Photo credit left: flickr/gayle_t right: Dearly Departed Tours
Los Angeles is the land of show business.
It seems like no matter what your interest, there’s somebody out there who can present it with style and spectacle.
It even holds true for ghost hunting, as evidenced by the huge number of Los Angeles ghost tours available.
Of course, a lot of Los Angeles ghost tours are, frankly, crap.
Clueless “guides” who phone it in, can’t keep their stories straight, and just refuse to do their part in what should be a fun, spooky experience.
Beat up old buses that promise nothing more supernatural than a bad case of car sickness.
You might get more of a chill from the broken heater than from any cold spots.
It’s not all bad, though.
There are some Los Angeles ghost tours that are the real deal.
– Updated 2/9/2020
5 Spooky Los Angeles Ghost Tours That Will Thrill You
The best tours are operated by people who truly believe, and who have experienced the inexplicable themselves.
It should still be fun, of course.
Our favorite Los Angeles ghost tours are the ones that balance the spookiness with a degree of humor and fun.
After all, these are meant as entertainment.
Whether or not you believe in the supernatural, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have a good time while learning a little something about the macabre.
With that in mind, here are five of the best Los Angeles ghost tours.
You can’t go wrong with any of these for spooks, thrills, or just a plain old good time.
1 – Dearly Departed: The Tragic History Tour of Los Angeles
Photo credit: dearlydepartedtours.com
A swanky multimedia bus spends two and a half hours visiting the death sites of stars of the silver screen, as well as producers, musicians, and more.
There’s even a few famous criminals featured in the spiel.
The tour is very well done, and has even been featured on travel shows ‘The Layover’ (Anthony Bourdain) and ‘Hollywood Death Trip’.
The bus is equipped with numerous monitors to ensure you can clearly hear the guide, which are also used to good effect to play real 911 calls, police interviews, and news coverage.
Highlights
- 5 hour tour
- Visits almost 75 sites
- Features actors, actresses, models, gangsters, musicians, and more
- Learn about the last moments of life for Michael Jackson, River Phoenix, Whitney Houston, and more
- Tour concludes at the famous Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, the final resting spot for Marilyn Monroe, Farrah Fawcett, and more
Here are some additional highlights on video:
What to Expect
The tour begins around midday on Sunset Boulevard.
The tour guide is always very, very into the proceedings.
He or she is called the “Director of Undertakings”, and is extremely knowledgeable about LA’s darkly rich history of scandal, murder.
Load up onto the “Tomb Buggy” and kick back for a very comfortable, entertaining, and even funny tour through a very macabre subject.
It’s a very fun way to learn a little bit of history.
If you’ve ever had an interest in what made Los Angeles the city it is today, Los Angeles ghost tours can be a great way to do it.
The Dearly Departed tour is one of the very best.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Click Here To Book The Dearly Departed Tour.
2 – Hollywood Hauntings Walk of Fame Tour
This is a walking tour, but not too strenuous since it covers just one mile.
The sole guide, known as Hollywood’s Ghost Girl Kim, is a seasoned ghost hunter and her knowledge really shines through.
Kim knows how to make it spooky and when to lighten things up, and she even integrates some of the tools of her trade into the 2.5-hour tour.
She makes this a unique choice amongst Los Angeles ghost tours, and definitely one of the best.
The tour spans from the Hollywood & Vine Metro Plaza, and ends up at the Pacific Warner Theater.
At the end of the tour, belly up to a bar with its own haunted history and enjoy a drink to cool off.
Highlights
- Nighttime tour
- Wheelchair accessible
- Very professional and knowledgeable guide
- Check out some of the latest ghost hunting equipment
- It ends up at a bar!
What to Expect
Kim is a lot of fun, and has some great things to say about just about everything you’ll pass on the tour.
Although the area covered is just one mile, she goes into a great deal of history of the entire city, including a great bit about the Hollywood Sign.
This is probably the best part of the tour, actually, as Kim plays for you an EVP that she recorded herself!
If you’re of age, don’t pass up the chance to chat over a couple of beers at the end of the night.
The bar itself is known to be quite haunted, and there are a few gems of wisdom that Kim doesn’t always include on the main tour itself.
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Click Here To Book The Hollywood Hauntings Walk of Fame Tour.
