Tours + Transportation

Another Side of Los Angeles Tours

A wide variety of focused tours, organized by interest—i.e. whale watching, shopping, celebrity homes—or mode of transportation (kayak, Segway, horseback, helicopter). 1102 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A., 800.311.8987 anothersideoflosangelestours.com

Amtrak

Train and bus service within the county, along the coast and to major California locations. Nationwide connections, multiple-day rail passes. Stations in Burbank, downtown (Union Station), Long Beach, Pasadena and Van Nuys. The Coast Starlight connects L.A. to Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. 800.872.7245. amtrak.com

BEVERLY HILLS RENT-A-CAR

Luxury and exotic rentals with pickup service. Hollywood, 323.822.0969; Beverly Hills, 310.274.6969; LAX, 310.670.2020; Marina del Rey, 310.862.1900

Beverly Hills Trolley Tour

Forty-minute tour of landmarks, attractions; departs from Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way. Call for schedule. $1–$5. 310.285.2438 Map J11

BIG BLUE BUS

Santa Monica city bus line covers the Westside. Well-kept environmentally friendly buses burn cleaner gas. 75¢–$1.75. 310.451.5444, bigbluebus.com

bikes AND hikes L.A.

Biking and/or hiking tours of highlights from Santa Monica to Hollywood in customizable or preset itineraries. Exclusive Bike & Hike Sail Adventure includes all three activities. Half- or full-day bike rentals. 8743 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, 323.796.8555 Map I12

budget Rent-a-Car

Cars for rent—mostly luxury vehicles including Porsches and Hummers—at competitive prices. 9815 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.274.9174; 1723 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.586.9719 Map J11, L8 www.budget.com

California Yellow Cab

Transportation in sedans, town cars, minivans to/from airports, restaurants, nightlife, attractions, shopping destinations. 877.935.5692

CITYPASS

CityPass offers discounted admission to Starline Movie Stars Homes Tour, Behind-the-Scenes Hollywood walking tour with Red Line Tours, Hollywood Wax Museum and either the Kodak Theatre tour or Hollywood Museum access. $59, ages 3–11 $39, under 3 free. Purchase pass at attractions. Southern California CityPass ($259) includes admission to theme parks from L.A. to San Diego. 888.330.5008 www.citypass.com

Crystal Limousines & Tours

Full service chauffeured car and limousine company offers luxury ground transportation and limousine specials for any Southern California transportation needs. Conveniently located in Orange County near the Santa Ana John Wayne Airport (SNA), Anaheim Convention Center and Disneyland. Guests are safely transported to any popular location in Orange County, Los Angeles or San Diego County. 888.722.2202. www.crystaltrans.com

downtown art walk

Pedestrians fill the streets of downtown for this self-guided gallery tour. Art Walk Shuttle available from 6–10 p.m. Second Thursday of every month, noon–9 p.m. Free. 213.624.6212, downtownartwalk.com

Eagle Rider

Motorcycle rentals from top brands such as Harley-Davidson, Honda, BMW; tours offered. ATVs, watercrafts also available. 4110 Lincoln Blvd., Marina del Rey, 310.302.1239; 11860 S. La Cienega Blvd., Hawthorne, 310.536.6777; 2125 E. Spring St., Long Beach, 562.426.1106 Map N9, C1 and N16www.eaglerider.com

execucar

Premier luxury sedan service. Sedan and SUV service, flat rates, special group services, and frequent-flier points and miles with select airlines. 800.410.4444, execucar.com

Glitterati Tours

Explore Los Angeles in a discreet luxury vehicle with a private tour guide when you experience Glitterati Tours. Choose from more than eight tours that cover essential Los Angeles sights, or branch out to the coast, the hills top museums and more. See everything from basic Hollywood sights, to celebrity homes, to the notorious scandals and crime scenes (on the underbelly LA tour) that sparked some of the most notorious lore of LA. Tours range from 3-4.5 hours and depart from either Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. www.glitteratitours.com

