Los Angeles things to do: What to do with one day in LA

WE HAVE AN ENTIRE DAY FROM 7AM TO 11PM IN LOS ANGELES. GIVEN OUR LIMITED TIME AND NEED TO STAY WITHIN REASONABLE DISTANCE OF THE AIRPORT, HOW DO WE GET AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE OUT OF THE DAY?

S. MILLER, WHEELERS HILL

The easy option would be to take a day tour. A Day in LA (adayinlatours.com) is a tour operator that knits together the highlights of the city and its surroundings on its one-day city tour, including Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Sunset Strip. They pick up from various hotels in the vicinity of Los Angeles International Airport such as the Hilton and the Radisson, and getting to one of these from the airport should be no problem.

Another possibility is the Getty Museum, a treasure trove of Greek and Roman antiquities and also one of the world's great collections of renaissance and baroque artworks. However the most practical way to get there is to rent a car to make the 22-kilometre journey – a taxi there and back would be expensive.

You could also spend the day between Venice Beach and Santa Monica. This is where the tribes of Los Angeles come to play, jog, work out and socialise, providing endless entertainment for the innocent bystander, and a fascinating look at the psyche of the city of dreams. From Santa Monica you're just a short taxi ride from Robertson Boulevard, home to a clutch of chic boutiques, cafes and restaurants favoured by some of Hollywood's most bankable names. The section between Beverly Boulevard and Third Street is the apex of cool. Jayride (us.jayride.com) operates a shuttle service between LA International Airport and Santa Monica.