More about: 7 Best Los Angeles Ghost and Mystery Tours
If you're into the paranormal and would like to learn all the details about real crimes and ghost stories in Hollywood, you should definitely join one of these fun tours of L.A. You'll discover the other side of one of the most incredible cities in the United States.
Of all the tours available in Los Angeles, ghost tours are among the most popular with visitors. When the sun goes down, you'll meet your guide, who will take you to the spookiest places while telling you real stories that will surprise you. Here I've selected the best and scariest tours in the city of Los Angeles. Are you up for it?
1. Haunted Hollywood Walking Tour: Real Crimes and Spooky Tales
Explore the dark side of Hollywood. On this ghost tour of L.A., you'll visit theatres, hotels and places where chilling events have taken place. Led by your local guide, an expert on the subject, you'll learn all about the ghost stories, real crimes and gruesome secrets of the city of stars.
A tour not suitable for everyone, where you can enjoy the paranormal at its best. On this 2-hour tour, you'll see the other side of the incredible Pantages Theatre, the Hollywood sign, the Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame, as well as the Dolby Theatre, where your guide will tell you all about the Manson murders.
This is definitely one of the 10 best things to do in Los Angeles at night, but only if you dare.
Details of interest
- Price: from £37 per person.
- Duration: approximately 2 hours.
- Transport: walking tour.
- Advantages of this option: thanks to your expert guide, you will have the opportunity to discover places and things you didn't know about the city of stars.
- Disadvantages of this option: not suitable for children, as it may cause nightmares.
2. Ghost tour of downtown Hollywood
On this tour, you'll discover some of the most iconic sites in Hollywood's ghost stories. Your guide will recount some of the tragedies that have cast a shadow over the city over the years. Los Angeles hasn't always been all sunshine and roses, that's for sure.
You'll visit the Capitan Theatre, the First National Bank of Hollywood, the Magic Castle and the Chinese Theatre, which was the scene of a violent crime that no one talks about...
Get ready for an unforgettable experience in Hollywood at night, where the stars don't always shine.
Details of interest
- Price: from £29 per person.
- Duration: approximately 1 hour.
- Transportation: walking tour.
- Advantages of this option: you will discover places that are not usually included in tours of this type in Hollywood and LA, and thanks to your personal guide, you will learn about the stories behind these streets.
- Disadvantages of this option: It may be a little short.
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3. DTLA Murder Mystery Ghost Tour
DTLA Murder Mystery Ghost Tour
Learn all about Los Angeles' criminal past on this sensational mystery tour. Your guide will tell you all about the murders and suspicious suicides that have taken place at the sites you will visit.
You will visit the Clifton Hotel, the L.A. Courthouse, the Biltmore Hotel and the Alexandria Hotel, places that have become famous thanks to ghostly apparitions or the crimes that have taken place there. You'll also stop at a typical L.A. bar, where you can enjoy a few cocktails before starting the tour.
This is undoubtedly one of the best tours you can take in Los Angeles. This 3-hour adventure through the dark side of sunny L.A. will be an unforgettable experience. Because when the sun goes down... anything can happen.
Important details
- Price: from £50 per person.
- Duration: approximately 3 hours.
- Means of transport: walking tour.
- Advantages of this option: you have 3 hours to visit the most paranormal sites in LA.
- Disadvantages of this option: not recommended for young children.
4. Hollywood Boulevard Ghost Tour
On this 2-hour tour of Hollywood Boulevard, you'll visit some of the places believed to be haunted by the ghosts of actors and actresses who refuse to accept that they're dead.
Places such as the Dolby Theatre, the Hollywood Wax Museum, the traditional meeting place of Hollywood's elite, Musso & Frank Grill, the Hollywood Knickerbocker Apartments, Hollywood and Vine, Ripley's Believe It or Not, the Pantages Theatre, the TCL Chinese Theatre and the most haunted building of all: The Hollywood Roosevelt, where the first Oscar awards were held and where the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift, among others, are said to roam.
This is a great option if you want to visit the highlights of Hollywood Boulevard and be amazed by how many spooky stories it hides.
Interesting details
- Price: from £29 per person.
- Duration: between 1.5 and 2 hours approximately.
- Means of transport: walking tour.
- Advantages of this option: you will discover the best-kept secrets of Hollywood Boulevard.
- Disadvantages of this option: the itinerary is fixed.
