Los Angeles and San Francisco. Distance Los Angeles - San Francisco. Pacific Coast Highway - California sights on the road from Los Angeles to San Francisco

After a week in San Francisco, we decided to take a short trip around California: drive to Los Angeles, visit Hollywood and spend a day at Disneyland.

The distance of 400 miles between cities was a little scary - that’s 7-8 hours by car. We considered the option of flying from SF to LA by plane and then taking a car, but this seemed more boring and deprived us of a lot of impressions, because the USA is the best country in the world for traveling by car. In general, it’s decided: we’ll take a car and hit the road! The choice of car rentals in San Francisco is huge and the prices are about the same for all. While searching for reviews on the Internet, I accidentally came across Super Cheap Car Rental (yes, that’s exactly what it’s called). Calculation of the final cost for 4 days of rental showed the amount to be a couple of times less than that of competitors, and what was also attractive was the absence of additional fees for drivers under 25 years of age. In general, after reading the reviews, I booked a car there. True, I played it safe and made another reservation with Hertz, however, it was not useful.

Super Cheap organizes transfers from and to the airport, since the company's office is not at the airport, like most of its competitors. We were traveling from downtown San Francisco, so we took a taxi ourselves. After payment full amount rental, we received the keys to a white Toyota Corolla - a little “dented” in appearance, but in excellent technical condition (and this is the main thing for long journey). At half past 10 am we hit the road.
America is a paradise for traveling by car. Wide highways, multi-level interchanges and cars, all equipped with cruise control. All that is required of the driver is not to fall asleep at the wheel and not to miss the exit to the desired junction.
Most of the way looks like this
Sometimes, between two major highways, there are fewer lanes, stricter speed limits, and more beautiful views.
And when most of the journey to Los Angeles is already over, the road begins to wind between the mountains. The views are amazing!
We drove for about 8 hours, stopping a couple of times to warm up and have a snack. When there is a need to stop on the highway, you need to carefully monitor the signs warning you about the exit to the next rest area. They meet about once every half hour. Basically, you can only eat fast food in such places. We managed to find a decent dish, rice with chicken in teriyaki sauce, at the Jack in the box cafe. We also had lunch there on the way back.
As you approach Los Angeles, the number of cars on the road increases significantly. On Saturday evenings there are at least no traffic jams.
By 5 pm we reached our destination - the town of Garden Grove, south of Los Angeles. This place is very close to Disneyland and we decided to spend the first two nights here. We stayed in an RV parked next to the owner's house. Booked on Airbnb.
The next day we woke up early in the morning and left for Disneyland at the very opening, that is, at 8 o’clock in the morning. We spent a lot of time looking for prepaid parking through the website - it was not at the entrance to the park, but at a considerable distance. Free buses run between the parking lot and the parks, and we took one of them to the entrance to the parks.

There are 2 parks in California Disneyland: Disneyland Park, where it is very beautiful, but the attractions are more for children, and Disney California Adventure, built much later, with more interesting attractions for adults and teenagers. You can buy a ticket to one of the parks or to both parks, the price will depend on this. You can also buy tickets for several days at once. We took tickets that included entrance to both parks for 1 day - 1 day park hopper.
We decided to start with a visit to California Adventure park. Early in the morning there were still a few people in the park and we managed to ride some cool rides with almost no queues. On some things even twice.
We liked the following rides the most: California Screamin’ - a roller coaster in the best traditions, we screamed a lot,
Radiator Spring Racers is the most expensive attraction in the history of Disneyland based on the cartoon "Cars": you sit in one of the cartoon cars, drive through a fictional city, communicate with the cars from the cartoon, and then race through this canyon. Impressive!
I recommend taking a Fast Pass for this attraction ( electronic place queue for a certain period of time) as soon as you find yourself in the park - by lunchtime they are already sold out, and queues of 80-100 minutes last for the attraction throughout the day. This is what Fast Pass tickets look like. Grizzly River Run is great for refreshing in hot weather: you float along mountain river, where you are generously doused with water on sharp descents and more. We rode it twice, the first time I was only slightly splashed (pictured), the second time I came out soaking wet. But when it’s +35 outside, it only makes it more pleasant.
Attractions I didn’t photograph but recommend checking out: Soarin’ Over California – a 4D movie where you soar over various places and landmarks in California. Your chair really flies, so the sensations are the most realistic; Hollywood Hotel Tower of Terror is perhaps the scariest attraction in the entire park: you find yourself in the hotel elevator, in complete darkness, and it starts to lift you up and down at crazy speed (not without special effects, of course).

