The 6 Best Tours in Los Angeles You Can’t Miss in 2025
If you’re looking for things to do in Los Angeles, you’re in the right place because the 6 Best tours in Los Angeles are all featured here. How do I know they’re the best?
I’ve lived in Los Angeles for 20+ years and know every corner of this vibrant, varied, and exciting city.
The tours I’ve highlighted are as varied as the city itself.
I’ve compiled only the most popular and highly rated Los Angeles tours in this article — so know all these tours have been carefully vetted.
Don’t have time to read the entire article? Book this Downtown Los Angeles Food Tour. It has a Badge of Excellence from reviewers!
Los Angeles, often called L.A., is a vibrant and diverse city in Southern California.
It’s a popular tourist destination known for its sunny weather, stunning coastline, and diverse cultural and entertainment offerings.
When visiting Los Angeles, you can take in several highlights via a tour, allowing you to cover a lot of ground quickly.
No matter your preferences or budget, there’s sure to be an awesome tour in Los Angeles for you and your friends and family.
Ready to explore the best tours in Los Angeles? Let’s get to it!
✓ Hotels and breakfast included
The 6 Best and Most Diverse Tours in Los Angeles
The top six tours in Los Angeles offer a diverse range of experiences, catering to different interests and timeframes.
Whether it’s a short three-hour excursion, like the LA Food Tour, or an extensive seven-day journey to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, this selection has options to suit all preferences.
1. Downtown Los Angeles Food Tour
⭐️ RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars | ⏳ TOUR LENGTH: 3 Hours | ✅ Book it!
Why choose this tour?
Ready to enter a world bursting with flavors on this incredible food tour in Downtown Los Angeles? DTLA doesn’t get enough attention, but locals know it’s the best place to find great food that represents the diverse culture that defines Los Angeles cuisine all in one place.
⚠️ One warning: Come to this popular food tour hungry because you’ll need room for all the delicious food you’ll taste.
The Downtown Los Angeles Food Tour includes:
✅ You get to explore DTLA, which has some of the best food in LA
✅ Guide is experienced and knows LA’s rich history
✅ View the iconic Bradbury Building and Grand Central Market
✅ 6 food stops to try LA’s best cuisine
What past guests have said:
Great guide, very clear and plenty of additional information. Superb food and more of it than we anticipated. Really good pace, not rushed. Time to chat to other people on the tour. Loved it!— Ruth (read more reviews)
Throughout the tour, your knowledgeable guide will provide fascinating behind-the-scenes stories about LA’s downtown area, enriching your experience and giving you insights into the history and culture of Los Angeles while experiencing its varied cuisine, from the best taco to the best baked goods from a famous bakery.
Another significant aspect of this tour is that it’s capped at 12 guests, so it’s a small intimate gathering.
2. 7-Day Tour to San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and Zion from Los Angeles
⭐️ RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars | ⏳ TOUR LENGTH: 7 Days | ✅ Book it!
Why choose this tour?
Even though this is one of the pricier tours on this list, it will likely sell out.
Hit all the great spots in the great American West in one tour package, from the Vegas Strip to the Grand Canyon to Yosemite; you hit the best destinations out west on this tour.
This tour is likely to sell out.
This 7-Day Tour starts in LA and finishes in my other favorite city, San Francisco, where I lived for five years. This is a great option if you want to explore both cities in one trip on the bookends of this 7-day tour.
You’ll go through California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona to visit Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park.
Special Note: You’ll visit Hearst Castle instead of Yosemite in the winter months
The 7-Day Tour to San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, and Zion from LA includes:
✅ The 17-Mile Drive in Monterey (it’s stunning)
✅ A cruise on San Francisco Bay
✅ An evening tour of the Las Vegas Strip
What past guests have said:
Excellent tour and great value for the money. We traveled comfortably in a big tour bus with wifi facilities. The accommodations provided were excellent. Overall, the sense of organization and the attention to detail were highly impressive. . — Kushantha (see more reviews)
Following pickup at your hotel, hop aboard an air-conditioned vehicle and get ready to explore the American West.
3. Classic Convertible Car Tour of Los Angeles
⭐️ RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars | ⏳ TOUR LENGTH: 4 — 8 hours | ✅ Book it!
Why choose this tour? Hit the Los Angeles roads feeling like you’re in a Hollywood movie on this one-of-a-kind private tour of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
Drive around Tinseltown in a 1970s classic convertible, the wind in your hair as you explore these glossy neighborhoods and see the Hollywood Sign and the Walk of Fame.
You’ll have an unobstructed view of the sites while in a convertible with the top down.
