The best celebrity homes Los Angeles tour for most people is a guided open-air bus or van ride of about two hours. It starts in Hollywood and loops through the Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, with adult tickets starting around $39. Choose a private tour if you want your own guide and access to narrower streets. Choose a Segway or e-bike ride if you want to be outside and move slowly. Choose a self-guided audio drive if you have a car and a small budget.
The problem is that every listing sounds the same: stars’ homes, the Hollywood Sign, a funny guide. Few tell you how many people share the vehicle, which streets it actually enters, or whether the homes belong to current stars or to legends who died decades ago. Nearly all the homes sit behind gates and hedges, so what you see depends heavily on the guide.
At Another Side Tours, we have completed more than 1 million guided tours across Los Angeles, so we know what separates a good celebrity route from a drive-by. This guide covers eight options, including ours, and runs each through the same checks: how it works, the route and stars’ homes, the price, and who it suits. A comparison table and a decision guide follow.
1. Another Side Tours private celebrity homes tour
A private tour is the most flexible celebrity homes Los Angeles tour you can book, because the guide, the vehicle and the pace all belong to your group. This one is ours, so weigh our view with that in mind. We apply the same checks here that we apply to every other option on the list.
How the tour works
You get a dedicated professional guide and private transportation, so nobody else’s schedule shapes your morning. Pickup from your location is included on applicable tours. That matters because some bus tours ask you to arrive 30 minutes early and queue for seats.
Private vehicles can also use narrower residential streets that large buses skip, and the guide can pause where it is safe and legal for a photo. Many guests add the Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive or a Hollywood Sign viewpoint to the same outing. Our tours run from 90 minutes to seven hours, so tell us how much time you have and we will build the route around it.
The real difference with a private tour is control: you choose the stops, the pace and the questions.
Route and stars’ homes
The route centers on Beverly Hills, Bel-Air and the Hollywood Hills, where the densest concentration of celebrity residences sits. Your guide explains who lived where, how properties changed hands, and which stories are documented and which are Hollywood legend.
Expect honesty about what you will actually see. Most homes show up as gates, hedges and rooflines, and no operator can promise a star in the driveway. A good guide adds what a drive-by lacks: studio-era history, architecture and neighborhood lore. Ask which homes belong to current owners and which are historic.
Price and booking
Our tours range from $75 to $1,996, depending on tour type and group size. Private tours are priced for the group rather than per seat, so the cost per person drops as your party grows, and parties of three or more get group discounts. Compare options on our private Los Angeles tours page.
Before you book, confirm these four points:
- Whether pickup from your hotel or rental is included
- The length of the tour in hours
- Which neighborhoods the route enters
- The group size the price covers
Who it suits
This tour fits families, couples and groups of three to six who would rather share a car with each other than with strangers. It also works for first-timers who want Hollywood, Beverly Hills and celebrity homes in one outing, and for anyone who asks a lot of questions. Guests who want to arrive in style can ask about limousine service.
A solo traveler on a tight budget will pay less for a shared bus seat, and that is a fair trade-off to make.
2. Celebrity neighborhoods by e-bike or Segway
If you would rather be outside than behind a window, an e-bike or Segway ride is the best way to see celebrity neighborhoods at a slow, quiet pace. As a celebrity homes Los Angeles tour, it trades distance for atmosphere. We run both formats, and they suit a different traveler than a bus does.
How it works
A guide leads your group on electric-assist bikes or Segways and stops along the route for stories and photos. The electric assist flattens the hills, so you do not need to be a cyclist. Expect a short orientation before you roll out on either vehicle.
Because you travel quietly at low speed, you can hear the guide without a speaker system and notice details a bus window blurs, such as architecture, landscaping and the way a street is gated.
On two wheels, you see a neighborhood the way its residents do, one street at a time.
Route and stars’ homes
Our e-bike tours page lists routes through Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, West Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive and celebrity home neighborhoods, plus combination routes. Our Segway tours page covers Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and celebrity home neighborhoods, among other areas.
Riding limits distance, so routes concentrate on compact areas instead of spanning Hollywood to Bel-Air in one go. Read each route description for the neighborhoods it names, and pick the route that matches the homes you care about.
Price and booking
Prices and durations vary by route, and each tour page lists them side by side. Group pricing applies to parties of three or more. In summer, pick a morning departure, when the streets are cooler and quieter.
