Weekday or weekend for LA City Tour from Anaheim?

Hi Guys

I will be in Anaheim Wednesday until Monday morning and was just wondering which day would be best to do a city tour? I want to do the longest tour possible e.g. 8 - 10 hours.

Is it better to do on a weekend if there%26#39;s less traffic about?

Do I need to pre-book or can I book when I arrive?

There%26#39;s a few companies that run tours that all look very similar, is there one in particular people would recommend?

Thanks

Darren

Weekday or weekend for LA City Tour from Anaheim?

The major companies offer similar tours. We get few accolades or complaints about any of them which tells me that they are all about the same. You can pre-book if you like (there is no difference in price but you will be guaranteed a seat. In all honest,y, I don%26#39;t know how often they ';sell out';).

If you%26#39;re taking a full-day tour, you would be better off doing so on a Saturday or Sunday when the traffic is lighter.

Another thing to consider is transferring to Hollywood on your own and taking one or more tours from the Starline Tours office in the courtyard of the Chinese Theater. Their tours are listed at STARLINETOURS.COM, (click on LOS ANGELES on the left side of their webpage).

The advantages to transferring on your own to Hollywood are as follows:

1. You can start early. Tours begin departing from Hollywood at 9 am. If you arrive before that time, you can look at the Walk of Fame, Chinese Theater, etc.

2. You have a lot more tours to choose from. Starline offers tours of all durations and combines together a number of them to make longer tours. If you start your day from their Hollywood office, you can fashion the tours in any order you wish. In fact, some of their tours do not offer ';hotel pickup'; -- the only way to get them is to come to their Hollywood office.

3. At the end of your tour(s), you can explore on your own via public transit -- going back to sites you want to see more of or visiting more areas. You can stay in Hollywood for dinner or a movie at the famous Chinese Theater, or have a drink at a bar or club. In short, you have a more flexible schedule if you do the Anaheim to Hollywood transfer on your own.

Here are the directions for doing so:

1. Take a taxi or bus from your hotel to either the Anaheim or Fullerton rail stations -- whichever is closer; you%26#39;re concierge will advise.

2. Take either a Metrolink train (the regional rail company) or an Amtrak train (the national rail company) to L.A.%26#39;s downtown rail station -- UNION STATION.

Metrolink schedules are at: METROLINKTRAINS.COM (click on ORANGE COUNTY LINE TRAINS)

Amtrak schedules are at AMTRAK.COM (NOTE: there is no ';c'; in AMTRAK.). To plan your trip on Amtrak, keep in mind that the station codes are as follows:

ANA -- for Anaheim

FUL -- for Fullerton

LAX -- for Union Station -- even though it is not at or near LAX airport

3. At Union Station, transfer to the red line metro rail to HOLLYWOOD. Be sure to get on the train marked NORTH HOLLYWOOD. Get off 17 minutes later at the Hollywood %26amp; Highland station. Turn right onto the sidewalk and walk 1/2 block to the Chinese Theater.

Here are the costs and times associated with this ';do it yourself'; transfer:

1. Taxi or bus to rail station: $10 or $1.25, respectively (10 minutes)

2. Train to Union Station: between $5.25 and $11 one way depending on the day of the week, the rail company you select and your age.(35 to 40 minutes)

3. Red Line: $1.25 per ride or buy a $5 DAY PASS for unlimited rides on the metro rail and metro buses for the day. (17 minutes)

4. The same is true for the trip back to Anaheim so, all in all, you%26#39;re looking at between:

$17 and $36 one way (the $36 includes the return taxi rides between the rail station and your hotel). Overall transfer time: about 1 hour, 20 minutes including waiting time between conveyances. This is comparable to the time it would take for a coach transfer when you consider the time it will take to collect you from your hotel and then combine you with other travelers onto the coach that will take you to Los Angeles.

Another nice feature of taking the train is you get to see some of Los Angeles other than simply the interstate (motorway). It offers more comfort than the coach -- you can walk around on the train, and purchase a snack -- and it is not subject to traffic delays.

Of course, it requires more effort than a coach tour since you have to make your way on your own.

Have fun!