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Wikimedia Commons / CC BY SA/D Ramey Logan

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Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles Sightseeing

Boat Tours Boat tours of the Los Angeles harbor leave from Ports O’ Call Marketplace while narrated cruises of Long Beach harbor leave from Aquarium of the Pacific. Farther south in Orange County, tour boats make the rounds in Newport Bay, departing from the Balboa Pavilion. Vessels going to Santa Catalina Island, a serene coastal destination, depart San Pedro, Marina Del Rey, Long Beach, Newport Beach and Dana Point.

Bus and Trolley ToursGet to know the lay of the land by bus and discover fun places to go in the city while on vacation. Ask your local AAA travel agency about group travel rates.

Amazing LA Tours see Santa Monica

Architecture Tours L.A.

Gray Line Los Angeles see Santa Monica

Starline Tours of Hollywood see Hollywood

Metro Rail Toursflickr/Tom St. George
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has commissioned more than 300 artists to create original works since 1989. Free 2-hour, round-trip Metro Art Moves tours are offered by docents, providing insight into the art, its creators and the communities they enhance. Tours meet the first Saturday of the month at the street level entrance to Metro Red Line’s Hollywood/Highland Station; first Sunday tours meet at the information booth inside the entrance to Union Station. Tours start promptly at 10 a.m. A Union Station tour departs from the information booth inside Alameda Street Station the second Sunday of the month at 10:30. For more information phone (213) 922-2738.

Plane or Helicopter ToursTravel by plane or helicopter and see L.A. like you've never seen it before. Call ahead for schedules and airfare.

Celebrity Helicopters see Compton

Orbic Air see Burbank

Segway ToursShotShare/iStockphoto.com
Add Segway tours to your list of fun things to do with friends and family. They take sightseeing into the 21st century.

SEGWOW.COM Guided Segway Tours

Studio Tours and TicketsA who’s who of Hollywood has hit the dusty trail at Paramount Ranch in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area since 1927, with the movie ranch standing in for everything from western towns Tombstone and Dodge to colonial Massachusetts and ancient China. Free 1-hour ranger-led tours are offered roughly once a month; phone (805) 370-2301 for information.

Paramount Pictures Studio Tours see Hollywood

Sony Pictures Studios see Culver City

Television Studios

Universal Studios Hollywood see Universal City

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood see Burbank

Guided Walking Tours Walking tours of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument depart Tuesday through Saturday on the hour 10-noon on the south side of the Plaza between the Firehouse and the Hellman-Quon building. The free tours last about an hour; phone (213) 628-1274. Guided walking tours of Chinatown are sponsored by the L.A. Chinatown Business Improvement District. Reservations are required; phone (213) 680-0243.

Los Angeles Conservancy's Walking Tours

Red Line Tours

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Los Angeles, CA

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Travel Information

City Population

3,792,621

Elevation

267 ft.

Sales Tax

State and county sales taxes total 9.5 percent in Los Angeles. A lodging tax, called a transient occupancy tax, of 14 percent also is levied along with an 8.25 percent rental car tax.

Emergency

911

Police (non-emergency)

(877) 275-5273 (within the city of Los Angeles only)

Hospitals

Kaiser Permanente-Los Angeles Medical Center, (323) 783-4011; LAC+USC Medical Center, (323) 409-1000; Providence Little Company of Mary, (310) 832-3311; Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, (310) 825-9111; Valley Presbyterian Hospital, (818) 782-6600.

Visitor Information

6801 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028. Phone:(323)467-6412

Air Travel

The Los Angeles area is served by several airports with cheap airline flights including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is about 20 miles southwest of downtown L.A. Several other airports serve the area.

Rental Cars

Most major car rental agencies serve Los Angeles. Hertz, (800) 654-3080, provides discounts to AAA members.

Rail Service

It's almost worth traveling by train just to experience Union Station, the combination Spanish Revival-Art Deco-Streamline Moderne-style terminal at 800 N. Alameda St., near Olvera Street and Chinatown. Amtrak trains, (800) 872-7245, use the station, as well as depots scattered throughout the region.

Buses

Greyhound Lines Inc., (800) 231-2222, has a terminal at 1716 E. 7th St., near Alameda Street, about 1.5 miles south of Union Station. Caveat emptor: ticket purchase does not guarantee a seat on the bus.

Taxis

Taxis are plentiful downtown and at major tourist sites. They can be hailed or boarded from stalls found at the airport, Union Station and major hotels. The base rate is $2.85 at flag drop and $2.70 per mile. The fixed fare between the airport and downtown is $46.50 plus a $4 surcharge for fares originating from the airport. Some large companies are Checker, (800) 300-5007; Independent (800) 521-8294; United Independent, (213) 483-7660 or (800) 892-8294; and Yellow Cab, (424) 222-2222 or (800) 200-1085.

Public Transportation

Transportation by bus, minibus shuttle, light-rail and subway is available in Los Angeles.

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