Hollywood City Tours reviews are strongly positive. The company holds a 4.8 out of 5 on Tripadvisor across about 5,800 reviews, and roughly 91% rate it excellent. A good pick matches your time, group size and tolerance for sun. The 2-hour Original suits travelers short on time. The 7-hour Grand LA Tour suits first-timers who want one full day. Hop-on hop-off buses suit people who set their own pace, and private tours suit groups who want their own guide.
The problem is that a 4.8 average hides the details you need before paying. You want to know which complaints repeat, whether the rating covers the tour you are booking, and what the same money buys elsewhere.
We run private and semi-private tours in Los Angeles, so we know this market from the other side of the counter. Below you get what reviewers actually say, then five options with prices, formats and honest trade-offs. They include two Hollywood City Tours trips and our own.
What Hollywood City Tours reviews say
Reviews of Hollywood City Tours are overwhelmingly positive, and the complaints that do appear cluster around heat, parking and price. The rating mostly reflects the guides, not the bus.
The rating breakdown
The Tripadvisor page shows 5,794 reviews at 4.8 out of 5. Here is how they split:
| Rating | Reviews | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 5,257 | 90.7% |
| Good | 227 | 3.9% |
| Average | 102 | 1.8% |
| Poor | 82 | 1.4% |
| Terrible | 126 | 2.2% |
Poor and terrible together add up to 208 reviews, about 1 in 28. More people chose terrible than poor, which suggests that when a trip goes wrong it goes badly wrong. Read a handful of the low-star reviews yourself. The page also pools several tours under one brand, so the 4.8 is not a score for any single route.
A 4.8 across 5,794 reviews shows the typical trip is good, not that every departure will be.
What reviewers praise and criticize
Praise is specific and repetitive. Recent reviewers name their guides, Sammy, Brian, Chad and Alana, and call them knowledgeable, funny and patient. A solo first-timer said the time at the four main stops on the full-day route was just right. Almost nobody praises the bus itself, so the guide decides the experience.
Complaints are narrower. One full-day rider said the website advertised all-day parking at $15 but the lot charged $20, and called the tour price on the higher end. The same rider described the day as extremely hot. The operator’s own site lists all-day parking at $15 on Schrader Blvd, so confirm the parking price before you drive. Open-air buses also mean plenty of sun exposure, so pack a hat and water.
What four adults pay across these options
The table sets the main options side by side for four adults. Hop-on hop-off prices are the operators’ "from" rates for a one-day pass. Our group discounts are already applied.
| Option | Format | Four adults pay |
|---|---|---|
| Hollywood City Tours Original | 2 hours, open-air bus | $180 ($45 each) |
| Hollywood City Tours Grand LA | 7 hours, open-air bus | $380 ($95 each) |
| Hollywood City Tours private | 2 hours, up to 14 guests | $449 per group |
| CitySightseeing one-day pass | Hop-on hop-off | $228 (from $57 each) |
| Big Bus one-day pass | Hop-on hop-off | $236 (from $59 each) |
| Another Side, The Los Angeles Tour | 3 hours, semi-private | $556 ($139 each) |
| Another Side, The Famous Hollywood Tour | 2 hours, private | $696 ($174 each) |
Per person, the open-air bus wins on price. Per-group pricing also gets cheaper as the party grows, while per-guest pricing like ours does not. For ten people, a $449 private bus works out to under $45 each.
1. Another Side Tours: private and semi-private
Another Side Tours is the smaller, pricier alternative to a shared bus. It suits groups that want a local guide of their own. The company has run tours since 2007.
How it works and what it costs
You ride in a small private or semi-private group with a local guide, not on a shared bus. Three tours compete most directly with Hollywood City Tours:
- The Los Angeles Tour: semi-private, about 3 hours, $149 per guest, daily at 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, two guests minimum.
- The Famous Hollywood Tour: private, about 2 hours, $199 per guest, covering Hollywood and the Sunset Strip, offered hourly on request.
- The Ultimate Hollywood Tour: private, about 4 hours, $299 per guest, adding Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, with round-trip transportation within 10 miles of our office.
Parties of 3 or more save $10 to $25 per guest depending on the tour. Pickup on The Los Angeles Tour costs $20 per guest within 5 miles.
Who it suits and what to watch
It suits families, couples, bachelor and bachelorette parties and corporate teams who want to ask questions and move at their own pace. For a full day, The LA Highlights Tour runs about 7 hours semi-private at $249 per guest, with three guests minimum. It covers Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
The trade-off is cost and flexibility. Four adults pay $556 for The Los Angeles Tour against $180 for the Original bus. Tickets are final and non-refundable, with no cancellations or refunds inside seven days of the tour. An optional Tour Protection add-on costs 10% at booking and lets you cancel or reschedule up to 3 hours before.
Pay the premium for Another Side Tours only if a smaller group and your own pace matter more than the lowest price.
2. Hollywood City Tours Original 2-hour tour
The Original is the tour most Hollywood City Tours reviews describe, and it is the cheapest way to get a guided look at Hollywood and Beverly Hills. It is a ride with commentary, not a walking visit.
How it works and what it costs
You board an open-air bus on Sunset Blvd and ride past Hollywood landmarks, movie locations and celebrity neighborhoods, with one stop at the Beverly Hills sign. Per the operator’s own site:
- Price: $45 per adult, $35 for kids 2 to 11, free under 2.
