Los Angeles

Travel to Los Angeles

There are plenty of UK airports offering flights to Los Angeles, meaning that a wide variety of carriers are also available. In general, flights from the larger UK airports tend to be cheaper than regional airports so it's best to check around. The vast majority of flights to Los Angeles from the UK land at Los Angeles International Airport, often known as LAX. There are six airports in Los Angeles though. Flights to another airport may leave you a little further from your destination but they're all considerably quieter than LAX.

On arrival in Los Angeles

The best way to get around from all the LA Airports is to hire a car, especially if you're after seeing quite a bit of the area, although traffic can get quite bad at peak times. LAX offers a couple of public transport alternatives with a shuttle bus that connects to the metro system as well as several other buses that serve a few locations across the city, plus links into the bus network. Taxis are also ubiquitous but can be very costly, particularly in rush hour when traffic slows.

Getting around Los Angeles

The vast majority of visitors to Los Angeles prefer to rent a car for their holidays, although there are a few alternatives if you'd prefer not to. The metro system bypasses all the traffic and serves a large section of the city, offering cheap and quick travel to plenty of areas. The bus network is run by the same company as the metro, and is very extensive, if a little confusing to the beginner. But with perseverance you can get practically anywhere in the city.
Los Angeles Metro website

Travelling further afield

An internal flight from any of the Los Angeles airports is the fastest way to explore a different destination in the US, and using a rental car is probably easiest for shorter distances, but there are public transport options too. The regional train network offers the chance to explore some of the smaller places in the area that are often lost in the shadows of the bright lights of LA, whilst the national rail network offers the chance to travel direct to Seattle, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Chicago, Kansas City and New Orleans, although not all these trains run on a daily timetable. Cross-country coach travel is also possible with a wide variety of destinations near and far on offer, although it's best to avoid the terminal at 1716 East 7th Street, which is considered unsafe by many, and alight a little later in the journey.