Hollywood, DTLA and Santa Monica Full-Day Walking and Metro Tour
Description
L.A. is so big – how are you going to see the city in one day? Easy! Join our LA in a Day tour and see 3 completely different neighborhoods of the city - Hollywood, downtown and Santa Monica. There’s no breezing through on buses with a pre-recorded audio commentary playing (which is always out of sync), on this tour we show you the hidden nooks and crannies of the city that other tour companies don’t (including 7 different venues that have held the Academy Awards Ceremony) and give you a feel for the real Los Angeles. We're pioneers of the all day metro and walking tour of Los Angeles. Why did we create it? Because we want you to feel like you're an Angeleno for the day and to fall in love with the city like we did. * Tour starts 10 am daily * Travel on Los Angeles Metro included in ticket price * There’s a big range of food options and all types of diet can be accommodated (vegan, gluten-free etc)
Tour Options
Itinerary
We’ll start your LA in a Day tour in Hollywood (where else) and show you how and why L.A. became the center of the American entertainment industry. There’s a huge amount of fascinating movie history surrounding the famous Walk of Fame, including the oldest house in Hollywood (where Charlie Chaplin’s kids went to school), the Capitol Records Building, the Egyptian Theater, the Dolby Theater (home of the Oscars) and the TCL Chinese Theater, and you’ll learn about it all.
Experience this famous neighborhood at ground level and learn its fascinating history.
See and learn about this icon of Los Angeles.
See the famous theatre and its forecourt of the stars. Take time to get some photos for Instagram while there too.
We take the subway to downtown – it’s actually the fastest way to get there. DTLA is where the city was founded, in 1781, and it has a huge number of iconic buildings, such as Los Angeles City Hall and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.
An icon of Art Deco design and famous from movies and TV shows.
A lovely part of DTLA.
One of the most influential modern buildings, in terms of design.
Pass by this newest addition to the Grand Avenue cultural collection.
Take this historic funicular down from Bunker Hill.
We pause your LA in a Day tour for lunch at one of the top food destinations in America, Grand Central Market. There are a huge number of (very reasonably) priced options here and all types of diet can be accommodated. You'll love it.
Every week hip new restaurants, bars, Apple stores, creative offices and apartment blocks are opening in the area. Many people don’t realize it’s also the best-preserved historic downtown of any major city in America (with some of the best architecture in the world, including many beautiful examples of the Beaux Arts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, modern and post-modern styles).
Step into this beautiful lobby from the 1920's (weekdays only).
Walk out onto this historic pier, built more than 100 years ago and often used as a location in classic movies.
Once in SaMo we’ll give you a tour of the area (including the famous Santa Monica Pier), before finishing your LA in a Day tour at 3rd Street Promenade, a perfect place to watch the sun set while enjoying cocktails and dinner. By now you’ll have had a real experience of Los Angeles and made some great memories to take home with you.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Aim to get to the meeting point 10-15 minutes early. If you’re late you may miss the tour.
- This tour is not recommended for children under 12 y.o.
- By making a booking for this tour you agree to be bound by The Real Los Angeles Tours terms of service.
- We recommend ride-sharing or taking the metro to the meeting point, then you don't have to pay $30-40 to park your car all day (IF you're driving in LA).
- Please check dates/times carefully BEFORE making a booking.
- This is a walking tour and we move at a reasonable pace. If you have mobility issues please book a private tour via our website.
Reviews(12)
The whole which was run by Paul was excellent. He picked us up on time and gave us a great run down of Hollywood. This was followed by train into Downtown where once again his knowledge was superb. Lunch at the market was followed by the highlight of a trip to the 70th floor of a local hotel for a panoramic view of LA Finished by a walk along Santa Monica pier
Guide Paul led us on a great adventure through not just the main attractions but into wonderful indoor and outdoor spaces we never could have discovered on our own! We walked and took light rail, visiting spaces above ground and below, indoors and out. Paul spoke without notes and could answer all our questions. He assured our comfort and safety at all times and shared his interests and experiences very entertainingly. We got to see the LA that locals know, not just tourist stuff…a great tour, just what we wanted. Thanks, Paul!
We are a family of four from London staying in Anaheim and booked this tour as it gave us a a snapshot of the sights in LA in exactly what it says it does' LA in a day'. This is a perfect day trip, early start at 7.00am pick up from your hotel in Anaheim and then 12 hours of sightseeing and fun all for under $100 per person, great value. The tour bus is very comfortable and our tour guide/driver, George, was a bundle of energy and fun keeping us entertained and gave us a potted history of LA and its growth since the 1940's. George made the trip a pleasure for us with stops on route for lots of photo opportunities and great advice on where to eat and drink. We were dropped back at our hotel in Anaheim at 7.00pm ,great door to door service, great value for money, great fun if you want a snapshot of LA this company is the one to book.
Trip was cancelled 10mins before departure(due to an unfortunate situation with the tour guide), and the tour operator did not have a backup plan. Seemed unprofessional to me. Not a good spot to be in, for a newbie in the city.
We would have loved to have done the tour for this guest and we certainly regret that we couldn't. The reason that it was canceled at the last minute is because the guide was involved in an accident on the way in to the tour. In situations like that there is nothing we can do - other than call, sincerely apologize and issue a full refund. That is the backup plan in these rare instances. It's happened 3-4 times in the 10 years that The Real Los Angeles Tours has been operating, unfortunately. We obviously hope it won't happen (for lots of reasons), but it's outside of our control.
K was our guide/ driver. We scheduled a 7 1/2 hour tour and she had us out for 10 hours. She made sure everyone saw what the brochure promised and then some. K added a personal touch to our tour by having music about California. She drove us around like she owned this town. She knew every short cut and was more pleasant dealing with traffic issues than anyone who we ever toured with in the past. K made sure we all saw what we expected, played trivia about LA and when we come back to LA we will take another tour with K. The hotel pick up was also a big plus for us. Thank you K for making our stay in LA unforgetable.
Amazing tour of L.A. Oliver my tour guide was extremely knowledgeable of the city. Throughout the tour I find out so many interesting things about this amazing city. If you going to do a tour, this is the One.
Chris and Oliver were outstanding. Both very knowledgeable. It was a fun way to see the different parts of the city. Lots of walking as expected.
Damien was an awesome tour guide. Very knowledgeable and personable. It was our first time doing a walking tour and I enjoyed every minute of it. It felt personalized as it was only myself and my girlfriend on the tour. We were able to gain insight and knowledge about things in LA would would have not otherwise learned. Great job and thank you.
Fantastic day spent with Damian who really knows his stuff. The day flows very well and we managed the walk with no issues. We are in our mid 60’s and I’d say fit, nothing more. It was fascinating hearing how Hollywood started and the characters that framed it and the rest of L.A. Damian is enthusiastic and his passion for the subject shines through. Can’t recommend enough.
Damien gave us an excellent tour. Full day of sightseeing and information. Very informative and great exercise.
