Starline Tours

Starline Tours' first excursion bussed visitors past the Los Angeles homes of famous movie stars in 1935. They've kept the practice going for more than 75 years, now aided by buses outfitted with modern technologies such as air-conditioning, GPS-linked audio narration, and high-pitched sirens to let other drivers know when they're about to roll over wads of bubblegum. Live guides narrate many of the tours, while pre-recorded audio illuminates trivia about the more than 50 stops traversed during hop-on, hop-off tours—which enable passengers to extend their sightseeing at certain stops and then resume touring on later buses. On city tours, guides may provide commentary for journeys past Los Angeles landmarks such as the LACMA Museum, Paramount Studios, and the Chinese Theatre. Buses also navigate routes through San Francisco, Las Vegas, and the Grand Canyon, as well as transport sightseers to California locales such as Yosemite, California wine country, and Hearst Castle. Though most tours go inland, drivers who know how to give right-of-way to sharks can pilot their buses along 17 miles of the California coast.