And at night, in the California Adventure park, next to the Micky’s Fun Wheel, a beautiful light and music show, World of Color, based on your favorite cartoons, takes place.

At Disneyland Park, the rides are less exciting, but more beautiful. We particularly enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion and Indiana Jones Adventure.

In the photo below, behind me is Mickey's Toontown - part of the park with attractions for the little ones. 🙂
We spent 16 hours at Disneyland, from opening to closing, and returned home completely exhausted. It was great!
The next morning we left Garden Grove and drove towards downtown Los Angeles in search of one famous place. We leave the highway and wait for the green light at the traffic light, looking at the skyscrapers.
And here is place X - a house familiar to all fans of the series "Charmed". According to the plot of the series, this house is located in San Francisco, but in reality it is in Los Angeles. This is an ordinary residential building and today its residents, judging by the Irish flag on the balcony, are celebrating St. Patrick's Day.
Then we went to the Walk of Fame, passing along the famous Sunset Boulevard along the way. An iconic street, familiar to us from a huge number of films and TV series.
The Walk of Fame is quite calm during the day on a weekday.
You can buy a souvenir Oscar for friends and acquaintances
Trampling the stars of all kinds of characters,
We went to lunch at Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood
This place is also a unique museum of unusual exhibits.
We should also talk about parking in such a busy area of ​​the city: you can park your car parallel to the sidewalk and pay required quantity hours in the machine next to the parking space, but such parking is possible for no more than 2 hours. We left the car in a parking lot a 10-minute walk to the Walk of Fame for $6 (parking can last for any length, up to 24 hours).
The next item on our to-do list was finding a photo spot with the Hollywood sign. This sign is so famous that it even has its own website. As observation deck we chose Griffith Park, namely the site next to the observatory. This view opens up as you climb the hills. Los Angeles is shrouded in smog from exhaust fumes. What else can you expect from a city where there seem to be more cars than people?
We reached the observatory.
Here are the famous letters.
True, from such a distance the photos with them are not the best. We decided not to waste time searching for more good views and let's move on.
Hello Santa Monica!
Empty and wide Santa Monica beach.
The air near the ocean is always special, completely different from that in Los Angeles, even though the distance between them is small.
The water is not that cold; they say many people swim on hot, windless days.
There are an incredible number of seagulls around.
Along the entire length of the street, parallel to the coast, there are parking lots like this - you park your car, remember the space number and pay at the machine for the required number of half-hour intervals.
After waiting out the evening traffic, we headed from Santa Monica to our booked hotel east of downtown Los Angeles. Titta Inn is a great budget option for an overnight stay in Los Angeles. The location has a significant advantage: during morning and evening rush hours, you can get onto the highway without traffic jams and drive towards San Francisco.

We decided to spend our last day in LA at Universal Studios Hollywood - an amusement park based on the cartoons and films of the Universal studio, as well as a tour of the filming locations.
Of the rides, we liked Jurassic Park Ride the most, but overall, after Disneyland, they weren’t particularly impressive. But we visited the excursion to the filming locations twice - very interesting! The bus takes you past the studios, where this moment They film talk shows, films and TV series, past sets used in the filming of famous films and along the way you are shown the creation of some special effects (for example, rain and flood).
The wreckage of a real Boeing is the scenery for the film “War of the Worlds” with Tom Cruise.

These sets of “old New York” were and continue to be used in the filming of a huge number of films, for example, “Back to the Future” was filmed in them.
The collection of cars that appeared in films is also interesting. This is from the movie "Back to the Future 2".
Or from "Fast and Furious 6".
In general, it’s worth a visit, at least for a tour of the Universal Studios filming locations.
The next day, around 7 am, we left towards San Francisco. We had to spend about 8 hours on the road, and at 18 our plane was supposed to fly to London. Very beautiful in the morning in the mountains.
Along the way, we overtook many trains like this: an RV (like the one we stayed in for the first 2 nights), which pulls a passenger car. Americans love to travel this way.
It's interesting to drive through Silicon Valley- whatever you see along the way.
Now we are almost there.
At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon we returned the car, a Super Cheap rental employee gave us a lift to the airport and we, relaxing with a cup of coffee, began to wait for our flight home.

The Virgin Atlantic Boeing took us on a farewell ride around San Francisco - bye City by the Bay, bye California, we hope to be back soon!

Route between Los Angeles and San Francisco

The dark blue line on the map indicates the most optimal route between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco, simulated by a special computer program.
Flag marks with the letters “A” and “B” (green) show the starting and ending points of the route.

