If it’s your first time in Los Angeles and you want it done properly, base yourself in Beverly Hills. It’s central, walkable by LA standards, and has the city’s densest collection of grand hotels, serious restaurants and flagship boutiques within a few blocks of each other.
It has also changed a great deal in the last few years. Rodeo Drive is in the middle of a flagship building boom, fashion houses are opening restaurants, and the hotels have been renovated top to bottom. This guide covers where to stay, eat, shop and spend an afternoon, updated for 2026.
Where to Stay in Beverly Hills
For a first visit, stay within walking distance of the Golden Triangle (Rodeo, Beverly and Cañon Drives). Every hotel below fits that brief except The Beverly Hills Hotel, which is worth the short drive.
The Beverly Hills Hotel
Neighbourhood: Sunset Boulevard, north of the flats | Price: $$$$ | Best for: Old Hollywood glamour, first-timers who want the icon
Why we love it: The Pink Palace opened in 1912, and the city grew up around it. Bungalows, banana-leaf wallpaper and the Polo Lounge still feel like nowhere else.
Good to know: The hotel is adding a veranda bar, private screening room, lobby café and a supper club with live entertainment. Check what’s open before you book.
Insider detail: Even if you’re staying elsewhere, a counter breakfast at the Fountain Coffee Room is the best-value way to experience the hotel.
9641 Sunset Blvd
Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel
Neighbourhood: Foot of Rodeo Drive | Price: $$$$ | Best for: Shoppers, Pretty Woman fans
Why we love it: You can’t be closer to Rodeo Drive. The Wilshire wing is the classic choice, and the hotel has just opened a new-generation spa.
Good to know: Rooms facing Wilshire Boulevard get traffic noise; ask for the Beverly wing for quieter, more contemporary rooms.
Insider detail: CUT by Wolfgang Puck, on the ground floor, is one of the city’s great steakhouses.
9500 Wilshire Blvd
The Peninsula Beverly Hills
Neighbourhood: Little Santa Monica Blvd, western edge of the Golden Triangle | Price: $$$$ | Best for: Quiet luxury, couples, spa days
Why we love it: Gardens, villas and some of the most polished service in LA. The Belvedere’s garden terrace is one of the best lunch spots in the city.
Good to know: The skylit Roof Garden restaurant cooks with herbs and vegetables grown at the hotel.
Insider detail: Book afternoon tea in the Living Room at least a week ahead.
9882 S Santa Monica Blvd
The Maybourne Beverly Hills
Neighbourhood: Cañon Drive, Golden Triangle | Price: $$$$ | Best for: Design lovers, a younger crowd
Why we love it: The sister to Claridge’s and The Connaught brings London polish to Beverly Hills, with a big art collection and a calm spa.
Good to know: Dante, the rooftop on the ninth floor, is one of the city’s best-loved bars. Book sunset tables ahead.
Insider detail: Request a room facing the Hollywood Hills.
225 N Cañon Dr
Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
Neighbourhood: Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvds | Price: $$$$ | Best for: Big rooms, views, families
Why we love it: Generous rooms with balconies, plus a rooftop pool and Gemma, the rooftop restaurant with 360-degree views.
Good to know: It sits right beside the One Beverly Hills construction site, which will become Aman’s first West Coast hotel. Aman Beverly Hills is listed for 2028.
Insider detail: Hilton Honors points can be used here.
9850 Wilshire Blvd
New: Hôtel Lili
Neighbourhood: South Lasky Drive, a few minutes’ walk to Rodeo | Price: $$$ | Best for: Boutique stays, repeat visitors
Why we love it: A 44-room boutique in a 1939 residence, opened April 2026. It’s intimate, residential and a short stroll from the shops.
Good to know: Small hotels sell out quickly around big LA events.
140 S Lasky Dr
Where to Eat & Drink in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills dining has moved on from scene-y hotel restaurants. The best tables now are chef-driven tasting counters, a few beloved institutions and, new this year, lunch inside a fashion house.
Special-occasion dinners
- Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn — Dior’s first US restaurant, on the third floor of its Rodeo Drive flagship. Think caviar service, black truffle agnolotti and a Miss Dior cocktail. 323 N Rodeo Dr
- Maude — Curtis Stone’s 24-seat tasting menu built around Southern California produce. Book the moment reservations drop. 212 S Beverly Dr
- Spago — Wolfgang Puck’s flagship, still the classic Beverly Hills power dinner. 176 N Cañon Dr
- Nozawa Bar — A Michelin-starred omakase counter hidden inside Sugarfish. Tiny, quiet and worth planning a trip around. 212 N Cañon Dr
- Marea — The first West Coast outpost of New York’s celebrated Italian seafood restaurant.
