Getting to LA parks via public transport (from Sherman Oaks)

[Gav]

^^^

Hey,

Basically I'm going to be in LA to visit my sister from the 6th of June till the 20th, so naturally enough I'm planning on visiting SFMM, KBF, USH, DCA and DL while I'm there.

I had a look at the LA metro website and entered in some routes. Getting to USH is quite easy via bus, and SFMM was quoted as being a 60 min ride , so getting to these two parks is quite bearable.

 

However, getting to the Disney parks and KBF presents a bit of a problem (The website was saying 3-4 hours )

From where I am going to be, are there any better ways to get down to these three parks, preferably in time for opening?

 

Edit: Forgot to ask, how busy are the parks in June?

[What Now]

I believe Metro Rapid 761 (bus) goes to Van Nuys Metrolink (train) station. From there take a train to Union Station, then another train to Anaheim Metrolink Station. Then you'd take a bus (either ART or OCTA) to the parks. That should be quicker then 3-4 hours.

 

some links:

www.metrolinktrains.com

http://www.rideart.org/

www.octa.net

[Gav]

Thanks for that.

I'm guessing that since you list yourself as being situated in the valley that you might have used these services at some point. Roughly how long could a trip like this take?

[socalRCfan]

There is a MTA bus line directly from downtown Los Angeles. If you take Metro Rapid down Ventura to Universal Red Line, then take the subway to 7th Street/Flower, connect to a bus dropping you off at Disneyland.

 

You may want to think of getting a cheap motel/hotel room for at least one night instead of making that trek each time you want to visit one of the Orange County parks.

[Gav]

Well, for one of the trips I'll be in a car, and since people have given a couple of different routes I'll try them both for the other two trips down. I dont really mind since I'll get a chance to see more of the city, even if it is just fairly ordinary stuff.

[katunandri]

Hi guys!

I'll be in Pasadena 14 days this summer and i would like to know how to get via public transport to:

- SFMM

- Universal Studios Hollywood

- Disneyland

- Knott's

 

Anyone can help me?

 

I would prefer public transport, but if this is impossible, what i have to do to rent a car? Do i need 18 or 21 years? Do i need an international driving license?

 

Please help me!!!

 

(and obviously thanks!)

[robbalvey]

I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Southern California is NOT an easy place to get to via public transportation.

 

Santa Clarita does have a bus that goes to Magic Mountain, and we do have a Metrolink stop here.

 

Not sure how easy it is to get from one to the other, but your main hub is going to be Union Station in Los Angeles. From there you can get to either Anaheim or Santa Clarita, and then have to figure out how to get public transport from those places.

 

IMO, you're looking at 2-3 hours per journey. Figure it takes as much as 2 hours in a car to go directly from Disneyland to SFMM, and the trains and busses will take you through downtown LA, which is a nightmare.

 

Those links listed above should help, but my reccomendation is to rent a car if possible.

 

--Robb

[Gav]

Well, I thought I might report on my experiences now my trip is done.

While I think SFMM is potentially a pain for most people, since its a long bus ride (and services finish early) I think Rob could have given SoCal transportation a bit more credit though. I was fine with it, the websites had good trip planning facilities and I managed to get down to Orange County a couple of times via Amtrak for Knotts and Disney. Metro services were frequent and it was a cheap way to get around ($3 a day) You might have to make a lot of connections or leave early, but It was a lot of fun trying to navigate a foreign city and simply seeing how things are.