10 Stunning Guided Tours to Discover Los Angeles

Landing in LA and want to get to know the city and its surroundings up close? Instead of planning routes on your own, let professional guides show you everything you must see in the City of Angels.

Here are 10 tours in Los Angeles that we think will provide you with the full Hollywood experience ????

Los Angeles with the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance

Tour 1: Viewing and Touring Famous Homes in Hollywood and Beverly Hills

The most nosy, coolest, most embarrassing and most Los Angeles tour of them all is the celebrity homes tour in the Hollywood Hills. Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and more boast an unbelievable concentration of celebrities who actually live there like any other person. On the southern slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the streets of the heavy hitters, tourist buses roam from all over the world with a guide telling them to whom the mansion or villa belongs.

This is the quickest way to feel the stardust of Hollywood. These tours are very popular and full of provincial whispers (thank you, Meir Ariel) and excitement. Here and there, gardeners are mistaken for stars, and then the whole bus erupts.

Click here for a guided open bus tour to celebrity homes in the ridge and a tour in Hollywood…

Tour 2: Guided Tour of Warner Bros. Studio

Another less peculiar way to soak up Hollywood's stardust is by visiting the film studios scattered throughout the city. Universal Studios have turned their tour into a large theme park inspired by Disneyland, but other studios still offer a basic tour and a chance to see familiar sets from TV shows still running or unique props from franchise movies. The Warner Bros. tour is probably the most popular of them all. It takes place in the studios of the Hollywood giant, not far from Universal Studios theme park.

Click here for a guided tour of the Warner Bros. Studio…

The Hollywood sign on Mount Lee above Los Angeles

Tour 3: Guided Sightseeing Tour of Everything Famous in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the Beaches

Los Angeles, like any big tourist city, is also packed with attractions and sites not directly linked to the film industry (though many of them do appear in the background of movies and TV shows). The sightseeing in Los Angeles is concentrated downtown and in the neighborhoods and cities north of it, like Griffith Park, the Hollywood Sign, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the Santa Monica beach, the Miracle Mile, Dodger Stadium, and more. This is a super efficient tour for anyone who isn't in town for too long and wants to check off all the must-sees before moving on.

Click here for the full Sightseeing Tour of Los Angeles…

Tour 4: Horseback Ride Along Mulholland Trail

Although Los Angeles is the most advanced city in the USA, its character is still deeply rooted in the Wild West. The Santa Monica mountain range, north of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, offers a wild nature escape (only along the ridge, as the valleys provide mansions for the wealthy), with hiking trails and natural attractions that could rival a national park.

Running along the ridge is Mulholland Drive, a road that has become one of the city's icons. To the west is the 405 freeway (not far from the Getty), giving access to dirt trails beloved by hikers and riders. There are guided horseback riding tours on these trails, which are the perfect way to experience the heart of the city's nature in style and fun.

Click here for guided horseback riding on the Mulholland Trail…

Tour 5: Guided Electric Bike Tour of Santa Monica and Venice Beaches

The coastline of Los Angeles, from Marina del Rey and Venice Beach to the beaches of Santa Monica, are some of the city's most popular spots. These beaches have been immortalized in countless movies and series, with Baywatch being a notable mention. The long promenade is a very popular destination for jogging, 90s skateboarding, 80s roller-skating, and an overall Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe.

The highlight of the promenade is the Santa Monica Pier, home to the Pacific Park amusement rides. There are quite a few guided tours along the promenade, including electric bike riding, segways, and more under the shade of the palm trees of Palisades Park.

Click here for a guided tour of Los Angeles and Santa Monica beaches by electric bikes…

Tour 6: Guided Hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains to the Hollywood Sign

The most famous symbol of Los Angeles is a standard sign of a wealthy neighborhood called Hollywoodland, though the ‘land' part fell off. The Hollywood Sign, (even if it wasn't the original intention) today symbolizes the entire idea of the glamorous and famous district, towering high above it on the ridge. This sign is also a great destination for an outdoor trip, including a short hike where guides spill all the juicy gossip of the glamorous world. There are various hiking trails around the sign such as the Aileen Getty Ridge Trail or the Mount Lee Drive (the sign is on Mount Lee). This is a short nature hike with the option to get right up to the sign.

Click here for a guided hike on the ridge to the Hollywood Sign…

Griffith Observatory over the Hollywood and Los Angeles skyline

Tour 7: Griffith Observatory – Astronomical Guidance

Los Angeles offers quite a few museums with guided tours and walkthroughs. The Getty museums, such as the Getty Center and the Getty Villa, or the museums of the Miracle Miles, are fantastic places to explore art, archaeology, and design. The most unique tour in the city is actually the one at the Griffith Observatory located in the expansive Griffith Park. This tour mainly focuses on astronomy but also features breathtaking views of the city from atop Griffith Park.

Click here for a guided tour of the Griffith Observatory and views of Los Angeles…

Tour 8: Guided Culinary Tour of Downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a big fusion of cultures and flavors, but the dominant culinary culture downtown is definitely Mexican cuisine. Downtown LA is a fascinating travel destination, although many tourists tend to avoid it because it's less glamorous than the districts and cities on the slopes like Beverly Hills or Hollywood.

The Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles

If you don't want to explore Downtown independently but prefer to join a group with a guide who knows exactly where to go, the culinary tours are spot on for you. While walking between the restaurants and stalls, you can also see the fascinating sites of downtown and Grand Avenue such as the stunning Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry, the Broad, and Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), home court of the Lakers.

The culinary tours often focus on Grand Central Market and the nearby streets, which are filled with restaurants of all kinds, but mostly Mexican food.

Click here for a delicious food tour in Downtown Los Angeles…

Tour 9: Venice Beach Street Food and Restaurants – Guidance and Tastings

Venice Beach District, right on the Los Angeles coastline (technically, Santa Monica is a separate city), is the coolest spot in town. The district was built on canals inspired by the Italian city, but today it’s a sought-after place to live for all the cool folks and those who aspire to be cool.

Although the district aspires to resemble Venice, it feels much more like Florida. It's worth exploring the district, and here too, it's best done with a guide. At Venice Beach, you’ll find a scene of advanced restaurants along Abbot Kinney Boulevard, where you can experience the city's latest cuisine.

Click here for a tasty and fun culinary tour in Venice Beach…

Tour 10: Day Trip from Los Angeles to San Diego

Los Angeles is a massive metropolis with most attractions located within its limits. While visiting Los Angeles, consider dedicating a day or two to the parks of Disneyland in Anaheim or taking a trip to Long Beach or Pasadena. Nearby, you'll find interesting spots like the resort city of Palm Springs and above it the stunning Joshua Tree National Park. The most popular organized day tour destination from Los Angeles is the neighboring city of San Diego, located almost two hours' drive from downtown.

San Diego is a fantastic city to visit, including the vast museum complex in Balboa Park, where you'll also find the city zoo, considered the best in the world. Downtown San Diego is also an intriguing destination, featuring the Gaslamp Quarter and the massive harbor with the Midway warship. Just a little north, you'll find the historic Old Town San Diego Park and SeaWorld.

Click here for a guided day tour from Los Angeles to downtown San Diego…

7 Tips from Guy for Wonderful Tours in Los Angeles!

The city of Los Angeles, the City of Angels, has gained an almost mythical status of glamour due to the film industry that settled there at the beginning of the 20th century. The city where Disneyland was born, initially as a fantasy world and later as vast theme parks, is now a blend of almost spiritual New Age with a reality that can also be a bit tough.

North of Downtown LA, at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains, lies a line of luxury cities and neighborhoods such as Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and more, boasting dazzling streets, celebrities, stunning beaches, and all the fantastic fun of Southern California.

Guy's Tips

How to choose the right tour for you? – Los Angeles often comes across as a superficial city. The most popular tour is quite voyeuristic, offering a slim chance to spot a Hollywood star doing the dishes or sipping coffee at home. For those not interested in chasing stars down the slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains, it’s worth investing in tours that genuinely interest you rather than going with the flow. Choose a tour that truly excites you, and you’ll enjoy it the most.
What makes Los Angeles special – Los Angeles is quite an extreme representation of American culture. It’s the most culturally advanced city in the USA, with a bunch of extraordinary, almost ethnographic characteristics, street art, and pretty freaky stuff. The city’s most unique vibe is found on the beaches of Venice and Santa Monica, where, as the sun rises, Californian culture puts on quite a show. There are many tours focusing on the city’s unique culture, and they are definitely worth joining.
The Hollywood Special – The City of Angels is anything but ordinary. It's a unique city whose most prominent feature is the world of glamor. There's a variety of tours focused on the Hollywood film industry, whether it's guided studio tours, tours in the heart of Hollywood, or even celebrity home tours. Movie tours are the most special in Los Angeles, and joining one is a must to really get to know the city.
English or Hebrew? – The market for Hebrew tours in Los Angeles exists, but it's very niche. If your English is decent, then the tour options are endless. There are countless guided tours offered in English throughout Greater Los Angeles for the benefit of tourists from all over the world. It's a chance to mingle with other travelers and enjoy a proud Californian guide enthusiastically promoting the city.
Comfortable Shoes – We get it, appearances matter, especially in Los Angeles where everything is about looking good, but do your feet a favor and wear comfortable closed shoes for the tour, or at least comfy sandals, not flip-flops. As for clothing, it's Los Angeles – usually short.
Backpack with Drink and Light Snack – Guided tours are a sort of group setting, designed for participant convenience on one hand, but according to fixed schedules on the other. The tours involve walking and more tiring – the need to listen and focus. To avoid delaying the group or getting hungry, it's wise to bring a backpack with water, drinks, and some snack in case hunger strikes.
Read and Get Curious – There's nothing like a little evening snack of knowledge about your tour destination to really wet the appetite. For those who love exploring and really getting to know places, some basic prep gives you orientation and connects the dots. Once you reach the destination on your travel route, you'll understand what the guides are talking about and have clear context.