If you want a real working-lot tour rather than a theme-park ride, this is the one your out-of-town visitors will still talk about on the flight home. Paramount’s studio lot sits in Hollywood at 5515 Melrose Avenue, and the tours run through active stages, the New York Street backlot, and the Prop Warehouse while shows film around you. It’s not the cheapest way to spend a morning, but it’s one of the few Los Angeles attractions where the stories change with the production calendar.
The experience starts before you see a camera. You check in at the Studio Tour Center at 5515 Melrose Avenue, and if you’re driving you’ll park at Visitor Parking Lot A across the street at 643 N Windsor Boulevard. For most tickets parking is $20; if you booked the VIP tier, parking is included. Plan to show up 30 minutes ahead with an ID if you’re 18 or older. Kids need to be at least 10 years old, and everyone boards knowing still photos are fine but videos are not.
Expect a mix of cart time and walking. You’ll get the postcard stops like the Bronson Gate and the fake city streets, plus whatever live sets are open that day. That variability is the special sauce and sometimes the tradeoff. When filming forces a detour, your guide pivots to other corners of the lot. When a quiet day opens doors, you step inside a stage and suddenly all those exterior facades make sense.
Paramount sells three tiers. They run from a two-hour cart-and-walk to a half-day deep dive with food and expanded access. Prices below reflect the studio’s own posted rates and formats.
| Option | Duration | Price | When it runs | Parking | Food | Access highlights | Age rule | Language |
| Studio Tour | 2 hours | $71 | Daily, when the lot is open to visitors | $20 at Visitor Lot A | None | Backlot streets, Bronson Gate, Prop Warehouse, select stage or production areas as available | 10+ with adult for minors | English |
| Premier Tour | 3 hours | $160 | Weekdays | $20 at Visitor Lot A | None | Everything in the Studio Tour plus added time on the backlot and archives-level access on select stops | 10+ with adult for minors | English |
| VIP Tour | 4.5 hours | $230 | Weekdays | Complimentary with confirmation | Private meal on the lot | Expanded access that can include the Sign Shop, Prop Warehouse, sound stages and archive items, plus a souvenir photo and 15% Studio Store discount | 10+ with adult for minors | English |
A couple practical differences matter more than the marketing blurbs. The two-hour Studio Tour runs every day the lot is open and departs every 15–30 minutes depending on season, which makes it the easiest fit for a packed LA itinerary. The three-hour and VIP options are weekday-only, so if you need a Saturday or Sunday, the base tour is your move. Tickets in all categories are limited daily and walk-ups are sold first-come, first-served, so buying ahead is smart if you’re set on a time.
On the access front, the VIP tier is the only one that consistently includes a sit-down meal in a studio location, a personalized souvenir photo, complimentary parking, and staff-guided time in working shops and archives spaces. The base tour still gives you the big backlot façades and the Prop Warehouse, and when production schedules line up your guide can add a soundstage walk-through. The mid-tier stretches the format with more time and some behind-the-scenes stops, without the meal and perks.
Put your map to the Studio Tour Center at 5515 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038, then aim the car for Visitor Parking Lot A at 643 N Windsor Boulevard. The lot sits across Melrose from the Tour Center at the corner of Melrose and Windsor. For the Studio Tour and the mid-tier, parking is $20 per vehicle. VIP bookings include complimentary parking, which you’ll validate with the tour confirmation. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your slot to park, cross to the Tour Center, and clear security with a government-issued ID if you’re 18 or older.
Using a rideshare or taxi instead of parking? Your driver will enter through the Melrose Gate at 5555 Melrose Avenue. Pick-up and drop-off go through the security gate, so build a few extra minutes into your timing. If you have mobility concerns, you can request accommodations in advance. The tour is a mix of an open-air cart and walking; if you or someone in your party uses a personal mobility device, ask Guest Relations for a non-cart walking tour so your group can keep pace together. The studio also provides American Sign Language interpreters with a request placed 96 hours ahead.
Got luggage because you’re rolling in from LAX or Burbank? You can store it at the Studio Tour Center during your visit. That beats dragging a roll-aboard onto a cart and lets you move cleanly through the security checkpoints.
Every tour covers core Paramount landmarks. You’ll roll by the Bronson Gate, one of Hollywood’s most photographed studio entrances. You’ll cruise through the New York Street backlot where one block swaps its signage and fire escapes to become ten neighborhoods on screen. And you’ll step into the Prop Warehouse where trucks of set dressing and racks of costumes cycle between productions. Those hits are structural; they don’t depend on which show is shooting this week.