5. Lost Souls of Hollywood Boulevard: a ghost tour with audio for smartphones
Enjoy a completely private experience and learn all about the ghosts of Hollywood Boulevard. This is a different kind of tour, without a physical guide. Using your smartphone and headphones, you can follow the story of each of the places you pass by. It's almost as if a ghost is guiding you on this adventure through the night in L.A.
The tour lasts between 1 and 2 hours, but you can do it at your own pace, pausing the narration as many times as you like. Thanks to the GPS map, you can see where you are and the points to follow this spooky and terrifying tour.
You'll discover places such as the Roosevelt Hotel and Boardner's by La Belle, as well as the Pantages, Knickerbocker and Hollywood Pacific theatres.
This night tour is ideal for the warmer months, which is why it's one of the best things to do in Los Angeles in summer. Another thing to keep in mind is that once downloaded, the tour is yours to keep and you can repeat it as many times as you like!
Details of interest
- Price: from £8 per person.
- Duration: approximately 1 to 2 hours.
- Means of transport: walking tour.
- Advantages of this option: you can manage your time as you wish, as you don't have to adapt to other travellers or a guide.
- Disadvantages of this option: you don't have a physical guide to ask questions.
Book the Los Angeles ghost and pub tour
6. Los Angeles tour for adults only: The Fame Kills
Nothing can be more frightening than a wax museum, and in the case of Madame Tussauds, where the resemblance and level of detail of the figures is supernatural, you will feel that the personalities will come to life at any moment. Without a doubt, this is one of the best museums in Los Angeles and a must-see on your trip.
On this guided night tour of L.A., you'll hear about some of the most famous names on the big screen, their rise and fall. In places like the Pantages Theatre, if you're lucky, you might encounter the ghost of Howard Hughes or the industry's beloved and hated Orson Wells.
Together with your guide, you'll visit the Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame, where so many personalities have left their mark forever in the cement.
Interesting details
- Price: from £35 per person.
- Duration: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- Transport: walking tour.
- Advantages of this option: you will get to see inside Hollywood's most important wax museum, along with all the spine-chilling stories your guide will tell you.
- Disadvantages of this option: the itinerary is fixed.
Book the ghost tour of Chinatown in Los Angeles
7. Notorious Los Angeles: Private tour of the haunted city and real crime scenes
On this half-day guided tour, you will be picked up at your hotel and driven in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle through the most spine-chilling sites in Los Angeles.
You will pass by the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where some famous figures such as Rudolph Valentino, Judy Garland, Chris Cornell, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, among others, are buried. You will also visit the sites where the Black Dahlia and Manson Family murders took place, among others.
You will see the Museum of Death, the Beverly Hills Hotel and Greystone Mansion, as well as the Spadena House, the Sunset Strip, the Sunset Tower Hotel and the Chateau Marmont, where great personalities from the world of cinema and rock 'n' roll lived and died.
Details of interest
- Price: from £178 per person.
- Duration: approximately 4 hours.
- Transport: tour in an air-conditioned minibus.
- Advantages of this option: you will learn about the city's past and its crimes from an expert guide, and you will travel in the comfort of a minibus.
- Disadvantages of this option: it can be a bit long, as you need to set aside half a day for it. It takes place at sunset.
How to book a ghost tour in L.A
As always, the best way to book this type of excursion is online. This way, you can be sure that you are booking with a reputable company and you can check reviews and opinions from previous travellers to see if they recommend it or not. If, on the other hand, you book a ghost tour on the street, you may be in for a surprise and not enjoy the experience to the fullest, or the company or guide offering the tour may not be entirely professional.
Duration of ghost tours in L.A
These types of tours range from 1 to 4 hours, depending on the number of places you want to visit and how long you want to spend at each one. Remember that a longer or more expensive tour is not always better. I recommend that you look at the available tour options and choose the one that best suits you and your particular interests.
What will I see on this type of tour?
Each of these excursions offers a different itinerary, but they all have one thing in common: the city of Los Angeles and its gruesome past. From hotels and theatres where ghosts have been seen to haunted houses and the scenes of terrible murders, these tours will not leave you indifferent, that's for sure. You'll hear the most chilling stories that L.A. has to offer, where rock stars and movie stars are the protagonists.
How much does a ghost tour of L.A. cost?
The prices for this type of excursion vary according to the number of hours and places visited. A guided tour costs between £29 and £178. There are also more affordable options that do not include a guide, but instead involve downloading podcasts that are synchronised with your route around the city. This option costs around £8 and is also highly recommended.