Hear stories about the famous people that made this city, and the celebrities that live here now, from your dedicated guide.
The Classic Convertible Car Tour of Los Angeles includes:
✅ All the necessaries to keep you safe in the sun: sunscreen, sunglasses and water included
✅ Up to five per group
What past guests have said:
We would never have seen all the things we did without this tour. Excellent tour and would highly recommend. Fun to have people shouting nice car all day too. – Jeffery (see more reviews)
The Classic Convertible Car Tour of Los Angeles hits all the hot spots, including, but not limited to, the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica (great shopping and eating!), Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Marina Del Ray.
4. The Haunt: Los Angeles Ghost Hunting Tour
⭐️ RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars | ⏳ TOUR LENGTH: 1.5 Hours | ✅ Book it!
Why choose this tour? Another winner for Badge of Excellence, this Los Angeles Ghost Hunting Tour will give you chills as you walk through Los Angeles’s Chinatown at night — a fascinating place with a storied history.
I recently took a haunted ghost tour with friends and highly recommend it. We heard stories about LA that I didn’t know about, even after living here for years.
I was a bit spooked for a few days afterward; that is how good the tour and guide were.
Author Note: The ghost tours in LA aren’t suitable for young kids after going on one myself. Some of the stories are gruesome.
Even though I’ve lived in LA for years, I still learned more about this city than I previously knew; the tour guides on these tours are excellent storytellers (and honestly, most are actors waiting for their next acting gig).
LA has a spooky past with a lot of broken dreams that make for excellent stories.
This tour wins the Badge of Excellence for tours.
Hear stories about the famous people that made this city, and the celebrities that live here now, from your dedicated guide.
The Haunt: Los Angeles Ghost Hunting Tour includes:
✅ EMF meter for each participant to pinpoint ghosts
✅ Walk by the famous Golden Pagoda Inn
✅ Pass by Olvera Street, which has rich historical significance as the city’s birthplace and its vibrant Mexican marketplace offers cultural experiences, traditional foods, and artisanal crafts.
✅ Walk by beautiful and historic Union Station
What past guests have said:
Family came into town from Casper, Wyoming and this was recommended as a haunt tour to see! It did not disappoint, and Katja was a well-informed guide about the history of Chinatown!– Andrea (see more reviews)
The Haunt: Los Angeles Ghost Hunting Tour hits all the hot spots, including, but not limited to, Olvera Street, Union Station, Highland Park Brewery, and several more famous landmarks worth checking out while in Los Angeles.
5. Swan Boat Rental in Echo Park
⭐️ RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars | ⏳ TOUR LENGTH: 1 Hour | ✅ Book it!
Why choose this tour?
You might be surprised how popular paddling a large swan around Echo Lake with a partner is.
Get off the well-worn tourist route with this tour. You will fit in like a local on this tour.
Renting a swan boat in Echo Park is a very popular thing to do in LA for locals and guests to the city as well.
This tour wins the Badge of Excellence for tours.
First, one large perk is the small price for a fun day. This Swan Boat Rental Tour is only 12 bucks! And it wins the Badge of Excellence for tours.
In the last decade, I have seen significant changes in Echo Park. It used to be kind of a dump. But since they fixed up the lake area, it is a great place to relax because it’s a quiet spot surrounded by the city; it’s not too crowded and has a great view of DTLA.
Also, there are great restaurants in Echo Park and nearby Sunset.
Go paddle around the lake and then have lunch at SLC Boathouse Bistro — a great and cheap day.
The Swan Boat Rental in Echo Park includes:
✅ This private rental is perfect for couples or small groups
✅ Explore Echo Park Lake by day or by night
✅ Discover one of the city’s peaceful corners
✅ Great for kids as well
What past guests have said:
Getting to take pictures with my beautiful girlfriend with the LA city view in the background and being able to enjoy a moment that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life :)– Brandon (see more reviews)
6. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
⭐️ RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars | ⏳ TOUR LENGTH: 3 Hours | ✅ Book it!
Why choose this tour?
Enjoy an engaging and informative afternoon at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County with a general admission ticket, providing access to numerous fascinating exhibits.
Start in the Dinosaur Hall, where over 300 fossils, 20 complete skeletons, and interactive multimedia stations await, including the unique Tyrannosaurus rex growth series, live paleontology at the Dino Lab, and the dynamic Dinosaur Encounters show.
This tour wins the Badge of Excellence for tours.
Then, embark on a 65-million-year evolutionary journey, showcasing 240 specimens like mastodon and whale skeletons alongside North American and African animal dioramas.
Visit the Gem and Mineral Hall to see over 2,000 specimens and a vault of precious stones and metals.
