Full-Day Los Angeles Highlights Tour
Description
Los Angeles is a sprawling metropolis that's impossible to see in a day, but you can visit its top attractions and suburbs on this full day of sightseeing that combines a morning tour of Santa Monica and Venice Beach with an afternoon tour through Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Leave the driving to an expert guide who will deal with the city's infamous traffic while you sit back and enjoy visits to the Third Street Promenade, Venice Beach Boardwalk, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive and more.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide in central Los Angeles to begin your full-day tour of the city's top attractions and suburbs by air-conditioned minivan. You’ll begin with a morning tour of LA beaches followed by an afternoon tour of the landmarks of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. Your first destination is the century-old Santa Monica Pier, which provides expansive views of the sandy coastline and the Pacific Ocean. Learn about the history of the amusement rides before taking a stroll along the Third Street Promenade, an open-air shopping district filled with boutiques and name-brand stores in downtown Santa Monica. Back aboard the minivan, drive to another waterfront favorite — the Venice Beach Boardwalk, birthplace of extreme skateboarding and a hotbed of counter-culture quirkiness. Enjoy people watching and soak up the bohemian vibe as you admire more ocean views and watch the many street performers. Your guide will regale you with stories about Venice’s former inhabitants like Jim Morrison while you take note of Muscle Beach's eccentric crowd. Next, take a 1-hour break for lunch (own expense) at The Grove shopping center next to LA's popular Farmers Market, and then start the afternoon portion of your tour. Learn about the entertainment industry en route to Hollywood, where you’ll set eyes on the Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre), home to the Academy Awards. Stop at the opulent TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly called Grauman’s Chinese Theatre) on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame, where more than 2,500 stars line the sidewalk. Pass the 4,310-acre (1,740-hectare) Griffith Park and the restored movie palace of El Capitan Theatre, and enjoy views of the downtown skyline and the Hollywood Sign, a cultural icon marking the Hollywood Hills. As you drive down the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, glimpse the Viper Room — a legendary nightclub — and the world-famous Whiskey a Go Go, former host to rock bands like Led Zeppelin and The Doors. Cruise past the notorious Chateau Marmont, a celebrity favorite, on Sunset Boulevard as you make your way to Beverly Hills. While you drive down the palm-lined avenues, your guide will point out the mansions of the rich and famous, as well as the legendary hotels they frequent like the Beverly Hilton, the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Beverly Wilshire, featured in the movie Pretty Woman. Then cruise down Rodeo Drive and past the designer stores of the Golden Triangle on Wilshire Boulevard. Your tour ends when you return to your starting point at our office.
The iconic Santa Monica Pier is a 100 year old entertainment center on the water. It contains a family amusement park, several restaurants, fair-themed food booths, an arcade, and is always busy with public concert, movies, and events.
Venice Beach and Boardwalk is a popular locale for tourists and locals alike. It contains the famous outdoor Muscle Beach gym, public modern art, street performers, and arts. It is a center for shopping and play for everyone.
The location of our lunch break, the Farmers Market first opened in 1934. It is a well-loved center of food stalls, sit-down eateries, prepared food vendors, and produce markets in Los Angeles, California. It features food from just about every culture, shopping, a hot-sauce specific shop, and fresh fruit and vegetables daily.
The Grove lays directly across from The Farmer's Market. It is a large complex of shops and entertainment, but mostly known for its sprawling beautiful park. It features animated fountains and shaded and green walks everywhere.
The classic Hollywood Sign is an American landmark and cultural icon overlooking Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It is situated on Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills area of the Santa Monica Mountains. "HOLLYWOOD" is spelled out in 45-foot-tall white capital letters and is 352 feet long.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of the most well known locations of Hollywood and LA. It runs over a mile along West Hollywood, and currently comprises of more than 2,600 individual stars of musicians, actors, directors, producers, and entertainment stars of every kind.
First opened in 1927, the Chinese Theater has been the heart of many world-famous movie premiers, three Academy-Awards ceremonies, and currently seats 932 people. It's possibly the most recognizable movie-palace in LA and is the home of the Hollywood Celebrity hand and foot-prints tiles.
The El Capitan Theater opened in 1926 by Charles E. Toberman and was being built around the same time as the Chinese Theater in partnership with Sid Grauman. Originally it premiered live stage-plays, but after being crushed by the Great Depression it turned to movie entertainment and road shows. It was put on the map after becoming the original screen-location of Citizen Kane.
The Dolby Theater is now the center of the annual Academy Awards, and very close to the TLC Chinese Theater. It was designed specifically for the Oscars, and seats over 3000 people. Often when not hosting the awards it acts as a stage for televised stage-based shows like American Idol.
The Sunset Boulevard runs through both West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, connecting the two titans-of-entertainment locations. The Sunset Strip portion has been a center of Hollywood Night-Life for over half a century, and the rest of the strip is lined with recognizable buildings and signs featured in many, many movies.
