Long Beach is served by three airports, LAX, LGB, and SNA, all of which are connected by Interstate 405. Unless you're flying JetBlue, LAX may be the most practical of the three.
Long Beach Airport (IATA: LGB) is the closest airport. JetBlue Airways serves 14 destinations from Long Beach Airport: Oakland, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, NYC/JFK, Chicago O'Hare, Boston, DC/Dulles, Ft. Lauderdale, Austin, San Jose, Seattle, Portland OR, and San Francisco. Other airlines include Alaska Airlines (Seattle), US Airways Express (Phoenix), and Delta (Salt Lake City). Rental cars are available for hire at the airport (Avis, Budget, Hertz, Enterprise, National). Long Beach Yellow Cab + 1 -562 435-6111 serves the airport, approximate fares to downtown hotels $30-40 OW. Long Beach Transit Route 111 (Broadway/Lakewood) connects the airport to downtown Long Beach and to the Blue Line at the downtown Transit Mall; it runs south to downtown (40 min ride) from LGB about once every half hour and costs $1.25. To find the bus stop, follow the taxi signs, walk one block beyond the taxi lineup, and turn right. Be sure to ask if the bus goes downtown, since both north- and south-bound Route 111 buses use this one bus stop at LGB.
Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX) is the second closest airport, about 25 miles away. It is fairly easy to take the Metro Rail from LAX to Long Beach, although you may require a short taxi ride or transfer to another bus to reach your final destination. Look for the LAX Shuttle & Airline Connections sign on the Lower/Arrival Level islands in front of each terminal, and board the free "G" Shuttle which terminates at the Aviation/LAX Green Line Metro Rail Station. Purchase a two-segment ticket from the automated kiosk ($2.50). You will take the Metro Green Line, exit at the Imperial/Wilmington/Rosa Parks Station, change levels, and transfer to the Blue Line southbound to Long Beach. Overall travel time from LAX is about one hour. It is not recommended to take this line late at night. The Long Beach Transit Mall in downtown Long Beach is the southern terminus of the Blue line. Two shared van services (Supershuttle or PrimeTime Shuttle) provide door to door service from LAX. Advise the representatives that you need a ride to Long Beach, and they will flag the appropriate van. Fare is approximately $28 one way, taking about one hour. A taxi from LAX to Long Beach is about $70. The shuttle or taxi is most convenient if you are traveling with heavy bags, arriving at night, or going to a final destination not near a Blue Line station.
Orange County/John Wayne Airport (IATA: SNA) is the third closest airport, about 35 miles away. No convenient public transportation to Long Beach; would have to rent a car or take a shuttle or a taxi
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Long Beach
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Long Beach - updated May 2024
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Long Beach Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
