Best LA City Tour, How long to get out of LAX?

[alexi120]

We're looking for a good LA tour to hit most of the sites. Since there are only two of us, we don't want a private tour. A Day in LA looks like our best option, but they depart from Santa Monica at 9:30 am. We arrive in LAX at 7:35 am then we'll have to pick up our rental car. Santa Monica is only 10 miles from the airport, but I fully expect traffic that early in the morning. What are your thoughts? Can we make it in two hours? Any other suggestions for a tour? There are several we could take later in the day, but they were only 2 hours long. We're looking for much more than that. TIA!

 

[SMD]

When are you going and what day of the week. Later this week over 20 airlines are going to switch terminals at LAX, they're expecting it to be awful for at least several weeks. If you really want to make it by 9:30 I would highly recommend carry on luggage, and take Uber to the pick up point and then go back and then get a rental car after the tour. It looks like they also have tours that start at Venice Beach, unless those pick up times are earlier, I'd just Uber there instead. Ask the tour if you can take your luggage though, I guess that might be an issue too.

 

[oakleycat]

Agree it depends on the day of the week. I've been at LAX the last three Sundays and it hasn't been bad. If it's a weekend you could probably make it, it it's a weekday I wouldn't count on it. With waiting for luggage, getting the rental car, getting through rush hour traffic and finding parking two hours will be really tight. PP's uber suggestion is great, but luggage would be a problem. Can you arrange to meet up with the tour at the next stop if you don't make it on time?