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Los Angeles History Tour: Urban Development to Landmarks
4.9
219 Ratings
Los Angeles
Witness Los Angeles’ historical journey from its early urbanization in the 20th century, now boasting numerous historical sites. Observe the transition of a business district into a residential area. You’ll see the integration of early 1900s architecture in the rejuvenation of a modern downtown!
Witness Los Angeles’ historical journey from its early urbanization in the 20th century, now boasting numerous historical sites. Observe the transition of a business district into a residential area. You’ll see the integration of early 1900s architecture in the rejuvenation of a modern downtown!
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Angels Flight Railway - Shortest Railway in the World
- Grand Central Market - Historic market since 1917
- Historic Theater District - Largest collection of pre- WWII theaters in America
- Bradbury Building - Step into the oldest standing office building of Los Angeles
- Old Bank District - “Spring Street of the West”
- **The Last…
- Angels Flight Railway - Shortest Railway in the World
- Grand Central Market - Historic market since 1917
- Historic Theater District - Largest collection of pre- WWII theaters in America
- Bradbury Building - Step into the oldest standing office building of Los Angeles
- Old Bank District - “Spring Street of the West”
- The Last Bookstore - Artistic bookstore
- The Jewelry District - America’s largest jewelry district
- Spring Arcade Building - Collection of boutique restaurants
- Clifton’s Republic - Iconic cafeteria since 1932
- The Biltmore Los Angeles - Grandest hotel of Los Angeles
- Pershing Square - LA’s central square
What's Included
- Local guide
- Local guide
Additional Information
- The tour ends at Pershing Square (532 S. Olive Street 90013), which is a 5 minute walk back to the starting point. The guide can point you in the direction.
- The tour ends at Pershing Square (532 S. Olive Street 90013), which is a 5 minute walk back to the starting point. The guide can point you in the direction.
Location
349 S Hill St
South Hill Street
We meet at the bottom of Angels Flight Railway (349 S. Hill Street 90013) located between 3rd and 4th on Hill Street across the Grand Central Market.
Nearest Metro Rail station - Pershing Square
Nearest Parking - Private lots at the corners of 3rd & Hill Street and 4th & Hill Street.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(219 Ratings)
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Erinbv4700de
May 4, 2025
Fanatic tour! - This tour was absolutely fantastic. Our guide, Phil, was excellent. He brought the downtown area alive and this enriched my time there. The tour was thoughtful, starting and ending at points that invited more exploration. Tour was perfect for me - in town for business meetings in the financial district with no car. I suspect most people who live or work in downtown LA would learn a lot from this tour as well. Very well done.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Magellan2022
May 1, 2025
Excellent Informative Walking Tour and Evolution of Downtown Los Angeles - Excellent way to spend 2 hours learning about downtown LA (DTLA). Phil was an amazing storyteller, weaving history into the current. Set at an easy walking pace with multiple stops both inside and outside of buildings, the narrative was fascinating. I can’t recommend this tour enough if you want to have a concentrated lesson on the beginnings of the City of Angels to present day downtown.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janet_j
Apr 30, 2025
Great information on how... - Great information on how Downtown LA developed from the 1800’s to today. Interesting to hear about and see what still exists from the past. Phil was great!
Review provided by Viator
John_k
Apr 20, 2025
A Tour of Downtown Los Angeles - Our tour of downtown Los Angeles was absolutely fantastic. It was very interesting, and informative.
Review provided by Viator
Excursion23070207534
Apr 18, 2025
Amazing downtown LA - Phil was outstanding and the tour was great. Super interesting and downtown has some cool
Buildings and styles. It was also just the right length. Great way to spend a couple hours
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leana
Mar 28, 2025
Great tour even for locals and visitors alike - We had a fantastic tour with Phil. He is so knowledgeable about every aspect of DTLA's history. He distills fact from popular fiction.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosemary
Mar 13, 2025
Excellent Walkaround Downtown/Historic LA with Phil - Phil's welcome at the Angel Flight Railway meeting point set the tone for this excellent historic tour. Phil shared his extensive knowledge as an LA local resident brilliantly & answered all questions with aplomb. Great tour with both historic & modern content. 5* praise for Phil.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lindsay_m
Mar 10, 2025
Very knowledgeable tour... - Very knowledgeable tour guide. Had a great time learning about the history and buildings of downtown LA.
Review provided by Viator
Cristina
Mar 1, 2025
Great Tour - Phil was a great tour guide. He gave us history and helped us understand why downtown Los Angeles looks the way it does. Along the way we saw gems and he was great and answering questions.
That’s all the comments I have on Phil.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jonathan_b
May 4, 2025
Great tour. Good pace. - Our guide Phil was friendly and knowledgeable and made everyone feel at ease with his laid back style. So much history in Downtown LA that it was impossible to cover everything. That’s the only reason I didn’t give this 5* because there wasn’t time to see all the significant historic buildings I would have liked. Despite that, interesting tour at a nice gentle pace.
Review provided by Viator
