Best Local Tour Guides in Los Angeles

A small Los Angeles-based company built by travelers, A Day in LA Tours focuses on bringing 100 percent customer satisfaction. Founded in 2011, their famous buses and excellent guides also focus on keeping each guest entertained throughout the day while also seeing the most notable sights in Los Angeles. They offer public and private tours that cruise through to see famous sights including the Hollywood Sign, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and more.

Established by two pilots in 2014, Anthelion Helicopters is based in Long Beach and focuses on bringing the highest level of safety and professionalism for each visitor. A premier helicopter tour and flight training school for the Los Angeles area, the founders Nina and Alex both bring a unique blend of helicopter flight and commercial pilot training experience to Southern California. The company offers helicopter tours, aerial photography flights, and helicopter training classes. They are rated on Yelp.

Founded by Laura, an architectural historian and guidebook author, in 2000 after moving to Los Angeles and finding inspiration in the history of the city’s architecture, Architecture Tours L.A. specializes in the history and knowledge of the local architecture, artistic experimentation, cultural representation, and widely varying styles. The company provides tour packages that include a Special Frank Lloyd Wright Tour, a Special Frank Gehry Tour, a Hollywood Tour, a Silver Lake Tour, a Downtown L.A. Tour, and more. Laura is a member of the Historical Society of Southern California, the Society of Architectural Historians, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, The Los Angeles Conservancy, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Architecture Tours L.A. earned awards that include the Certificate of Excellence in 2015 and 2016 by TripAdvisor, the Best of Entertainment Runner-Up Award for Best Downtown Tour by DT News, and an Excellent rating by TripAdvisor.

Founded in 1993 by Peter Lowry, Group 3 Aviation originally started as a small company with one helicopter. Through the years, they have grown and also offers training courses and private flights. The company provides tours that include fly and dine packages, helicopter photo flights, Malibu Peak landing tours, Valentine’s Day special offers, helicopter sightseeing tours, charters, and more.

Located at Torrance Airport, JJ Helicopters, Inc. features tours for every day and special occasions such as wedding proposals, romantic tours, and more. The company offers helicopter tours of Southern California and Los Angeles with views of the Hollywood Bowl, the homes of movie stars, Beverly Hills, Universal Studio, China Town, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Sign, and more. They also provide aerial photography, rentals, pilot training, and more. They are rated by TripAdvisor and Yelp.

Offering public and private beer tours of Los Angeles seven days a week, LA Beer Hop features tours of the award-winning, nationally acclaimed, and culture of real beer craftsmanship in and around the area. All tours last around four and a half hours and include bottled water, a personal Beer Guide, a flight of beer at each location, and behind-the-scenes brewery access. They provide private tours and tours of Long Beach, East and Central Los Angeles, South Bay, Orange County, and more.

Featuring a fun-loving attitude since being founded in 1981, LA City Tours focuses on bringing the best tours at the best price by treating each customer like an out-of-town family member while sharing the great sights of Los Angeles. Their goal for each tour is to provide a therapeutic, relaxing, and educational experience with warm and friendly services. Their tour packages include the Total Hollywood Experience™, the LAX Layover Tour, the LA City Tour with Celebrity Homes and Beaches, the Hollywood Celebrity and Star Homes Tour, the Hollywood Grand City Tour, and more. They are rated by TripAdvisor.

A custom tour company, LA Insider Tours focuses on offering unforgettable and private sightseeing tours of Santa Monica, Venice, Hollywood, Los Angeles, and more. They pick each customer and tour group up from their home, hotel, cruise terminal, or the airport for a fun, descriptive, and story-telling adventure. The company provides experienced and knowledgeable guides, which means each tour reaps the benefits of getting to see more of Los Angeles’ culture, shopping, hiking, history, or whatever each group wants from the city. They are rated by TripAdvisor.

Based in Van Nuys since 2010, Lite Flight Helicopters focus on providing the best tour experience of Los Angeles with professional and courteous pilots and satisfied customers. They feature a catered approach to special events and occasions. Their tour packages include a Premier Celebrity Tour, a Signature Red Carpet Tour, a Malibu Coast Tour, a City Lights Tour, a Hollywood Tour, and more. The company also offers Coachella charters, flight certificates, and other charter flights. They are rated on Yelp.

Based in Fullerton, Los Angeles Helicopter Rides focuses on providing excellent customer service and breathtaking and panoramic views of Los Angeles and Southern California from the comfort of an air-conditioned, modern, and stable helicopter. All rides last 30 minutes to an hour and packages that include views of famous sights including the Hollywood Bowl, Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium, the Queen Mary, Downtown Long Beach, Orange County Beaches, and more. The company also offers aerial photography and golf ball drop services.

A premier transportation company, LuxBus America specializes in corporate shuttles, daily sightseeing, charters, and private tours between and through Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Orange County. The company focuses on exceeding each clients’ expectations with state-of-the-art motor coaches and services. Their tours in Los Angeles include sights of the beaches and several Hollywood highlights.

Based in Burbank at the world-famous Bob Hope Airport, Orbic Air holds over 20 years of experience providing premiere tours for Southern California. Founded in 1981, the company focuses on providing personalized and customizable tours for every budget and adventure. Their helicopter tour packages include scenic air-only tours, exclusive landing tours, charter services, aerial cinematography, and more. Each tour offers iconic sights of Santa Monica, Malibu, Hollywood, and Los Angeles.

Working to bring the stories of America to life since 1999, Red Line Tours is based in Los Angeles in the Egyptian Theatre courtyard in Hollywood. The Los Angeles tour focuses on taking each person back in time to the “Golden Era” of Hollywood with private and group tours. Each tour offers views of the behind-the-scenes Hollywood Tour, Madame Tussauds, movie star’s houses, Rodeo Drive, the Sunset Strip, and more. They are rated by TripAdvisor.

Based in the metro Los Angeles area and established in 2009, Star Helicopters provides premier helicopter tours of Los Angeles and aerial photography services with professional pilots and excellent sights during each tour. Each flight lasts from 15 minutes to two hours to help each client create a long-lasting memory. Their tour packages and gift tours include custom tours, couples, graduation gifts romantic tours, prom dates, birthday gifts, marriage proposals, wedding gift, and more. They also offer other aerial services, helicopter pilot training, private jet charters, and tours.

A fully immersive adventure, Sunnyday Scoot offers tours and rides in super fun 3 wheel, 2-seat scooters. It's one of the most unique sightseeing experience in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world. Top sights on the tours include the Hollywood Sign, the Gene Autry National Museum, the Old Zoo, famous film locations, Griffith Observatory, and more. Every tour includes a professional guide, bottled water, helmets, binoculars, safety and operational training, memories, and fun. Sunnyday Scoot's tours include a Movie Tour, Imagination Tour, Red Carpet Tour, a Sunrise Tour, Day and Night Adventure Rides, and Romance Packages. Sunnyday Scoot has a 100% 5 Star rating by Yelp, is rated Excellent by TripAdvisor, and has a top recommendation from Ask A Concierge by Sarah Dandashy.