Arrival by airplane
Los Angeles is served by almost every major international airline. There are many non-stop connections from Frankfurt, among others with Lufthansa, from Vienna, among others, with Austrian Airlines, from Zurich, with Swiss.
Flight time
From Frankfurt: 11 hours 40 minutes; from Vienna: 14 hours 30 minutes (including 1 stopover); from Zurich: 12 hours 30 minutes
Arrival by car / bus
Driving in California is a pleasure because the roads from Los Angeles to San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey and San Francisco are excellent.
In the US, you drive on the right side of the road. An international driver’s license is recommended but not required by law; the national driving license is recognized for up to one year.
The minimum age to drive a car in the United States is 16.
The speed limit is normally 40-56 km / h within built-up areas, 88 km / h on federal highways and 105 km / h on freeways.
If there are no special prohibition signs, you can turn right at the red traffic light, but you have to stop briefly beforehand.
Pedestrians always take precedence and seat belts are mandatory. Children under the age of six must sit in child seats.
In California, the laws against alcohol at the wheel are very strict and i. A. on arrest and criminal charges. The legal alcohol limit is 0.8 per mille. It is also not permitted to have opened containers of alcoholic beverages in the car.
The American Automobile Association (AAA; Tel: (213) 741 41 60. Internet: www.aaa-calif.com) provides further information such as online road maps on request, suggests routes, and members of foreign automobile clubs may enjoy the same advantages as in your country of origin.
Breakdown services
AAA (Tel: (1 800) 222 43 57).
Between 6.30 a.m. and 7 p.m., the Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) helps with minor problems on the highways. The emergency call is 911.
Call (800) 427 76 23 for information about traffic conditions on the California freeway.
Routes
Interstate 5 (I-5) connects Los Angeles to Seattle in the north and San Diego in the south.
The Pacific Coast Highway (State Highway 1) is a scenic route north along the California coast to Santa Barbara and San Francisco .
Phoenix ( Arizona) can be reached from Los Angeles via I-10, Las Vegas ( Nevada) and Salt Lake City ( Utah) via I-15 and Oklahoma City ( Oklahoma) and Memphis ( Tennessee) via I-40 .
Coaches
Greyhound (tel: (214) 849 8966 or (800) 231 22 22 (timetable information) . Internet: www.greyhound.com) offers bus connections to all major cities in the USA. The central Greyhound bus station is on 1716 East Seventh Street. There is a baggage drop-off, public toilets and a snack bar.
Travel time to the city
From San Diego: 2 hours 45 minutes; from Las Vegas: 4 hours 30 minutes; from San Francisco: 9 hours
Arrival by train
Train connections
From Union Station, 800 North Alameda Street, on the edge of the downtown financial district, you can use the Amtrak and Metrolink rail companies. The pretty station building was built in 1939 in the Spanish mission style and is a sight with its huge, arched waiting room. Facilities include luggage drop-off, train information and a snack bar. The LAX Flyaway bus service (Internet: www.lawa.org/flyaway) offers fast, inexpensive connections between Union Station and the airport.
Union Station is the terminus of many main routes that lead across the southern Rocky Mountains. It is also the southernmost train station on the west coast line to Seattle (Washington State) and offers regular connections to San Diego.
Railway companies
Amtrak (Tel: (800) 872 72 45; Internet: www.amtrak.com) offers regional trains and rail links to all parts of the United States .
The regional rail network for Southern California is called Metrolink (Tel: (800) 371 54 65. Internet: www.metrolinktrains.com). It offers connections to most cities in the area.
Travel on the water
The port of Los Angeles (Tel: (310) 732 76 78. Internet: www.portoflosangeles.org) is located in San Pedro Bay, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, and is one of the largest and most important seaports in the world. In the port area there are various leisure facilities such as museums, an aquarium, a marina and the Wilmington information center.
Ferry operator
Most cruise ships continue south to Mexico. Los Angeles is also a popular stop on cruises to Alaska and other northern destinations. There are also harbor tours. The Catalina Express (Tel: (800) 481 34 70. Internet: www.catalinaexpress.com) offers regular ferry connections to Santa Catalina Island.
Nearest port
Los Angeles.