LA Open Bus Tour: Hollywood, Beverly Hills & Griffith Observatory

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.94 (193 reviews) 96% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/21

Duration7h

GroupUp to 500

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Four LA landmarks in one day without driving or planning the route

You ride an open-air bus for seven hours hitting four major LA landmarks—Hollywood Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills, the Original Farmers Market with lunch included, and Griffith Observatory. A live guide handles the commentary and timing, so you don't navigate, park, or plan. Each stop gives you a full hour to explore, and you return to Santa Monica in the late afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore LA landmarks and cultural spots

Walk Santa Monica Pier and 3rd St Promenade
Visit Original Farmers Market and shop at The Grove
See Hollywood Walk of Fame and Dolby Theatre
View Hollywood Sign and Downtown LA from Griffith Observatory

The Experience

The driver picks you up in Santa Monica and within twenty minutes you're standing on the Hollywood Walk of Fame watching people pose with their favorite celebrity stars. A woman next to us was trying to get the perfect angle for her Instagram, and our guide—who'd clearly seen this a thousand times—just smiled and pointed out where the Grauman's Chinese Theatre was, then mentioned the Dolby Theatre right there, home of the Oscars. It's the kind of detail that makes you realize how much you'd miss if you were just driving through on your own.

The bus itself is open-air, which means you get actual wind and light instead of staring through tinted windows, and the guide talks the whole way—not in that robotic way, but like someone who actually knows the city. You stop for a full hour at each place, so it's not a blur of photo stops. After Hollywood, you head to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, then down to the Original Farmers Market where lunch is included. That's the part that saves you time—you're not hunting for a restaurant or standing in line at some tourist trap. The market's been there since 1934, and there's actual food from different cultures, not just the same chain stuff. You eat, you walk around, you grab coffee if you want.

Griffith Observatory is the last major stop, and it's where the views hit different. You can see the Hollywood Sign from up there, and on a clear day the city spreads out below you in a way that makes the whole morning of traffic and crowds feel worth it. The guide gives you space to wander, points out the science exhibits if you're interested, and then you head back to Santa Monica. The whole thing takes seven hours door-to-door, which sounds long until you realize you've covered what would take you three separate car trips, parking fees, and a lot of second-guessing about where to go next.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup in Santa Monica, the open-air bus for the entire seven-hour journey, a live guide providing commentary at each stop, one-hour visits to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive, Griffith Observatory, and the Original Farmers Market, plus lunch at the Farmers Market. Return transport to Santa Monica is included.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Hollywood City Tours

Is this one for you?Best for first-time visitors to LA who want to see the main landmarks without renting a car, planning a route, or figuring out parking—the fixed schedule and included transport mean you show up and the day unfolds without decisions.