To acquire some culture touring is a good place to start and many locals are discovering their own cities. I did it recently and it shows you things you never seen when driving. I was covering a story and took a tour to shoot it but I got more than I expected, seeing things I would have never seen from below driving in a car. Starline Tours of Hollywood is L.A.’s oldest and most respected sightseeing company and they do it well.
Located in the heart of Hollywood, Starline is the largest tour company in Los Angeles, offering a full range of tours and many locals are now signing up.
Starline originated as the Movie Stars Homes Tour when Mr. Sid Grauman, creator of the famous Chinese Theatre, gave his chauffeur (Bud Delp) the idea of driving people around Hollywood to see the homes of celebrities, back in 1935. They are still the leader in this tour today.
For movie enthusiasts, they have the Warner Brothers VIP Tour and The Movie Locations Tour (presented with Turner Classic Movies), which recently has been added to their tour selection.
Having covered them many times for TV news, Starline’s City Sightseeing Los Angeles covers over 100 miles of route, with guided narration in nine different languages, making it the largest Hop-on Hop-off service in the world.
Also included in their tour portfolio are our LA City Tours and Beach tours, 1-Hour Fun Tours and Night Tours.
They also have a large fleet of highway coaches available for charter to local clubs and organizations as well as groups from all over the world.
Founded in 1935, Bud Delp started the Movie Stars Homes with three limousines and drove star struck tourists around Los Angeles to see celebrity homes.
In the mid 60’s, our President and owner Vahid Sapir, who was at the time an exchange student from Iran with an entrepreneurial spirit, became Bud’s protégé. By the end of the decade, he took out a $50,000 loan, bought the company from Bud and built Starline to what it is today – a thriving tour company with a large fleet of open-top vans, closed-top double-decker buses and open-air trolleys offering a variety of tours given by our fun, up-to-the-minute informed drivers.
With the help of Kami Farhadi it remains the #1 choice for tours when people come to LA. The company is part of Hollywood history with 80 years of experience in the tour industry and is the largest number of celebrity encounters of any tour company.
StarLine’s Hop On Hop Off includes 3 routes, Hollywood, Santa Monica and Downtown LA. Guests can select one route or all three.
Our Hop-On, Hop-Off bus route Services:
With routes crisscrossing Los Angeles, their Hop-On Hop-Off buses are for visitors who want to explore L.A’s treasured destinations. They are:
●The Hollywood Red Route, 16 Hollywood stops. Including such world-famous sights as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Rodeo Drive shopping district, the Sunset Strip, LA’s Farmers Market, Melrose Ave & Beverly Center shopping; LA Brea Tar Pits, LACMA, the Petersen Auto museums. (2 Hour non-stop duration, approx. 20 miles)
● The Yellow Route, 16 stops with which extends west from Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive transfer stop 7 to the heart of the city’s stunning Pacific coast of Santa Monica including Westwood/UCLA, Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, the Stand Ocean walking path and 3rd Street Promenade shopping. (2 Hour non-stop duration, approx. 22 miles)
● The Purple Route, Explore Downtown Los Angeles on the Purple Route. Downtown Los Angeles city is home to some of its most historic and iconic attractions, including Union Station, Olvera Street, Chinatown, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and much more. (2 Hour non-stop duration, approx. 20 miles)
● The Blue Connector, bridging Hollywood with Universal Studios, and the Green
Our easy-to-use online schedules and City sightseeing map, make it a breeze to plan your day. Allow 45 minutes between bus services at each stop, to plan your activities.
L.A. Hop-On Hop-Off bus services or to book 1-800-959-3131 or (+1) 323-463-3333
Photo credit: State of Business News Report;
Top Businesses Leading the Way | Ann Shatilla