Wear these for a ride:
- Closed-toe shoes with grip
- Sunscreen and sunglasses
- A light layer for coastal breezes
- A phone with room for photos
Who it suits
Active travelers, couples, teens and anyone who finds a bus seat dull will enjoy this format. It also suits repeat visitors who have already done the classic loop and want something different.
Skip it if you want to sit the whole time, if you have limited mobility, or if the Hollywood Hills mansions are your priority. A vehicle covers those hillside roads more easily.
3. Starline Tours Original Celebrity Homes Tour
Starline Tours runs the classic celebrity homes bus tour, in operation since 1935, and it is the strongest pick for first-timers who want a narrated two-hour loop from Hollywood Boulevard. It also offers a Spanish-language option, which is rare for this kind of tour.
How it works
The tour lasts two hours and departs from the Starline kiosk in front of the Dolby Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Starline notes that slight delays can occur because of traffic. You choose English or Spanish at booking, and the Spanish tour runs only on select days at 11:15 AM.
Parking is straightforward. Enter the underground garage from Highland Ave or from Orange Court, and validation from your tour purchase gives you up to two hours for $3, with a daily maximum of $25.
Starline is the safe classic: a long-running two-hour loop that starts in front of the Dolby Theatre.
Route and stars’ homes
Beyond homes, the route takes in the TCL Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre, Capitol Records Building, Rodeo Drive and a Mulholland Drive overlook of the studios. On the Sunset Strip, the guide points out Whisky a Go Go and The Roxy.
Starline says you may see homes tied to stars such as Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Elton John, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and Will Ferrell. It also states that the homes visited vary in respect of owners’ privacy, which is the honest way to describe any tour.
Price and booking
Starline lists tickets from $39 per adult, shown against a $49 regular price. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the tour. If you miss your tour, you can rebook for $20 per person.
Accessibility is covered too. Wheelchair assistance is available on request with 24 hours’ notice, and each bus holds one wheelchair, so check the box at checkout. You can also bundle the tour with a Warner Bros. studio visit.
Who it suits
First-timers, history fans and Spanish speakers get the most from this tour. It also suits travelers who like booking with a long-established operator and starting at the heart of Hollywood Boulevard.
It is a shared tour, so groups who want a private conversation with a guide should look at option 1.
4. Big Bus Tours Hollywood Celebrity Homes Tour
Big Bus Tours runs its celebrity homes tour in convertible Mercedes Sprinter minibuses, which makes it the best choice if you also want hop-on, hop-off tickets for the rest of your trip. Among Hollywood bus tours of stars’ homes, it offers the widest set of ticket bundles.
How it works
The vehicles are convertible minibuses with air conditioning and driver-guides. On the day, go to the Visitor Center at 6763 Hollywood Boulevard at least 30 minutes before your tour time. Seats are allocated on the day, first come, first served.
Booking online does not let you pick a seat. Arrive early if you want a good view.
Arrive early: seats are first come, first served, so check-in time decides where you sit.
Route and stars’ homes
Big Bus names homes of current and former stars including Michael Jackson, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Paul Walker, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Kylie Jenner. The route also passes dozens of film and television locations and landmarks such as the Hollywood Sign and Griffith Observatory.
As with every tour, "see" mostly means passing a gate or a hedge line. Ask your driver-guide which homes are visible from the road.
Price and booking
Adult tickets start at $39 (full price $64), and child tickets for ages 3 to 12 start at $29 (full price $54). Big Bus also sells bundles that include the tour:
| Ticket | What it includes | Adult from |
|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Celebrity Homes Tour | 2-hour celebrity homes tour | $39 |
| Best of LA | 24, 48 or 72 hours of hop-on, hop-off plus the 2-hour celebrity homes tour | $79 |
| TMZ Brunch Bus Tour | 2 hours, ages 21+, live DJ, restaurant and bar stops | $69 |
Who it suits
Families benefit from the child pricing, and travelers planning several days of sightseeing get the most from the Best of LA bundle. The TMZ brunch version suits adult groups who want a lively morning rather than a quiet narration.
If you want a small group and a conversation, a private option fits better.
5. Hollywood Bus Tours open-air celebrity homes tour
Hollywood Bus Tours’ open-air tour carries a 4.8 rating from about 2,750 Tripadvisor reviews, which makes it the easiest bus option on this list to vet before you book. It is a good celebrity homes Los Angeles tour for families and for visitors starting in Santa Monica.