While originally known as The Central, The Viper Room was opened in 1993 and owned by Johnny Depp and Sal Jenco. Since then, the club has been known as a popular hang-out and preferred club of many Hollywood Elite. It's mainly known as a music venue, but also beloved as a whisky bar.
The first American Whisky a Go-Go was opened in 1958, and known as one of the earliest, if not the first, American discotheque. It has been the launching pad of No Doubt, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Guns N' Roses and many many more.
The heart of Beverly Hills. Rodeo Drive is a two-mile stretch of road that encompasses some of the most glamorous and famous locations Along its path lays restaurants pioneered by world-class world-famous chefs, and beautiful luxurious hotels loved by stars of the golden age and the modern era.
As a highlight of Rodeo Drive, the Two Rodeo Drive is a luxurious shopping area home to high-end boutiques and designer shopping. It lays beautifully lined with cobbled bricks and styled in classic European-style architecture, and wrought iron lamps.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Tours operate rain or shine, please dress appropriately.
- There is a 4 guest minimum purchase requirement for this tour.
- Please note that traffic in Los Angeles is very bad, especially during the morning rush hour. Please arrive at 8:45am to check-in. If you are late the tour may depart without you. Please be courteous to other guests by arriving early and on time for our tour.
Reviews(63)
Amazing. Great Tour saw so much in a short amount of time! Def would do this tour again. Loved The Farmers Market. So happy we did not have to drive in the traffic.
Dear Adventurer778252, Thank you for taking the time to share your "Amazing" experience on our Los Angeles Highlights Tour! I'm delighted that we could help you see so much of LA while avoiding the stress of navigating traffic yourself. It's wonderful to hear that you particularly enjoyed The Farmers Market - it's truly one of LA's special spots. Our tour is specifically designed to maximize sightseeing time while handling all the logistics, so I'm glad this worked so well for you. Thank you for considering another tour with us - we look forward to welcoming you back! Best regards, Kenneth CEO & Founder, Another Side Tours, Inc.
We found these folks on line. Our first visit to LA and wanted to get an overview of the city and sites. Have used the "hop on, hop off" bus in other cities, but for a variety of reasons that didn't work for us on this trip. ASLA offers semi-private van (a Mercedes) tours of the city. We got lucky and our afternoon tour (approximately 3 hours) ended up with just the two of us -- and our driver/guide, AJ. AJ was witty, knowledgeable and a lot of fun. He is an excellent ambassador for the company. The tour was a great introduction to the city and gave us a sense of where we would like to go and explore further. Highly recommended.
Dear SKD13, Thank you for sharing your wonderful review of our Los Angeles Highlights Tour! We're thrilled that your first visit to LA was enhanced by your experience with us, and particularly with AJ as your guide. It's fantastic that you got to enjoy a private tour experience, and I'm delighted to hear that AJ's knowledge, wit, and enthusiasm helped bring Los Angeles to life for you. This is exactly the kind of personalized, engaging experience we aim to provide for all our guests. We design our tours to give visitors exactly what you described - a perfect overview that helps you get your bearings and identifies areas you'd like to explore further. Our Mercedes vans offer that extra touch of comfort that makes discovering LA's spread-out attractions so much more enjoyable than traditional hop-on, hop-off options. The next time you're in Southern California, we'd love to show you more of LA's hidden gems, or perhaps introduce you to our exclusive tours in San Diego or Las Vegas. Thank you again for choosing Another Side of LA. We look forward to being part of your next California adventure! Best regards, Kenneth, CEO of Another Side Tours
Excellent tour! I had a fun and amazing day on my “ private” tour. We hit all of the sites and had plenty of time to take pics. I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of each site as well as hearing personal stories . The van was very comfortable, my tour guide was funny, knowledgeable, and patient. I have already recommended this tour to friends who will be visiting LA. Thank you for a great day!
Thank you for your wonderful review of the Los Angeles Highlights Tour! We're thrilled to hear you had such an enjoyable experience exploring LA with us. It's great that you were able to see all the major sites and had ample time for photos. We always aim to provide a comprehensive tour that allows our guests to fully appreciate each location. Your comment about the detailed descriptions and personal stories is especially appreciated - our guides take pride in sharing their knowledge and experiences to make the tour more engaging and memorable. We're glad you found the van comfortable and your guide knowledgeable, funny, and patient. These are qualities we value highly in our team members. Thank you for recommending our tour to your friends. Word-of-mouth recommendations are the highest compliment we can receive. We look forward to welcoming your friends and hopefully you again on future visits to Los Angeles! Once again, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We're delighted to have contributed to making your time in LA special. Best regards, Kenneth, CEO
My family had a great experience. Ben was informative and made sure we had fun. We caught all the LA highlights. The private tour was well worth the cost for 4 adults.
