Los Angeles Guide
Getting around
Wherever and however you're going in LA, you should allow plenty of time to get there. This is partly due to the sheer size of the city, but the tangle of freeways and the gridlock common throughout the day can make car trips lengthy undertakings – and with most local buses stopping on every corner, bus travel is hardly a speedy alternative. The Metrorail subway and light-rail system are increasingly attractive options, though at present they serve too few parts of the city to be your only transit option.
Mainstream tours
By far the most popular of the mainstream tours is the half-day "stars' homes" jaunt. Usually including the Farmers' Market, Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Bowl, and, of course, the "stars' homes," these tours are typically the most visible, and the area around the Chinese Theatre is thick with tourists lining up for tickets. Other programs include tours around the Westside at night, to the beach areas, the Queen Mary, day-long excursions to Disneyland, and shopping trips to Tijuana.
Costs are $30–95 per person, with some simple hour-long trips around Hollywood for around $20. You can make reservations at – and be picked up from – most hotels. Otherwise contact one of the following booking offices:
Hollywood Fantasy Tours 
323/469-8184, 
www.hollywoodfantasytours.com .
LA Tours 323/460-6490, www.latours.net .
Red Line Tours 323/402-1074, www.redlinetours.com .
Starline Tours 1-800/959-3131, www.starlinetours.com .
VIP Tours 310/641-8114, www.viptoursandcharters.com .
Specialist tours
The specialist tours listed are also generally $30 or more per person.
Architecture Tours LA 323/464-7868, www.architecturetoursla.com . Driving tours of the master buildings of the LA region, with packages focusing on Hollywood, West LA, Pasadena, and Downtown. Cost varies depending on itinerary.
Architours 323/294-5821, www.architours.com . Walking, driving, and custom tours of the art and architecture highlights of the city. Multiday trips also available. Prices vary according to itinerary.
Neon Cruises 213/489-9918, www.neonmona.org . Popular, three-hour evening tours of LA's best remaining neon art, once a month on Saturdays (June– Oct), organized by the Museum of Neon Art. You may need to book months in advance. $45.
SPARC tours: the Murals of LA 685 Venice Blvd, Venice 310/822-9560, www.sparcmurals.org . Enlightening tour of the "mural capital of the world." Along with being an excellent art center, SPARC conducts two-hour mural tours ($400), personalized to your interests and sometimes including discussions with the artists.
To Fly LA 16303 Waterman Drive, Van Nuys 877/TO-FLY-LA, www.toflyla.com . Tours by helicopter of some of the more prominent visual sights in the region, such as movie studios, skyscrapers, and the Hollywood sign, for $225–395, with dinner packages available.