Hollywood & Beverly Hills Helicopter Sightseeing Flight Los Angeles

The Hollywood Sign and the Hollywood Hills

The Hollywood Sign is the star of this flight. Standing on Mount Lee, the white letters were first put up in 1923 to advertise a housing development and became the symbol of the film industry. On the ground it is hard to get close, and most visitors only see it from far away, so a Hollywood Sign helicopter tour is the easiest way to see the letters up close and in full.

Your pilot circles the ridge so that everyone on board can photograph the sign with the city spread out behind it. The Hollywood Hills below are dotted with hillside homes, winding roads and hiking trails, and you will understand why so many people ask whether a Hollywood helicopter tour is worth it: the perspective changes how you see the whole basin.

Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame

From the air, the white domes of Griffith Observatory stand out on the slope of Mount Hollywood, with the downtown Los Angeles skyline behind them. The observatory opened in 1935 and is one of the most photographed landmarks in the city, so seeing it from above is a good way to plan whether you also want to visit on foot for the sunset views.

Further down the slope, your pilot points out Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Bowl and the studio lots. Many travellers search for the best time to visit Hollywood by helicopter, and the answer is usually late afternoon, when the light is soft and the haze is thin; choose the departure time that suits you in the booking panel.

Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Mulholland Drive

The flight then swings west over Beverly Hills and Bel Air, where large estates, tennis courts and swimming pools sit behind tall hedges that are invisible from the street. Your pilot names the celebrity neighbourhoods and explains how the area developed, which turns a Beverly Hills helicopter flight into a short, clear introduction to the way Los Angeles is laid out.

You also follow Mulholland Drive and Laurel Canyon along the crest of the hills, with the San Fernando Valley on one side and the city on the other. The route can change slightly with air traffic and weather, but the main sights are covered on every flight.

Universal Studios Hollywood and the Burbank departure point

The tour departs from the Burbank area, close to Universal Studios Hollywood and Warner Bros. Studios, both of which you see from the air. Plan to arrive 20 to 30 minutes before your departure time for check-in and boarding. The exact meeting location and any last-minute changes are confirmed in your booking voucher, so keep it handy when you look up how to get to the helicopter tour.

Each helicopter seats up to three passengers, and larger groups may be split between aircraft or flown one after another. Flights depend on the weather, and your booking is a request that the operator confirms; if a flight cannot go ahead, you are offered another time or a refund.