City Sightseeing - Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the HOP-ON HOP-OFF tour?
A. City Sightseeing’s HOP-ON HOP-OFF allows you to discover all the sites and major attractions of Los Angeles! It’s a city tour that gives you the freedom to get on or off the open-top double-decker buses at over 70 stops around the city. At any stop you can spend as much time as you want shopping, eating at various restaurants or checking out attractions. When you are ready to continue with the tour, you can refer to our timetable and get on the next scheduled bus.
Q. How does Hop On Hop Off work?
A. Our tours are divided into four 90 minute tours of the city. Each tour has a number of Hop-On Hop-Off stop where, upon arrival, the driver/tour guide will allow you on/off the bus to experience the city. Another bus will follow the same route (10 - 60 minutes later. Please check exact times on the day you travel) that you can Hop-On and make your way to the next area of interest.
Q. If we purchase online, when and how do we get tickets?
A. After payment, you will be taken to a page to print off a voucher, which you may use to board the bus.
Q. Can I change the date of my tour after I buy it?
A. You may begin all Hop On Hop Off tours whenever you like - there is no need to contact us to change the date. Other tours are changeable with no fee, if you contact us at least 24 hours before the date of departure.
Q. Can I purchase tickets on the bus or do I have to come all the way to the office?
A. Yes, you can hop on at any of our designated stops and get your tickets from the driver. All our drivers have credit card machines so they are equipped to take cash or credit.
Q. I don’t have a copy of my voucher, can I still do the tour?
A. We do require a copy of the voucher in order to provide tickets. If you do not have access to a printer, you can contact the company you booked with and ask them to email your voucher to us at info@citysightseeingla.com
Q. Can I present my booking confirmation via my smart phone or tablet?
A. No, we do require a paper copy of your voucher to provide tickets/ boarding passes.
Q. If the bus is full will there be another bus?
A. There will not be another bus at the same departure time. Our buses run frequently, and you can check with us on the day you travel for scheduled departure and stop times.
Q. Am I guaranteed a seat if I have a ticket?
A. Our seating is available on a first-come first-serve basis. We do increase our departures during peak season to accommodate increased interest, but unfortunately seating cannot be guaranteed for any specific departure or pick up location.
Q. Do you pick up at hotels?
A. We are unable to provide a hotel pick up for our Hop-On Hop-Off tours but our routes do pass close to a number of hotels. Please see our route map or call us for more information.
Q. I purchased my ticket online and printed it, do I still need to go to the office?
A. No, the printed copy of your booking is a voucher. You can use your voucher to board and the driver will provide a time-stamped boarding pass in order for you to begin your tour.
Q. How long can I use my HOP-ON HOP-OFF ticket?
A. You can purchase a HOP-ON HOP-OFF ticket that is valid for 24-hrs ($44 Adult), 48-hrs ($59 Adult) or 72-hrs ($74 Adult). We also offer child and family discounts. Once you have started using your ticket – you can extend it by an additional 24-hours for $20 Adult, $15 child and $55 family –as long as you purchase the extension on the bus from the driver before the ticket expires.
Q. Is the tour narrated, and in which languages?
A. The tours are fully narrated – pointing out the places of interest and the history of the city. The narration is triggered by GPS and is pre-recorded in 9 languages on the RED, YELLOW & PURPLE Tour Routes and is in ENGLISH ONLY on the GREEN Tour Route (multilingual starts August 2013 on this route). The BLUE & ORANGE Connector Services do not have tour narration.
The multilingual tour narration is available in the following languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese (mandarin), Japanese, Korean, German, French & Italian.
Q. What are the HOP-ON HOP-OFF routes and duration of the tours?
A. There are 4 interconnecting tour routes and 2 connector routes – stretching from the Beach to Downtown Los Angeles:
RED ROUTE TOUR [2hrs]: includes: Hollywood Blvd, Chinese Theatre, Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive, West Hollywood, LACMA, La Brea Tar Pits, Farmers Market, Melrose Ave. and more!
YELLOW ROUTE TOUR [2hrs]: includes: 3rd St Promenade, Santa Monica Pier, Montana Ave., Brentwood, Westwood, UCLA, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Century City, Westside Pavilion and more!
