I absolutely adore movies, which is just one of the many reasons that I frequently visit Los Angeles. This city is so big that you can't really see all of it in one weekend, or even in an entire week!
That's why I still enjoy taking a Los Angeles bus tour from time to time, especially if it includes unique stops or covers a lot of ground.
The first such tour I took was a fairly standard Starline tour, but after several years of visits, I decided to take a much longer and more in-depth tour the second time around.
There are a lot of different options to choose from, so I figured I would use my experience with these services to provide a comparison and overview of the best Hollywood bus tours available.
In addition to covering prices, tour duration, attractions included, and even various ways to save money on this activity, I'll also include my own personal thoughts on these tours.
- Hop-on-Hop-off
- Hollywood Bus Tours
- Celebrity Home Tours
- LA in One Day
- Combo Packages & Deals
- Tips From Locals and Travelers
- TV Show Tickets
HOP-ON-HOP-OFF BUS TOURS
This is the most popular type of bus tour in Los Angeles, as it allows you to visit several different locations in and around the city.
If you’re interested in visiting Hollywood, Santa Monica, Downtown LA and more, a hop-on-hop-off bus tour will offer an excellent opportunity for sightseeing.
In addition to providing a general overview of the city, these tours also allow you to jump off wherever you want and explore at your own leisure.
When you’re done looking around, you can hop back on and continue the tour!
Most Los Angeles tourist passes include a hop-on-hop-off bus tour at no additional cost, and there are also several combo packages that combine these services with other activities and attractions.
If you’re curious about this service, please read our post covering Los Angeles hop-on-hop-off bus tours for more details.
HOLLYWOOD BUS TOURS COMPARED
There are a wide variety of bus tours available in the Hollywood area.
Some of them are on an open-top, double-decker bus, but others are on a smaller open-top mini-buses.
It’s worth noting that each of the hop-on-hop-off bus tours has a route that runs through Hollywood.
If you’re looking for a service that will provide frequent stops and chances to hop off, this could be a great option.
Comparison of Hollywood Bus Tours
For those who are curious about the differences between each tour, I figured it might be helpful to compare each bus tour below in one simple-to-follow chart.
This way you can find the lowest price, longest tour, or best reviewed service with one easy look!
| Surf City Tours | Hollywood City Tours | Star Track | |
| Price | $89/Adults $75/Seniors $75/Children | $45/Adults $35/Children | $40 per person |
| Duration | 5 ½ hours | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Availability | Daily | Daily | Daily |
| Hours | 10 am and 12 pm (2 departures) | 9 am - 6 pm | 11:30 am - 7 pm |
| Bus Features | Mini-bus with open air seating | Mini-bus with open air seating | Mini-bus with open air seating |
| Reviews | 4 ½ out of 5 on Tripadvisor | 4 ½ out of 5 on Tripadvisor | 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor |
Each of these companies visit the following popular attractions on their Hollywood bus tour:
- Walk of Fame
- Hollywood Sign
- Beverly Hills Sign
- Grauman's Chinese Theater
- Mulholland Drive
- Sunset Strip
- Rodeo Drive
- Celebrity Homes
- And more!
The longer the tour is, the more you can expect to see!
One thing I will note is that most travelers won't have a reason to take these tours multiple times. The main reason I decided to do so was to join a friend, and also for nostalgic purposes.
In other words, once you've taken this kind of tour before, you're probably not going to discover many new locations if you take a similar Hollywood bus tour at a later date.
However, some fans of the film world might still want to take the chance just in case they can discover a new celebrity home they never saw before!
For more details, make sure to check my post covering each of these Hollywood bus tours in much greater detail.
CELEBRITY HOME TOURS COMPARED
If you’ve ever wanted to see the homes of the rich and famous, there are several bus tours that will take you to some of the most notable mansions in Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
Most of these services take place on a small open-top mini-buses which allows them to traverse the smaller, winding roads of these neighborhoods.
Comparison of Celebrity Home Tours
The following chart will provide a direct comparison of each Celebrity Homes tour listed in our post, including details such as ticket prices, hours, availability, and average reviews.
| Starline Tours | Big Bus Tours | |
| Price | $49/Adults $39/Children | $59/Adults $49/Children |
| Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Availability | Daily | Daily |
| Hours | 10 am - 4:30 pm | 11 am - 5 pm |
| Reviews | 4 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor | 5 out of 5 stars on TripAdvisor |
Speaking from experience, the celebrity homes you will see on these tours sometimes varies from one tour to the next based on schedules, traffic, and even just the whim of the driver.
That said, they have a list of specific homes they will visit, most of them either historic and no longer occupied by their original celebrity owner or difficult to see from the road.
And that can be a common problem with these tours: they don't get you very close to the house, so at times it can be difficult to even see the locations you're paying to see.
However, you do learn a lot along the way, and some tour buses include televisions which show images of the house for those who have trouble seeing it from afar.
For more information about how to purchase tickets, the size of each bus, and even some of the neighborhoods you'll be visiting, make sure to read my post covering Celebrity Home Tours.
LOS ANGELES IN ONE DAY TOURS
If you’re in the market for a more personalized trip around Los Angeles, you may want to consider a minibus tour.
These services focus on smaller groups of people, giving you the chance to ask more questions and potentially even learn more about the city.
These tours visit numerous neighborhoods and areas and allow you to efficiently see the highlights of Los Angeles, which are spread out over great distances.
Hollywood City Tours
This company offers what they call the Grand City Tour, which includes a look at Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica.
There are 4 different stops, including a 1-hour lunch break at an outdoor farmer's market.
The total tour is approximately 7 hours long, giving you plenty of time to experience a variety of sites.
You can expect to see locations such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Dolby Theater, the Hollywood Sign, Griffith Observatory, and more.
