Airports

If you're flying into Los Angeles, you'll most likely land at Los Angeles International Airport, 20mi southwest of Downtown LA. A major travel hub for the Pacific Rim region, Los Angeles International Airport - usually called by its three-letter code, LAX - is the third busiest airport in the world. It's about 20mi southwest of Downtown LA.

You can also choose to fly into one of the region's domestic airports: Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport (BUR) is about 15mi northwest of Downtown, Long Beach Airport is about 25mi south, John Wayne Airport/Orange County (SNA) is about 40mi southeast in Santa Ana, and Ontario International Airport (ONT) is about 40mi east. With all these options, finding a flight or connection to just about anywhere on the continent is never a problem.

Public transport from LAX is sometimes unbearably slow or crowded, but at least it's cheap. A great way to find a good public transit route from the airport to where you are staying in Los Angeles is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Trip Planning Website A free bus runs between the terminals and deposits you at the LAX Transit Center, where you can swap to a city bus. Free shuttles also run to the Metro Green Line Aviation Station, where you can catch a train headed in the direction of Redondo or Norwalk.

Bicycles can be placed on the trains and subways throughout the city, with a few exceptions for rush-hour times, if there is limited space in the train cars. Almost every bus has a bicycle rack on the front of it. It is not unheard of to navigate LA via public transit with a bicycle and bicycle-compatible luggage in tow. You may even choose to ride to your final destination, and forgo motorized transportation for your whole stay in LA. A great website for finding a good bicycle route to your destination from the airport is: BikeMetro.com