Los Angeles: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Los Angeles is a city of 3.8 million people in United States (California), 96 m (315 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 19 km (12 mi) from the centre. It has 11 railway stations on record, including Cal State LA station. Our booking partner lists 2,443+ places to stay.
Key facts
Open Los Angeles in Google Maps
Daylight in Los Angeles runs from about 9 h 56 min a day in late December to 14 h 28 min in late June (computed for 34.05° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Los Angeles is served by 6 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 19 km (12 mi) from the centre, whose 12,894-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport (BUR, 20 km), Long Beach International Airport (LGB, 28 km), John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA, 54 km), Ontario International Airport (ONT, 59 km), San Bernardino International Airport (SBD, 93 km).
Flights to Los Angeles: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Cal State LA station, Chatsworth station, Van Nuys station, La Grande Station, Watts Station, Central Station. Trains to Los Angeles
Buses to Los Angeles · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 2,443+ places to stay in Los Angeles (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 724 with a star rating, the largest group is 4-star (393), and 60 are five-star. Across 480 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.1 out of 10. Guests have left 529,012 reviews in total.
Hotels in Los Angeles: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Public Library | 13,504,301 | 2016 |
| Hollywood Walk of Fame | 10,000,000 | 2010 |
| Universal Studios Hollywood | 8,700,000 | 2024 |
| J. Paul Getty Museum | 2,023,467 | 2016 |
| Getty Center | 1,153,903 | http |
| Los Angeles County Museum of Art | 620,621 | 2021 |
| Getty Villa | 405,710 | http |
| Holocaust Museum LA | 253,000 | — |
| Children's Museum of Los Angeles | 250,000 | 2000 |
The busiest is Los Angeles Public Library at 13,504,301 visitors in 2016. At that volume, anything with a gate is worth a timed ticket or an early start.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Los Angeles
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Tijuana, 207 km (Mexico) — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- San Diego, 179 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Mexicali, 304 km (Mexico) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Las Vegas, 368 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Fresno, 330 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Long Beach, 32 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Ensenada, 287 km (Mexico) — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Bakersfield, 163 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Anaheim, 39 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Riverside, 79 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Berlin, Mumbai, Nagoya, Eilat, Bordeaux, Lusaka, Mexico City, Tehran, Taipei, Guangzhou, Athens, Saint Petersburg, Vancouver, Giza.
Common questions
Which airport serves Los Angeles?
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), 19 km (12 mi) from the centre, plus 5 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Los Angeles?
About 3.8 million people live in Los Angeles, across 1,302 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Los Angeles in?
America/Los_Angeles, currently UTC-7.
What currency is used in Los Angeles?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Los Angeles?
Our booking partner lists 2,443 or more places to stay in Los Angeles, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Los Angeles?
Tijuana (207 km), San Diego (179 km), Mexicali (304 km), Las Vegas (368 km), Fresno (330 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.