Central Downtown LA Tour: Explore Historic Architecture
5.0
13 Ratings
Los Angeles
Discover the hidden gem of Central Downtown LA on our tour. Explore historic architecture, indulge in delicious food, and learn about the birthplace of the city. Join us today!
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- The Real Los Angeles Tours - On this tour you’ll see and learn about historic downtown, the most interesting part of LA. You’ll also have lunch at Grand Central Market, one of the top food destinations in the U.S.
- Gloria Molina Grand Park - Beautiful park in the middle of the Civic Center.
- City Hall - Learn about this modern American architectural masterpiece, made famous in so many movies and TV shows.
- The Music Center - The Walt Disney concert is world famous for its space age architecture, but the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion has held the Oscars more times than any other venue.
- Angels Flight Railway - Shortest railroad in the world, dating from 1901.
- Grand Central Market - 100 years old in 2017 and better than ever - the perfect place for lunch.
- Pershing Square - Center of downtown and home of the Biltmore Hotel, which hosted the Oscars throughout the 1930’s and 40’s.
- Cicada Restaurant and Lounge - The first art deco building in Los Angeles.
- Fine Arts Building - A hidden gem in downtown, from 1926.
What's Included
- Each guest’s tour benefits climate action - $1 donation to Climate Cents.
- Experienced Tour Guide
What's Not Included
- Gratuities not included. Please allow 15-20%.
- Lunch
- Ticket on Angels Flight ($1 or $0.50 with TAP card)
Additional Information
Embark on an exploration of Downtown Los Angeles’ transformation on our Central Downtown LA excursion. Think Los Angeles doesn’t have a city center? It indeed does, offering the city’s most engaging and evolving district.
While Downtown LA (DTLA) may be unheard of to numerous tourists, locals are well aware of its charm, demonstrated by the continual introduction of new eateries, bars, Apple retailers, and residences. Moreover, its status as America’s best-preserved historic city center, boasting magnificent architecture, often goes unnoticed.
Become acquainted with the birthplace of the city on our Central Downtown LA journey, which also includes a lunch stop at the esteemed Grand Central Market - celebrated by Bon Appetit as one of the nation’s top food venues.
- Journey commences daily at 1pm
- Complimentary admission for children under 12 years old
- Wide array of dining options catering to all dietary requirements (vegan, gluten-free etc)
- Tour is free for children aged 0-11 y.o.
- Aim to get to the meeting point 10-15 minutes early. If you’re late you may miss the tour.
- By making a booking for this tour you agree to be bound by The Real Los Angeles Tours terms of service.
- This is a walking tour and we move at a reasonable pace. If you have mobility issues please book a private tour via our website.
Location
222 N Hill St
North Hill Street
The guide will be checking in guests from 15 minutes before the tour begins at the entrance to Civic Center Metro Station in GRAND PARK (222 N Hill Street). We CANNOT wait for latecomers, there are other guests.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(13 Ratings)
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Discover524673
Dec 27, 2023
A great tour - We did the Downtown LA walking tour with Damien. We saw and learned a lot and Damien took us to places that we wouldn't have seen if we were on our own - the library, the Biltmore Hotel to name a couple. We stopped for Lunch at Grand Central Market. Damien recommended Maccheroni Republic for dinner which was excellent! Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G_e950
Jul 11, 2023
Fantastic - even for locals - Damian did a great job. Our 8-year old described it as being like in a museum but on the outside. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kimberly
May 21, 2023
LA like you’ve never seen it! - Our tour guy Sonya was delightful and very knowledgeable. We had a great time and would highly recommend this tour. We stopped at the grand market for lunch and the food was good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X7786hprachelb
Apr 3, 2023
Great tour of Downtown LA! Our tour guide was knowledgeable and very thorough - Damien was a wonderful tour guide! We did the Central Downtown LA tour, and we were able to see many of the prominent spots in downtown. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of downtown and Los Angeles in general. My favorite stops were Bunker Hill, Angel's Flight, the Jewelry District, Grand Central Market, and The Intercontinental. Would highly recommend doing this tour if you want to learn about downtown LA and see some awesome spots :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Azcattman
Jan 20, 2023
Fascinating DTLA tour with Sonya - We enormously enjoyed our recent Downtown LA tour, guided by Sonya. We'd been visiting for a few days before tour and had a rough familiarity with downtown area but the tour added a lot of information and context that we never would have known about. Really fascinating stuff, a mélange of human and architectural history. On the practical side, Sonya provided an essential review of the food vendors in the Grand Market that made our lunch very enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janette_w
Jan 16, 2023
Sonya knows it all! -
Sonya was super knowledgeable with tons of fun filled facts! She was very patient with our never ending questions, even questions out things not included in tour highlights. She took her time to let us take in each site and was very thoughtful in her presentation to find the best viewing locations along the way. She never rushed us and somehow kept us right on target ending exactly at the allotted spot and time! Highly recommend this interesting tour of downtown with Sonya!
Review provided by Viator
Jack
Sep 22, 2022
Great Tour of Downtown! - My family did the Central Downtown LA Tour with Chris. He was like a walking encyclopedia of all things L.A.! We got to see some amazing buildings, including the iconic Bradbury building, where they shot the inside scenes for the end of Blade Runner (one of my all-time favorite movies). Having lunch at the Grand Central Market was also awesome. We highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dugan_murphy
Sep 11, 2022
Engaging Stories Off the Beaten Path - I booked The Real Hollywood Walking Tour and the Central Downtown LA Tour for the same day, which was totally worth it. Damien showed me and my wife around Hollywood in the morning and then he escorted us on the Metro (fare included) to meet Chris for the downtown tour, which includes a lunch stop.
Damien did a great job of demonstrating the difference between Hollywood as visitors expect to see it and Hollywood as locals experience it. I came away with a better understanding of how Hollywood came to develop the way it did and who some of the major players were.
Chris is an absolutely fabulous guide and clearly put a lot of work into his research and presentation. His enthusiasm is infectious and his stories are super engaging. Some great humor too. I particularly loved learning about Biddy Mason, one of LA's first Black female property owners.
These tours are for people who want to get out in the street and taken through interesting, historic buildings, hearing real stories -- good and bad -- that illustrate how this city came into being, how it evolved over time, and what makes it a special place today.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
839ebonys
Dec 13, 2019
AWESOME - Damien was our tour guide and he did a FANTASTIC job showing us the area and the history. I was caught off guard by the fact that it was a walking tour though. Lol I just failed to read the fine print. Great tour though. I would suggest others book with them as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patrick_s
Aug 7, 2019
A Must-See Adventure Into The Interesting History of LA - My wife and I took this walking tour and we couldn't have been happier. Our expert guide was Stuart Wood, and he was exceptional. He knew the fascinating history of LA inside and out, and he brought it to colorful life through captivating stories. He gave us the details about the architecture and growth of this vibrant city. Get out of your car and see the city on foot. We were so glad we did this tour, it really was special and brought it to life–– don't miss it.
Review provided by Viator
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