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Travel - International
Air: International airports: Los Angeles International (LAX) (website: www.lawa.org/lax/welcome.htm) serves more than 80 passenger airlines. Located on Santa Monica Bay, 24km (15 miles) from the city centre, it is the world’s fourth-busiest airport, receiving an influx of 64 million passengers a year. For information on airline locations, parking and ground transport, contact the airport (tel: (310) 646 5252). A train service is available and coaches provide reasonably priced services to all major locations in the city centre, as well as many surrounding areas such as Hollywood.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) (website: www.ci.sf.ca.us/sfo) is 25km (15 miles) southeast of the city; travel time – 30 minutes. Airporter buses leave every 20 minutes from 0500-2300. Limousine, taxi and public bus services are also available.
Oakland International Airport (OAK) (website: www.flyoakland.com) is located across the Bay 32km (20 miles) from central San Francisco and receives international charter flights and US domestic flights. Airporter buses link the airport with central Oakland and San Francisco Airport. Air-BART buses connect with the BART rapid transit (underground) system, which gives access to central San Francisco.
Domestic airports: Burbank (BUR) (website: www.bur.com) airport is about 20km (13 miles) from central Los Angeles, and receives US domestic services only. Burbank is the nearest airport for access to Hollywood.
Ontario (ONT) (website: www.lawa.org/ont/welcome.htm) is located approximately 60km (38 miles) east of central Los Angeles and mainly serves the Orange County area.
Sacramento International Airport (SMF) (website: www.sacairports.org) is located 19km (12 miles) from the city, and receives US domestic services only.
San Diego International (SAN) (website: www.portofsandiego.org/sandiego_airport/index.html), 5km (3 miles) west of San Diego city centre, is primarily a gateway to southern California for domestic traffic.
Approximate flight times: From Los Angeles to Anchorage is 6 hours 40 minutes, to Chicago is 4 hours 15 minutes, to Guatemala City is 4 hours 35 minutes, to Honolulu is 5 hours 30 minutes, to London is 10 hours 15 minutes, to Mexico City is 4 hours 55 minutes, to Miami is 4 hours 55 minutes, to New York is 5 hours 20 minutes, to Orange County is 30 minutes, to Papeete (Tahiti) is 8 hours 10 minutes, to San Diego is 45 minutes, to San Francisco is 1 hour 20 minutes, to Singapore is 20 hours 25 minutes, to Sydney is 19 hours 30 minutes and to Washington, DC is 4 hours 30 minutes.
From San Francisco to Anchorage is 5 hours 35 minutes, to Chicago is 4 hours 15 minutes, to Honolulu is 5 hours 40 minutes, to London is 12 hours 10 minutes, to Los Angeles is 1 hour 20 minutes, to Mexico City is 5 hours 10 minutes, to Miami is 6 hours 20 minutes, to New York is 5 hours 40 minutes, to Papeete (Tahiti) is 10 hours 40 minutes, to Seattle is 1 hour 50 minutes, to Singapore is 21 hours 25 minutes, to Sydney is 16 hours 40 minutes, to Vancouver is 2 hours 35 minutes and to Washington, DC is 6 hours.
SEA: A ferry service links San Francisco with the Bay communities of Sausalito, Larkspur (in Marin County), Tiburon, Vallejo, Oakland and Alameda. San Francisco departure is from Pier 1, adjoining the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street, or from Fisherman’s Wharf.
In the Los Angeles area, there is a daily, low-fare cruise service from Long Beach to Catalina Island.
RAIL: The Amtrak terminal in Los Angeles is Union Station at 800 North Alameda Street on the edge of the business district. It is at the western end of several major routes across the southern Rockies and is also the southern terminus of the West Coast line to Seattle (although there are frequent shuttle services heading further south to San Diego). In San Francisco, the Transbay Terminal at 425 Mission Street is used only for limited suburban services; the Amtrak Terminal at Oakland, across the Bay, is far larger, being the central node on the West Coast line and also the western terminus of a line running across the high Rockies to Salt Lake City and beyond. Amtrak provides coach shuttles between their Oakland and San Francisco terminals. For information on train schedules and reservations, contact Amtrak (tel: (800) 872 7245; toll free).
