Los Angeles, California - Getting There

Get in

Before heading out, get the Go Los Angeles Card [1], which gives you free admission and express entry to over 40 attractions in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties. The Southern California CityPass [2] gives a 3-day ticket to Disneyland, and 1 day each at Universal Studios Hollywood, SeaWorld San Diego, and the San Diego Zoo.

By plane

The Los Angeles area is served by six major commercial airports and more than a dozen private airports.

Los Angeles International [3] is the major gateway. The airport is huge, with nine terminals, and the only way to get from terminal to terminal (other than walking) is to use the free "A" shuttle buses that run in a loop between the terminals.

There are also two executive terminals for commercial, private and corporate aircraft, Mercury [4] and Landmark [5]. Both are served by air taxi and Travel transportation#Air charter|air charter firms such as Great Circle Aviation [6] to LAX and going to other destinations such as San Diego and San Luis Obispo. Air charter firms have much shorter check-in times (closer to 10 minutes) with the departure time customized for each flight and set by the passengers for that trip, and no long security lines, but they often charge a premium for the time savings.

In L.A., an automobile is nearly essential, and connections to and from the airport are poor. There is no direct train service, although there are free shuttle buses to Aviation Station on the Metro Green Line, and half-hourly LAX FlyAway [7] shuttles to Union Station. Taxis to downtown L.A. cost $45 and take 30 minutes in good traffic, but can be far slower in rush hour. On your return to the airport, be sure to arrive two hours before your flight as queues for security are often notoriously long and time-consuming.

The others are Long Beach Airport [8] (IATA: LGB), Bob Hope (Burbank) Airport [9] (IATA: BUR), Orange County/John Wayne Airport [10] (IATA: SNA) and far flung LA/Ontario Airport (IATA: ONT) east of L.A and LA/Palmdale Airport (IATA: PMD) to the north. Even though LAX is often cheapest, avoiding LAX will save a lot of hassle because the other airports are small and not as busy (especially Long Beach), but you will typically be farther away from your destination which will entail a lot of driving. However, Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is much closer to the destinations in Los Angeles and if your able to get a flight to Burbank, take it!

Then again, going anywhere in L.A. is going to require a lot of driving. If you're going to Disneyland or any of the Orange County beaches (Laguna Beach|Laguna, Huntington Beach|Huntington, Newport Beach|Newport), consider the Orange County/John Wayne Airport (IATA: SNA). For any of the airports, it is probably best to use the numerous buses and shuttles to get to and from the airport, if you are staying in the area. Locals do so to avoid dealing with the hassles and cost of parking.

Private pilots will prefer smaller general aviation airports such as Santa Monica, Van Nuys, Hawthorne or one of the dozens of other small airports in the area. LAX does not cater to small general aviation; Burbank does but is high traffic; Long Beach does but has a very complicated runway system and high traffic. Much of Los Angeles is Class Bravo or other controlled airspace, but due to the number of airports and the generally good weather Los Angeles makes a fantastic flying destination. Private pilots should also be prepared for flight delays when flying to LAX (including IFR ground holds} or delays in arrival or departure sequencing with busy jet traffic, and should consider alternatives such as Hawthorne (10 mi from LAX) as an option to leave an airplane and catch an airline flight.

By train

The main Amtrak [11] station is at Union Station, 800 N. Alameda St. next to the Hollywood (US-101) freeway in downtown Los Angeles. The train station also has a Metro Red Line subway station (platforms in station's basement) and Metro Gold Line light rail station (on platforms 1 and 2, parallel to the Amtrak and Metrolink trains), while local city buses stop at various locations around the terminal, including some in the MTA (Patsaouras) bus plaza at the east portal of the station. The train station is patrolled by private security staff and people lingering too long in the seats may be asked to show a ticket. Taxis are available at the west exit and the station is within short walking distance to the Civic Center and Olvera Street. Chinatown and Little Tokyo are also nearby.

Amtrak routes serving Los Angeles are:

• The Coast Starlight [12] runs daily between Los Angeles and Seattle via Portland (Oregon)|Portland and the Bay Area (California)|San Francisco Bay Area.
• The Pacific Surfliner [13] runs several trains daily between San Diego and Los Angeles, with some trains traveling north to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
• The Southwest Chief [14] runs daily to Chicago via Albuquerque and Kansas City.
• The Sunset Limited [15] runs three times a week out to New Orleans via Tucson and San Antonio. Additionally, Amtrak's Texas Eagle [16] service between San Antonio and Chicago incorporates the Sunset Limited to provide a direct connection to Los Angeles.

Union Station is spectacular (opened 1939), but there are several stops within the County that may be better located to your destination. L.A. is big, make sure you get the right stop. Unfortunately, while Union Station has the best bus and light rail options it may be far from other landmarks. Burbank Amtrak Station is next to the Burbank airport where options include Metrolink, bus and rental cars at the Air Terminal.

Metrolink trains are significantly less expensive than Amtrak; for example, LA to Oceanside $12.50 Metrolink, $19 Amtrak; the Metrolink trains run less frequently; some routes are shared where a ticket allows you to ride either train.

By bus

The Greyhound [17] terminal is at 1716 East 7th Street, near I-10 along South Alameda Avenue, in the heart of the city's vast, notorious skid-row district. This is a very dangerous part of the city, filled with drug addicts and other mentally unstable people; one should use the greatest caution here even within the bus station. From the Greyhound station, take a taxi or Metro Bus #60 to get downtown.

Fortunately, other terminals are in far safer areas and have better access to public transportation. From the north, the North Hollywood station is located at 11239 Magnolia Boulevard, one-quarter mile south of the Metro Red Line North Hollywood station. The Hollywood station, at 1715 North Cahuenga Boulevard, is one-quarter mile west of the Metro Red Line Hollywood/Vine station.

Of note for passengers coming from the east is the El Monte station, at 3501 North Santa Anita Avenue. The station also houses an M.T.A. and Foothill Transit bus station, and frequent express bus service to Downtown Los Angeles is available upstairs. The El Monte station also houses a substation of the local county sheriff. Also, from the east, the Pasadena Greyhound station, located one-quarter mile west of the Lake Avenue Metro Gold Line station, is an option.

From the south, Greyhound passengers should use the East Los Angeles station, located at 1241 South Soto Street, or the Compton Station, located at 305 North Tamarind Avenue. The East Los Angeles station has multiple lines operating to downtown nearby, while the Compton station is across the street from a Metro Blue Line station.

GotoBus [18] sells tickets to and from Los Angeles for a variety of bus companies.

LuxBus [19] offers four daily trips to and from Anaheim, San Diego, and Las Vegas.