This is my first post. I live in China and am on a mileage run in the USA visiting my daughter in San Diego. I need to go back to LAX and am looking for an inexpensive way to do so. Any ideas? Limos are around $200 , flights more, one way rentals are approaching reasonableness but seems to be no way to get there for under $100.
I assume you don't want to drive? The drive is fast and easy, it should take 2 hours on weekends or in the middle of the day (not morning or evening rush hour).
It looks like you have researched all the other options and costs very nicely. One caution is sometimes the Amtrak trains get delayed so you might take an earlier train than one that will get you to LA just in time. The Flyaway Bus to LAX runs 24 hours.
There is a local train service that uses the same tracks called the Coaster. It goes as far north as Oceanside, then you must transfer to a local Metrolink train. They go all the way to LA Union Station. The only reason I am mentioning this is Coaster/Metrolink has more trains than Amtrak (but makes more stops) and also I don't want you to confuse Amtrak and local trains when buying tickets or boarding.
The left side of the train is more scenic because the first half of the ride is right along the beach in many places. At the San Diego station sit on the side of the train facing away from the station and closest to the cruise ships and harbor. It will be obvious when you are there.
Thanks for the info. My daughter picked me up in LA since she was there for an alumni event. I will sit on the left side after dinner at Phil's which is apparently the best barbecue west of Cleveland. Now I am worried about the timing. Hope they are not late.
Amtrak is usually on time on the SD-LA route. However it's not a big surprise when they are late, so I wanted to warn you to not plan on the assumption they will be on time. Leave some extra time.
Does your daughter have a friend or colleague who can give you a ride back to LAX? Maybe she knows someone who needs to go to LA for other reasons and they can detour to LAX if you offer a few dollars or something interesting from China. I'm not familiar with Phil's, I will have to look them up!
Thanks for the info. My daughter picked me up in LA since she was there for an alumni event. I will sit on the left side after dinner at Phil's which is apparently the best barbecue west of Cleveland. Now I am worried about the timing. Hope they are not late.
Phil's is quite good but maybe not the best West of Cleveland. It can get extremely crowded on weekends and around lunch and dinner time. Allow yourself some extra time if you eat there.
I assume you don't want to drive? The drive is fast and easy, it should take 2 hours on weekends or in the middle of the day (not morning or evening rush hour).
I am going to arrive in LAX on a Sunday around noon and then drive to San Diego. I haven't bought plane tickets yet as my next destination will be SFO. I would prefer to fly out of SAN so I don't have to drive back to LAX but one-way cars seem to be a lot. Thus I don't mind driving back to LAX, but would need to get there about 11:45am on a Wednesday. How bad would traffic be then? Is there a cheap and easy way to go LAX -> San Diego as I don't have to have a car in SAN.
I am going to arrive in LAX on a Sunday around noon and then drive to San Diego. I haven't bought plane tickets yet as my next destination will be SFO. I would prefer to fly out of SAN so I don't have to drive back to LAX but one-way cars seem to be a lot. Thus I don't mind driving back to LAX, but would need to get there about 11:45am on a Wednesday. How bad would traffic be then?
If 11:45 is when you need to be at the airport (not when your plane departs), then you can figure back from that.... Allow 30 minutes to drop off the car and take the shuttle to your terminal. It's 125 miles from downtown San Diego to LAX...so figure two hours if you are roughly at the speed limit of 65. Traffic flowing *out* of San Diego North should not be too bad...and by the time you hit Orange county/LA you should be well out of the morning commute traffic. I'd tack on 45 minutes to your schedule in case of traffic accidents or jam ups at interchanges... So you should depart San Diego by 8:30 am if you are driving.
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Is there a cheap and easy way to go LAX -> San Diego as I don't have to have a car in SAN.
FlyAway Bus to LA Union Train station ($6) (stops at all LAX terminals at the green loading zone every 30 minutes) From there, take Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner South to San Diego, with departures at 2:00, 3:00, 4:10... (~$34, but check for discounts in the Amtrak Guest Rewards group)
Thanks for the info, my wife will arrive to LAX and from there come to San Diego to meet me.
What`s "The Flyaway Bus to LAX runs 24 hours"????.
Goes from the airport of LAX to San Diego?
