Getting There

By Plane

LAX & Other Airports -- There are five airports in the Los Angeles area. Most visitors fly into Los Angeles International Airport (tel. 310/646-5252; www.lawa.org/lax), better known as LAX. This behemoth -- ranked fifth in the world for number of passengers handled -- is situated oceanside, between Marina del Rey and Manhattan Beach. LAX is a convenient place to land; it's located within minutes of Santa Monica and the beaches, and not more than a half-hour from Downtown, Hollywood, and the Westside (depending on traffic, of course). Despite its huge size, the nine-terminal airport has a straightforward, easy-to-understand design. Free blue, green, and white shuttle buses connect the terminals and stop in front of each ticket building. Special minibuses accessible to travelers with disabilities are also available. Travelers Aid of Los Angeles (tel. 310/646-2270; www.travelersaid.org) operates booths in each terminal.

There are eight short-stay (and expensive) parking lots within the main concourse building and a long-stay park situated on 96th Street and Sepulveda Boulevard. A free bus service runs between this car park and the terminals. There's also a free 24-hour Cell Phone Waiting Lot at 9011 Airport Blvd. for drivers picking up passengers. You can find extensive information about LAX -- including maps, parking, shuttle-van information, and links to weather forecasts -- online at www.lawa.org. All car-rental agencies are in the neighborhood surrounding LAX, within a few minutes' drive; each provides a complimentary shuttle to and from the airport.

For some travelers, one of the area's smaller airports might be more convenient than LAX. Bob Hope Airport (2627 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank; tel. 818/840-8840; www.bobhopeairport.com) is the best place to land if you're headed for Hollywood or the valleys -- and it's even closer to Downtown L.A. than LAX. The small airport has especially good links to Las Vegas and other southwestern cities. Long Beach Municipal Airport (4100 Donald Douglas Dr., Long Beach; tel. 562/570-2600; www.lgb.org), south of LAX, is the best place to land if you're visiting Long Beach or northern Orange County and want to avoid L.A. John Wayne Airport (19051 Airport Way N., Anaheim; tel. 949/252-5200; www.ocair.com) is closest to Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and other Orange County attractions. Ontario International Airport (Terminal Way, Ontario; tel. 909/937-2700; www.lawa.org/ont) is not a popular airport for tourists; businesspeople use it to head to San Bernardino, Riverside, and other inland communities. However, it's convenient if you're heading to Palm Springs, and also a viable choice if you're staying in Pasadena.

Immigration & Customs Clearance -- International visitors arriving by air, no matter what the port of entry, should cultivate patience and resignation before setting foot on U.S. soil. U.S. airports have considerably beefed up security clearances in the years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and clearing Customs and Immigration can take as long as 2 hours.

Getting into Town from the Airport

By Car -- To reach Santa Monica and other northern beach communities, exit the airport, take Sepulveda Boulevard north, and follow the signs to California 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy., or PCH) north. You can take the I-405 north, but you'll be sorry you did -- that stretch of freeway is always heavily congested.

To reach Redondo, Hermosa, Newport, and the other southern beach communities, take Sepulveda Boulevard south and then follow the signs to California 1 south.

To reach Beverly Hills or Hollywood, exit the airport via Century Boulevard and then take I-405 north to Santa Monica Boulevard east.

To reach Downtown or Pasadena, exit the airport, take Sepulveda Boulevard south, then take I-105 east to I-110 north.

Tip: If you're going to rent a car at LAX, avoid arriving at the midweek morning or evening rush hour, particularly if you have to get on dreaded I-405. You'll save yourself several hours of stop-and-go misery if you time it right.

By Shuttle -- Many city hotels provide free shuttles for their guests; ask when you make reservations. SuperShuttle (tel. 800/258-3826 or 310/782-6600; www.supershuttle.com) offers regularly scheduled minivans from LAX to any location in the city, as does Prime Time Shuttle (tel. 800/RED-VANS [800/733-8267] or 310/536-7922; www.primetimeshuttle.com). Fares can range from about $15 to $35 per person, depending on your destination. It's cheaper to cab it to most places if you're a group of three or more, but you might have to stop at other passengers' destinations before you reach your own. Reservations aren't needed for your arrival but are required for a return to the airport.

A Shortcut to LAX -- One of the city's busiest interchanges is from the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) to the San Diego Freeway (I-405) on the way to LAX -- many a tourist has missed a flight because of this beastly bottleneck. Therefore, if you're heading to LAX for your flight home, the scenic route may prove to be the fastest. From the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10) westbound, exit south to La Brea Avenue. Go right on Stocker Street and then left on La Cienega Boulevard. Veer right on La Tijera Boulevard and left on Airport Boulevard, then follow the signs. You can use this trick from West Hollywood and Beverly Hills as well -- simply take La Cienega south, continuing as above.

By Taxi -- Taxis are located at the Arrivals level under the yellow sign outside each terminal. Be sure to ask for a list of prices to various major destinations before setting off. There's a flat price of $42 between LAX and Downtown Los Angeles. For other destinations, expect to pay at least $35 to Hollywood, $25 to Beverly Hills, $20 to Santa Monica, and $50 to $60 to the Valley and Pasadena. But wait, there's more -- you'll also have to pay an airport surcharge of $2.50 for trips originating from LAX.

Disneyland Express -- If you're headed directly to Disneyland, Gray Line's Disneyland Resort Express (tel. 714/978-8855; www.graylineanaheim.com) runs a shuttle service from LAX from 6:30am to 12:30am, 7 days a week. The buses are located under the green sign on the Arrivals level of every terminal. Reservations aren't required but you can book tickets in advance at their website. A round-trip ticket is $30 for adults and $22 for kids.

