Big Bus LA: Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus
3.5
Big Bus LA: Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus
By Big Bus Tours Los Angeles
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 3-99
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Audio guide: Chinese, English, Spanish
More
- Hop-on hop-off bus tour
- Celebrity Homes & Lifestyle Tour (included with selected ticket)
- TCL Chinese Theatre VIP Walking Tour (included with 2-day options)
- 2 Routes - Hollywood Loop and Beach Shuttle
- Recorded commentary
What's not included- NO Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infants must sit on laps
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5096P30- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible, must call 24 hours ahead for arrangements
- Not all of our buses are wheelchair accessible*
- Show your paper or mobile voucher to a member of the Big Bus staff at any of the stops along your route to redeem.
- Most travelers can participate
- Redeem vouchers at the start of the tour at 6763 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90028 or at any Big Bus Stop
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- How often does a bus arrive at each stop during the Big Bus Los Angeles Hop-on Hop-off Tour?
- A bus arrives approximately every 45 minutes.Answered Mar 2021
- Do I have to go to a central location to redeem my ticket for the Big Bus Los Angeles Hop-on Hop-off Tour?
- You can simply show a printed or electronic version of your ticket at any of the stops to board the bus.Answered Mar 2021
- How will I know which stop(s) to use during the Big Bus Los Angeles Hop-on Hop-off Tour?
- Our live guides and pre-recorded commentary will communicate upcoming stops. You can also download our free App for more information on routes and times, and what to see and do at each stop location.Answered Mar 2021
- How long is one full circuit of the Big Bus Los Angeles Hop-on Hop-off Tour?
- A full round trip takes approximately 2 hours if you do not get off on any stops.Answered Mar 2021
The tour operator has provided the following answers to customers’ questions.- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 5096P30
From
$51.00
per adult
Select date and travelers
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Francesca-15490 contributionsFab time, can’t stop talking about it!We booked as part of one of our attractions on our go city pass and so glad we did! The bus was so new and modern looking compared to other companies. We fell so lucky having Rodney as our driver! There was only 4 of us on the tour but he still happily took us which I’m so happy about as I’d planned the rest of our itinerary for our other days in LA. He was so informative and funny! We can’t stop talking about the tour and how amazing Rodney was so definitely had to write a review. I won’t forget it! You see some great views on the way and never felt like he was rushing. He told us so many facts and stories and showed us so many homes! We had such a great time, thank you Rodney!! (Hope you see this!) :)Written December 10, 2024
- alexandergY2324GK0 contributionsAmazing experience!Amazing, we were lucky enough to have Ollie who spoke in Spanish for my grandparents visiting from Miami! Ollie was the best and so nice.Written December 9, 2024
- GmanUnit0 contributionsAnd the Oscar goes to… our tour guide.For what was meant to be just looking at some houses it was an awesome tour. Our tour guide pointed out endless celeb homes. Landmarks where famous events had occurred and dished the up-to-date gossip whilst keeping us entertained and laughing! Highly recommend.Written December 8, 2024
- ciarxxx0 contributionsGreatGreat tour. The tour guide Ollie was great and informative :) made the tour fun and interesting. Thank you very much!!!!Written December 8, 2024
- meghas6300 contributionsGreat time!My family and I had a great time on this tour with Rodney in December 2024!! We were lucky to have little traffic + just the right weather to appreciate what winter feels like in Southern California. We had ample time to explore and enjoy the views at Griffin Observatory. The best part was definitely Rodney’s storytelling and excitement to share his city with all of us. He was also extra accommodating by driving and teaching the passengers to use the metro system during our stay.Written December 7, 2024
- 715ronanm0 contributionsTrip to Griffiths Observatory at nightThe views were amazing looking over all of the city and we got to see the moon through the telescope, our driver Rodney was an absolute gentleman and had lofts of facts to share with us on our way to the observatory, would definitely recommend for Rodney alone!Written December 7, 2024
- joslynl1930 contributionsOllie’s TrollyThank you for a great experience, Ollie! You were very knowledgeable and I appreciated your dad jokes! Will recommend!Written December 6, 2024
