8 outdoor date spots in Los Angeles, hand-picked from our A-to-Z guide — from Echo Park Lake 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.
8 hand-picked spots
E
Echo Park
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.
G
Hollywood Hills
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.
H
South Bay
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.
M
Westside Coast
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.
S
Westside Coast
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.
T
Westside Hills
Inn of the Seventh Ray since 1973, candlelit patio over the creek, the Joan Didion LA of the canyons.
Tip Inn of the Seventh Ray is the date — outdoor patio over Topanga Creek, candlelit, vegetarian-leaning, established 1973 by Spiritualist commune (yes really). Drive UP Topanga Canyon Blvd from PCH — golden-hour drive through canyon, oak shade, occasional deer. Topanga State Park trails before/after (Eagle Rock + Echo Park). The bohemian LA Joan Didion wrote about.
V
Westside Coast
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.
Z
Malibu (north end)
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.