Regardless of your driving experience, you should always carefully study the upcoming path along its entire length, try to remember the most difficult sections and segments. It would also be a good idea to study the forks and turns shown on our map in advance.

This route between cities, perhaps, cannot be classified as overly complex and confusing. You will have to move mostly straight, there will be few sharp turns and sharp changes in direction.

Although the program algorithm is designed in such a way as to offer the driver the fastest route (for example, a route that goes around cities and large towns), however, this is not always possible. That is why it is important to take note and take into account the time of day when traveling vehicle through large populated areas, so as not to find yourself stuck in a rush hour traffic jam in an unfamiliar city.

On the other hand, nothing prevents you from turning the route between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco into a real adventure, since the path will run close scenic spots and beautiful cities that can once again remind the driver of the beauty and immensity native land. Many sights can be seen on the road from Kazan to Moscow, if you take care in advance to plan a route through given points.

The finished map can be saved on the local drive of any digital device, such as a laptop, tablet or smartphone, or printed to always have at hand while following a specific route. We wish you only pleasant trips, and our service will be happy to help you with this!

Comments

Are you going to colorful journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco? Or maybe you urgently need to get from one city to another? The editors of the ZagraNitsa portal figured out what, how and for how long you can get from Los Angeles to San Francisco and what is worth seeing along the way

Airplane

The fastest way to get to San Francisco is by plane. The Bay Area is home to three international airports: San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Oakland International Airport (OAK), and San Jose International Airport (SJC). Of these, San Francisco Airport is the closest to the city (21 km).

Travel time: approximately 1 hour 20 minutes

Price: on average from $50

Advantages: rapidity

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Direct flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco are provided by Virgin America, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, etc. Use aggregator sites like expedia or skyscanner, choose the best price offer and book your ticket.

It's cheaper to book online - this way you can avoid the service charges that can be incurred if you book by phone or at the box office. However, if there is a possibility that your flight date will have to be rescheduled, it is better to book your ticket through the airline's website - this will make it easier to exchange your ticket without additional fees.

2. On the day of departure, go to the airport (depending on the flight you choose, most likely it will be Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) or Long Beach Airport (LGB)) and board the plane. The flight usually takes from 1 hour 15 minutes to one and a half hours. You most likely won’t have time to get bored on the road.

3. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) high-speed trains run from the airport to the city. A trip on such transport will take about half an hour, and a ticket will cost $8-9. You can also get there by bus. You can read more about public transport on the airport page.

Train

By 2030, they promise to launch from Los Angeles to San Francisco high-speed train, which takes travelers to their destination in 2 hours and 40 minutes, but in the meantime Amtrak's Coast Starlight train lazily runs between Seattle and Seattle, passing San Francisco Bay along the way.

Travel time: about 12 hours

Price: from $59

Advantages: more than 2000 kilometers of the picturesque Pacific coast outside the window

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Decide on a travel date and book your ticket on the Amtrak website. Do this as early as possible so you can get great discounts. Select Los Angeles as your departure point and Emeryville as your destination. Don't be alarmed, there is no mistake here. This is where you will need to disembark to continue the route.

2. On the appointed day, go to Union Station (800 North Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012), where your train departs. Trains are often delayed, but we still do not recommend being late for your own flight.

3. Look out the window during your trip: the scenery of the California coast is exactly the reason you are going to spend the whole day on the train! Well, don’t forget to take your player or book with you.

4. Get off at Jack London station in Auckland (it's a short stop before Emeryville). As part of the Coast Starlight route, the company will provide free bus, which will take you to San Francisco.

5. Get off the bus at the desired stop (Ferry Building, Financial District, Fisherman`s Wharf, S.F. Shopping Center and Caltrain station). Congratulations, you're in San Francisco!

Bus

Length bus route from Los Angeles to San Francisco is about 611 kilometers. Flights of different companies may differ in routes and duration.

Travel time: from 7 to 12 hours

Price:$5-40

Advantages: inexpensive

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Buy or book a bus ticket. The most popular carriers are Megabus and Greyhound. Megabus tickets are cheaper (can be purchased for $5-10), but Greyhound is considered a more reliable carrier (tickets can be purchased for $23-45). There are also less large companies, which can be found on the Gotobus website. Book your tickets online, so you can save a lot.

2. Arrive at the bus station at the appointed time. You will find its address on the carrier's page.

3. The trip takes from 8 to 12 hours. Most buses are equipped with Wi-Fi and charging outlets, so feel free to download movies, books, music and other entertainment.