- X4647Kuser7190 contributions10/10Rodney was an amazing tour guide. He was very funny and informative and very inclusive. He was very knowledgable about the celebrity homes and different stories. Would definitely recommend.Written December 6, 2024
- Y6957MSgeorged0 contributionsBest tour ever with RodneyRodney was fantastic! What a great tour. I highly recommend Rodney as a tour guide. We would do this again and will do so next time around.Written December 5, 2024
- AaronG24250 contributionsAwesome trip if you love moviesWent with Rodney!! Amazing guide and fun person to ride with!! Very friendly!! Knows his places!! Took his time to show many places!!Written December 5, 2024
- Y6620BJjonathanm0 contributionsBrilliant tour and guide!Rodney was the best tour guide ever. A great guy and very knowledgeable of the area. Certainly a must do tour when your in town.Written December 4, 2024
- 223debabratad0 contributionsGreat tourHave a great tour with Ollie as our guide.Adds a lot of humor to his narration. The bus was comfortable as well and for the perfect time duration.Written December 1, 2024
- B3101SGbrandonk0 contributionsCelebrity HousesIt was amazing, we got to see super rich peoples houses and it was so cool. He was very funny and gave us a bunch of facts about the houses.Written November 30, 2024
- 689sanjayr0 contributionsFunny, amazing, fun, silly, and informativeThe views were amazing. Rodney our driver was really funny and set the mood well and provided us with quality information. He was also very nice.Written November 29, 2024
- davidbJ9755JR0 contributionsWe did the red line & blue line, then finished up with celebrity homes tour with Rodney L as our driver/guide.We did the red line & blue line, then finished up with celebrity homes tour with Rodney L as our driver/guide. We enjoyed all . . . Especially Rodney!Written November 25, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
403 reviews
Excellent
165
Very good
67
Average
49
Poor
42
Terrible
80
Tim S
41 contributions
Nov 2019
When looking for Hop-On Hop-Off tours, we tend to look at the Big Bus first and we were not disappointed with the LA experience.
There are two routes covering LA that run every 30 minutes and seem to cover most of the big sightseeing places. There is quite a gap when going to and from Santa Monica Pier / Venice Beach so be warned it can get a little "quiet".
The guides were informative but during these "quiet" times, conversation would often feel "forced".
There are two routes covering LA that run every 30 minutes and seem to cover most of the big sightseeing places. There is quite a gap when going to and from Santa Monica Pier / Venice Beach so be warned it can get a little "quiet".
The guides were informative but during these "quiet" times, conversation would often feel "forced".
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christena I
Spruce Grove71 contributions
Feb 2020
Big Bus Los Angeles Hop-on Hop-off Tour is a great way to see an overview of the city and then go and visit those venues that you are interested in. The guides, Lily and Dillon were especially EXCELLENT! First we ride all the Big Bus loops for a day and the next day we hop-off and the spots we are interested in, so the 2 day tour worked best for us. We particularly liked the red line best with the many venues but if you like the beaches then the beach loop is good too. We were very happy to get around on the Big Bus Tour as it was easy, interesting and convenient. However, the stops were a bit confusing! The driver let us off for Petersen's Automotive Museum but it was NOT the Big Bus stop. We waited there but had to chase the bus to the stop in front of the Art Museum. The addresses of the stops are on the brochure but we missed that detail. We were very happy that we took the Big Bus Tour and the drivers and Tour Guides were GREAT. We would highly recommend this tour.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
xenamomma
Seattle, WA3 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
PROS: One of our tour guides, Dylan, made our time on the bus really fun. He’s very knowledgeable about the city, tells fun stories and throws in irreverent humor. I don’t usually like cheesy tourist activities, but this was a great way to see LA.
CONS: We started in Hollywood, took the red loop, then took the blue loop to the beaches and spent the day at the beaches. We caught the bus in the evening not realizing it would take nearly 4 HOURS to get back to our hotel in Hollywood. Plan accordingly!
CONS: We started in Hollywood, took the red loop, then took the blue loop to the beaches and spent the day at the beaches. We caught the bus in the evening not realizing it would take nearly 4 HOURS to get back to our hotel in Hollywood. Plan accordingly!
Written February 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Max G
4 contributions
The blue/red routes offered by this company drive past most of the interesting places in the Hollywood/Santa Monica Area and the guides do a fair job of pointing out the sights. Unfortunately that was everything positive I can mention.
