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Los Angeles
Coming & going
AIR
Five airports serve the Los Angeles area: Los Angeles International (LAX), Burbank, Ontario, Long Beach and John Wayne Airport in Orange County.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Most travellers flying into LA will arrive at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX; tel 310 646 5252). It is 27km from the city centre, but closer to Venice Beach and Santa Monica.
There are several free buses that shuttle travellers around the airport area, the most useful shuttle buses are shuttle bus A, which runs between various airport terminals at LAX; shuttle bus C goes to the LAX Transit Center, where you can transfer to local bus services and shuttle bus G goes to Aviation metro station.
The FlyAway bus runs between LAX and Union Station in downtown LA every 30 minutes. The FlyAway bus costs $7 each way.
The cheapest way from LAX to the city centre is to take the free G shuttle bus to Aviation metro station (this bus will have Green Line on the destination board, since Aviation station is on the Green line of the metro network). At Aviation station take bus 439 to Union Station, which only costs $1.25 making it a much cheaper alternative to the FlyAway bus, but it takes ages as it makes its way through suburban streets making lots of stops en route. Another cheap option using local MTA buses involves taking the free C shuttle bus to the LAX City Bus Center and then getting on bus 42 ($1.25) to City Hall in downtown LA.
A quicker option, but slightly more expensive at $2.50, is to take the G shuttle bus to Aviation station, then take the metro, changing at Imperial/Wilmington for the blue line to Seventh Street/Metro Center.
If you're staying at Santa Monica, you can take the Big Blue Bus 3 to Santa Monica. This is a bargain at 75c for the local or $1.75 for the rapid 3 express bus.
Burbank (Bob Hope) Airport (BUR)
Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport (BUR) is a less crowded alternative to LAX and it is served by domestic flights to major US cities.
There is good public transport from Burbank Airport to various parts of LA. Bus 94 ($1.25) goes to downtown LA with stops at Civic Center and Pershing Square metro stations and bus 222 ($1.25) goes to Hollywood (Hollywood/Vine and Hollywood/Highland metro stations). It also has its own train station with both Amtrak and suburban Metrolink trains to downtown Los Angeles.
Long Beach Airport (LGB)
Long Beach Municipal Airport (LGB) is in Long Beach, 29km southeast of LAX. It is a relatively minor airport because of restrictions on the number of flights that are allowed to operate from here, but several airlines including JetBlue operate flights making Long Beach a less congested alternative to LAX.
Long Beach Transit bus 111 ($1.10) runs between the airport and downtown Long Beach where you can connect with the metro (Blue Line).
Ontario Airport (ONT)
Ontario International Airport (ONT) is 61km east of downtown Los Angeles and is regarded by some as a good alternative to LAX, although its inconvenient location and poor transport links mean that not many backpackers use it. It has flights to Mexico and most major US cities.
To get to Ontario Airport, take the Metrolink train to Montclair Station (on the San Bernadino line) then transfer to Omnitrans bus 80. Alternatively take a Metrolink train to Downtown Pomona Station (on the Riverside line) and transfer to Omnitrans bus 61.
Orange Country (John Wayne) Airport (SNA)
John Wayne-Orange County Airport (SNA) is 62km south of downtown LA between Irvine, Newport Beach and Santa Ana. It has flights to Hawaii and most major US cities.
To get to John Wayne Airport, take the Metrolink train to Tustin Station (Orange County line) then transfer to the i shuttle bus route A.
COACH
Los Angeles has two Greyhound coach stations. The main Greyhound station at 1716 E Seventh Street (bus 60, 62 (MTA; stop: Seventh/Decatur)) is open 24 hours. There is also other Greyhound station at 1715 N Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood (metro Hollywood/Vine, bus 212, 217, 222, 312 (MTA; stop: Hollywood/Cahuenga); DASH Hollywood (LADOT; stop: Hollywood/Cahuenga)), which many travellers find more convenient.
Search and book "Chinatown Bus" routes in the USA
TRAIN
Union Station (810 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles; metro Union Station; bus 33, 333, 439, 442, 445, 699, 701, 740, 745 (MTA; stop: Patsaouras Transit Plaza); DASH B (LADOT; stop: Union Station); DASH D (LADOT; stop: Patsaouras Transit Plaza)) in downtown LA has Amtrak trains (tel 800 872 7245) to Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and Chicago.
Union Station in downtown Los Angeles
