From Los Angeles to Santa Monica: Best Ways to Get There

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Getting from Los Angeles to Santa Monica is relatively easy; they are only about 16 miles apart on average. This makes Santa Monica an easy addition to an LA trip, whether you are staying in downtown Los Angeles or coming from LAX. You have several ways to get to Santa Monica depending on your budget and starting point, which I cover in this article, including Uber, train, and bus.

If you’re planning a longer visit, check out our guide to spending 2 or 3 days in Los Angeles for ideas on how to organize your trip.

How Far Is Santa Monica from Los Angeles?

Santa Monica is only about 16 miles from Los Angeles, depending on your route and starting point. Travel times can vary greatly depending on traffic. During our trip, we took Ubers many times from different tourist locations around Los Angeles at different times of day. Our travel times varied up to 40 minutes.

How Far Is Santa Monica from LA by Car?

Driving by car from Los Angeles to Santa Monica takes about 25 minutes without traffic. During our trip, we did not experience too much variation from this baseline. From downtown Los Angeles, there is a straight shot via I-10 W to Santa Monica. Without major traffic disruptions, this is the quickest way to get to Santa Monica from Los Angeles.

Parking in Santa Monica is relatively easy, as there are municipal lots. We were not there during peak season, but they can fill up quickly near the beach. The city of Santa Monica has a list of parking lots on their website, including a map and information about how full each lot is. Parking rates vary by location (eg downtown vs. beach parking), time of year, and hours.

ParkMobile is also available, which offers insights into parking spots and allows users to reserve them in advance.

Best Ways to Get from Los Angeles to Santa Monica

Driving from LA to Santa Monica

Driving from Los Angeles to Santa Monica is easy via Interstate 10 W. During our trip, we stayed in Santa Monica and frequented Los Angeles to see the sights. Friday was the only weekday in our trip, and there was a bit more traffic in the afternoon coming from the Getty Museum back to Santa Monica. The mileage between the Getty Center and Santa Monica is only about 10 miles but involves two highways, I-405 to I-10. Because we were coming back to Santa Monica in the afternoon, this was one of the longest routes on our trip. Saturday evening we also had a longer ride from the Hollywood area back to Santa Monica.

If you are staying in Santa Monica with a car, there is no overnight parking allowed. Most hotels offer parking or valet parking for a fee.

Taking an Uber from LA to Santa Monica

Uber is a convenient way to get from Los Angeles to Santa Monica and what we mostly relied on for our trip. Not just because we were staying in Santa Monica, but because many locations around Los Angeles are difficult to find parking and/or expensive to park at.

Deciding to take Uber is more about convenience than cost. Prices can vary greatly due to surge demand and location. After spending hours walking around Hollywood, we were picked up in the evening around 5:45 pm. Our trip back to our Santa Monica hotel took about 40 minutes and cost $63. I think this was mostly due to the time of day and location.

Taking the Metro from Downtown LA to Santa Monica

The LA Metro E line connects Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica. From the 7th Street Station, which is downtown, all the way to the Downtown Santa Monica station takes about 45 minutes.

It seems wild that it takes so much longer by train, right? Well, that is based upon three things.

• Frequent stops on the metro. Between downtown and Santa Monica, there are over 20 stops.
• Traffic signals. Much of the metro runs aboveground. The train has to wait for traffic signals and stoplights just like cars, making a highway route by car much more convenient.
• Speed limits. The train operates at fixed speeds, which are around 35 mph.

Depending on the time of day, the metro can take twice as long as driving on the freeway. However, if you are driving during peak times like rush hour, the metro is a better option.

Taking the Bus to Santa Monica

The Big Blue Bus offers rapid service ONLY on weekdays. Because our trip was a weekend, we did not get to try this out. The Bus makes stops around Los Angeles and Santa Monica, so the route can take 45-60 minutes. The fare is only $1.25, though, making it the most budget-friendly option in this list.

Other routes on the Big Blue bus serving Santa Monica include Route 1 (to UCLA) and Route 3 (to LAX). What I discovered about the LAX route is that it does not stop at different terminals. It only goes to a transit center, and from there you have to get on the free LAX airport shuttle to get to your terminal. The free airport shuttle comes every 10-15 minutes.

How to Get from LAX to Santa Monica

We took an Uber from LAX to Santa Monica and back on the reverse route. Although it is not the cheapest option, it was the most convenient for us due to our flight times. On arrival, we landed before 6 am after taking a red-eye from Kauai. Our departure left early in the morning on Sunday. We did not want to be stuck rushing to the airport on that trip.

Staying in Santa Monica? Read our Viceroy Santa Monica review to learn more about our experience.

Cheapest Way to Get from LAX to Santa Monica

The cheapest way to get to Santa Monica is by the Big Blue Bus Route 3. The trade-off here is time and having to carry your luggage around. You first have to get on the LAX shuttle to the transit center. From the transit center, you can catch the Big Blue Bus.

For us, this option was more of a hassle given our fatigue from the plane, amount of luggage we had, and the fact that waiting for the shuttle to come would add at least 15 minutes to our trip plus the duration of the bus is much longer at 45-60 minutes on average.

How Much Is an Uber from LAX to Santa Monica?

Our Uber on arrival was $42, and our departure Uber was $41. Both trips were off-peak traffic, so the trips were 20-25 minutes in length. This amount can vary due to surge pricing.

At the LAX airport, there is a large rideshare area that we walked to. It was a short walking distance from our terminal. In this area, there is a big U-shaped driveway with different labeled pickup spots. When we reserved our Uber, we were given the pickup spot location. There was also a staff person there to help, but it was not difficult to find it on our own. We were dropped off right at our terminal for our departure flight.

What Is the Best Way to Get to Santa Monica?

The best way to get to Santa Monica from Los Angeles depends on your needs and budget:

• Best for convenience: Uber or driving. Keep in mind traffic will impact driving time, and parking can be challenging both in Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
• Best for budget: The Metro or public transportation
• Best for downtown LA: Metro E Line. This takes longer than driving, though, because the Metro is above ground and operates at set speeds.
• Best to and from LAX: Rideshare or taxi due to having luggage and not wanting to leave your arrival time to chance when getting outbound flights.

Final Thoughts

Santa Monica is an easy reach from downtown LA, Hollywood, and the airport. The best transportation option depends on traffic, budget, and where you’re staying. We found Uber to be the most convenient option for our short 2-3 day trip to Los Angeles. The cost is comparable to renting a car, taking into account the car rental fees, gasoline, and parking fees. Public transportation is by far the cheapest option; however, when you are planning to visit a lot of sights in a short amount of time, you lose quite a lot of time to travel.