Los Angeles Sightseeing

Los Angeles is a dream destination for many. As the filming location for numerous movies and the home of Hollywood, it attracts thousands of tourists every year. 'El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Ángeles' (English: 'The Town of the Queen of Angels') is also called the 'horizontal city' due to its flat architecture, which is comparatively low for American standards. In this article

The pleasant temperatures ranging from 18 - 30 degrees Celsius make California's largest city a year-round travel destination. Due to the high population density, traveling to L.A. can be a true test of patience. The traffic is simply overwhelming, and traffic jams are part of everyday life, just like sunshine, burgers, and Venice Beach.

Visitors to Los Angeles who want to explore the city can do so best and quickest with a tour. We have tested various tours and activities in Los Angeles to select the best for you. This way, you can experience the city from different perspectives and make the most of your vacation.

Enjoy reading and booking!

Helicopter tours are popular for exploring cities from a different perspective. That's why we booked the 'L.A. Classic' sunset flight.

The flight starts from the heliport in Fullerton and takes you for about 30 minutes over downtown, Dodgers Stadium, Griffith Observatory, and up to the Hollywood Sign.

Unfortunately, we couldn't get as close as usual because there was a bushfire that needed to be tackled right behind it. The airspace was crowded with helicopters, and we would have disturbed the firefighting efforts.

The sunset light was impressive and provided us with an unforgettable helicopter ride.

If you're looking for an extraordinary experience, a flight without doors is just the thing. No reflections and perfect photos are the result!

As we did in New York, we booked with FlyNyon. By coincidence, we discovered that there was a 50% discount on all flights in L.A. and immediately booked our flight.

Our tip: Book the flight on one of the first days of your stay. If the flight cannot take place for various reasons, you have additional buffer days for the tour.

The Secret Food Tour was already familiar to us from San Francisco. If you love food, you should definitely book this tour. It takes you on foot through areas like Downtown or Venice Beach, the neighborhood of artists and creatives.

We chose the Venice tour to get an impression of our neighborhood, where we also had our Airbnb. Our guide was a real local who had lived in Venice for many years. He guided us through the streets of Venice Beach.

What we particularly liked about the food tour in Venice was that the portions were manageable everywhere. We've experienced tours where we ended up feeling stuffed.

The five stops in Venice were really well chosen. We were even able to revise our first impression of the boardwalk. Initially, we thought there was nothing but cheap tourist food, but thanks to the Secret Tours, we discovered some true gems waiting for us.

The hot dog and poke stand from Jody Maloni was a real explosion of flavor. We had never tasted such good poke. His hot dogs are also really extraordinary and definitely worth a try.

In between, we also wandered through side streets, photographed street art, and admired the famous canals of Venice. It's really a shame that a large part of the canals was filled in during the 1920s.

Of course, we don't want to list all the stops of our tour here so that there's still an element of surprise.

We can only highly recommend this tour. Those who book a tour with Secret Food Tours receive a discount code for their next tour. We are more than happy to take advantage of this offer and will book another food tour in the next city.

I love hip hop. I've been listening to music from the USA for as long as I can remember. That's why it was an absolute must for me to join a tour in L.A. that focuses on the music of my youth.

We booked the tour with L.A. Hood Life. The minivan began in Hollywood and took us directly to the famous East and Westside. Our guide Steven was a true original from Compton. He himself is a gang member and spent several years in prison. Now he gives tours in his own and the 'enemy' territory, the rival gang's area.

The tour is very intimate, as only a maximum of 11 guests can fit in the minivan. If you book the tour, you should make sure to sit on the left side of the vehicle, where most of the sights can be seen.

Getting out of the van happens rarely. But from the car, you can see many important places for hip hop. The area where the members of N.W.A. grew up, filming locations for many famous movies from the hip-hop scene, and even great street art dedicated to the artists from the neighborhood.

This tour is truly only for hip hop fans from the 90s and 2000s. Compton is definitely not part of regular sightseeing, and it is not particularly 'pretty' there.

However, if you're looking to see the house featured on Kendrick Lamar's album cover 'Good Kid, Maad City,' you'll be fully satisfied here. During the drive, songs from the artists discussed by Steve were played continuously.

Important info: If the question comes up, whether I felt safe. Yes, I did, there was no situation I found dangerous. Steve is well-known in the neighborhood and, in my opinion, highly regarded. Additionally, this tour is definitely not for young children. Consumption of alcohol and marijuana is allowed during the tour, and the music in the van is really loud.

We love street art. Wherever we go, we try to book a tour to learn more about local artists, political influences, or life in that particular city.

In L.A., there is so much street art spread throughout the city that we couldn't decide what to see first.

During our research, we stumbled upon the Mural Map. This Google map can be saved for free and provides you with all murals and street art motifs right on your smartphone. This way, while exploring the city, you can always check if there's a nice piece nearby.

The best part about the Mural Map: it's constantly updated and includes images and additional information. Those who love street art know that not every artwork remains forever.

A great idea that we also tried out.

Universal Studios in Hollywood is a must for many when they are in Los Angeles. We also visited Universal Studios Hollywood. Wow, we are at a loss for words while writing this article.

We truly recommend visiting and seriously suggest booking the seemingly pricey Universal Studios VIP Experience tickets. The experience is truly unique, and with this, you have the chance to explore the entire park in one day even during high visitor traffic.

You have the advantage of skipping right past the very long queues. Additionally, there is free valet parking, breakfast and lunch, and a movie set tour including a walk-through and guidance. Especially the express pass for the rides saves you so much time. When it gets really crowded in the park, the wait can quickly reach 3 hours.

Do you want to know where the celebrities hang out or where they live? During this guided tour through Hollywood, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills on an open-top bus, you'll see the key places where stars and starlets like to spend their time and where you can find their homes.

The celebrity houses in Beverly Hills are worth seeing and are often hidden. This tour also includes a stop at a spot where you have a fascinating view of Los Angeles from the Hollywood Sign.

We booked the tour here at Get your Guide in advance (because it's popular and sells out quickly)

We really didn't leave anything out in L.A. and tested the best tours in the city. With the variety of activities, we truly got to know the city from all perspectives.

We would definitely recommend booking a tour to discover L.A. more easily and thoroughly. With a guide, you not only learn more about a city, but you also gain a better overview and can revisit important places later on. Plus, almost all guides have little insider tips that you won't find in any travel guide. Just ask.

Another important note: Guides are generously tipped in the USA. So always have enough cash on hand to tip your guide. The hourly wage in the USA is relatively low and the tip is part of their salary.

Have you already taken a tour in L.A. that you can recommend? Feel free to share in the comments what you particularly enjoyed.

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