Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [180]
Domestic flights operated by Alaska, American, Southwest, United and other major US airlines also arrive at Bob Hope/Burbank Airport (Map; 818-840-8840, 800-835-9287; www.burbankairport.com) in Burbank in the San Fernando Valley, which is handy if you’re headed for Hollywood, Downtown or Pasadena.
To the south, on the border with Orange County, the small Long Beach Airport (Map; 562-570-2600; www.longbeach.gov/airport) is convenient for Disneyland and is served by Alaska, US Airways and Jet Blue.
Another option is mid-size Ontario International Airport (Map; 909-937-2700; www.lawa.org/ont), about 35 miles east of Downtown LA. It handles flights by 11 airlines, including Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United.
Bus
The main bus terminal for Greyhound (Map; 213-629-8401; 1716 E 7th St) is in a grimy part of Downtown, so try not to arrive after dark. Take bus 18 to the 7th St subway station or bus 66 to Pershing Square Station, then hop on the Metro Rail Red Line to Hollywood or Union Station with onward service around town. Some Greyhound buses go directly to the terminal in Hollywood (Map; 323-466-6381; 1715 N Cahuenga Blvd) and a few also pass through Pasadena (Map; 626-792-5116; 645 E Walnut St) and Long Beach (Map; 562-218-3011; 1498 Long Beach Blvd). For general information about traveling aboard Greyhound, including sample fares, Click here and Click here.
Car & Motorcycle
If you’re driving into LA, there are several routes by which you might enter the metropolitan area.
From San Francisco and Northern California, the fastest route to LA is on I-5 through the San Joaquin Valley. Hwy 101 is slower but more picturesque, while the most scenic – and slowest – route is via Hwy 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy, or PCH).
From San Diego and other points south, I-5 is the obvious route. Near Irvine, I-405 branches off I-5 and takes a westerly route to Long Beach and Santa Monica, bypassing Downtown LA entirely and rejoining I-5 near San Fernando.
From Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon, take I-15 south to I-10, then head west into LA. I-10 is the main east–west artery through LA and continues on to Santa Monica.
Train
Amtrak trains roll into Downtown’s historic Union Station (Map; 800-872-7245; 800 N Alameda St). Interstate trains stopping in LA are the Coast Starlight to Seattle, the Southwest Chief to Chicago and the Sunset Limited to Orlando. The Pacific Surfliner travels daily between San Diego and Santa Barbara via LA. Click here for full details.
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GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airports
We’ve provided an overview of options here. Another good source of information is www.toandfromtheairport.com/losangeles.
LAX
All services mentioned below leave from the lower terminal level. Practically all airport-area hotels have arrangements with shuttle companies for free or discounted pick-ups. Door-to-door shuttles, such as those operated by Prime Time ( 800-733-8267) and Super Shuttle ( 800-258-3826), charge $18, $23 and $14 for trips to Santa Monica, Hollywood or Downtown, respectively.
Curbside dispatchers will summon a taxi for you. The flat rate to Downtown LA is $44.50, while going to Santa Monica costs about $30, to Hollywood $42 and to Disneyland $90.
Public transportation has become a lot easier since the arrival of LAX FlyAway ( 866-435-9529; adult/child 2-12 $4/2; 5am-1am). These buses travel nonstop to Downtown’s Union Station (Map; 45 minutes) and Westwood Village near UCLA (Map; 30 minutes). To get to Hollywood, connect to the Metro Red Line subway at Union Station ($5.25; 1¼ hours).
For Santa Monica or Venice, catch the