Welcome to Los Angeles
One of the things I love the most about traveling is walking the streets of a city, experiencing its sights, sounds and smells (hopefully good ones), and discovering a new world. In the past I’d get a guide book. Often I got lost! While traveling in Europe in 2012 though, I did a guided walking tour and I realized it’s the best way get to know a city. I got a quick history lesson, saw most of the best sights and was able to ask all the important questions I had (like where’s the best place for breakfast) from a local, who’s knowledgable and passionate about their home city. I got so much more out my trip.
I wanted to do a tour like that here, but all I could find were bus tours of Beverly Hills mansions (most of which have never had a star living in them) and Rodeo Drive, which is one of the least interesting parts of L.A. So as an Angeleno who loves traveling, and loves his city, I decided to start a new company, offering visitors totally different tours, ones that would reveal a whole other, much more interesting, side of the city.
I want to show you the L.A. that I love, which many tourists never experience, where different cultures meet, history’s made and there’s beauty around every corner, both architectural and natural. I want to show you the real Los Angeles.
Damien, founder of The Real Los Angeles Tours
The Real Los Angeles Tours has a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for receiving over 325 5-star reviews.
We have Los Angeles tours for all budgets: free self guided tours, group tours from just $25 pp & private tours from just $150 per group.
We get off the beaten track to reveal the hidden beauty of Los Angeles, making your visit a truly memorable & enjoyable experience.
Our expert guides create entertaining & engaging tours, which will transform your understanding & appreciation of L.A.
Our Los Angeles Tours Calendar
Our Story
The Real Los Angeles Tours is an independent company. We launched in 2013 and since then more than 10,000 guests, from over 100 countries, have joined us. L.A. has a huge amount of history, culture, art, beautiful architecture and great food and our mission has always been to give our guests an authentic experience of that – what we call the real Los Angeles. That’s why we don’t use tour buses, because you can’t experience the city from a moving vehicle, you need to walk the streets, take the Metro or jump on a bicycle. As well as being the best kinds of tours anyway they’re the most eco-friendly too. That’s something we’re very concerned about, which is why we give 5% of ALL revenue to Climate Cents, a local climate change organization. To help you make the most of your trip we also have a section called L.A. Info, with more general information such as where to stay in L.A., things to do in California and tipping in the U.S.
Our promise is to give you a genuine experience and a real understanding of Los Angeles. We have a Santa Monica/Venice Bicycle Ride, both Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles tours, an all day tour, layover tours, a Ghost tour, private tours and self-guided tours. We’ll take you inside some of the most beautiful and historic buildings here, like Union Station, the Bradbury and the Fine Arts Building. We’ll introduce you to some of the best food in the U.S. and reveal L.A.’s fascinating history, from when it was a tiny farming village on the edge of the vast Spanish Empire, to the world-famous city that it is now. So if you like to get a true feel for the city that you’re visiting, join us and discover the real Los Angeles.
Our Guides
Terry
Terry has been touring the US and the world for the last thirty years! He has visited every US state and over 20 countries. What do his trips have in common? He’s taken a tour in almost every place. He strongly feels that experiencing a city on a guided tour, with someone who has a love for it, is the best ways to connect with the heart of that place and its people.
Damien
Damien was born and raised in the UK, where he majored in History with Politics at Queen Mary College, University of London. He traveled the world, living in various countries, before moving to L.A. in 2008. As far as he’s concerned he’s living the dream and he’s a passionate advocate for the city of Angels. He continues to travel extensively, having visited over 50 countries (leaving just 146 to go!).
Vicky
Vicky is a transplant from the great state of Iowa. She got the travel bug at 19, while traveling to Italy with her best friend. Since that first excursion she has returned to Europe twice and backpacked around most of the continent, in addition to traveling extensively around the United States and Central America. Next up is Asia. Vicky enjoys sharing her passion for travel and her love for Los Angeles with all who come on the tour.
Stuart
Stuart lives in the Historic Core of downtown Los Angeles and is passionate about uncovering its hidden treasures, especially when it comes to gangsters and the Golden Age of Hollywood. Two interests that have more in common than you may think! Originally from the UK (moving here in 2013), he is also a talented composer and publishes a monthly podcast called the Million Dollar Melody Hotel.