- Tickets: $95/Adults | $75/Children
- Duration: 7 hours
- Availability: Daily at 10 AM
- Hollywood sign photo opportunity
- Purchase tickets and learn more.
Running from 10 am - 5 pm, this bus tour provides a pretty extensive look at the city as a whole, so it’s an excellent option if you’re looking for a service that covers more than just Hollywood.
A Day in LA Tours
Described as a comprehensive tour of the city, this 7-9 hour Los Angeles bus tour includes a visit to neighborhoods such as Santa Monica and Venice Beach.
Additionally, you’ll also have the opportunity to see Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive.
- Tickets: $109/Adults | $99/Children
- Duration: 7-9 hours
- Availability: Daily at 9 :45 am
- Stop made for lunch
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Discover sites such as the Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier, and more.
Due to the length of this outing, a stop will be made during the lunch hour so that you can refuel at the halfway point.
Additional LA In A Day Tours
Not interested in any of the services we mentioned? No problem!
There are quite a few companies that offer LA In A Day tours which cover a variety of subjects and neighborhoods.
While some of these outings only last 4-6 hours, others will take up an entire day.
Ticket prices are a bit more pricey at $60-$100 on average, but considering the personal attention you’ll receive and the length of each tour, that’s actually a pretty good deal.
If you’re looking for a shorter trip or something a bit less expensive, take a look at this list of Minibus tours in Los Angeles for additional options.
COMBO PACKAGES & DEALS
It's not uncommon for tour companies to offer deals on their services.
Sometimes these deals come in the form of a promo credit, but you'll usually find a better rebate by taking advantage of a combo package.
In some cases, you can even save up to 50% off of various activities — including Los Angeles bus tours!
If you want to save money during your trip around the City of Angels, consider some of the following bargains.
Los Angeles Tourist Passes
If you’re planning to enjoy several different activities and attractions in Los Angeles, you could save a lot of money by using a tourist pass.
Most Los Angeles tourist passes include at least one bus tour, and some actually offer more than one of the services listed on this post.
The following Los Angeles bus tours are included with at least one tourist pass:
- Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tours
- Starline Celebrity Homes Tour
- Starline Movie Location Tour
- Star Track Hollywood Bus Tour
There are three different types of pass that include LA bus tours: all-inclusive and flex passes.
If you’re looking to save the most, an all-inclusive pass includes admission to dozens of activities for a specific amount of time (1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 days).
A flex pass allows you to pay one flat price for a set number of attractions (3, 4, 5, or 7) that you can visit over the course of 30 days.
While this service isn’t as limited by time restrictions, it’s also a bit more difficult to save money.
Even at its best, you’ll be paying more than $31 per attraction, so it wouldn’t make sense for cheaper activities.
Here are a few of the more popular activities and attractions included with these services:
- Universal Studios Hollywood
- TCL Chinese Theater Tour
- Sony Pictures Studio Tour
- Six Flags Magic Mountain
- Warner Bros Studio Tour
- Dolby Theatre Tour
- Madame Tussauds
- Knott’s Berry Farm
- Hollywood Museum
- Grammy Museum
- LA Zoo
- And more!
Depending on which tourist pass you choose, you could save anywhere between 10% - 50% off ticket prices.
For more details, please read our post covering Los Angeles tourist passes.
Combo Packages
In addition to tourist passes, there are also several combo deals which include Los Angeles bus tours.
These saving opportunities combine two or more activities for one flat price, allowing you to save some money on a few fun things to do.
If you’re interested in a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, check this list of combo packages available with those services.
Movie Star Homes Tour + Warner Bros. Studio Tour
- Tickets: $99/Adults | $79/Children
- Availability: Daily
- Duration: 6 hours
- Not currently available
Movie Stars Homes Tour + Madame Tussauds
- Tickets: $59/Adults | $49/Children
- Availability: Daily
- Duration: 2 hours
- Not currently available
Movie Stars Homes Tour + Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour
- Tickets: $79/Adults | $49/Children
- Availability: Daily
- Duration: 24 hours
- Not currently available
Movie Stars Homes Tour + Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour + Warner Bros Studio Tour
- Tickets: $155/Adults | $125/Children
- Availability: Daily
- Duration: 48 hours
- Not currently available
Discount Sites
In addition to all the other opportunities to save money, you can also find Los Angeles bus tours on popular sites such as Groupon and Living Social.
On top of all the deals you can find using these deal sites, they also provide additional promo credits that you can use to save another 10% - 25% on average.
Make sure to check the top and bottom of each page for banners which may include these promo codes.
Tips From Locals and Travelers
Although we do our best to provide all the details you'll need to choose the best Los Angeles bus tour for your interests, there's always a chance we might forget something.
It's also just a good idea to get a wide variety of opinions and perspectives, because everyone has a bias.
That's why we have a Los Angeles Travel Tips group on Facebook where you can ask any question you might have and find out what other people think about these bus tours.
As you can see, group members are always asking for recommendations about which bus tour to take, and there are always a wide range of interesting answers.
When it comes to Hollywood and celebrity home tours, Starline is probably always going to be one of the biggest names in Los Angeles, and most travelers swear by the quality of their services.
That said, Surf City is also quite popular, and they usually come very highly recommended. Star Track is also typically popular, although there aren't as many positive comments about their tours.
A Day in LA is another bus tour that frequently gets mentioned in our Facebook Group. Most travelers feel they offer a good overview of the city.
In addition to all the specialty bus tours, the hop on hop off tours are also quite popular. Some even suggest getting a 2-day ticket to make sure you can experience every location on the outing.
For more helpful advice, make sure to check our Los Angeles Travel Tips group on Facebook. Consider leaving a comment of your own if you can't find the answers to your questions!
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