ICS Los Angeles Limousine Service

Luxury limousine service and air port ground transportation service will take you anywhere you want to go in L.A. Choose from SUV, Mercedes, stretch limos, vans, limos and town cars for individual or corporate events. 1.800.BOOK.A.LIMO www.icslimolosangeles.com

Los AnGELES CONSERVANCY

Self-walking tours with a focus on architecture. More than a dozen fascinating tours focus variously on Broadway’s historic theater district, the Millennium Biltmore Hotel , Los Angeles City Hall and downtown’s central business district. Call for specialty tours. 213.623.2489, laconservancy.org

los angeles helicopters

Helicopter “flightseeing tours” of the coast, Bel Air, Hollywood, downtown and more; excursions to Temecula Wine Country, Catalina Island. Heliports in Long Beach, San Pedro, Hawthorne. 562.377.0396, lahelicopters.com

malibu Discovery tours

Themed tours in and around Malibu include the six-hour Malibu Wine Trail Tour with wine tastings, Sunrise Hiking Tour, Malibu Whale Watching & Celebrity Homes Boat Tour and Malibu Celebrity Lifestyle Tour. 310.393.6555, malibugrapes.com

MALIBU RIDERS

Horseback rides in Malibu. Zuma Canyon has ocean views, Paramount Ranch and Malibu Creek trails old film sets. $50–$75 per hour. 818.510.2245, maliburiders.com

melting pot FOOD tours

Tasting tours of foodie destinations such as Farmers Market or a selection of restaurants. Private tours available. Reservation required. $49–$59. 424.247.9666; tickets, 800.979.3370, meltingpottours.com

METRO

City bus, light rail and subway. Rail lines connect downtown, Hollywood, Pasadena, Long Beach. Underground Red Line from Union Station through Hollywood to San Fernando Valley; Gold Line from Union Station to Pasadena; Blue Line from Union Station to Long Beach; Green Line from Norwalk to Redondo Beach. $5 day pass. 800.COMMUTE. metro.net

Metrolink

Regional train system connects Los Angeles County with Ventura, Orange and San Diego counties. Six of seven Metrolink rail lines (including the Orange County lines, San Bernardino lines and Ventura County lines) begin at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. 800.371.LINK metrolinktrains.com

PERRY’S BEACH CLUB

Rent bikes or skates for the boardwalk. Legends Bike Tour ($30) explores Venice and its hidden canals; guided tour includes architecture and celebrity lore. Eight rental locations along the beach from Santa Monica to Venice. 310.939.0000

STARLINE TOURS

Movie Stars’ Home Tour, Trolley Fun Tour, Grand Tour of L.A. New TMZ Hollywood Tour is a multimedia experience highlighting scenes of celebrity scandals. Prices vary. Tours begin at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 800.959.3131 Map H13 www.starlinetours.com

Street Strider

An exercise machine that combines cycling, jogging, and skiing in addition to providing a way of green transportation through Venice Beach. Located on Ocean Front Walk in Venice. 800.348.0998, www.streetstrider.com

Super Shuttle

Runs to and from the airport 24 hours a day. All major cards. Individuals, groups and charters welcome. Earn frequent-flier points and miles with select airlines. 800.BLUE.VAN, supershuttle.com

Sunset Ranch

Horseback riding in the Hollywood Hills and Griffith Park daily. Friday sunset rides through Griffith Park to Burbank include dinner at Mexican restaurant and nighttime ride back to ranch. $25–$75. 3400 N. Beachwood Drive, Hollywood, 323.469.5450 Map V21

TAKE MY MOTHER PLEASE

Enthusiastic, “curly headed” Arkansas native packs up to five of your visiting relatives (or other VIPs) in a new hybrid SUV for customized tour of “gloriously unusual” sights. 323.737.2200. www.takemymotherplease.com

tour du jour

Themed and customized tours, mainly by car. Travel from the Santa Monica Mountains to the shore on the Westside Story tour, or visit the burial sites of celebs on the Hollywood Chills tour. Prices vary. 9663 Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.659.2929. Map I11 tourdujour.net