Rodeo Drive

Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills is the most famous shopping street in the world, a three-block stretch of Wilshire Boulevard that has become a global symbol of luxury, celebrity, and aspirational lifestyle since the 1960s. Even for visitors with no intention of entering the boutiques of Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Bulgari that line the street, Rodeo Drive is a genuine attraction in its own right – an open-air theatre of wealth, beauty, and the peculiar glamour of Los Angeles celebrity culture.

History and Rise to Fame

Rodeo Drive takes its name from El Rodeo de las Aguas, the original rancho that occupied the land before Beverly Hills was incorporated as a city in 1914. For most of the twentieth century it was a modest residential and commercial street. The transformation into a luxury shopping destination began in the 1960s and accelerated through the 1970s when European fashion houses began opening American flagship stores here.

The street’s global fame was cemented by popular culture – most notably by the 1990 film Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts’ character shops on Rodeo Drive. The Beverly Hills Cop films, Clueless, and countless other movies and television programmes have used the street as shorthand for wealth and glamour. Today Rodeo Drive generates more retail revenue per square foot than almost any other retail location in the world.

• Three blocks of the world’s most concentrated luxury retail between Wilshire and Santa Monica
• Home to flagships of Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany, and more
• Two Rodeo Drive is an architectural landmark designed as a European-style cobblestone street
• The street has appeared in hundreds of films and television productions
• Beverly Hills City Hall and its beautiful gardens are just steps away

What to See and Experience

The main three blocks between Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards contain the densest concentration of luxury brands. Two Rodeo Drive, the curved cobblestone pedestrian way near the Wilshire end, was designed to evoke a European shopping street and houses several boutiques in an architecturally distinctive setting.

Window shopping and people-watching are the primary activities for most visitors – spotting celebrities, admiring the cars parked at the kerb (Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Rolls-Royces are common sights), and photographing the iconic palm tree-lined streetscape. The Beverly Hills Hotel with its famous Pink Palace exterior is nearby on Sunset Boulevard, and Beverly Hills City Hall with its beautiful Mediterranean Revival architecture and gardens is worth a short detour.

Practical Information

• Entry: Free to walk; shopping is at individual store prices
• Hours: Stores generally open 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday, 11am-5pm Sunday
• Parking: Beverly Hills has several city-owned parking structures with validated parking
• Best time: Weekday mornings are quietest; weekends can be very busy
• Photography: The street is public; photography freely permitted outside

Local Insights

• Park in one of the city-owned structures off Brighton Way or Dayton Way – usually cheap or free with validation
• The side streets off Rodeo Drive – Brighton Way, Dayton Way, Camden Drive – have excellent cafes for people-watching
• Walk the full length of Rodeo Drive from Santa Monica to Wilshire and back for the complete experience
• Beverly Hills is very walkable – combine Rodeo Drive with a stroll through the adjacent residential streets
• The Paley Center for Media is a short walk away for entertainment history enthusiasts

Getting There

• Driving: Take Santa Monica Blvd or Wilshire Blvd to Rodeo Drive; parking structures nearby
• Bus: Metro bus routes along Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards
• Rideshare: Uber/Lyft widely available throughout Beverly Hills
• Walking: Approximately 2 miles from West Hollywood; walkable in good weather