Are you planning a trip to Los Angeles? L.A. is a symbol of American cinema and one of the most famous entertainment destinations on the West Coast and all over America. If you are going to visit Los Angeles, you first have to answer the same question: “how to get around Los Angeles?”
In a previous article we have, on closer inspection, outlined an answer, but this time we want to address transportation and travel in the largest American city in terms of size. In short, what is the best way to get around Los Angeles?
Metro and bus are good options in most large American cities, but in the case of L.A., are you better off relying on public transportation or getting around on your own? Is the city – as they say – really “designed for cars”?
To answer all these questions, let’s start by listing all the options available for public transportation, so you can get an idea of how travel in Los Angeles works.
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Getting around L.A.: Public Transportation
Los Angeles, despite everything people say, has a fairly extensive public transportation system that the city’s inhabitants use readily. Let’s see what services are available:
Los Angeles Metro
In such an important city, you would expect to have a metro. The metro in Los Angeles runs from 5:00 am to 12:00 am and has 4 lines:
- The Red Line connects Union Station in Downtown to North Hollywood. This line is the most used by travelers because it also reaches Universal Studios in Hollywood;
- The Blue Line connects Union Station to Long Beach, an area of Los Angeles known for its long stretch of beaches;
- The Gold Line connects Union Station to Pasadena, a high-end residential area in the northern region of Los Angeles County;
- The Purple Line runs from Union Station to Wilshire/Western, in Koreatown;
- The Green Line runs on the Norwalk-Redondo Beach route. It is useful, because it reaches Los Angeles International Airport.
For more information, visit the official website of Metro Los Angeles. Here are the prices of tickets and season tickets.
Bus
The city is also served by a good bus system, which is operated by the L.A. County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA, or simply Metro). Here are the different types of buses:
- Metro Local: It is easily recognizable because it is orange. The routes go along the most important streets of the city;
- Metro Rapid: These buses are red. If possible, use this bus line (there are less stops). It is the preferred option, because of the speed of the service;
- Metro Express: These buses are blue. There are not as many stops, but it is still useful, since it extends along the city’s intricate highways;
- Metro Silver Line: This connects the South Bay and San Gabriel Valley to Downtown;
- Metro Orange Line: This runs from North Hollywood to the Warner Center in Woodland Hills.
In addition to the MTA services, there are other buses available:
- Dash is one of the options that has a variety of routes in Central Los Angeles, but not elsewhere;
- The Big Blue Bus serves the West Los Angeles area and is a good way to get around Santa Monica;
- Use the Culver City Bus to get around the Culver City area, which is also in West Los Angeles.
Taxi
Forget Manhattan’s yellow rivers of taxis. In Los Angeles, it’s better to book a taxi by phone. Independent Taxi is one of the most reliable companies.
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
This is not a solution to be underestimated, especially for those who want to follow a well-organized route and also have the ability to get off and get back on the open-top bus whenever they want.
We recommend this hop-on hop-off tour. Your ticket will be valid for 24 or 48 hours, and you can choose from five different routes. Each route is marked by a different color.
Transportation Services from the Airport
How do you reach Los Angeles from the airport? If you don’t feel like facing the hordes of LAX FlyAway shuttles (which are located at the exit of multiple terminals) with all your luggage, or if you don’t want to get a rental car right away, there are some alternative transportation services available from the airport that will take you to various parts of the city:
Search the transportation services from the airport
Is It Really Worth It to Use Public Transportation to Get around L.A.?
L.A.’s infrastructure is just as intricate in real life as it is in movies (have you seen the impressive views of the second season of True Detective?); it has an effective urban management plan to direct the enormous traffic that a city like Los Angeles has to sustain.
Of course, you can’t expect a simple drive through the streets of a deserted city, but you will soon realize that the best way to get around the points of interest in this endless city is to drive. Let’s take a look at a realistic example of a tour of the major attractions of Los Angeles, and compare the time and distance traveled by public transportation and by car.
From Downtown to Universal Studios (via Griffith Observatory)
As we calculate the estimated time it takes to get from one area of the city to another, you’ll notice a rather interesting fact. To go from Downtown to Universal Studios, which is about 10 miles, it takes about 20 minutes by car, while if you take public transportation (metro + bus), it takes at least 45 minutes. And if you want to make a stop at the Griffith Observatory on the way… and you are taking public transportation… calculate double the time!
From Universal Studios in Venice Beach
The 23-mile drive between Venice Beach and Universal Studios will take you about 30 minutes by car, whereas by public transportation, it will take you more than an hour and a half.
From Venice Beach to Disneyland (Anaheim)
How long would it take if you want to go from Venice Beach to Disneyland? By car, it takes about 50 minutes, however, by using public transportation, it will take you at least 2 and a half hours.
From Anaheim to the Airport
Let’s say that, after visiting Disneyland, you spent the night at the Best Western in Orange, Anaheim, and the next morning you have to get on a plane. Without the car (40-minute car ride) – by only using public transportation – it would take forever. If you use the bus and metro, you would have to wake up at dawn or hope that there is an (expensive) shuttle that takes you from the hotel to the airport… there are many unknowns!
Bottom Line…
Based on a study on how West Coast itineraries are usually designed, we can say that the average stay in Los Angeles is 2-3 days, which is short if you consider the distances to travel. In the previous paragraphs, you will have noticed how moving around Los Angeles by means of transportation takes a lot of time, because of the great distances between attractions.
No matter how hard you try to organize the perfect itinerary and calculate every second and every centimeter you travel, you will realize that if you use public transport exclusively, you would lose a lot of time, and in Los Angeles, you will not have much time to spare, because you will need to spend an entire day at most of the major attractions (Universal Studios, Disneyland). So it’s just a matter of adapting to this city.
So going back to the question “How do you get around Los Angeles?” that was asked at the top of this article, our answer can only be by car! We will give some tips and advice in our upcoming in-depth guide about renting a car in Los Angeles. Also, if you have chosen to rent a car, you may be interested to read our article in which we talk about where to park in Los Angeles.
What about you? Have you ever visited this incredible city? Tell us about it!