Long lunches and casual favourites
- Il Pastaio — A busy Italian trattoria on Cañon since 1993. Order the melanzane parmigiana. 400 N Cañon Dr
- La Scala — Old Hollywood red booths and the famous chopped salad. 434 N Cañon Dr
- Avra — Greek seafood: choose your fish from the display and have it grilled. 233 N Beverly Dr
- Crustacean — Upscale Vietnamese, best known for its garlic noodles. 468 N Bedford Dr
- Nate ’n Al’s — A deli open since 1945, for bagels with lox and pastrami on rye.
Drinks with a view
- Dante Beverly Hills — Ninth-floor rooftop at The Maybourne, with Hollywood Hills views and live music. 225 N Cañon Dr
- Bar Funke — The rooftop above Evan Funke’s pasta restaurant, with caviar and cocktails. 9388 S Santa Monica Blvd
- The Polo Lounge — A Bloody Mary on the patio at The Beverly Hills Hotel is a rite of passage.
Coffee, bakeries and sweets
The Golden Triangle has become a serious bakery stop. Levain Bakery brought its six-ounce New York cookies to town, Hi Bake opened its first US shop with French- and Asian-inspired pastries, and Bacio di Latte has opened a flagship gelateria. For coffee, Alfred on Melrose Place is a short drive east.
Shopping: Rodeo Drive and Beyond
Rodeo Drive is in its biggest reinvention in decades. Houses are replacing boutiques with multi-storey flagships designed to be visited, not just shopped.
- Dior — The new flagship at 323 N Rodeo has a restaurant on the third floor. Go for lunch and browse after.
- Watches — GEARYS Rolex and Patek Philippe have opened new flagships, and Grand Seiko has refreshed its store.
- Coming soon — A three-storey Cartier boutique, an expanded Bvlgari and a 45,000-square-foot Louis Vuitton building designed by Frank Gehry.
- Two Rodeo — The cobblestoned, European-style lane at the Wilshire end. It’s the place for the classic Rodeo photo.
- Beverly Drive — One block east, for contemporary labels including L’Agence, Tory Burch and Veronica Beard.
Good to know: Most flagships offer private appointments. Book through your hotel concierge for a quieter experience and a first look at new pieces.
Things to Do in Beverly Hills
- Greystone Mansion & Gardens — A 1920s Tudor-style mansion with formal gardens and city views, and a backdrop for dozens of films.
- Virginia Robinson Gardens — Six acres of gardens around one of Beverly Hills’ first estates. Tours are by appointment only, so book ahead.
- Beverly Gardens Park — Look for Yayoi Kusama’s Hymn of Life: Tulips, her first public artwork in the US, and the original Beverly Hills sign.
- The Wallis — The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts stages theatre, dance and music in a restored 1930s post office.
- Saban Theatre — An art deco landmark for concerts and comedy. Check the schedule before you go.
- The Paley Archive — Opened in 2025 at the Beverly Hills Public Library, with more than 160,000 TV and radio programs to watch.
- A spa afternoon — The Peninsula and the new spa at the Beverly Wilshire are the standouts. Book weekend treatments well ahead.
Practical Tips for a First Visit
- Getting there: LAX is about 30–45 minutes by car, longer at peak hour. Arrange a hotel car or a pre-booked driver rather than queuing for a rideshare.
- Getting around: The Golden Triangle is easy on foot. For everything else, use a driver for the day. You won’t need a hire car if you’re staying put.
- When to go: Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) bring warm days and fewer crowds. Expect higher rates around major LA events.
- Book ahead: Maude, Nozawa Bar, Monsieur Dior and sunset tables at Dante all need reservations. Ask your concierge two to four weeks out.
- Dress code: Smart casual works almost everywhere. The Polo Lounge and Spago are worth dressing up for.
- Tipping: Plan on 20% at restaurants and bars, and tip valet, housekeeping and concierge for any special requests.
More tips for Los Angeles
Brooke is a Tasmanian-born writer and professional baker who started World of Wanderlust in 2013 and has since travelled to 86 countries. These days her guides focus on what she knows best: the bakeries, hotels and places worth crossing the world for.
