Los Angeles
Getting around Los Angeles: public transport, passes and taxis
Los Angeles is a car city: rent a car or use ride-hailing for most trips, and treat Metro rail as a supplement for Downtown, Hollywood and Santa Monica. Pick transit only if you stay near a rail line and keep to one or two areas; a car changes what you can see.
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GuideLos Angeles
Key facts
- Best default
- Rental car or ride-hailing; Metro rail covers only part of the city
- Metro farecheck
- About US$1.75 a ride; day and 7-day caps apply (2026 estimate)
- Rail lines that matter
- B Line to Hollywood, E Line to Santa Monica, A Line to Long Beach
- Airport to city
- FlyAway bus or ride-hailing; no rail link to LAX
- Traffic peaks
- Weekdays roughly 07:00–10:00 and 15:00–19:00
- Parkingcheck
- US$10–40 a day downtown and at beaches; read signs for street sweeping
- Ride-hailing trip
- US$15–60 across the city; airport runs US$40–90+
Options at a glance
Los Angeles is spread over a basin roughly 50 km across, so the choice is less about which mode is best and more about how many areas you plan to cover. One base plus a car is the simplest plan; a rail-adjacent base plus ride-hailing works for a short, focused trip.
Distances are the deciding factor. Downtown to Santa Monica is about 25 km, Downtown to Hollywood about 10 km, and Hollywood to the beach another 20 km. Each of those is 30–70 minutes by car outside peak hours and longer in it.
| Mode | Best for | Cost (2026 estimate) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rental car | Two or more areas, day trips, beaches | US$45–110 a day plus fuel, parking and insurance | Flexible; 30–70 min between areas |
| Ride-hailing (Uber, Lyft) | Evenings, airport runs, car-free days | US$15–60 a city trip; US$40–90+ to LAX | Similar to driving, plus pickup wait |
| Metro rail and bus | Downtown, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Long Beach | About US$1.75 a ride; day and 7-day caps (check) | Often slower than driving; 20–60 min |
| Taxi | Stands at LAX, Union Station, hotels | Metered; usually more than ride-hailing (check) | Similar to driving |
| Walking and micromobility | One district at a time | Scooter or bike US$1 to unlock plus per minute (check) | Fine within a district, not between them |
Metro rail, buses and passes
Metro runs light rail and subway lines plus a large bus network. The lines visitors actually use are the B Line (subway) between Downtown and Hollywood, the E Line from Downtown through Culver City to Santa Monica, and the A Line south to Long Beach. A single fare is about US$1.75 with free transfers within a window, and daily and 7-day fare caps mean you stop paying once you hit the cap (check current amounts).
Tap a contactless bank card or phone where readers are fitted, or buy a reloadable TAP card at station machines. Trains run from early morning to around midnight; buses cover more of the city but are slower and less frequent at night. Late-night service is thin, so plan a ride-hailing trip for anything after midnight.
Transit works well if your hotel sits near a station and your plans are along one line. It does not solve the city: getting from Silver Lake to Venice, or from a hotel in the Valley to a museum in Exposition Park, is usually two or three connections and over an hour.
- B Line: Downtown Los Angeles – Hollywood – North Hollywood
- E Line: Downtown – Culver City – Santa Monica
- A Line: Downtown – Long Beach
- FlyAway bus: LAX to Union Station and Van Nuys (check fare and hours)
Driving, parking and traffic
A car gives you the Los Angeles most visitors come for: the beaches, the canyons, the studios, and day trips to places like Catalina Island ferries or the desert. Rent from the airport or a neighbourhood office; rates start around US$45 a day before insurance, fuel and parking, and rise sharply in summer and around holidays (2026 estimate).
Traffic is the tax. Weekday mornings from about 07:00 to 10:00 and afternoons from about 15:00 to 19:00 are the worst, and the freeways are the first thing to avoid. Parking downtown and at the beaches runs about US$10–40 a day; street parking is cheaper but comes with time limits, permit zones and street-sweeping days, so read the signs before you leave the car.
Fuel is sold by the gallon and is usually cheapest away from the freeway and the coast. Tolls exist on a few express lanes and bridges and are collected electronically, so check with your rental company before using them.
Airport and first day
LAX has no rail link. Options are the FlyAway bus to Union Station and Van Nuys, a taxi from the official stand, or ride-hailing from the marked pickup area, which involves a shuttle or a walk to a lot. Allow 30–60 minutes to Downtown outside peak hours and much longer in it. See the airport transfer page for the step-by-step.
If you land in the evening and your hotel is not on a rail line, book the ride-hailing trip before you leave the terminal rather than improvising. If you are staying in one area for two or three days, skip the car until you need it: rental desks charge by the day whether you drive or not.
What it costs
Budget roughly US$50–120 a day for a car with fuel and parking, or US$20–60 a day for ride-hailing if you make two or three trips. Transit is the cheapest option at a few dollars a day, but only if your plans fit the network. A mixed plan — transit on rail-corridor days, ride-hailing at night, a car for one or two out-of-town days — is often the cheapest sensible answer.
| Plan | Daily cost (2026 estimate) | Works when |
|---|---|---|
| Transit only | US$2–6 | Hotel near a rail line; one or two areas |
| Ride-hailing only | US$20–60 | Short trip, no day trips, central base |
| Rental car | US$50–120 including fuel and parking | Beaches, canyons, day trips, two or more bases |
| Mixed | US$20–70 | Most first trips of four days or more |
Practical tips
- Group your days by area: one day west (Santa Monica, Venice), one day central (Hollywood, Downtown), one day south or east. Crossing the city twice in a day is what burns the time.
- Start driving before 07:00 or after 10:00 if you have a fixed booking.
- Check whether your hotel charges for parking; nightly fees of US$20–50 are common downtown and at the beaches (check).
- Keep small change or a card ready for parking meters and lots.
- Download offline maps; signal is patchy in the canyons and along the coast.
- After midnight, take ride-hailing rather than waiting for a bus.
Questions people ask
What is the best way to get around Los Angeles?
For most visitors, a rental car or ride-hailing. Metro rail is useful if your hotel is near a line and you stay in one or two areas, but it does not cover the beaches, canyons or studio districts well.
Is there a transit pass for Los Angeles?
Metro uses a single fare of about US$1.75 with free transfers, plus daily and 7-day fare caps that stop further charges once reached (check current amounts). A reloadable TAP card or contactless bank card works on rail and buses.
Are taxis or ride-hailing better in Los Angeles?
Ride-hailing is usually cheaper and easier to find, and is the default for evenings. Taxis are convenient at LAX, Union Station and hotel stands, where you avoid the walk to a pickup lot.
Do I need a car in Los Angeles?
If you plan to see the beaches, the canyons or take day trips, yes. If you stay near a rail line and keep to Downtown, Hollywood and Santa Monica, you can manage without one and use ride-hailing for the gaps.
How do I get from LAX to the city?
There is no rail link. Use the FlyAway bus to Union Station or Van Nuys, a taxi from the official stand, or ride-hailing from the marked pickup area. Allow 30–60 minutes to Downtown outside peak hours.
Deep dive
Every source; changeable facts are marked check
Sources
- officialLA Metro
- officialLos Angeles World Airports (LAX)
- officialDiscover Los Angeles
- secondaryWikivoyage – Los Angeles