By Rail -- Budget-minded travelers heading to Downtown, Universal City, or Long Beach can take L.A.'s Metro Rail service from LAX. An airport shuttle can take you to the Green Line light-rail station; from there, connections on the Blue, Gold, and Red lines can get you where you're headed. It's a good idea to contact your hotel for advice on the closest station. The service operates from 5am to midnight, and the combined fare is under $2 -- but you should be prepared to spend 1 to 2 hours in transit. Call the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) at tel. 800/COMMUTE (800/266-6883), or see www.mta.net for information.

By Public Bus -- The city's MTA buses also go between LAX and many parts of the city. Phone MTA Airport Information (tel. 800/COMMUTE [800/266-6883]; www.mta.net) for the schedules and fares. If you're arriving at LAX and your hotel is in Santa Monica, you can hop aboard the city's Big Blue Bus (tel. 310/451-5444; www.bigbluebus.com). It's a slow ride, but the price, 75¢, is hard to beat. Bus information is available in the baggage claim area of each LAX terminal.

By Car

Los Angeles is well connected to the rest of the United States by several major highways -- in fact, L.A. has the highest rate of bank robberies in the U.S. because it's so easy to make a fast getaway. Among them are Interstate 5, which enters the state from the north; Interstate 10, which originates in Jacksonville, Florida, and terminates in Los Angeles; and U.S. 101, a scenic route that follows the western seaboard from Los Angeles north to the Oregon state line.

If you're driving from the north, you have two choices: the quick route, along I-5 through the middle of the state; or the scenic route along the coast. Heading south along I-5, you'll pass a small town called Grapevine. This marks the start of the mountain pass with the same name. Once you've reached the southern end of the pass, you'll be in the San Fernando Valley, which is the start of Los Angeles County. To reach the beach communities and L.A.'s Westside, take I-405 south (Hello traffic!); to get to Hollywood, take California 170 south to U.S. 101 south (this route is called the Hollywood Fwy. the entire way); I-5 will take you along the eastern edge of Downtown and into Orange County.

If you're taking the scenic coastal route from the north, take U.S. 101 to I-405 or I-5, or stay on U.S. 101, following the instructions above to your destination.

If you're approaching from the east, you'll be coming in on I-10. For Orange County, take California 57 south. I-10 continues through Downtown and terminates at the beach. If you're heading to the Westside, take I-405 north. To get to the beaches, take California 1 (PCH) north or south, depending on your destination.

From the south, head north on I-5 at the southern end of Orange County. I-405 splits off to the west; take this road to the Westside and beach communities. Stay on I-5 to reach Downtown and Hollywood.

Here are some driving times if you're on one of those see-the-USA car trips: From Phoenix, it's about 350 miles, or 6 hours (okay, 7 if you drive the speed limit) to Los Angeles via I-10. Las Vegas is 265 miles northeast of Los Angeles (about a 4- or 5-hr. drive). San Francisco is 390 miles north of Los Angeles on I-5 (6-7 hr.), and San Diego is 115 miles south (about 2 hr.).

If you're visiting from abroad and plan to rent a car in the United States, you probably won't need the services of an additional automobile organization. If you plan to buy or borrow a car, automobile-association membership is recommended. AAA, the American Automobile Association (tel. 800/222-4357; http://travel.aaa.com), is the country's largest motor club and supplies its members with maps, insurance and, most importantly, emergency road service. Note: Foreign driver's licenses are usually recognized in the U.S., but you should get an international one if your home license is not in English.

By Train

Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL [800/872-7245]; www.amtrak.com) connects Los Angeles with about 500 American cities. As with plane travel along popular routes, fares fluctuate depending on the season and special promotions. As a general rule, heavily restricted advance tickets are competitive with similar airfares. Remember, however, that those low fares are for coach travel in reclining seats; private sleeping accommodations cost substantially more.

The Sunset Limited is Amtrak's regularly scheduled transcontinental service, originating in Florida and making 52 stops along the way as it passes through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before arriving in Los Angeles 2 days later. Amtrak's Coast Starlight travels along the Pacific Coast between Seattle and Los Angeles. This stylish train (with its wonderfully scenic route) has been steadily growing in popularity.

Amtrak also runs trains along the California coast, connecting San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and all points in between. There are multiple trains each day. One-way fares for popular segments can range from $22 (Los Angeles-Santa Barbara) to $25 (Los Angeles-San Diego) to $87 (San Francisco-Los Angeles) but, again, fares fluctuate.

Ask about special family plans, tours, and other money-saving promotions. You can call for a brochure outlining routes and prices for the entire system; up-to-date schedules and fares are also available on Amtrak's comprehensive -- but often unwieldy -- website (www.amtrak.com). Better yet, log on to Amtrak's California website: www.amtrakcalifornia.com. It's far more user-friendly and lists only California schedules and special fares.

The L.A. train terminus is Union Station, 800 N. Alameda (tel. 213/617-0111), on Downtown's northern edge. Completed in 1939, this was the last of America's great train depots -- a unique blend of Spanish Revival and Streamline Moderne architecture. From the station, you can take one of the taxis that line up outside; board the Metro Red Line to Hollywood or Universal City; or take the Metro Blue Line to Long Beach. If you're headed to the San Fernando Valley or Anaheim, Metrolink commuter trains leave from Union Station; call tel. 800/371-LINK (800/371-5465), or visit www.metrolinktrains.com.

International visitors can buy a USA Rail Pass, good for 15 or 30 days of unlimited travel on Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL [800/872-7245]; www.amtrak.com). The pass is available through many overseas travel agents. See Amtrak's website for the cost of travel within the western, eastern, or northwestern United States. With a foreign passport, you can also buy passes directly from some Amtrak locations, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Miami, Boston, and Washington, D.C. Reservations are generally required and should be made as early as possible. Regional rail passes are also available.