Approximate rail travel times: From Los Angeles on the Texas Eagle to Phoenix is 8 hours, to El Paso is 18 hours, to San Antonio is 29 hours, to Austin is 32 hours, to Fort Worth is 37 hours, to Dallas is 39 hours, to St Louis is 54 hours and to Chicago is 61 hours; on the Southwest Chief to Flagstaff is 9 hours, to Albuquerque is 16 hours, to Kansas City is 32 hours and to Chicago is 38 hours; on the Sunset Limited to Houston is 34 hours and to New Orleans is 43 hours; on the Coast Starflight to San José is 9 hours, to Oakland is 11 hours, to Sacramento is 13 hours, to Portland (Oregon) is 29 hours and to Seattle is 33 hours.
From Oakland on the California Zephyr to Reno is 6 hours, to Salt Lake City is 16 hours, to Denver is 31 hours and to Chicago is 50 hours.
ROAD: Approximate driving times: From Los Angeles to San Diego is 2 hours, to Las Vegas is 6 hours, to San Francisco is 8 hours, to Phoenix is 8 hours, to Reno is 10 hours, to Albuquerque is 16 hours, to Seattle is 24 hours, to Dallas is 29 hours, to Chicago is 44 hours, to Miami is 58 hours and to New York is 58 hours.
From San Francisco to Reno is 4 hours, to Portland (Oregon) is 13 hours, to Albuquerque is 12 hours, to Seattle is 16 hours, to Dallas is 36 hours, to Chicago is 45 hours, to New York is 61 hours and to Miami is 65 hours. All times are based on non-stop driving at or below the applicable speed limits.
Approximate bus travel times: From Los Angeles to San Diego is 2 hours 30 minutes, to Las Vegas is 5 hours 30 minutes, to San Francisco is 7 hours 30 minutes, to Phoenix is 8 hours 30 minutes, to Yosemite is 10 hours 15 minutes, to Sacramento is 12 hours 30 minutes, to Albuquerque is 17 hours 30 minutes and to Portland (Oregon) is 22 hours.
From San Francisco to Sacramento is 2 hours, to Lake Tahoe is 5 hours, to Reno is 5 hours 30 minutes, to Los Angeles is 7 hours 30 minutes, to Yosemite is 7 hours 30 minutes and to Portland (Oregon) is 16 hours.
Urban Los Angeles: The distances between the city’s various attractions can be intimidating at first but it is a relatively easy city to get around quickly, provided the visitor has a car. The freeways are well marked, though congested during rush hours. Leading car hire and motor camper rental agencies have offices at the airport and the city centre. Local radio stations broadcast frequent traffic reports from 0600-1000 and 1500-1900. Many southern Californian freeways have designated car-pool lanes, known as HOVs. Do not merge into an HOV lane if your car is not carrying the specified number of passengers as fines are levied.
Travel beyond Los Angeles: Within Los Angeles County, the Southern California Rapid Transit District (RTD) provides a good bus service. For trips beyond Los Angeles, the Orange County Transit District accepts transfers from RTD for services throughout suburban Orange County. Buses are reasonably priced but travellers may have to wait some time to catch one. Though taxis are readily available, the large size of Los Angeles makes them expensive and impractical.
San Diego: Buses give good service at moderate prices. Taxis are expensive. Car hire is readily available, with Avis, Budget, Dollar-A-Day, Hertz and National all providing services.
San Francisco: Public transport is excellent. The network of buses, streetcars and cable cars is the most economical way to get to destinations beyond walking distance. The basic fare includes transfers between the different forms of transport, except for cable cars, which have a separate fare structure. Passengers must have exact change when they board as drivers carry no change. Taxis are readily available in most of the central area and other major streets. Because San Francisco occupies a comparatively small area, taxi fares tend to be lower than in most other major cities. All major national car hire agencies are represented in San Francisco; motor campers may also be hired. For information on local companies, look in the San Francisco Classified Telephone Directory. Buses and streetcars also provide services from the centre to more distant points in the city, including Golden Gate Park, Twin Peaks, Seal Rocks, Mission Dolores, the Presidio and Golden Gate Bridge. The clean and efficient Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) subway and surface-rail system links San Francisco with communities on the east side of sprawling San Francisco Bay, including Oakland, Alameda, Fremont, Richmond and Berkeley, site of the prestigious University of California campus.
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