How To Get From LAX To Santa Monica

 

Read on to find out how to get from LAX to Santa Monica. In this post, we’ll show you all the different ways to get to Santa Monica from Los Angeles Airport.

Santa Monica is one of the most visited seaside destinations in the Los Angeles area. Located a few miles north of Venice Beach, it’s home to one of the most famous beaches in the country and the perfect place to come back to after exploring the City of Angels.

There are several ways to get from Los Angeles Airport to Santa Monica, but here’s a quick summary:

3- For convenience, Lyft/Uber are the best way, but not straight-forward

There’s still a lot of renovation taking place at Los Angeles International Airport, so getting from there to the city will eventually become easier.

If you’re traveling around the US, we also have detailed information on airport transportation from Denver Airport to Downtown, Las Vegas Airport to the Strip and Miami Airport to South Beach, among other destinations.

About Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles Airport is the 6th busiest airport in the world in number of passengers. Despite that, it’s not the friendliest airport you’ll have visited.

Is there free wifi at Los Angeles Airport? Yes, you’ll be pleased to find out that LAX offers unlimited free wifi, so you can stay connected as soon as you land.

If you’re flying from outside the US and don’t have free roaming, it’s a good idea to get an eSIM to stay online in Los Angeles.

The distance between Los Angeles Airport and Santa Monica is only 8.6 miles (13.8 kilometers), so if traffic is not heavy, you should be there in around 20 minutes.

How To Get From LAX To Santa Monica

Below, you’ll see how to get to Santa Monica from the airport by rideshare, taxi, private transfers and using public transportation, with all the details you need.

Lyft/Uber From Los Angeles Airport to Santa Monica

At LAX Airport, you can’t just book your Uber/Lyft and wait for it outside the terminal.

As you leave the terminal, you should look for the signs to LAXit. That’s the place where you’ll take your rideshare car.

The LAXit signs will take you to a bus stop painted in green where you’ll read “Taxi Ride App”.

There you’ll take the airport shuttle service to your rideshare stop. These airport shuttles run 24/7 and are free of charge. They run around every 7 minutes and offer free wifi.

If you prefer to walk, the nearest terminals to LAXit are terminals 1, 7 and 8. You’ll have to walk from 3-8 minutes, depending on where you are. From terminals 4 and 5, you’ll have to walk 20-25 minutes.

How much does an LAX to Santa Monica Uber cost? That will vary considerably depending on what time of the day you’ll making your journey.

The Uber cost from LAX to Santa Monica can be anything between $50 and $115, depending on the type of service you choose and the time of the day.

The travel time from LAXit can be between 20 and 40 minutes depending on traffic and your accommodation’s exact location.

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Taxi To Santa Monica From LAX

To use a taxi service at Los Angeles Airport you’ll have to first make your way to the LAXit area, just as you do with rideshares. You’ll find all the details to get there above.

As with Lyft or Uber, it’ll take 20-40 minutes to get to Santa Monica from LAXit, depending on traffic conditions.

A taxi from Los Angeles Airport to Santa Monica will cost $50 minimum, with an average price of $60, based on the local taxi fare calculator.

It’s also important to check with your driver if there are any hidden costs, such as luggage or extra passenger surcharge.

Private Transfer from LAX Airport to Santa Monica

The fastest most convenient way to get to Santa Monica from LAX is by booking a private car service. This way, after leaving the baggage claim area, you’ll come to the arrivals hall and your driver will be waiting for you with your name sign.

This way, you won’t have to wait for a shuttle bus to take you to the taxi and rideshare pick-up place, which will add at least 20 or 30 minutes to your total travel time.

You can book private transfers online, so you won’t need to deal with money or a credit card with your driver when you arrive. This company allows you to book and pay later and all allow you to to cancel your transfer up to 24 hours before arrival.

While a private airport transfer is the most convenient way to make your journey, this convenience also comes at a price.

​On the day before your arrival, you’ll be contacted by your driver to confirm all details, including the exact meeting point.

You can book your airport transfer online with one of these quality providers:

• Private transfer with GYG provider: From $88 one-way
• Private transfer with Kiwi: From $96 one-way, depending on the type of vehicle

It’s important to read the description to get all the details and further information on the transfers. Some of these do charge per passenger and not by car.

The travel time by private limo service is also around 20 to 40 minutes, in case there are traffic delays.

Los Angeles Quick Links

Bus From LAX To Santa Monica

If you’re traveling on a budget, there are also public transportation options. However, it’s important to bear in mind that getting to Santa Monica from LAX by public transit is very time-consuming.

You can go from LAX to Santa Monica by shuttle+bus or shuttle+metro. Since the metro option is slightly more expensive and much more time-consuming than the bus, I won’t talk about it here.

There are two ways to get to Downtown Santa Monica by bus and the travel times vary depending on which option you choose.

All public transport options include taking a free LAX shuttle service. It does not run between 2am and 4am.

Bus Option 1: Wait by the pink LAX Shuttles sign and take shuttle bus C to LAX City Bus Center. The bus ride will take around 10 minutes.

Once there, wait for the Big Blue Bus Route 3, which terminates at Downtown Santa Monica. The journey will take from 30 to 50 minutes, depending on traffic. This is on top of the travel time from the airport to LAX City Bus Center.

The Route 3 bus departs from this stop between 5:05am to 10:54pm, running every 20 minutes.

Option 2: Another option is taking the free shuttle bus M (Metro Green Line), which goes to Aviation Station. This way, you’ll take the Route 3 bus at its starting point.

The travel time to the Aviation Station is around 15 minutes. It’s located south of the airport, so you’ll travel up north again, going around LAX, adding another 15 minutes to the journey. In total, this option will add another half an hour to your journey, not including the waiting time at the Aviation Station.

The bus costs $1.25 per person and you should have the exact amount. You’ll pay directly to the driver.

The travel time on the Route 3 bus from the Aviation Station will be between 40 minutes and one hour, in addition to the travel time from the airport.

The Route 3 bus departs from Aviation Station every 20 minutes between 4:54am and 10:45pm. You’ll the detailed schedule here.