Hop-On Hop-Off Buses in Los Angeles
Hop-on hop-off in LA: Big Bus from US$59 and Starline from US$57 for 24 hours, routes through Hollywood and to Santa Monica, where to catch them, and when a guided tour is better.
Two companies run hop-on hop-off buses in Los Angeles: Big Bus, from US$59 for 24 hours, and Starline, from US$57, both with open-top double-deckers on a Hollywood route and a beach route to Santa Monica (GetYourGuide, October 2026). Commentary is recorded on both, and both rate lower than the guided Hollywood bus tours.
Check Big Bus hop-on hop-off tickets
Big Bus or Starline
| Big Bus Los Angeles | Starline | |
|---|---|---|
| From, 24 hours | US$59 | US$57 |
| Rating on GetYourGuide | 3.8 from 1,357 reviews | 3.4 from 2,348 reviews |
| Routes | Red Route (Hollywood), Blue Route (Santa Monica) | Hollywood Route, Beach Route, express shuttles |
| Extras | Beach shuttle from Beverly Gardens Park | Direct shuttle to Griffith Observatory |
| Commentary | Recorded, through the Big Bus app | Recorded, streamed through the CitySightseeing LA app |
| Ticket length | 24, 48 or 72 hours | 1 to 3 days |
| Book | Big Bus ticket | Starline ticket |
Prices and ratings as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026.
The two are close. Big Bus rates a little higher and its Blue Route runs to Santa Monica; Starline's ticket includes express shuttles that skip the stops between Santa Monica and Hollywood and a direct shuttle up to Griffith Observatory, one of the two official viewing areas for the Hollywood Sign. One Starline reviewer in October 2026 had a practical warning for the top deck: watch out for low branches.
Where to catch the bus
You can board at any stop on the route once your ticket is active. On Big Bus you activate the ticket in the app on the day and show it to the driver; on Starline the app shows where each bus is in real time. Most people start in Hollywood, where both companies have stops along Hollywood Boulevard by the Walk of Fame and the TCL Chinese Theatre, or in Santa Monica. Check the operator’s route map for the current stops: they change with roadworks and the season, and the listings say open-top seating can close in bad weather.
Is it cheaper to buy online?
On GetYourGuide both tickets come with free cancellation up to 24 hours before and reserve now, pay later, which you do not get at a kiosk. This guide has not compared the price at the curb, so take that as a reason to book ahead rather than a promise of a saving.
Hop-on hop-off or a guided tour
The 24-hour ticket is from US$59 a person as of October 2026 (48- and 72-hour tickets cost more), about the same as a guided half day: Hollywood Bus Tours’ Best of LA City Tour is US$59 for five and a half hours with a live guide, set stops with free time and Santa Monica included. What the hop-on hop-off ticket buys is the freedom to spend two hours at the Farmers Market or the beach and pick the bus up later.
It suits you if you have more than a day, want to visit museums or shops along the route, or are staying near a stop. It suits you less if you have one morning: you will spend part of it waiting for buses, and the recorded commentary is no substitute for a guide pointing out a house as you pass it. For that, the two-hour open-air celebrity homes loop, from US$32, covers the Hollywood Hills that the hop-on hop-off routes skirt.
See the guided half day with stops instead
Packages with a celebrity tour
Both companies sell combinations. Big Bus pairs its day ticket with the TMZ Celebrity Tour, a two-hour guided tour on a bus with screens showing TMZ’s entertainment news, from US$99; Starline has a celebrity homes and hop-on hop-off package from US$82. Both packages have only a handful of reviews on GetYourGuide so far, and the TMZ tour itself does not let you hop off.
The best tour guide compares the guided tours, and the departure guide lists where each one starts.
Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Los Angeles
Open-top double-decker buses on a Red Route through Hollywood, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills and a Blue Route to Santa Monica, with recorded commentary through the Big Bus app and souvenir earbuds. Tickets for 24, 48 or 72 hours, from US$59 a person for 24 hours as of October 2026, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Big Bus Tickets