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LA Insider Tours
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LA Insider Tours

See all things to do
See all things to do
LA Insider Tours
5
593 reviews
#31 of 517 Tours & Activities in Los Angeles
City Tours • Cultural Tours • Movie & TV Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Private Tours
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Family Friendly Custom Tours of LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. We specialize in personable, entertaining, one-on-one tour experiences showing you the real Los Angeles in private, unmarked vehicles. We pick you up directly at your hotel and return you at the end of your tour. No scrambling to get to a meeting location or waiting on a bus while the tour company goes from hotel to hotel picking up other passengers. You get to choose what you see, when you see it, and how you see it. It's a custom tour and best of all completely private -- stop for a photo op anywhere you like or just feel free to act silly with family and friends without worrying about what the other strangers on the tour will think. See the city as an LA insider with local knowledge from people who live here - it's just like having a friend in town.
Los Angeles, California
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
5.0
593 reviews
Excellent
560
Very good
23
Average
6
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Natasha D
18 contributions
Amazing Tour
Dec 2019 • Family
The tour we chose was the Build your own Tour. Carter picked us up from our Santa Monica Hotel, he was an awesome guide, very knowledgeable about the places we were visiting. We had asked if we could be dropped at the Staples centre at 5.30pm and because we spent less time at certain attractions, Carter suggested a couple more places to go to kill some time, one place was like an arts co-op store where lots of different artists sell their work, this place was amazing, we bought a couple of items, would have bought more if we didnt have to go to the Basketball. The second place he suggested was an arcade called Two-Bit Circus, this place was awesome, we had so much fun there, I would highly recommend it. We only stayed for an hour but it was brilliant.
I would highly recommend LA Insider Tours, being able to build our own tour was brilliant and well worth the money spent, even when we were organising the tour, nothing was a problem. Thank you Carter and LA Insider Tour Team, this was a definate highlight on our holiday.
Written January 12, 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.
Judy K
Boston, Massachusetts, United States1 contribution
LA insider tour
Dec 2019 • Family
If you are going to visit LA, this is the way to tour the city. Our private tour with Wynter was amazing. So knowledgable on all touristy things about LA. Took us to the best viewing spots and catered to our needs (water, umbrellas, even detoured so I could get warmed clothes on a chilly day). I can't recommend this company and tour enough.
Written January 14, 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.
LA Insider Tours
Thank you so much for your feedback and we hope to see you again in LA!
Written January 15, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
DownersAustralia
Melbourne100 contributions
Private LA Tour for family of five
Dec 2014 • Family
My family of five, including three teenage boys had limited time in LA so we decided to look into a private one day tour of Los Angeles. I contacted LA Insider Tours a couple of days before arriving to organise the tour and was very pleased they could accommodate us. Because our hotel was located in Hollywood there were sites we would visit on our own, so we decided to 'build our own tour' of LA. These details were easy to organise through the web site and later via email.
Our tour guide, Lili was lovely and very accommodating. She did not hesitate to ask each of us if there was anything in particular we wanted to see. The day included a visit to Rodeo Drive, Beverlly Hills, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Farmers Market and Griffith Observatory. I would not hesitate to recommend LA Insider Tours and Lili was fantastic.
Review of: Private Hollywood and Los Angeles in a Day Tour
Written January 14, 2015
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.
TravellingTaaj
Australia13 contributions
Disappointed
Dec 2015 • Family
Firstly this tour was booked absolutely last minute and the lady on the phone was fantastic at fitting our party in. We had been let down by a company we had booked months earlier. She was so accommodating. I WANTED to write that I enjoyed this tour. However as the price was close to $850 AUD, and we found the tour definitely below par, I simply cannot record our experiences incorrectly. Our guide was on time which was good. The vehicle was superbly clean and a car seat was provided for our daughter. Refreshments were provided, however I was a tad surprised when our guide informed us that as the other guides had taken the cold drinks, ours were luke warm, hmmm, maybe he could have picked up some ice rather than shrugging. We were staying in a fantastic apartment in Hollywood so did not need the Hollywood Walk of Fame component nor did we need the Santa Monica Pier. This appeared to totally throw him. I was confident that a guide with the level of experience that he had we would have a fantastic time anyway. A party member is a movie tragic, who was firing questions at the guide. I started to question our choice when the guide told us that all of those movies were shot on a lot. I tried to tell him ( whilst not sounding rude) that we had the addresses of these movie houses. Then told that he had never heard of the suburbs. I text a friend who lives in LA to check and she confirmed that the places very much were real. Stopped at Venice Beach ( soooo excited), guide git out of the car and opened the doors. We hopped out and dutifully followed behind him ( nothing was said......at all). Crossed the road and the guide would answer questions only if we instigated the conversation. Occasionally he would become animated and chat, interspersed with long periods of silence. We were mesmerised by Venice