The Best Experience Gift Ideas For Someone Visiting Los Angeles

The easiest way to gift someone a Los Angeles experience is to purchase a tour without selecting a date. This way, you can choose the experience you want to gift and let your loved one decide when they’d like to go. You’ll receive a purchase confirmation to pass along to them, and they’ll have a full year from the purchase date to redeem it and enjoy the experience whenever it works best for them.

We have been running sightseeing tours out of Hollywood since 1935, when the original Movie Stars Homes Tour started with three limousines and a chauffeur with an idea. Starline Tours is now the largest tour company in Los Angeles, with more than 2 million guests and a 4.8 out of 5 rating across 50,000-plus verified reviews. Our kiosk sits in front of the Dolby Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Blvd, so the gift you hand over begins in the middle of Hollywood instead of at the end of a long drive.

You can gift a specific experience on several of our tours without choosing a date. Once you complete your purchase, you’ll receive two confirmation emails within a few minutes: one from us with the tour details and another from our payment provider as proof of payment. You can print the tour confirmation and wrap it as a gift or simply forward the email to your recipient. When they’re ready to plan their visit, they can contact us to arrange their dates. The tour will remain valid for one year from the purchase date.

The practical advantage is that the experience is already chosen and paid for. The full value goes to one thing, nothing sits unspent in a drawer, and the person receiving it does not have to research which of our tours they want. Buying online is also faster and cheaper than purchasing at our terminal, so the gift costs you less than the walk-up price.

Match the tour to how the person travels. Give the two-hour Celebrity Homes Tour to anyone who follows Hollywood, a multi-day Hop-On Hop-Off pass to someone who prefers setting their own pace, and the winter Night Tour to a couple who want city lights.

The Celebrity Homes Tour runs daily, year-round, for $49, in English or Spanish, with a live guide rather than a recording. Two hours covers Beverly Hills estates, Rodeo Drive, the Mulholland Drive studio overlooks and the Sunset Strip past the Whisky a Go Go and the Comedy Store. We are permitted in exclusive neighborhoods other tour companies cannot enter, and the homes we pass vary out of respect for owner privacy. Available as an open-dated gift.

Hop-On Hop-Off passes start at $50 for the Hollywood Red Route, $58 for a one-day pass, $73 for two days and $86 for three. Narration is pre-recorded in nine languages, which makes this the right gift for a relative flying in from abroad. Routes cover Hollywood, Beverly Hills, the beaches and Downtown. Passes are available as an open-dated gift, which suits someone whose flights are not booked yet. Check the route map before choosing.

The Hollywood Night Tour Starring Griffith Observatory is $50 and departs at 5 PM in winter from our Visitor Center inside Ovation Hollywood, Suite #203. It runs 1.5 to 2 hours with a 30-minute stop at the Observatory overlook. The museum inside is closed Mondays, so pick another night. Also available as an open-dated gift.

Most options fall between $10 and $70. Self-guided audio walking tours of Hollywood or Beverly Hills are $10 each, or $20 for the pass covering all of them. Celebrity Homes and the Night Tour are $49 each. The full-day Hollywood, Griffith Observatory, LA City and Beach Tour is $70.

On an open-dated gift, nothing needs to change. They choose the day when they are ready, inside the year from purchase.

If you booked a specific date, we move it. Contact us at least 6 hours before the tour and we can reschedule it to another date, subject to availability, with no penalty for the change. Celebrity Homes and Holiday Lights departures also carry free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure. For all-day tours, reach us at least 24 hours ahead to process a cancellation and refund. Some tours carry their own policy and a rebooking fee can apply, so ask when you book. Miss a Holiday Lights departure and you can rebook for $20 per person. The fastest way to change anything is to call (323) 463-3333.

A private charter. We build custom itineraries from 2 to 7 hours on any day of the week, with vehicles ranging from 9-seater vans to 86-seat double deckers and luxury coaches. Private tours start at $530 and are quoted per vehicle rather than per person, which makes the cost predictable for a team.

For a group that wants something darker, Hollywood Secrets and Scandals runs as a private tour only, 2.5 to 3 hours from the Dolby Theatre, at $449 for a 12-passenger vehicle or $649 for 24 passengers. The route takes in the Hollywood Roosevelt, the Magic Castle, Château Marmont, the Viper Room and a 30-minute guided walk through Westwood Village Memorial Park, where Marilyn Monroe is buried.

Pick the tour, decide whether you are giving a set date or leaving it open, and keep the confirmation email. Browse all tours or the seasonal and specialty lineup, then book online. Planning a group gift or a company outing? Request a private quote and tell us the date and headcount. Questions about dates, languages or accessibility? Call (323) 463-3333 or check our FAQ.

Already booked and need to change something? Manage your booking here.

Yes. You buy a specific tour and your recipient decides when they’d like to go, which gives them the flexibility to fit it around their plans. This option is available for our Hop-On Hop-Off passes, Night Tour, and Starline tours, and each purchase remains valid for 365 days from the date of purchase.

Buy it open-dated. You do not need to pick a day at checkout, and they have a year from the purchase date to redeem it. For a smaller gift with the same flexibility, the $20 Self-Guided Tour Pass for our Hollywood and Beverly Hills audio walking tours works any day they like.

The two-hour Celebrity Homes Tour for someone who wants Hollywood specifically, or the $70 full-day Hollywood, Griffith Observatory, LA City and Beach Tour for someone who wants the whole city in one day. That one departs at 9:30 AM from our Visitor Center inside Ovation Hollywood, Suite #203.

Yes. The Celebrity Homes Tour is offered in English or Spanish, chosen at booking. Hop-On Hop-Off narration is pre-recorded in nine languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French and Italian. Download our app and unlock it with the code in the confirmation email.

An open-dated gift can be bought any time, since the date is set later. If you are giving a dated departure, confirm at least 24 hours ahead, and earlier for anything in late November or December. The Holiday Lights tour runs on set dates between November 21 and December 27, 2026, and those evenings fill first.