LAX to downtown LA: FlyAway, Metro or taxi

The search term misleads many visitors: downtown Los Angeles is often not where they are going, because Santa Monica, Venice and Hollywood are somewhere else entirely. LAX also still has no direct rail link at the terminals. The Automated People Mover is nearly finished but not carrying passengers yet. The short answer: for downtown, take the FlyAway bus to Union Station. On a small budget with time to spare, use the shuttle and Metro. For Santa Monica, Venice or Hollywood, a taxi or ride app is usually best. For a longer trip through California, pick up a rental car.

The options side by side

FlyAway times are from Metrolink (30 to 50 minutes, upper figure in the chart), and Metro times are from the operator and exclude the shuttle. Taxi times are pure driving time from OpenStreetMap routing with no traffic. On Los Angeles freeways that is the least reliable number here: add at least a third, and considerably more in the evening rush.

First, out of the terminal

On arrival you will almost always be on the Lower/Arrivals level, and all three routes start from there:

• FlyAway: the blue FlyAway columns outside each terminal.
• Metro shuttle: posts marked "LAX Shuttles" in pink.
• Taxi and ride apps: on foot or by LAX-it shuttle, see below.

LAWA, the airport authority, asks travellers to allow extra time because construction detours can lengthen shuttle rides. For curb pick-ups it suggests about 15 minutes after landing with no checked bags, 30 with bags and 45 for international arrivals.

FlyAway: the easiest way downtown

The FlyAway is LAWA's airport bus and runs non-stop from the terminals to Union Station, the main rail hub of Los Angeles. According to Metrolink, the ride takes 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic. The schedule shows departures from LAX about every 30 minutes in the daytime, less often in the early morning and overnight.

At Union Station the stop is at Patsaouras Transit Plaza on the east side. Metrolink, Amtrak and Metro all leave from here. The B Line goes on to Hollywood, and the A Line to Pasadena and Long Beach, which makes the FlyAway useful for Pasadena hotels too. The downtown core around Pershing Square is still a few stops further.

A second FlyAway route runs to Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley, useful mainly if you are staying out there.

Metro: low cost, but with changes

No train stops at the terminals. First you take the free LAX shuttle to the LAX/Metro Transit Center, open since June 2025. It is served by the C Line and K Line, which Metro says run daily from about 04:00 until just after midnight, mostly every 10 minutes and every 20 early and late.

Metro gives these routes for the Transit Center:

• Downtown: K Line to Expo/Crenshaw, cross Exposition Boulevard, then E Line to 7th St/Metro Center. 45 to 55 minutes.
• Santa Monica: K Line to Expo/Crenshaw and E Line west. 55 to 60 minutes.
• North Hollywood: via 7th St/Metro and the B Line. 85 to 95 minutes.
• South Bay: K Line direct, for example about 19 minutes to Redondo Beach.

This is the cheapest route and it does not depend on the freeway, but you have to add the shuttle. With big bags and two changes, on your first day after a long-haul flight, it suits people who want to save money or already know Metro. Metro calls the bus shuttle a temporary arrangement until the People Mover opens. That project has slipped repeatedly: NBC Los Angeles reported in September 2026 that the start had moved to January 6, 2027. Check shortly before you travel what applies.

Taxis and ride apps: LAX-it

Taxis and ride apps do not generally pick up outside the terminal but at the LAX-it lot east of Terminal 1. You either walk there, or, according to LAWA, take the free LAX-it shuttle from the Lower/Arrivals level. Follow the signs on the day, because the airport is a construction site at the moment.

Pure driving time is about 18 minutes to Santa Monica (15 km), 28 to Union Station (31 km) and 30 to Hollywood (24 km). Those figures are the best the road can offer. Allow considerably more in the afternoon, and leave earlier for the ride back to the airport.

If you are staying in Santa Monica or Venice, this is the obvious choice, because Metro takes about three times as long to get there. For a driver waiting for you, there is a transfer from LAX^* with Kiwitaxi. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off explains when it makes sense.

Rental car

If you plan to explore California, you will probably end up with a car in Los Angeles anyway. Compare offers for rental cars in Los Angeles^*. Still, think about whether you would rather skip the first evening on unfamiliar freeways after a long flight and pick up the car the next morning.

Which one suits you?

• Hotel in downtown, Little Tokyo, Arts District: FlyAway to Union Station.
• Hotel in Pasadena: FlyAway and Metro A Line from Union Station.
• Hotel in Hollywood: taxi or ride app, or FlyAway and Metro B Line from Union Station.
• Hotel in Santa Monica, Venice, Beverly Hills: taxi or ride app.
• No time pressure, little luggage: shuttle and Metro.
• Road trip: rental car, ideally from the next day.

If your room is not ready until later, a luggage drop in Los Angeles^* looks after the bags. Our eSIM comparison for the USA lists the plans. Current entry rules are on the UK government's USA page.

How long to stay is covered in how many days in Los Angeles, and the weather by month in the best time to visit California. For the East Coast, we have the same kind of guide for JFK to Manhattan.

Los Angeles trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

Los Angeles is so spread out that your hotel's location shapes the whole trip. In YesTrip you see your places, your hotel and the airport on one map and can arrange your days so you do not keep crossing town, with the weather for your travel days. You can copy the ready-made Los Angeles plans with one tap, and the offline package works without a signal. YesTrip is free and books nothing itself.

* Ad – Partner link: if you book there, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same.