The price of 50$ a person is far to high in my opinion. I recommend you book over Groupon, that way you only pay 35$ - still quite expensive. For that price both the blue and the red route were to be included. Yet only after I purchased the tickets I was told, that the blue route was not serviced today because of the LA Marathon. While I understand that this is not at the hands of the company, I would have expected the company to be more upfront about - for example to list it on their website.
I was offered to take the blue tour on the following day, but as I was leaving LA that evening and would only return in three weeks, I asked if I could do the tour then. That was apparently not possible.
The bus driver was helpful in finding us an alternative route to Santa Monica.
The price of 50$ a person is far to high in my opinion. I recommend you book over Groupon, that way you only pay 35$ - still quite expensive. For that price both the blue and the red route were to be included. Yet only after I purchased the tickets I was told, that the blue route was not serviced today because of the LA Marathon. While I understand that this is not at the hands of the company, I would have expected the company to be more upfront about - for example to list it on their website.
I was offered to take the blue tour on the following day, but as I was leaving LA that evening and would only return in three weeks, I asked if I could do the tour then. That was apparently not possible.
The bus driver was helpful in finding us an alternative route to Santa Monica.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathryn J
Lytham St Anne's, UK73 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Los Angeles Hop on Hop off handled very badly. At bus stop 1, where we took a taxi to from Downtown hotel, we asked the man about the trips. The Red tour started at 3pm, we had to wait 30 minutes, and he said we could get onto the yellow tour (Santa Monica) at number 7, 3.40pm, don’t get off the yellow tour and it will come back, and we could finish off the Red tour. So we started at 3pm, changed to yellow, we got down to the bottom and the driver stopped and said the term was finished and we had to get off! What? We were 15 miles away from our hotel in downtown, would not be able to finish the yellow and red tour, we paid $44 each (2 of us - elderly). Appalling, what on earth were we supposed to do? We had to walk 1.5 miles to a train station, travelled nearly an hour, the train stopped at Pico, was supposed to go to 7th, which was the end situation in downtown. Was sat on the stopped train for 15 minutes and a man came to tell us to get off cas the train couldn’t go any further! What!! We were chucked off a bus then chucked off a train! We are in our 70’s, from the UK and how would we know where we were?
We ended up having to walk 5 miles altogether to finally get back to the hotel in downtown. What a shocking, disastrous, stressful day. We were appalled at the way Hop on Hop off behaved to us. We normally like Hop on Hop off, have used it all over the world, but the one in Los Angeles was appalling and managed extremely badly
We ended up having to walk 5 miles altogether to finally get back to the hotel in downtown. What a shocking, disastrous, stressful day. We were appalled at the way Hop on Hop off behaved to us. We normally like Hop on Hop off, have used it all over the world, but the one in Los Angeles was appalling and managed extremely badly
Written April 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Kathryn, I am sorry to hear you did not have a good experience with your Hop on Hop off tour, but in reading your review, I don't believe you experienced it with Big Bus Tours Los Angeles. We do not have a yellow tour, or a Santa Monica tour that departs from "Stop 7", but our competitor does. I kindly ask that you remove this review and posted it on the company you actually had this experienced this with. That being said, we never want a Los Angeles visitor to leave unhappy, so I would be honored to offer you complimentary tickets for our Hop on Hop off for the next time you are in Los Angeles. Please reach out to me directly at JamieW@bigbustours.com to arrange. We hope to see you soon
Written April 5, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
RDCM
11 contributions
May 2022
The 1 star is because 0 stars is not an option.
The booking process is AWFUL - booked a ‘deluxe’ ticket so we could hop-on/off for two days, and also do the houses tour. On the web page when describing the deluxe package, it says you will need to book your houses tour at the time of payment. So when it came to payment, a schedule comes up but does not clarify if this is for the two-day ticket to start or for the houses tour. Ended up speaking with someone via the online chat, who cancelled the tickets and rebooked them. Arrived at the visitor centre the next day to be told the tickets for the houses tour had not been cancelled.
Used the hop on/ off ticket for one day and did both routes (red and blue). On the following day we arrived at the houses tour to be told that they had then validated our hop on/off tickets (which had already been validated the day before) so we could use them for the next two days.
