Riverside: 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.
Riverside is a city of 317,261 people in United States (California), 257 m (843 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Ontario International Airport (ONT), 22 km (14 mi) from the centre. It has 5 railway stations on record, including Riverside–Downtown.
Key facts
Daylight in Riverside runs from about 9 h 56 min a day in late December to 14 h 28 min in late June (computed for 33.95° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Riverside is served by 6 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Ontario International Airport (ONT), 22 km (14 mi) from the centre, whose 12,197-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are San Bernardino International Airport (SBD, 22 km), John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA, 54 km), Long Beach International Airport (LGB, 71 km), Palm Springs International Airport (PSP, 83 km), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX, 93 km).
Flights to Riverside: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Riverside–Downtown, Riverside–La Sierra station, Riverside station, Riverside–Hunter Park/UCR station, Santa Fe Depot. Trains to Riverside
Buses to Riverside · Driving and car hire
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside County Library System | 4,069,001 | 2016 |
The busiest is Riverside County Library System at 4,069,001 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 Riverside
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Los Angeles, 79 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Tijuana, 165 km (Mexico) — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- San Diego, 139 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Mexicali, 233 km (Mexico) — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Las Vegas, 321 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Fresno, 378 km — flights
- Long Beach, 76 km — tours
- Ensenada, 243 km (Mexico) — flights · tours
- Bakersfield, 217 km — flights · tours
- Anaheim, 50 km — trains · buses · car rental
Twin towns and sister cities: Erlangen, Sendai, Cuautla de Morelos, Ensenada, Jiangmen, Gangnam District, Hyderabad, Obuasi, Alpignano.
Common questions
Which airport serves Riverside?
Ontario International Airport (ONT), 22 km (14 mi) from the centre, plus 5 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Riverside?
About 317,261 people live in Riverside, across 211 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Riverside in?
America/Los_Angeles, currently UTC-7.
What currency is used in Riverside?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Riverside?
Los Angeles (79 km), Tijuana (165 km), San Diego (139 km), Mexicali (233 km), Las Vegas (321 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.