California
24 Sep – 2 Oct · 8 nights
Warm coast, theme parks and a sunset send-off.
Day by day
A gentle first full day after the travel day — beach, bikes and boardwalk.
A DTLA morning, then preseason hockey at Crypto.com Arena.
Preseason — tickets via AXS/Ticketmaster. Confirm the date closer to the trip.
Your spare day — spend it, or hold it in reserve for wherever the week needs it.
Recharge before the theme-park stretch, or shuffle this day wherever it's needed.
A full park day — weekday crowds are lighter. Arrive at opening.
Studio Tour first (the signature attraction), then Wizarding World, Super Nintendo World, Jurassic World.
Arrive before rope drop. Halloween Time is on — the park is fully decorated.
Park reservations are still required in 2026. Consider Lightning Lane for the headline rides.
Tue 29 Sep 2026 is an Oogie Boogie Bash night — Disney California Adventure closes early to day guests, so doing Disneyland Park today (and DCA Wednesday) already dodges it. Re-confirm the 2026 Bash calendar; Bash tickets sell out months ahead.
Second park day — a clear run with no early-closure night.
Radiator Springs Racers early! A Park Hopper ticket lets you split both parks across both days.
The classic Hollywood morning and a golden-hour city view to finish.
Quick — an hour or two is plenty.
Book ahead; morning tours go first.
The flight isn't till 11:30pm, so this is a full bonus day.
Anything the week skipped.
Book on one Qantas ticket with QF516 so bags check through and the connection is protected.
Saturday 3 Oct disappears crossing the date line — you land Sydney ~7:30am Sun 4 Oct.
Land Sydney, connect to Brisbane. Saturday never happened.
Booked on the same Qantas ticket as QF12.
Where to stay · suggestions
The one real decision here. Almost everything on the plan — Santa Monica, Venice, DTLA, Universal, the Getty, Hollywood, Griffith, Malibu — is on the west/central side. Disneyland is the lone outlier, ~45 mi south in Anaheim, and the two park days are back-to-back.
My recommendation
Recommended: SPLIT the stay. Santa Monica for 5 nights (Thu 24 → Mon 28), then 2 nights walk-to-gate in Anaheim for the park days (Tue 29 → Wed 30), then back to Santa Monica for the last night (Thu 1 → depart Fri 2). Santa Monica → Disneyland is ~50–60 min off-peak but 1.5–2 hrs at 7–8am on a weekday — doing that round-trip two mornings running burns 3–4 hrs of park time a day. The split trades one Anaheim move for ~6–8 saved hours. Most SM hotels will hold luggage between your two stays. A single Santa Monica base is viable if you'd rather not move — you just pay for it in two brutal park-day commutes.
Santa Monica · 501 Colorado Ave
Best value — 2 blocks to the Promenade, ~8–10 min to the Pier, free breakfast. Budget ~$60 valet.
~$300–350 USD
Santa Monica · 1515 Ocean Ave
Directly across from the Pier — unbeatable location, well reviewed.
~$350–500 (confirm)
Santa Monica · 1910 Ocean Way
Beachfront 1926 grand-dame splurge, ~5 min to the Pier.
~$700–900
Anaheim · 1544 S Harbor Blvd
~5 min walk to the Disneyland gate — the roll-out-of-bed pick for the two park days. Halloween season inflates rates.
~$250–300+ (confirm)
Anaheim · 1800 S Harbor Blvd
~12–15 min walk, but better rooms — suites with kitchenettes and hot breakfast for similar money.
~$220–300 (confirm)
Where to eat · suggestions
Rooftop coastal-Italian with the best west-facing sunset view.
● Books exactly 31 days out — set an ~Aug 24 reminder
Iconic seafood at the Pier with floor-to-ceiling ocean windows.
● Resy 2–4 wks — request a window
The 'Godmother' sub for a beach picnic. Closes 6pm Wed–Sun.
Wood-fired vegetables and pizza — an Abbot Kinney icon.
● OpenTable 1–2 wks
Breezy Aussie all-day café.
● Walk-in only before 4pm — arrive by 12:15
Family Mexican since 1963 — cheap, classic, walk-in.
Eggslut, Tacos Tumbras a Tomas (carnitas), Sarita's Pupuseria — all walk-up. Go before noon.
Big soul-food spot steps from Crypto.com Arena.
● Book early on game night
The best food-first rooftop pick post-game.
● OpenTable
Steampunk showpiece — full menu and outrageous shakes.
● Reserve via Universal's dining portal
Lively, 100+ tequilas, live mariachi some nights.
● Walk-in ok
Authentic Sichuan and the best value on CityWalk.
The definitive California burger, ~10 min walk — the best lunch play.
Hollywood's oldest (1919) — martinis and glamour. Dinner-only, closed Mondays.
● OpenTable ~1 mo or call
Evan Funke's Roman pasta in a stunning Art Deco room.
● Resy, book well ahead
Nancy Silverton's Michelin-starred flagship — the special-occasion pick.
● Releases exactly 1 month out — book Sept 1
Old-Hollywood red-booth institution (1964).
● Call (310) 275-9444, ~6–10 days ahead
Beloved neighborhood Italian — best if you're near Griffith already.
● Resy 1–2 wks
Filling the gaps · suggestions
The Getty Center (free entry, $25 parking, free timed reservation, open Sun to 5:30pm) · a Malibu drive to El Matador State Beach with lunch at Neptune's Net · The Grove + Melrose shopping · or a pool/beach recharge before the park marathon.
A final Santa Monica beach morning + late lunch is the lowest-stress send-off; or the Getty if the flex day missed it. Return the hire car by ~8:00–8:30pm — the LAX rental SkyLink isn't open yet, so it's still a shuttle to the terminal.
Comedy at The Comedy Store or Largo at the Coronet (book ahead) · sunset drinks at The Bungalow. For Griffith on Thu, take the DASH Observatory shuttle ($0.50) — parking is scarce.