Beach and would have enjoyed it more if we had the opportunity to purchase a drink but as we were not told WHAT we were doing, our money was left in the vehicle. Totally ruined the experience as we had a toddler in tears as she could not have an ice cream ( we had booked a family friendly tour). Honestly he only had to say " Hey folks we are going to have a quick walk along the beach here for ten minutes", and we would have been prepared. Arrived back at the vehicle and warm soft drinks were handed out ( our son is rarely allowed soft drinks and even he did not drink it). My patience was really tested when we asked a question and we were told to google it. Seriously. We asked to stop for a quick meal break which he did. There was no interaction with us at all which was uncomfortable. He ate and then said he was going to the car to listen to the football. I took his " take your time I am listening to the game", more as a direction than a casual phrase. We stopped at the Hollywood sign and I asked about the cross to the left. I was dumbfounded when he said he had no idea! A quick Google search provided the answers ( remembering I was not being paid). We quickly went by the house Michael Jackson died in ( no he did not know anything about the house, but Google told us). Drove past the Spelling mansion and luckily I had the window down so I heard what another guide was telling their patrons. The number of questions left unanswered went from uncomfortable to absurd. My data usage for the trip must have been astronomical. An example was: " so this is the most expensive house being built here at the moment". When we asked who we were told he did not know. A Google search answered it.....sigh. He did become animated occasionally when talking about his other job ( frankly by this stage I did not care, I wanted him to point out places of interest rather than us asking what it was as we drive past), and his home sides football game ( turns out that was all the pings on his mobile). I understand he was not rostered to work that day BUT we paid full price for a guide who did little more than ferry us around and listen to the football. As a parent the driving also concerned me, several times we hit or mounted the curb and brushed against trees, several times this was whilst he was using his phone to look up things, apparently he did not know he was working and was not prepared with his iPad etc, hmmm. When we arrived back my son was so disappointed that the main destination of the tour was not visited. The guide had assured him it would happen. Tears ensued. After reading the reviews ( trust me I read a lot) I think we just had the guide on a really, really bad day........really bad. I was not going to post a review BUT I use TripAdvisor a lot and use the reviews to plan my holidays. We have had numerous tours around the world and this was one of the most disappointing. To be honest I feel this guide was not up to performing his duties that day, as reading other reviews about him they are glowing. So very disappointed.
Written December 1, 2015
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.
LAInsiderTours
Hello Tamara and thank you for the valuable feedback. We are also very disappointed that you did not receive the experience that others have received on our tours. I will be speaking with the guide in question and if necessary we will part ways, as the tour you've described is absolutely not up to the very high standards we have for our guides and our tours. If you are willing to try us again, I would like to offer you a free tour of any length as compensation for your disappointing experience. I know we can do better and we'd like to try. Please contact us and we can arrange it for you.
Written December 1, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Fritz1998
New York City, NY2 contributions
Full Day - Build Your Own Tour
Aug 2015 • Family
Great day with Scott! He is great has a tremendous personality & is a wealth of information!! We built our own tour to cater to our 3 teens. We visited the Hollywood Sign, toured the homes of Hollywood stars of their generation and then of ours. Made a stop at the Farmers Market for lunch and was able to shop at The Grove. Went to Santa Monica and Venice Beach. We also stopped at DASH in West Hollywood. We went to Rodeo Drive and drove through Beverly Hills. It was a great day as we saw all we set out to see. Thank you so much Scott for a most memorable experience!!!!!!
Written September 3, 2015
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.
The6travellers
Canberra, Australia79 contributions
Outstanding!
Jan 2015 • Family
Two years ago we arranged a private tour which was a complete waste of money, so we were a touch nervous arranging another. We had nothing to worry about! Our Build Your Own Tour with Rivers was exactly what we wanted - and more! We got to see many of the stars homes that our Tweens wanted to see, and the whole trip Rivers was able to offer interesting and entertaining commentary. Rivers took us to a great spot for seeing the Hollywood sign, the Whimsical Alley store was a bit of fun, Farmers Market was a great spot for lunch, and we also really enjoyed the La Brea Tar Pits which Rivers was able to explain to the kids. It wasn't a perfect day weather wise, but Rivers adjusted the order of our tour and so in the end we didn't miss anything. We really enjoyed talking to Rivers about the history of LA and the area - it really added to the tour by having someone who knew a lot about how the city had grown and become what it is now.
The best thing about this tour was that we got to see all of what we wanted, and nothing that we didn't.
The vehicle was very comfortable and Rivers was courteous and personable.
Highly recommend this tour! The best!
Written January 13, 2015
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.
Tigers 171920
Hepburn Springs, Australia37 contributions
LOOK NO FURTHER
Dec 2014 • Family
If you are reading these letters to decide on which tour to choose, then look no further. This is an amazing experience, with excellent staff.
I can recall doing a bus tour of LA a number of years ago, and that tour did not remotely compare to what we experienced with our number one guide Rivers.