PURPLE ROUTE TOUR [2hrs 15min]: includes: Olvera St., Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Jewelry District, Bradbury Building, Fashion District, LA Live, Staples Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cathedral of Our Lady and more!
GREEN ROUTE TOUR [1hr 30 min]: includes Fisherman’s Village Marina Del Rey, Venice Pier, Venice Canals, Venice Boardwalk, Main Street, 3rd St. Promenade, Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica & Venice Beaches and more!
BLUE CONNECTOR [1hr]: Connecting Chinese Theatre, Universal Studios Hollywood, Hilton Universal, Sheraton Universal, Warner Bros. Studios, and Hollywood Bowl Amphitheatre.
ORANGE CONNECTOR [45 min]: Connecting LAX Hotels on Century Blvd., Custom Hotel, Loyola Marymount University, OTIS College of Art & Design, Waterside Marina Del Rey and Fisherman’s Village.
Q. What types of buses are used for the HOP-ON HOP-OFF?
A .The buses for the Red, Yellow & Purple Routes are open-top Double-Decker buses, allowing you to see the city from a unique perspective. The Blue Connector service is either an enclosed air conditioned or open-top shuttle bus, depending on weather conditions.
Q. What are the hours of operation for the HOP-ON HOP OFF buses?
A. We operate 7 days a week from 9:00am to as late as 8:30pm. Bus timetables can be downloaded in Printable Version. Red Route starts at 9:00am from Chinese Theatre Stop (#1) and at 9.10am from Beverly Hills Stop (#7). Purple Route starts at 9:30am from Chinese Theatre Stop (#1) and at 9.10am from Olvera St./Union Station Stop (#31). Yellow Route starts at 10:00am from Beverly Hills Stop (#7) and at 9:25am from Santa Monica Visitor Information Center on Main Street Stop (#56). Green Route starts at 9.30am from Fisherman’s Village Stop (#71) and at 9.38am from Santa Monica Pier Stop (#81). Blue Connector starts at 9.00am from Universal Studios Stop (#22) and at 9.30am from Chinese Theatre Stop (#1). Orange Connector starts at 8.50am from La Quinta/Century Blvd. Stop (#92) and at 9.30am from Fisherman’s Village Stop (#71).
Q. How do I connect from one route to another route?
A. The Yellow Route and the Red Route connect at STOP 7 (Mon-Sat: Beverly Hills/W. 3rd St.(behind the Beverly Hills Court House); Sunday ONLY: Beverly Hills/Rexford Drive (outside Kelly’s Coffee) – between Burton Way and Santa Monica Blvd.). The Red Route, Purple Route, and the Universal Connector Service all connect at STOP 1 (The Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Blvd). The Yellow Route and the Green Route connect on different sides of Ocean Blvd. near the Santa Monica Pier at STOP 57 and STOP 81. The Green Route and the Orange LAX Connector connect at Stop 71 (Fisherman’s Village, Marina Del Rey).
Q. Where do I buy my ticket for the HOP-ON HOP-OFF tour?
A. You can purchase tickets online using the buy button on the right hand side of this webpage, Starline Tours ticket offices, Los Angeles area hotels or as you board the Hop-On Hop-Off buses. Starline Tours ticket offices are located along Hollywood Blvd (in the forecourt of Chinese Theatre, outside Hollywood & Highland and by the Pantages Theatre at Hollywood & Vine) and on the Santa Monica Pier.
Q. Where can I find a HOP-ON HOP-OFF bus stop?
A. At this time we have physical bus stop signs at Yellow Route stops #53-61, #63, Red Route stops #2, #10, #11, #14, #15, Green Route stops #71-74, #77-83, #86-88, Orange Connector Service stops #71, #90, #92-97, #99 and Blue Connector Service stops #22, #25. For stops without physical bus stop signs please refer to our HOP-ON HOP-OFF brochure or Our Website, where you can find the street addresses for our stop locations around the city.
Q. Are HOP-ON, HOP-OFF Tours “child-friendly”?
A. Yes, children will enjoy the fun of our open-air Double Decker Buses.
Q. Do HOP-ON, HOP-OFF Tours operate year-round?
A. Yes, we operate year-round, but we are closed for Oscar Day (Sunday 2nd March). There are also occasional individual route closures due to local events throughout the year. Please follow our Twitter or Facebook pages for information.