How it works
The tour uses a custom open-air vehicle and caps each group at 14 travelers. The listing says two hours, but some reviewers of this operator’s other tours mention three and a half hours, so confirm the length of the exact tour you book.
You can start in two places: the Hollywood Visitor Center at 7044 Hollywood Blvd, or in front of the Ocean View Hotel at 1447 Ocean Ave in Santa Monica. Seating follows check-in order. Included are a rain poncho if needed, car seats for children under 8 or shorter than 4’9", and an audio guide in 11 languages.
The listing’s small print matters most here: no restroom on board, and the Beverly Hills sign stop doubles as the restroom break.
Route and stars’ homes
The typical itinerary passes the Hollywood Sign, Walk of Fame, Dolby Theatre, TCL Chinese Theatres, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Laugh Factory, Whisky a Go Go, the Sunset Strip and Rodeo Drive. It makes a 10-minute stop at the Beverly Hills sign for photos, then continues through West Hollywood and Mulholland Drive for Hollywood Hills celebrity homes and views of the Hollywood Sign.
The operator does not publish a fixed list of homes. Reviewers praise guides who name the right celebrity for each house.
Price and booking
Tickets are listed from $39 per adult, and discounted prices sometimes appear on booking pages. You get a full refund if you cancel up to 24 hours before. The tour needs good weather, so a weather cancellation brings a new date or a full refund.
Gratuities and parking are not included. The listed garage is at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.
Who it suits
Families with young children benefit from the car seats, and visitors staying near the coast benefit from the Santa Monica start. The tour is not wheelchair accessible, though service animals are allowed.
6. Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire private luxury tour
The Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire offers a private luxury celebrity homes tour through its local experiences program, covering Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, Bel-Air and lavish estates. It is the most polished option here for hotel guests who want the hotel to arrange everything.
How it works
The hotel presents this as a private luxury tour, meaning your party rides alone rather than sharing a bus. Because it is arranged through the hotel’s local experiences desk, the booking, the pickup and any special requests go through the concierge.
Pricing, duration and vehicle details are handled by the hotel, so ask the concierge for current figures and check whether non-guests can book.
At this level, the product you are buying is the hotel’s white-glove handling, not just the route.
Route and stars’ homes
The route covers three of the best-known residential areas: Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills and Bel-Air. These are gated, leafy districts, and the estates here tend to be large and set back from the road.
That matters for expectations. The more exclusive the address, the less you see from the street, so the value comes from the guide’s stories more than from the view.
Price and booking
The hotel does not list a rate in the material we reviewed, so expect to request a quote. Compare the quote against a private tour from other operators. Our private tours are priced by group size, which can make them easier to budget.
When you ask for a quote, include these details:
- Date and start time
- Number of guests and any children
- Hotel pickup location
- Any must-see neighborhoods or celebrity names
Who it suits
Guests staying in Beverly Hills who want a concierge-managed outing will find this convenient. It also suits anniversaries and special occasions where the experience matters more than the price.
If you are staying elsewhere, a private tour with pickup at your own hotel is more practical.
7. Discover Los Angeles self-guided driving audio tour
The Discover Los Angeles self-guided driving tour is the best option if you have a rental car and want a celebrity homes Los Angeles tour at your own pace. Stories play automatically as you approach celebrity homes and iconic neighborhoods, and one purchase covers everyone in your vehicle.
How it works
You drive, and the audio plays based on where you are, so you do not need to look anything up while navigating. Because it is self-guided, you choose when to start, where to pause and how long to linger.
Check the listing for device requirements and whether the stories work offline. Hillside neighborhoods can have patchy signal, and you do not want the narration to stop halfway up a canyon.
A self-guided tour swaps a guide’s personality for freedom: you set the pace, and the app does the talking.
Route and stars’ homes
The tour follows celebrity homes and iconic neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area, with narration triggered as you approach each stop. Like every tour here, it works from public roads, so homes behind gates stay behind gates.
You will also drive yourself through the Hollywood Hills’ narrow, winding roads. Take it slowly, and let someone else in your car watch the screen.
Price and booking
You buy once for the whole vehicle, which means the cost per person falls with each passenger. That makes it attractive for families of four or more compared with per-seat bus fares. Check the listing for the current price.
Plan around parking. Stopping on residential hillside streets is often restricted, so choose legal spots and keep the car out of driveways.
