Los Angeles: Self-Guided Tour of Iconic Filming Locations Discount Tickets

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location pin icon Los Angeles, California, USA
location pin icon Los Angeles
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View all Los Angeles: Self-Guided Tour of Iconic Filming Locations photos
View all Los Angeles: Self-Guided Tour of Iconic Filming Locations photos

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Iconic Filming Locations
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Overview

Recommended: Purchase one tour per vehicle. Everyone can listen at the same time! Ever wondered how something ends up on the silver screen? This self-guided tour of Los Angeles Filming Locations pulls back the curtain and shows you the inner workings of America’s most famous industry: Hollywood! Visit everything from the courthouse from The Dark Knight Rises to the lake where Gilligan’s Island was filmed and beyond! As you drive, you’ll also uncover plenty of industry secrets behind some of your favorite movies. After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Start at 990 N Hill St, Los Angeles. Arrive 10–15 minutes early and park safely nearby. Open the app, select your tour, and tap Start Touring. Audio plays automatically by GPS. If starting elsewhere, drive to the nearest point on the marked route and continue without backtracking. Parking is nearby.

Language Offered

English-AUDIO

Itinerary

1. North Spring Street & Ord Street
This intersection was the shooting location for the tragic climax of Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, one of the greatest films noir ever made. A staple of Hollywood cinema since the 1940s, film noir blended the cynical, hardboiled American crime fiction of the 20s and 30s with striking, moody cinematography inspired by German Expressionist filmmaking. Film noir stories often follow highly flawed protagonists who find themselves embroiled in conspiracies and complicated investigations far beyond their reach. Note: The tour is over 26 miles long, with more than 30 audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
2. L.A. Union Station
Look on your right is Union Station, the busiest train hub in the entire western United States. It has been featured in dozens of films and television shows over the decades, but only occasionally as an actual train station!
3. Echo Park Lake
That small body of water to your left is Echo Park Lake, one of the many urban lakes that dot the LA landscape. Look out over the water at some of the islands. Do they look familiar at all?
Duration: 180 mins
4. Bradbury Building
See that brown, Victorian office building on your right? That’s the Bradbury Building, one of LA’s National Historic Landmarks. The Bradbury has been used in a ton of movies, including Double Indemnity and (500) Days of Summer, but it’s most well known as the location for reclusive genetic designer J.F. Sebastian’s apartment in the original Blade Runner. The film returns to this location a number of times, including for the climactic rooftop showdown between human detective Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, and his Replicant quarry Roy Batty. After an extended chase, the expiring Roy delivers one of science fiction’s most famous monologues:
5. The Last Bookstore
On the ground floor of this tower to your right is The Last Bookstore, the largest used book store in Los Angeles. Once a bank, this space has been transformed into a wonderland for book lovers, with awe-inspiring displays in every nook and cranny of the two-story atrium. It’s also a popular spot for photoshoots and music videos, having hosted artists like The Kid LAROI and the late Kobe Bryant.
6. 650 S Spring St
This bank was featured prominently in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 as the location for one of the most thrilling action sequences in superhero history. In the scene, the villainous Doctor Octopus attempts to rob the bank and battles Spider-Man up and down the sides of the building. Filming a special effects heavy scene like that can be extremely difficult, and often takes days to pull off. The scene involved shots filmed here on location as well as footage shot in front of a green screen on a studio lot, all seamlessly edited together in post-production.
7. Palace Theatre
The Palace Theater, most famous for doubling as the mysterious Club Silencio in David Lynch’s surrealist masterpiece Mulholland Drive. One of Lynch’s finest works, Mulholland Drive is both a love letter and a scathing indictment of Hollywood itself, created by an artist who has spent the majority of his career on the outside looking in.
8. Los Angeles City Hall
The center of government in LA and a frequent shooting location in the city. Unlike Union Station, City Hall often plays itself, most famously in the 1953 film adaptation of War of the Worlds, where it was eventually blown up (in miniature form.) However, it has also doubled as other locations, such as in the old 50s TV show The Adventures of Superman, where it played the Daily Planet building.
9. Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
The Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles, also known as the fictional Hotel Sedgewick in Ghostbusters. In the film, the Ghostbusters capture their very first ghost here at the hotel, and accidentally destroy the ballroom in the process.
10. West 5th Street & Flower Street
As you approach the intersection of West 5th St and Flower St, keep an eye out for any bank robbers in armored vans. This spot was the location for the famous shootout scene in Michael Mann’s Heat, one of the most riveting action sequences of all time. In the scene, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, and their crew of bank robbers are trapped by the police, leading to a nearly 10 minute long gunfight.
11. Pacific Dining Car
This cute little diner on your left is the Pacific Dining Car, a prime Hollywood lunch location since the 1920s. Because of its central location here in downtown LA, the Pacific Dining Car has hosted all kinds of Hollywood royalty, from Mickey Cohen and Mae West to Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp. It’s also been featured in films and television shows, most notably in Training Day.
12. Cicada Restaurant and Lounge
Look to your left for a vintage, Art Deco looking place on the bottom floor of this building. See the carefully crafted iron grills over the windows? You’re looking at the Cicada Club, a night club that’s been a Hollywood staple since it opened in the 20s. In film, it’s most famous as the location where Julia Roberts flung a snail across the room in Pretty Woman, although it’s also been featured in other movies like Bruce Almighty and Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood.
13. Music Box Steps
The Music Box is a Laurel and Hardy short film comedy released in 1932. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, which depicts the pair attempting to move a piano up a long flight of steps, won the first Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Comedy) in 1932. In 1997, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.'"
14. The Virgil
1920s-style saloon with ornate, throwback decor offering haute classic cocktails.
15. 4473 Sunset Dr
You’re approaching a tricky intersection, but as you go through it, try to catch a glimpse of the big red movie theater on the far corner. You can’t miss it - just look for the big, lit up sign!
16. John Marshall High School
John Marshall High School is a public high school located in the Los Feliz district of the city of Los Angeles at 3939 Tracy Street in Los Angeles, California. Marshall, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
17. Messhall Kitchen
Sleek & modern indoor-outdoor gastropub serves elevated American comfort food & inventive cocktails.
18. 2607 Glendower Ave
The Ennis House is a residential dwelling in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States, south of Griffith Park. The home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Charles and Mabel Ennis in 1923 and was built in 1924.
19. Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is a facility in Los Angeles, California, sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles' Griffith Park. It commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including Downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest.
20. Bronson Caves
Holy Toledo, Batman, we’re coming up on Bronson Canyon! This series of caves has been used in Westerns and sci-fi films since the 30s, but it’s most famous as the location of the original Batcave in the 60s Batman TV show. See that little tunnel up ahead? By using carefully chosen camera angles, the mouth of that tunnel was transformed into the entrance to Bruce Wayne’s underground lair. Because the “cave” was really the mouth of a tunnel, the Batmobile could be filmed shooting out of the Batcave at high speeds that wouldn’t have been safe with a real cave.
21. Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is an American landmark and cultural icon overlooking Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It is situated on Mount Lee, in the Hollywood Hills area of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Inclusion

Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.

Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.

Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.

Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.

Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.

Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.

One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.

Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.

Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.

Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.

Exclusion

No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.

Cancellation Policy

Check mark icon Refundable tickets

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

  • 100% refund if cancelled 1+ days before the start date
  • 0% refund if cancelled less than 1 day(s) before the start date

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.

Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.

At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.

Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.

Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.

More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.

Download in advance: Download the Tour Guide app by Action and tour while connected to Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal.

Follow the route: Begin at the suggested starting point or join anywhere along the route shown in the app.

Lifetime access: Preview the tour before your trip and revisit the stories, photos, and details afterward.

Supported devices: iPhone with iOS 15+, Android with version 9+, or a GPS-enabled iPad/tablet with cellular capability.

The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.

This is a self-guided driving audio tour. Download the app and tour in advance; once downloaded, it works offline using GPS. Set up your phone and audio before driving, keep your eyes on the road, obey all traffic laws and speed limits, and never operate your phone while moving. Use Apple CarPlay for audio where available or have a passenger operate the app. Android Auto is coming soon. If you need to pause or adjust anything, pull over and park safely first.

No minimum age applies; children must be accompanied by an adult. The tour is suitable for pregnant travelers, though anyone with medical concerns should consult their physician. Senior travelers can enjoy the tour at their own pace and take rest stops as needed.

This is primarily a driving tour, and walking is optional. Most stops require little or no walking. Music Box Steps has 133 stairs, while Bronson Caves involves a short uphill walk on uneven terrain; both can be skipped. Accessible parking is available near the start and at Griffith Observatory. Restrooms are available at select stops, including Union Station and Griffith Observatory, but facilities vary along the route.

Supplied by Adventures with Action

Reviews

3.0

★★★★★ ★★★★★
Based on 1 reviews

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