3 – Hollywood Ghost Walk
Another walking tour and one of the granddaddies of the Los Angeles ghost tours, the Hollywood Ghost Walk is not to be missed.
The family friendly tour is a wonderful, safe way to see the sights of Los Angeles all lit up at night.
Of course, you might just get a little more than you bargained for as you visit such Los Angeles stalwarts as the Magic Castle and the First National Bank.
The Hollywood Ghost Walk hits all the favorites, and the knowledgeable guides make it a great experience for all.
You’ll even get the chance to give your own take on the infamous Black Dahlia murders, as you visit several of the locations involved.
Highlights
- Very professional and well-trained tour guides
- Small groups to ensure everyone gets a chance to ask questions
- Visits some of the most haunted locations in Hollywood
- Nighttime walking tour offers beautiful views of the LA lights
- Family friendly
What to Expect
The Hollywood Ghost Walk runs a tight ship, and you can be assured you’ll receive only the best from your paranormal guide.
The tour focuses on the most famous and well-known haunted locations in Hollywood, and it makes a great primer for the spooky history of the City of Angels.
One of the creepiest moments on the tour is the visit to Musso & Frank’s.
This was once a speakeasy in Prohibition days, and the ghosts of gangsters and patrons still haunt it to this day.
Even the tour guides occasionally get a little freaked here!
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Click Here To Book The Hollywood Ghost Walk Tour.
4 – Haunted Tales of Downtown Los Angeles
Photo credit: flickr/yinyang9
This 2-hour walking tour is another excellent family-friendly choice, if you’re the type of parents who would bring their kids on Los Angeles ghost tours to be eaten by goblins.
Just kidding, of course.
This really is a great family excursion to get your kids excited about learning a little local history in a fun and spooky way.
The tour focuses on historical events such as the Chinatown Massacre of 1871 and the Black Dahlia Murders.
Many believe the ghosts and spirits from these events still haunt the area.
After going on a couple of these Los Angeles ghost tours, you just might agree!
Highlights
- Nighttime walking tour through the beautiful city streets
- Haunting of Pio Pico
- Strong focus on history
- Excellent pricing
- Perfect for families
- Very friendly guides who really “get it”
What to Expect
Some of the stops on this tour are genuine mysteries of the modern age, while others will open your eyes to a history you never knew.
We may never understand the full story behind the Black Dahlia Murders, but we can all learn lessons from dark events like the Chinatown Massacre and the LA Times Bombing.
The fact that the things teaching us these lessons are disembodied spirits who are probably a little miffed to have been killed in the first place is, well, a bonus.
It’s hard to miss the feeling of paranormal entities staring at you as you walk the path.
It’s made a convert of more than one tour goer.
Duration: 2 hours
Click Here To Book The Haunted Tales of Downtown Los Angeles Tour.
5 – Haunted Hollywood Walking Tour
Photo credit: Dearly Departed Tours
For sheer fun, the Haunted Hollywood Walking Tour tops our list of Los Angeles ghost tours.
The Victorian-garbed guide, who goes only by ‘RIP the Undertaker’, is absolutely hysterical.
He’s a real character, and you might feel a little like you’re on a ghost tour hosted by a relative of Doc Brown of Back to the Future fame.
He’ll lead you by candlelight on a nighttime tour past the old TCL Chinese Theatre and the Hudson Apartments.
RIP is as knowledgeable as he is entertaining, and he can be a real treasure trove of ghoulish tidbits about the city and the showbiz industry.
Highlights
- Nighttime tour
- Your guide, RIP the Undertaker, is excellent, funny and informative
- Complimentary headphones are provided to hear RIP, as well as screams and music to set the mood
- Tours are limited to 10 people to ensure the best experience
- Learn about some of the lesser-known deaths and hauntings of Tinseltown
What to Expect
Updated 2/9/2020 – In a word: Fun.
RIP really does provide a ghoulishly good time, and we can’t recommend this enough if you’re seeking out Los Angeles ghost tours.
The headsets are a great touch to make sure you can hear every word he has to say.
And he has a lot to say!
RIP’s snide comments about the various stars on the Walk of Fame are a real treat.
Duration: 2 hours
Click Here To Book The Haunted Hollywood Walking Tour.