Staff on site don’t seem to know what the various ticket types offer or what is on the website, so you end up receiving conflicting information.
We went on two different buses and the headphones were not working on either. Ended up guessing what we were looking at.
The houses tour was ok but you don’t see much and the guide was more concerned with other drivers on the road and commenting on their driving.
Overall, our experience was NOT worth the $180 we paid for two people. Would definitely not recommend.
The booking process is AWFUL - booked a ‘deluxe’ ticket so we could hop-on/off for two days, and also do the houses tour. On the web page when describing the deluxe package, it says you will need to book your houses tour at the time of payment. So when it came to payment, a schedule comes up but does not clarify if this is for the two-day ticket to start or for the houses tour. Ended up speaking with someone via the online chat, who cancelled the tickets and rebooked them. Arrived at the visitor centre the next day to be told the tickets for the houses tour had not been cancelled.
Used the hop on/ off ticket for one day and did both routes (red and blue). On the following day we arrived at the houses tour to be told that they had then validated our hop on/off tickets (which had already been validated the day before) so we could use them for the next two days.
Staff on site don’t seem to know what the various ticket types offer or what is on the website, so you end up receiving conflicting information.
We went on two different buses and the headphones were not working on either. Ended up guessing what we were looking at.
The houses tour was ok but you don’t see much and the guide was more concerned with other drivers on the road and commenting on their driving.
Overall, our experience was NOT worth the $180 we paid for two people. Would definitely not recommend.
Written May 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am so sorry to hear you were disappointed in your experience with us from the booking process to the tour itself. I would appreciate it if you would reach out to me directly at jamiew@bigbustours.com com so we can better understand the specifics of your situation (day you traveled, your booking information, who you spoke with, etc..). This will allow us to look into these issues and ensure that every team member does their part to fulfill our commitment to a great guest experience. I would also like to see how I can turn your negative experience around. I hope to hear from you soon
Written May 25, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nancy
1 contribution
Jan 2020
The tour itself was wonderful!
However, please be aware of the following:
We went on the "Big Bus Tour" as two adults and one child. We hopped on the "Blue" bus route in "Marina Del Rey, CA to start with, as that was where our hotel was. We eventually connected onto the "Red" bus route during the tour and was never informed that we had to be on a specific "Red" bus to bring us back to the "Blue" bus route by 3:30 P.M. We ended up having to contact "Lyft" and paying a fortune to be returned back to our hotel. Make certain you ask if you need to connect on a certain bus by a certain time to be returned back to your starting point.
However, please be aware of the following:
We went on the "Big Bus Tour" as two adults and one child. We hopped on the "Blue" bus route in "Marina Del Rey, CA to start with, as that was where our hotel was. We eventually connected onto the "Red" bus route during the tour and was never informed that we had to be on a specific "Red" bus to bring us back to the "Blue" bus route by 3:30 P.M. We ended up having to contact "Lyft" and paying a fortune to be returned back to our hotel. Make certain you ask if you need to connect on a certain bus by a certain time to be returned back to your starting point.
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marcia C
Clermont, FL55 contributions
I thought I had purchased a 2 day hope on ticket on line. When I got to LA I realised I had not pressed the buy button. The young man (Russian) was fantastic and he was able to honor the on line price. Our first bus our guide was Frank he was really informative , and interactive with the passengers. We were going to Paramount studios for the tour and they were kind enough to point out the entrance to the tour which is totally different to the main gate. Our second ride our guide was Victoria and she too was fantastic. Very knowledgeable, articulate and fun. The second day we got to pick up point 1 and everyone remembered us ( which I thought was great). Victoria was our guide again and she gave us great suggestions. We did do the blue line loop and Jacob was our guide he was good too although not as polished as Victoria and Frank our final tour guide for the red loop I don't remember her name (she was an LA Native) was the least informative and intersctive but we had done the loop before so it was Ok for us - I can see how it might be frustrating for others I want to give a special shout-out to Victoria, Frank, the Russian guy at stop one and the supervisor at stop one who all went the extra mile. Great 2 days!!