The wildcard is live production. When a show is filming, parts of the lot go quiet to visitors. Your guide knows the day’s call sheets and can thread you around hot sets toward open ones. On a lucky weekday you might duck into a silent stage between setups and see how a two-story façade supports a living room and kitchen on the inside. On a different day that same stage is locked and your guide pivots to a specialty shop or more time on the backlot streets.
The mid-tier and VIP tours put more emphasis on the craft and history. The schedule can include the Sign Shop where those neon restaurant windows and faux-brick storefronts get built, or a stop in archive areas to handle a piece from a classic title under staff supervision. The VIP meal is part of the point. It slows the day down and gives you a breather in a tucked-away lot location that normal visitors never see.
Across all tiers, tours run rain or shine. Still photography is allowed, with your guide calling out where it’s OK to shoot and where it’s not. Videography isn’t permitted anywhere on the tour. Because the lot is a workplace, tours are offered in English only right now. If anyone in your group needs translation support, plan to ride together and debrief at the stops rather than trying to stage-whisper rolling commentary on the cart.
Seasonality matters. Tours depart every 15–30 minutes and holiday closures take the base tour off the calendar on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Easter. The clearest pattern we’ve seen is that morning slots are calmer to check in for, especially on weekdays when the VIP and mid-tier tours are also feeding guests through security. If you’re trying to pair this with a Griffith Observatory sunset or a Dodgers night game, the two-hour base format early in the day leaves your afternoon open to fight traffic across town.
Ask one question first: do you want a studio tour or a theme park ride. Paramount is the former. It is a real Hollywood workplace with a guest services team that moves small groups through active production spaces. The base Studio Tour gets you in and out in 2 hours with the major backlot visuals and a look at the Prop Warehouse, and it runs daily so it fits most LA trips without contortions. If weekends are your only option, this is the tier that will actually be on the calendar.
The 3-hour mid-tier is for people who want a slower, more detailed version of that same experience on a weekday, without paying for food and souvenirs. It is also the entry point to some behind-the-scenes areas that the base tour may not have time to include. If your guests are big on movie history and happy to walk a little more, it feels like a deeper pass through the same spaces.
The 4.5-hour VIP is for groups who like the idea of a private meal on the lot, dedicated time with archivists and craftspeople, and not having to think about parking. It is still a working-lot tour with access subject to the day’s production needs, but the extra hours create room for stops that the shorter formats can’t linger on. The VIP ticket also includes a 15% Studio Store discount and a personalized souvenir photo that the other tiers don’t bundle.
Age restrictions cut the decision tree quickly. No one under 10 can ride. That rules this one out for families with younger kids and steers you toward other Los Angeles attractions instead. If you or a guest in your group uses a wheelchair or other mobility device, call Guest Relations before you book and line up the accessible walking format. They’ll ask for details and can make sure your guide knows your plan before you arrive.
Language matters too. All tours are offered in English only at the moment. If you need translation for someone in your group, book smaller rather than larger so everyone can sit close enough to hear the informal recap at each stop. Lastly, be honest about time. The base tour leaves you time to get to a late lunch in Larchmont Village, a few minutes east. The weekday-only longer formats eat most of a morning or afternoon and repay you with more stops and a calmer pace.
Yes, the two-hour Studio Tour typically runs daily when the lot is open to visitors, including weekends. The three-hour Premier Tour and the 4.5-hour VIP Tour are offered on weekdays, so if you need a Saturday or Sunday, choose the base tour and book ahead because tickets are limited each day.
Visitor Parking Lot A is at 643 N Windsor Boulevard, directly across Melrose from the Studio Tour Center. Parking is $20 for the Studio Tour and the mid-tier option, while VIP guests get complimentary parking with their confirmation.
Still photography is permitted and your guide will tell you which locations are okay for photos. Videography is not allowed anywhere on the tour, so plan on pictures only.
Guests 18+ need to present a government-issued photo ID at check-in. Children must be 10 years or older to join any of the tours, and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Here’s the practical way to choose: if weekends or a tight schedule are non-negotiable, grab the two-hour daily tour and enjoy the hits. If you have a weekday free and want more time and access, spring for the longer formats and let the lot open itself up at its own pace.
Published: September 10, 2026 · Reviewed by the This Los Angeles editorial team