Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
Pasadena, Pasadena, CA
SightseeingIconicFamily Favorite

Pasadena

· Pasadena, CA

Why you should go…

Best known for the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game each New Year's Day, Pasadena sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains just north of downtown Los Angeles. The city's historic Arts and Crafts architecture, the Norton Simon Museum, and a walkable downtown of shops and restaurants give visitors reasons to stay beyond the parade. Old Pasadena's restored commercial blocks draw shoppers and diners year-round.

  • #rose parade
  • #rose bowl
  • #museums
  • #architecture
  • #los angeles area

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Pasadena, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Local Gem

    The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens

    $25–$50

    A sprawling San Marino estate of rare-book stacks, Gainsborough paintings, and a dozen themed gardens.

    1.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Shopping
    Local Gem

    Old Pasadena

    Free

    A 22-block historic downtown district in Pasadena with shopping, dining, and nightlife in restored early-1900s buildings.

    1.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Rose Bowl Stadium

    $25–$50

    Tour the 1922 locker room, press box and stadium seating of the venue that hosts the Rose Bowl Game.

    3.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Dodger Stadium

    $25–$50

    Catch a Dodgers game or take a 75-minute tour of the 1962 ballpark overlooking downtown Los Angeles.

    8.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Olvera Street

    Free

    Stroll a historic marketplace street lined with vendor stalls, restaurants and the oldest surviving house in Los Angeles.

    9.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Theatre & Events
    Iconic

    Walt Disney Concert Hall

    Free

    See Frank Gehry's curving stainless steel concert hall downtown, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

    9.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Theatre & Events