Written March 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DD41623
Singapore, Singapore25 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Excellent for a day trip in LA. We took both the Hollywood and Beach loops, getting off at Farmer's Market and spending time at LACMA.
Guide Jackie and driver Samaje were very polite, with Jackie injecting humorous anecdotes in her dialogue.
Could use some airconditioning on the first level of the bus though.
Guide Jackie and driver Samaje were very polite, with Jackie injecting humorous anecdotes in her dialogue.
Could use some airconditioning on the first level of the bus though.
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stay599796
6 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
Reading other reviews this company clearly has a problem with its staff. We bought a 2 day ticket planned our day and route and waited for our bus which did arrive at the stop we were waiting at the time we thought it would however when we boarded the bus we were told our ticket was not for the big bus even though it said big bus tours on it. We were told to get off the bus and wait for the star line bus even though I did try to explain to the driver we did not book a star line tour. She was insistent we were on the wrong bus so we got off and waited for the next star line only to be told by that bus driver we were on the wrong bus and we needed the big bus tour!!! We were treated really badly and had to walk back to our hotel to try and contact big bus. We had a long wait for online chat which appears to be the only way to get through to customer services only to be told we had to contact get my guide who we booked with, get my guide told us we had to contact the big his company!!! Not what you want whilst you are on holiday. Had to get Ubers to visit what we wanted to see and we still don’t know if we are going to get a refund for the tickets we did not get to use, I can’t recommend this tour as I never got to go on it I can however recommend to the big bus company that they sort their staffing issues out maybe some training would be good idea. This negative review was completely avoidable I cannot understand why the driver would not accept our ticket but she did ruin our day.
Written May 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am so sorry to hear about your awful experience and I deeply apologize the driver turned you away.. I would appreciate it if you would reach out to me directly at jamiew@bigbustours.com, this will allow us to look into what happened in your situation and ensure that every team member does their part to fulfill our commitment to a great guest experience. I would also like to see what I can do to make this right. I hope to hear from you soon.
Written May 18, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Yes. Just be mindful of schedule, as the blue line does not run as late as the red line does. The Big Bus app is helpful for this.
Written July 11, 2024
S195GQnicolem
Columbia, South Carolina
Does the prerecorded commentary work from the app?
Written March 14, 2022
The recorded commentary does not work from the app. Headsets are provided to all customers so that they can plug them into the commentary boxes on the side of their seats.
Written July 4, 2022
Isn't the bus tour for kids under 5? Or is it free for under 5 years old children?
Written March 7, 2022
No, the bus is not just for children under 5? Our bus was all adults as for the cost I have no idea as we were all classed as adult price. Maybe you should message the company.
Written March 8, 2022
Is there a map or does it show the places the bus goes ?
Written August 29, 2021
I’ve no idea why Teip Advisor asked me to comment on this page.
I currently in lockdown (in Scotland 🏴) - They don’t know that I’m in lockdown but they do know I visited Los Angeles in September.
Sorry pal I can’t help yah.
Written June 19, 2020
Desearía saber si el servicio de Hop On Hop Off tiene una guia con las paradas que efectua,
Y donde puedo subirme si estaremos alojados en la Hotel Doubletree Downtown Gracias
Written March 8, 2020
Hola si tiene guia de paradas Y para tomarlo le recomiendo busque la pagina de big bus en los angeles ya que queda algo retirado del downtown
Written March 9, 2020
do you get to see the walk of fame and Hollywood sign?
Written January 1, 2020
Hollywood Boulevard is one of the stops so you can get off and see all the Blvd sights including the Walk of Fame. The Hollywood sign is only visible from a distance. We visited the Griffith Observatory separately (a lovely visit) and the Hollywood sign is very clearly and directly visible from there. It’s a pretty place to visit and you do not have to spend money inside the observatory if you don’t want to.
Written January 2, 2020
How long does the entire bus tour take? It says on their website it’s only a two hour tour, but I have the feeling it takes much longer....? Txs!
Written October 14, 2019
Hi. We spent 6hrs getting on and off. Santa Monica stop is defi atly worth getting off. Do the pier. Have a churro from the ladies selling them on the gangway. See the beach. Its amazing. Make sure you have plenty of sunscreen on your face. Wear a hat if it is very hot. Have fun
Written October 15, 2019
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