Admission: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County includes:
✅ California’s top collections of fossils, live plants and animals, gems and minerals
✅ T. Rex in the museum’s dinosaur hall and “Dinosaur Encounters” show
✅ Mulholland Scenic Corridor and Rodeo Drive
What past guests have said:
I absolutely loveeed it…. It was our very first time, my son absolutely loved it… not expensive at all… I loved to go again maybe in another couple of months. — Nancy (read more reviews)
The Becoming Los Angeles exhibit traces the city’s growth from a small pueblo, while the Nature Gardens and Get Dirty Zone offer a hands-on exploration of native plants.
Conclude your visit by discovering local wildlife in the Nature Lab, enhanced by interactive touchscreens that reveal stories of Los Angeles’ flora and fauna.
Where Is Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is a major city located in the southern part of the state of California, United States. It is situated on the Pacific coast, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west.
The city of Los Angeles is the largest city in California and the second-largest city in the United States, after New York City.
In terms of size, Los Angeles covers a vast area.
The city itself spans approximately 503 square miles (1,302 sq km). However, when considering the broader Los Angeles metropolitan area, often referred to as Greater Los Angeles or the LA Metro, the region encompasses a much larger land area.
The LA Metro area covers around 4,850 square miles (12,562 sq km), including numerous cities and communities that surround the city of Los Angeles.
The greater Los Angeles area is known for its sprawling urban landscape, diverse neighborhoods, and iconic landmarks. It is home to over 18 million people, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States.
The city of Los Angeles itself has a population of approximately 4 million people, as of the latest available data.
Is Los Angeles worth it?
Absolutely! If you love the beach, diverse cultures, seeing some of the most iconic sites in the world, and great food, Los Angeles is a great place to visit all year round. We have the best weather here if you haven’t already heard.
We love LA!
What is Los Angeles known for?
Los Angeles is known for many things that contribute to its global reputation, most notably the film and television industry, as well as beaches, culture, and celebrities. Oh, and great weather!
These are just a few highlights of what Los Angeles is known for, but the city offers much more in terms of history, innovation, and opportunities for exploration and entertainment.
What is the best way to get to the meeting point for a tour?
Most of the tours on this list offer a pick-up option from your hotel, but a few don’t.
If your tour doesn’t offer a pick-up, you have two options: 1) rent a car in Los Angeles and drive to the meeting place where your tour leaves from, or 2) take an Uber or Lyft.
The first option is the most cost-efficient.
I recommend renting a car when visiting Los Angeles.
I only use and recommend Discover Cars when I rent a car anywhere. They search for the best price for you and have a FREE cancelation policy which I love in case my plans change.
🏆 BEST LOS ANGELES CAR RENTAL COMPANY: DISCOVER CARS
When booking your Los Angeles car rental online, I recommend and use Discover Cars. They search both international corporations and local LA companies, so you get the best deal.BEST TOURS IN LOS ANGELES
Final Thoughts: Best Tours in Los Angeles Now
You’ll want to include one of these fantastic tours in Los Angeles when planning your visit!
There is no better way to get around the city and see the sites – many in one day – than a tour with an experienced tour guide.
You’ll learn and see much more and have a more relaxed time.
Read More About California
- The Best Private San Francisco to Napa Tour
- Napa Valley in the Fall
- The Catalina Island Ferry: Everything You Need to Know
- Cheapest Way to Get to Catalina Island
- How to Plan a Road Trip in 19 Steps
- Renting a Golf Cart on Catalina Island
California Travel Planning Guide
🚑 Should I buy travel insurance for California?
100% YES! – With basic coverage averaging $1.50 USD per day, enjoy peace of mind with a plan from SafetyWing, one of the biggest names in travel insurance. (Read more)
💦 Can you drink the water in California?
Yes — But I wouldn’t. It doesn’t taste very good and there are contaminants in it. You’ll want to buy a Water-To-Go Bottle, which filters drinking water while on the go (traveling) and helps keep you hydrated.
🚙 Is it safe to rent a car in California?
Yes — Renting a car in California is one of the best ways to explore this vast, awesome state, and kind of a must! I always rent with Discover Cars, which checks both international companies and local California companies, so you get the best rates. (read more)
🏨 What’s the best way to book my California accommodations?
For California hotels, Booking is the best site, but for hostels, use Hostel World. If you’re considering a California Airbnb, don’t forget also to check VRBO, which has better rates than Airbnb.
🧳 What do I pack for California?
Head to the Ultimate California Packing List to get all the information you need about packing for a trip to California.
🛫 What’s the best site to buy airfare to California?
For finding cheap California flights, I recommend Skyscanner.