Who it suits
Drivers who like independence, families with a car, and repeat visitors who have done a guided loop will enjoy it. It also suits groups who want to stop for a coffee or a viewpoint whenever they like.
Skip it if you dislike driving in hills or want a person to answer questions.
8. A free do-it-yourself celebrity homes drive
You can do a free self-guided celebrity homes drive in Los Angeles with nothing more than a car, a map app and good manners. No official free narrated tour exists, so you supply the research. This is the right option for budget travelers and for anyone who simply wants to see the neighborhoods.
How it works
Pick two neighborhoods and plan about two hours. Good starting areas are Beverly Hills, Bel-Air and Holmby Hills, plus the Hollywood Hills along Mulholland Drive. Use your map app’s street view first, so you know which roads are wide enough and which are not.
Drive in daylight and avoid rush hour, since narrow residential roads back up quickly.
The free route costs only fuel and parking, but it costs you something else: the stories.
Route and stars’ homes
Public lists of star addresses go out of date quickly because owners sell, rent and move. Treat any home list you find online as a starting point, not a promise. The estates you pass will be mostly walls, gates and hedges.
A better approach is to choose a neighborhood for its scenery and architecture, then enjoy any celebrity connection as a bonus. For verified stories, a guided tour is more reliable.
Price and booking
There is no booking and no ticket. Costs are fuel and any parking you pay for. Follow these rules to stay on the right side of residents:
- Stay on public roads and never enter private driveways.
- Do not stop at gates or block them for photos.
- Obey posted parking limits, which are strict in residential hills.
- Keep noise low and move on after a quick look.
Who it suits
Budget travelers, locals playing tourist and anyone with a car and a flexible afternoon will like this approach. It also works as a preview if you are deciding which neighborhoods to see on a paid tour.
It will not suit visitors who want facts, stories and no navigation stress.
How to choose the right celebrity homes tour
Pick by group size, how you like to travel and how much time you have, because price matters less than those three. Most bus tours start at the same $39 per adult, so the real differences are vehicle, group size and route.
Side-by-side comparison
Here is how the eight options compare on the details that decide most bookings.
| Option | Format | Duration | Price signal | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Another Side private tour | Private vehicle and guide | Varies, ask when booking | Group pricing, $75 to $1,996 across our tours | Families, small groups |
| 2. E-bike or Segway | Guided ride | Varies by route | See tour pages | Active travelers |
| 3. Starline Tours | Guided bus tour | 2 hours | From $39 adult | First-timers, Spanish speakers |
| 4. Big Bus Tours | Convertible minibus | 2 hours | From $39 adult, $29 child | Families, hop-on users |
| 5. Hollywood Bus Tours | Open-air bus, up to 14 | 2 hours listed | From $39 adult | Car-seat families, Santa Monica starts |
| 6. Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire | Private luxury | Ask the hotel | On request | Hotel guests |
| 7. Discover Los Angeles | Self-guided audio drive | Your pace | One price per vehicle | Drivers |
| 8. DIY drive | Self-drive | Your pace | Free plus fuel and parking | Budget travelers |
Questions to ask before you book
Ask how many people share the vehicle, which neighborhoods it actually enters, and whether it stops for photos. Ask whether there is a restroom on board, what the cancellation rules are and whether pickup is included. Large buses stay on wider roads, while smaller vehicles can take narrower streets, so vehicle size shapes what you see.
Pick a morning departure if you can, since mornings usually mean lighter traffic than late afternoon. Also compare per-person cost at your group size, because a private tour can beat three bus tickets.
What no tour can promise
No tour guarantees a celebrity sighting. Homes are private residences, so you can pass them on public streets but never go inside. The homes on each route vary, partly to respect owners’ privacy, and some belong to stars who lived there decades ago.
If you want to spot a celebrity, you are more likely to see one in public, in shopping and dining districts or at events, than at home. Even then it is luck. Treat the stories, architecture and views as the real product.
Which tour to book
The right celebrity homes tour depends on who is riding. Bus tours from Starline, Big Bus Tours and Hollywood Bus Tours give you the classic two-hour loop from about $39. A private tour gives you control, a Segway or e-bike ride gives you atmosphere, and a self-guided drive gives you freedom. Whatever you choose, expect gates, hedges and great stories rather than guaranteed sightings.
If you want help choosing, tell us your group size, dates and must-see neighborhoods, and we will point you to the right fit. Ask our team to plan your celebrity homes tour and we will reply with options and availability.