Dear Tara_C, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with our Los Angeles Highlights Tour. We're delighted to hear that you and your family had a great time! It's wonderful to know that Ben provided an informative and fun tour for your group. We take pride in our guides' ability to balance education with entertainment, ensuring our guests have an enjoyable and memorable experience. We're pleased that you felt the private tour was worth the cost for your group of four adults. Our aim is to provide value by offering a personalized experience that covers all the LA highlights efficiently and comfortably. Your high recommendation means a lot to us. We strive to exceed our guests' expectations, and it's rewarding to hear that we succeeded with your family. Thank you again for choosing Another Side Of Los Angeles Tours. We hope to welcome you back for more adventures in Los Angeles in the future! Best regards, Kenneth Another Side Of Los Angeles Tours
Ben was an exceptional tour guide and driver. Gave us so much information as we went along and answered our many questions. Gave us lots of picture opportunities and was super accommodating. We saw all the things we wanted and plenty we didn’t even know we wanted to see. This tour highlights all the best things in around the city and is able to go to places that big buses can’t get due to city restrictions. The Mercedes van is clean and spacious. The tour is like having a personal tour guide. Would highly recommend.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful review of your experience with Ben and our tour! We're thrilled to hear that Ben's expertise and dedication to providing a top-notch experience made your day exploring the city truly special. It's fantastic that Ben was able to offer insightful information, answer your questions, and provide ample opportunities for pictures along the way. We take pride in offering a tour that not only covers must-see attractions but also introduces you to hidden gems and unexpected delights that make your visit truly memorable. Our Mercedes van is indeed designed for comfort and convenience, and we're glad you found it to be clean and spacious. We strive to create an experience that feels personalized, like having your own private tour guide, and we're delighted that you felt that way. Thank you for highly recommending our tour. We appreciate your support and look forward to welcoming you back for more adventures in the future!
Our guide Ben was great, we saw loads of famous places and had a great time. Will highly recommend this tour guide for a great experience.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you had a great time on our tour of Los Angeles with Ben as your guide. He is indeed one of our best, and we're proud to have him on our team. It's fantastic to know that you got to see loads of famous places in Los Angeles during the tour. Our guides strive to provide comprehensive and enjoyable experiences, ensuring that our guests get a taste of the city's vibrant culture and iconic landmarks. We sincerely appreciate your recommendation. Word-of-mouth referrals like yours mean the world to us and help others discover the magic of our tours. If you ever find yourself back in Los Angeles or in any of our other tour locations, we'd be more than happy to have you join us again for more memorable experiences. Thank you once again for choosing us, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon! Safe travels!
My son and I visited LA this week and while there did the 5 hour LA Highlights tour in Beverly Hills/Hollywood. Everything about the tour was great, and our guide Ben was awesome. Ben was personable, knowledgeable about the city and has a great sense of humor. I'm sure all the guides are great, but I would highly recommend Ben!
Thank you for your lovely review and for choosing our Private LA Highlights Tour. We are so happy to hear that you and your son had a great time with Ben and that he made your tour fun and informative. Ben is indeed a wonderful guide and a funny guy. We are glad that you enjoyed the sights and sounds of Beverly Hills and Hollywood. We hope you visit us again soon for more amazing experiences with us!
Our communication with Kenneth in the office from the very start was outstanding - so quick to respond and very helpful in trying to align our one day layover with a tour including airport pick up! Our guide Ben was brilliant and really put us at ease in the city (important with two young children) and his sense of humour was great. We were literally chauffeur driven from place to place and given as long as we needed in each place. It all worked seamlessly. He certainly knows his way round and was happy to try and find my son’s favourite you tuber’s house which made his day! We even went to a fab diner for lunch which suited us perfectly. All perfect and exactly what we needed being tired! We feel like we’ve seen LA and made the most of our layover. Totally recommend and thank you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a positive review about your recent experience with us. We are thrilled to hear that our team was able to provide you with outstanding service from start to finish, and that you had a great time exploring Los Angeles with our guide Ben. We are also glad to hear that Ben was able to put you at ease during your tour, and that he was able to accommodate your family's needs and preferences throughout the day. It is great to know that you were able to see all the sights you wanted to see and even visit your son's favorite YouTuber's house! We appreciate your kind words and recommendation, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you and your family back on another fun tour in the future.
Great customer service by this company. We saw so much today with Ben. I'm glad he was driving. From the famous beaches to the Mulholland Drive to Beverly Hills and more. An advantage of going mid-week outside of the main tourist season is this tour had just two couples (very small group).
Ben was a great guide who had us entertained and informed! He also took many family pictures for us that we will treasure. I really appreciate that he drove us through the UCLA campus even though that is not typically on the tour….we have a rising HS senior who was interested in seeing it. He was very flexible and wanted to show us what we were interested in. I highly recommend this tour and Ben as a tour guide!
Thank you Amy for taking the time to write such a terrific review about Ben, and your Private Los Angeles Highlights Tour. I am thrilled to hear you were able to capture many family photos, that will be treasured. The perks of booking a private tour is that we can customize it to things that you enjoy, along with adding in requested stops. We look forward to hosting you on "Another" tour soon in Los Angeles, San Diego, or Las Vegas.