Our family of four, including two boys aged 13 and 10, had the best day possible. Rivers took us to so many attractions, that quite simply, a bus either couldn't get too, or would take too long to get too. I requested a number of sites to visit, which Rivers had not been to before, but he found them without any dramas at all. Places such as Jerry Seinfelds apartment, which is actually in LA, the Cunninghams house from Happy Days, A couple of the schools from the movie Grease as well as Pretty Woman movie sites.
Rivers took us to the best spot for the Hollywood sign, Griffith Observatory, which had the best views due to a monster storm the previous day, which had cleared the LA smog, as well as the Farmers Market, which was a great spot for lunch.
All the other usual places to fit in were visited, including Walk of Stars, Stars Houses, Dolby Theatre, Beverly Hills and more. My youngest even requested a couple of his favourite stars, to which Rivers turned a couple of corners and took a photo of him in front of one of his favourite personalities, Ariana Grandes house. We managed to see Zac Efron as well and the day finished at Venice Beach, with a visit to the Venice Canals, which I had never heard of, but a must see.
Another bonus is the ability Rivers had with the camera. Turns out Rivers is an award winning photographer and our photos were superb. A last request as we were being dropped off for a supermarket close by, was met with a diversion by Rivers, who took us there, into his own time and he then waited for us and delivered us to our door.
We cant speak highly enough of LA insider Tours. We had an awesome 28 days in the USA, and this one was as good as any of them.
Thanks very much to you all.
Lindsay, Nicole, Tyler, Liam
Written January 6, 2015
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.
DocWW
Orange Beach, AL33 contributions
Short notice, VERY personalized
Oct 2014 • Couples
We flew in for 48 hours to visit our son at USC. We called for a whirlwind 4 hour LA/Hollywood tour, and they set one up for the 5 of us with 2 hours of our call. Our guide, Rivers, pulled up in a mini-van and we were off. He had a planned agenda that he expertly adjusted to make sure we saw what we were looking for. His knowledge about the area, both historical and contemporary, was excellent and his relaxed attitude made it one of the best tours we have taken. It was a bit expensive, but the personal touch made it worth the cost. If you want to see the area like a local, this is as close as you can get unless your Uncle lives there.
Written November 2, 2014
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.
Kathleen D
Long Island, NY28 contributions
Such a Great Experience !
Sep 2015 • Family
We were in LA for 3 days with only one day open to see the city. Wanting to make the most of our limited time, we took a chance on LA Insider's "All L.A. in a Day" tour and we are so glad we did! The tour promised a chance to visit all the sights we were interested in and, as a private tour, the freedom to spend as much or as little time as we wanted at each stop along the way. The company promptly answered all my questions prior to booking and making the reservation online was quick and easy. Our tour guide, Christina, arrived early to pick us up at our hotel at 8:30. She is such a great personality that by the time we set out for the tour, we had already adopted her as a family member! After a stop for some coffee (our request) we headed for Hollywood. We spent a lot of time here as my son is a huge movie buff and wanted to see all the stars along the walk of fame. So nice not to be pressured to move on to the next point of the tour until we were ready to go. Christina was terrific, adapting the tour to our interests, bringing us to see homes of the stars we liked best, and taking group pics at all the right places. Lunch at the Farmer's Market was the most relaxing meal of our California trip; Delicious and reasonable with a distinctly LA atmosphere. We even had a celebrity sighting as we dined ! We really enjoyed the entire excursion, but my favorite moment was probably seeing my young daughter climbing to the top of the ropes, amidst the hardcore muscle, on Muscle Beach! We truly felt we had seen "all of LA" and send many thanks to Christina and LA Insider Tours for such a great experience !
Written September 29, 2015
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.
Emma J
Essex, UK3 contributions
Best way to experience LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, in a day
Aug 2015 • Family
We opted for this tour as we wanted to experience the best of LA but only had a day to do so. Our tour guide, Christina, was fantastic, she arrived on time with a big smile and lots of energy and proceeded to spend the day driving all over LA, making sure we came away having ticked all the key sight seeing boxes. Nothing was too much trouble, we walked in to iconic hotels, strolled along Hollywood Blvd, visited Venice with muscle beach and Santa Monica Pier, as well as visited the Hollywood sign from an exclusive vantage point, which made for some great pics. We also managed to take sneaky peaks at many of the homes belonging to the great and good of the showbiz world (or a least there security gates)! For those who have never been to LA the thing we quickly learnt was that everything is spread out and there is no actual centre, so to see everything without someone who has the knowledge and insights to bring it all together would be a very stressful and I suspect a disappointing experience. One of the big advantages to using a private tour is that you control the time you spend in places, you don't have to deal with the demands of strangers or any parking challenges and the LA traffic (which is impossible to avoid unless you know this town well). We travelled as two families with a five year old and 15 year old and everyone had a brilliant time. Highly recommend this tour and the lovely, Christina, whose input and patience made it extra special.
Written September 4, 2015
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.
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LA Insider Tours (Los Angeles) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go