Hop On Hop Of bus tours in LA
One of the most practical alternatives for getting to know a city as cosmopolitan, extensive and congested as Los Angeles are the Hop-on, Hop-Off tour buses.
Los Angeles Tourist Buses | ©EYBusman
The city of Los Angeles is one of the largest cities in the United States. The distances make it impossible to get around on foot and, if you rent a car, you have to be prepared to deal with the traffic. That's why a very good alternative for you to get to know the best places to see in Los Angeles are the Hop-On Hop-Off buses.
These allow you to visit in a few hours the most characteristic places of the city, without having to deal with traffic and delays of public transport. If you don't plan to rent a car, a tour bus will make it easier for you to get around the city and provide you with information about each site of interest.
Top Los Angeles sightseeing buses
These are the main Los Angeles tour buses you can take to get around the city:
- Los Angeles Big Bus Sightseeing Bus - from £42
- Los Angeles City Sightseeing Sightseeing Bus - from £36
1. Los Angeles Big Bus sightseeing bus
The Bis Bus sightseeing bus runs two very comprehensive tours of the city of Los Angeles. Both tours can be done in the same day and are very convenient for you to plan your visits to the places that interest you, and the open-top bus has a panoramic view that allows you to see the city and the coast in all its splendour. It's perfect, therefore, if you're visiting Los Angeles in the summer.
The Big Bus tours are as follows:
- Hollywood Circuit: this is the red route and takes approximately 2 hours.
- Beach Circuit: this is the blue route and takes approximately 90 minutes.
Hollywood Circuit - Red Route
This circuit allows you to visit Hollywood landmarks such as the Walk of Fame, the TCL Chinese Theatre, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive and many more. The entire tour lasts 2 hours and has a total of 12 stops.
This itinerary also means that you can use it as a means of transport for any of the Hollywood tours the city has to offer.
The first bus of the day departs from stop 1 at 10am, and the last bus at 4:30pm. Each bus departs every day, summer and winter, with a frequency of 30-45 minutes.
The Hollywood loop passes over 12 iconic Los Angeles sites, many of them related to the film industry and is ideal if you have booked a visit to Universal Studios or the Warner Bros. studios tour in LA.
- Big Bus Visitor Center Hollywood
- TCL Chinese Theater
- Guitar Center "Rock Walk
- The Comedy Store
- Whiskey A Go Go
- Beverly Gardens Park
- Beverly Center
- LACMA / La Brea Tar Pits
- Farmers Market / The Grove
- Melrose Ave Shopping
- Paramount Studios
- Hollywood and Vine
Beach Circuit - Blue Route
With this circuit you can get to know the coast of Los Angeles: its beaches, the Santa Monica Pier, the 3rd Street Promenade, Venice Beach, Muscle Beach and many other places.
This tour takes approximately 90 minutes and has stops at 6 places of interest.
- Beverly Gardens Park
- Santa Monica Pier
- Santa Monica Beach
- Venice BoardWalk
- Main Street
- Marina del Rey
You can get off at any of these locations and take as much time as you wish to tour each place before resuming your tour. You can also start your tour at any of the stops. The frequency of these buses is between 1 hour and 1 hour 15 minutes.
Beach Loop buses run all year round, whether you're looking for things to do in Los Angeles in the winter or in the summer.
2. The Los Angeles City Sightseeing Bus
The City Sightseeing bus is another Hop-on Hop-off bus that you can take to tour the city of Los Angeles. This bus makes 3 different tours of the city. You can buy a ticket to do each route separately or buy a ticket that allows you to combine all 3 routes for as long as you book the service.
All City Sightseeing buses depart approximately every 45 minutes and run for around 2 hours, depending on the route chosen. You can hop on and off at any of the stops, as well as resume the tour as many times as you wish during the time you have contracted the service.
Each bus also has pre-recorded audio guides in several languages that provide information about each site of interest, which you can access using the headphones on the bus, or your own if you have them.
The company also offers private tours for groups on its buses. It is always best to purchase tickets in advance online.
City Sightseeing's Los Angeles city tours include:
- Hollywood Red Tour
- Santa Monica Yellow Route
- The Purple Route through Downtown Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Red Route
This tour takes you to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Rodeo Drive shopping district and many other iconic Los Angeles landmarks related to the Hollywood film industry.
The tour runs every day of the year in about 2 hours, with departures every 30 minutes. The first departure is from stop No. 1 at the Dolby Theater at 10 am and the last bus leaves at 4:30 pm from the same stop. This route has 16 stops at various Los Angeles landmarks.
If you purchased a combined ticket for all 3 routes, you can combine this route with the Yellow route when you arrive at stop #7.
- Dolby Theater
- Walk of Fame
- Guitar Center, Rock Walk
- Chateau Marmont
- Rodeo Drive
- The Comedy Story, Sunset Strip
- Whisky a go go
- Santa Monica Boulevard
- Beverly Hills
- Farmers Market, The Grove
- Melrose Avenue
- Pink's Hot Dogs
- Vine Street
- Hollywood and Vine
- Petersen Museums
The Santa Monica Yellow Route
This tour allows you to see Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and other beautiful sites along the Los Angeles coastline.
The tour lasts 2 hours without interruption and buses depart every 45 minutes every day of the year, except on holidays, which I recommend you check in advance.
The route has 16 stops at various points of interest and starts at Ocean Ave, Santa Monica Pier at 9:30am. The last bus leaves at 4:15pm from the same stop.
