS

Santa Monica

Westside Coast

  • Free
  • Afternoon
  • Beach

Take the E Line from DTLA — 50 min straight to the pier. Walk to Venice 2 miles south. The transit story works.

Tip Take the E Line — Metro Expo from DTLA terminates at Santa Monica, no parking needed. Walk the pier, ride the Ferris wheel ($10). The Strand bike path goes north to Venice (2 miles, rent at Perry's) or south to Hermosa (16 miles). Third Street Promenade for shopping + street performers. Misfit Restaurant + Bar for late-night cocktails. The classic LA-to-the-ocean transit story.

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Venice Beach palm trees silhouetted at sunsetV

Venice Beach

Westside Coast

  • Free
  • Afternoon
  • Beach

Boardwalk for the show, Abbot Kinney for dinner, the Venice Canals for the secret-LA loop.

Tip The Boardwalk between Rose and Washington — street performers, bodybuilders at Muscle Beach (since 1934), the basketball courts where White Men Can't Jump was filmed. Abbot Kinney Blvd (one block inland) is the upscale strip — Gjelina for dinner (book 2 weeks ahead), Felix Trattoria for pizza, Salt & Straw for ice cream. Venice Canals (between Washington and Venice Blvd) are the secret-LA spot — 4 blocks of canals with footbridges, almost no tourists.

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Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science CenterX

Exposition Park

South LA (USC area)

  • Free
  • Afternoon
  • Cultural

California Science Center is free — and has the actual Space Shuttle Endeavour. 3 miles to SoFi.

Tip California Science Center is FREE — and has the Space Shuttle Endeavour (the actual spacecraft, retired from NASA in 2011). 30-foot-tall, in a temporary hangar awaiting its permanent vertical-launch display. The Natural History Museum across the rose garden — dinosaurs, gem hall, $25. The rose garden between them is the date-walk. USC campus tour (free) next door. 3-mile drive to SoFi Stadium —

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Aerial view of Zuma Beach coast from aboveZ

Zuma Beach

Malibu (north end)

  • $
  • Afternoon
  • Beach

1.8 miles of sand past Point Dume. Neptune's Net fish tacos on the way back. Golden-hour PCH drive home.

Tip Past Point Dume on PCH. Zuma is the wide, less-crowded big-beach option — 1.8 miles of sand. The waves are bigger here (open-coast beach, not a cove). Neptune's Net for fish tacos on the way back (just past Leo Carrillo State Beach, 20 min north of Malibu Pier). The drive itself is the experience — golden hour on PCH north is the LA you came for.

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More Los Angeles date ideas

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Los Angeles cheap date ideas — FAQ

What are the best cheap date ideas in Los Angeles?
Low-cost by design — every spot here is either free to walk into or sits at the cheapest paid tier. A big night on a small bill.
How much do cheap date ideas in Los Angeles cost?
It depends on the spot — 5 of the 15 are free to visit, and the rest run from a casual outing to a splurge. Every entry on this page shows its price tier, so you can plan the night to your budget.
Which Los Angeles neighborhoods have the best cheap date ideas?
These picks cluster around Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Downtown, among others — each entry lists its exact address and the nearest transit stop.
When is the best time for cheap date ideas in Los Angeles?
Most of these work best around afternoon, but every entry notes the ideal time to arrive so you can time the date right.
How many cheap date ideas does this guide cover in Los Angeles?
15 — hand-verified by editors and drawn from our full A-to-Z guide to Los Angeles. Each one has a real address, the best time to go, and an editor's note.