Day trip from San Diego to Los Angeles
Los Angeles lies 179 km (111 mi) north-west of San Diego, in the same time zone. What the numbers say about getting there.
At 179 km (111 mi) apart, Los Angeles is a realistic day trip from San Diego: about 2 h 55 min each way by road.
Open Los Angeles in Google Maps
| San Diego | Los Angeles | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| Population | 1.4 million | 3.8 million |
| Elevation | 20 m (66 ft) | 96 m (315 ft) |
| Time now | UTC-7 (America/Los_Angeles) | UTC-7 (America/Los_Angeles) |
| Postal codes | 92101–92199 | 90001–90189 |
What to see in Los Angeles
| 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.
Where to book tours and tickets in Los Angeles
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Staying in Los Angeles
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.
Book a hotel in Los Angeles
Live rooms and prices from our booking partner, booked and paid for here. Free cancellation is marked where it applies.
Common questions
How far is Los Angeles from San Diego?
179 km (111 mi) in a straight line, north-west of San Diego; by road roughly 219 km (136 mi).
How long does it take to get from San Diego to Los Angeles by road?
About 2 h 55 min, estimated from distance and typical speeds. Timetables and traffic decide the real figure.
Is there a time difference between San Diego and Los Angeles?
No, both are on America/Los_Angeles at the moment.
Where can I stay in Los Angeles?
Our booking partner lists 2,443+ places to stay in Los Angeles, bookable on this site.
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.