As with all tour buses, you can hop on at any stop, not necessarily the first one, and resume your tour at any time after visiting the sites on the itinerary.
- Ocean Ave, Santa Monica Pier
- Wilshire, 3rd Street Promenade
- Montana Ave
- Brentwood Country Mart
- Westwood
- The Beverly Hilton
- Beverly Hills
- Rodeo Drive
- Century Plaza Hotel
- Intercontinental Century City
- One Westside Shopping Center
- Santa Monica College
- Barnard Way
- Venice Beach
- Main St.
The Downtown Los Angeles Tour
With this tour you will discover the most emblematic places in downtown Los Angeles. The bus takes you to historic sites such as Union Station, Olvera Street, Chinatown and Walt Disney, as well as museums, bars and shops.
This tour has 16 stops at the various sites of interest, lasts 2 hours in total and is available all year round.
The tour starts at 10 am at stop No. 1, opposite the Dolby Theatre, and the last bus departs at 3 pm from the same stop. Buses leave every 45 minutes, and you can catch them at any stop.
- Dolby Theatre
- Engine Co. #28 / 7th Street
- Westin Bonaventure Hotel
- Walt Disney Concert Hall
- Cathedral of our Lady
- Chinatown Central Plaza
- Chinatown Shopping Malls
- Olvera St./Pueblo and Union Station
- Little Tokyo
- Grand Ctr. Mkt
- Library Central
- Jewelry District
- Fashion District
- Convention Ctr.
- L.A. Live/ Grammy Museum
- DTLA architecture
Like all Hop-On Hop-Off buses, you can get off at any of the stops and hop on the next bus once you complete your visit.
But, in addition, this tour bus offers you the advantage that you can change routes on the same day, using the same ticket. For example, you can go to stop No. 7 on the Santa Monica Yellow Route and change to the Hollywood Red Route, as the two routes converge at this stop.
How do the Los Angeles City Sightseeing buses operate?
The Los Angeles Sightseeing buses tour the main sights of the city, with no intermediate stops like public buses. Services are available for one or more days, from the morning until approximately 4pm.
You can hop on and off as many times as you wish at any point along the route, for as long as your bus ticket is purchased.
Of course, the bus does not wait for each person to make their visit, but approximately every half hour, a bus will pass by each stop so that you can get on and continue your tour.
You can also hire the service for one or more days. Each bus has pre-recorded commentary in several languages about each site of interest, which you can access using the headphones provided. Or if you prefer, you can use your own.
Why take a sightseeing bus?
Los Angeles is one of the top 5 cities with the worst traffic in the world. Getting around on your own using public transport can be time-consuming. Tour buses, on the other hand, save you the hassle of traffic, as they tend to run on less congested streets.
They also have set routes around the main sights of the city, making them a good introduction for first time visitors to Los Angeles and/or those who have little time to explore the city.
Touring the city on a tour bus is much more convenient and economical than using local buses, as you have to pay the fare every time you get on the bus.
What do you need to know before booking a tour bus in Los Angeles?
Tourist bus tickets are a one-time purchase and you must keep them for the entire time you have booked the service. You can get on at any of the available stops during that time, but you must show your ticket each time. If you booked the service online, it is best to print the ticket.
An interesting fact to bear in mind is that you can buy a ticket for a whole day, two days or even three. This is the most economical way to get around the city and see the sights on offer.
In addition, you can take the bus, get off wherever you like, walk around and then take the next bus, which is very practical and entertaining at the same time.
Bear in mind that it is best to book your tourist bus tickets in advance and online, as these services are in great demand. You can also buy your ticket at any stop on the itinerary.
Audio guides and languages
One of the most common doubts about this type of tour is whether you will be able to hear the tour guide, but this is not a problem, as you can access audio guides using the headphones on the buses, or your own if you have them.
This is an important advantage as it allows you to enjoy the panoramic views of the city more fully, as you don't have to strain to hear the guide on a large bus.
The City Sightseeing and Big Bus sightseeing buses offer audio guides in 9 languages, which I recommend you check before booking the buses.
Do the buses have Wifi?
All Hop-On Hop-Off buses have Wifi and other amenities such as air conditioning and heating. In addition to the audio guides, you will also have maps and brochures of Los Angeles to consult during the journey.
Advantages of booking a Hop-On Hop-Off Pass in advance
Ideally, if you are visiting Los Angeles, it is best to combine the sightseeing bus with a sightseeing pass to avoid delays and save money on entry to the sights.
For example, the Los Angeles Explorer Pass is a ticket that gets you into more than 30 attractions in Los Angeles. It also includes discounts at bars, shops and other attractions.
I recommend that you buy the pass in advance to ensure that you will be able to visit the attractions that require an entrance fee.
Services for people with mobility impairments
If you must board the tour buses with your wheelchair, you must notify your chosen tour bus company in advance to secure a seat on the accessible buses.
Alternatives to tour buses
An alternative to the tour buses is to hire private tours for smaller groups with a guide who will explain the different attractions you visit along the way.
Some of these tours also include admission to museums, art galleries and places that require an entrance fee.
One such tour is the LA Celebrity Home Tour, which is not included in the tour bus route.
These tours also include visits to other iconic movie sites such as the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign, the TCL Chinese Theatre (the theatre of choice for the biggest movie premieres), the Dolby Theatre (where the Oscars are held) and many more.