4. Most flights arrive in San Francisco at the Caltrain station (700 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94107). From there you can get public transport to any point in the city.

Automobile

There are several options for getting from Los Angeles to San Francisco by . One allows you to get there quickly, the other allows you to fully admire the surrounding beauty.

Travel time: completely depends on the chosen route, minimum 6 hours

Price: gasoline + roadside expenses

Advantages: complete freedom of action, the ability to plan your own route

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Plan your route according to the purpose of your trip. If you need to get there quickly, choose Interstate 5. This is a highway about 620 km long. In just 6 hours you will be in San Francisco. But don’t expect picturesqueness from it.

If you have a couple of days left and would like to admire the beauty of the Pacific Coast, choose between CA Hwy 1 and US Hwy 101. The first one runs almost entirely along the coast. The total length of the road is 755 km. Along the way, you can stop by the charming coastal town of Morro Bay, visit Monterey, famous for its aquarium and cannery, and admire the surfers in Santa Cruz. The length of the route along US Hwy 101 is 674 km (this is about 7.5 hours without stops). On the way to San Francisco, sunny Santa Barbara with its Mediterranean architecture awaits you, small towns Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo, as well as the city of Salinas, are the birthplace of the famous American writer John Steinbeck.

If you have the time and desire to get the most out of your trip, you should choose a route along the Sierra Nevada mountains, through Death Valley, past famous national parks and Las Vegas. From Los Angeles, take I-405 to CA Hwy 14 and then take US Hwy 395 north to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Mono Lake. If Tioga Pass is open, cross it, visit Yosemite Park, and head west toward San Francisco. If not, then go straight north to Lake Tahoe and then to San Francisco.

2. Pack everything you need for the trip, take a map or navigator and don’t forget your camera.

Have a nice trip!

The distance from Los Angeles to San Francisco is 614 km by car or bus, 550 km in a straight line by plane.

Travel time depends on the chosen transport: direct flight - 1 hour 15 minutes, with a transfer - from 2 hours 40 minutes; by train - about 10 hours; by bus - 7-12 hours; by car - 6-7 hours.

Train Los Angeles - San Francisco

The railway route is provided by the Coast Starlight train of the American railway company Amtrak. Departure from Los Angeles is from Union Station. The railway network is divided into six zones, and ticket prices vary for each zone.

It is better to book tickets in advance, as only the most expensive ones will be left at the last moment. Ticket prices depend greatly on the level of comfort, departure time (day or night) and duration of the trip (on average 10-11 hours).

Please note: Coast Starlight trains arrive in Oakland (about 10 miles offshore from San Francisco) and then take a ferry ride on BART trains (often called "subways"). Travel time on this section is about 30 minutes.

Bus Los Angeles - San Francisco

For those who prefer to travel by bus, it is more logical to choose one of the major bus networks. For example, Greyhound. Bus tickets from Los Angeles to San Francisco start at $23 for early purchase and $32 for early bird tickets and can be purchased on the company's website, by phone, or at the Greyhound terminal located at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Angeles.

In addition to Greyhound, there are other bus operators: Hoang Exp, USAsia. A budget option— use the services of the low-cost bus Megabus. The regular price of a bus ticket along the route is from 10 dollars, during promotional periods - from 1 dollar.

There are several bus flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco during the day, the travel time is from 7 hours, and this method of transportation is considered more convenient than trains.

You can compare prices for suitable routes from several bus companies at gotobus.com.

Plane from Los Angeles to San Francisco

You will have to travel to San Francisco from Los Angeles International Airport or Long Beach Airport. Arrival at San Francisco Airport, located 21 km from the city.

Flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco

Direct flights to San Francisco are offered by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and others. Departures take place quite frequently.

The minimum travel time is 1 hour 15 minutes. The approximate price of an air ticket is from 82 dollars one way, from 170 round trip.

How to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco by car

Traveling by car will give you absolute freedom in choosing your route. State Route 1 and US Route 101 are coastal roads that provide great views of the surrounding area due to the added length of the roads due to the twists and turns. You should not take Interstate 5 as it is not very scenic and will be difficult due to the volume of traffic.

Route description Los Angeles - San Francisco

Route length between Los Angeles and San Francisco: 614 km

Approximate travel time: 5h 44m show route description

Car rental in Los Angeles

To travel around the United States, tourists from other countries cannot do without car rental services. You can find a rental car from a selection of companies using the Rentalcars aggregator:

Search for a rental car

Finding travel companions

If for some reason it is not possible to rent a car, there is always a chance to find a travel companion for a relatively small fee. Driver search service - Blablacar.ru.