- Departures: hourly from 9 AM to 6 PM, from 6609 W Sunset Blvd. Arrive 15 minutes early.
- Parking: $15 all day at 1528 Schrader Blvd, mentioned on the operator’s site.
Tripadvisor listings for the company show free cancellation, which is more flexible than our policy.
Who it suits and what to watch
It suits solo travelers, budget-minded families and anyone with a free afternoon who wants orientation before exploring alone. Reviewers of the celebrity homes route praise guides such as Chad and Alana for packing in facts.
Skip it if you want long photo stops. With one stop in two hours, most of the tour is seen from your seat. Most celebrity homes sit behind gates and hedges, so the guide’s stories are the product. You also sit in the sun, so choose a morning or late departure in summer.
Book the Original for the lowest-cost, guide-led overview, and judge it by the guide, not the sights you glimpse.
3. Hollywood City Tours Grand LA Tour
The Grand LA Tour is a 7-hour open-air bus day with four one-hour stops. It is the best value full-day option in this list for travelers who accept a fast pace.
How it works and what it costs
The stops, per the operator, are Santa Monica Pier, Rodeo Drive, the Farmers Market for lunch, and Griffith Observatory. Departures are from Hollywood at 10 AM, 11 AM and 12 PM, or from Santa Monica at 10 AM.
- Price: $95 per adult, $75 for kids 2 to 11, free under 2.
- Four adults: $380 in total.
- Lunch: plan to pay for your own at the Farmers Market stop unless the booking page says otherwise.
Who it suits and what to watch
It suits first-timers who have one day in Los Angeles. One rider said it let them see the Santa Monica Pier, Hollywood Boulevard, Beverly Hills and Griffith Observatory. They would recommend it especially if you are short on time.
Expect a long day. One hour per stop is quick, and an October rider found the heat extreme. The same rider called the price on the higher end, though $95 is well below what private options cost. The nearest like-for-like format from us is The LA Highlights Tour. It is semi-private at $249 per guest, so four adults pay $936, and it is for travelers who prefer a smaller group.
The Grand LA Tour trades time at each stop for price, so pick it only if you want breadth, not depth.
4. CitySightseeing and Big Bus hop-on hop-off
Hop-on hop-off buses give you the most freedom and the least live narration. They suit people who want to choose their own stops and have the patience to wait for the next bus.
How it works and what it costs
You buy a day pass and get on and off at any stop. Both operators use recorded audio guides, not a live guide, based on the operators’ details as published by a travel reviewer.
- CitySightseeing: from $57 per adult and $43 per child, buses every 45 minutes to an hour, 10 AM to 4:30 PM, with three routes covering Hollywood and Beverly Hills, Downtown, and Santa Monica and Venice.
- Big Bus: from $59 per adult and $49 per child, buses every 30 to 45 minutes, with a 13-stop Hollywood loop of about 2 hours and a 5-stop Beach loop of about 1 hour 45 minutes.
Who it suits and what to watch
It suits independent travelers who want transport between sights and are happy with recorded commentary. Four adults pay about $228 to $236 for a one-day pass. Both listings say wheelchair access is on the lower deck with advance notice.
The catch is time. Waits of 45 minutes to an hour eat into a day that ends around 4:30 PM, and LA is spread out. One reviewer who rode all three CitySightseeing routes in a day still took a rideshare back from Downtown. Choose Big Bus if you want more frequent departures, and CitySightseeing if you want more routes.
A hop-on pass buys freedom, not a guide, so budget for waiting between buses.
5. Themed celebrity homes and movie tours
Themed small-group tours are worth a look if a general overview feels too generic. They run on set schedules and carry a live guide.
How it works and what it costs
Three formats appear on booking marketplaces, with prices as listed by a travel reviewer:
- Celebrity Homes and Hollywood open-air bus: from $53 per adult, $40 per child, 2 hours, hourly from 10 AM to 4 PM, passing the Hollywood Hills and Laurel Canyon.
- Film Freak Movie Locations Tour: from $56, 2 hours at 9 AM, 12 PM and 3 PM, visiting locations from films such as Back to the Future and Iron Man 3.
- Full-day neighborhoods and celebrity homes combo: from $153 per adult, $94 per child, about 7.5 hours with stops in Santa Monica, The Grove and Griffith Observatory, plus a two-hour homes tour.
Who it suits and what to watch
Film fans get the most from the movie locations tour, and star-spotters from the homes tour. Both suit travelers who already know the basic sights and want a theme.
Check details before booking. "From" prices rise with extras, and the listings show no wheelchair access on these three tours. The full-day combo costs $612 for four adults, about 60% more than the Grand LA Tour. Choose it only if the second, homes-focused bus matters to you.
A themed tour is worth it when the theme is why you came, not as a cheaper stand-in for a city overview.
Which tour to book
Hollywood City Tours earns its reviews. The Original is a good, low-cost orientation, the Grand LA Tour is a fair full-day value, and the complaints are mostly about heat, parking and pace. Pick hop-on hop-off if you want independence, a themed tour if you have a specific interest, and a private option when your group wants its own guide and schedule.
If a smaller group and a flexible pace sound right, see our small-group Los Angeles tours and compare routes, durations and prices.
