San Francisco to Los Angeles: bus or plane?
Coming from Europe, I have been living in San Francisco for a month, and this is my first visit to America. In two months, I will have to go to Los Angeles for a meeting.
Obviously, taking the plane from SFO to LAX would be the fastest solution. As this question says, taking a bus would be cheaper.
But are there other advantages of taking the bus, for someone discovering the country? For example, is there nice scenery to observe from the bus or such things?
Best Answer
Fairly obviously, yes, you will see more. There's the long road, the bits of the coast, the various small town you travel through or past.
Then there's the passengers. I find you'll either get 'weirdos', or you'll meet some really interesting people to talk to. People seem more keen to chat on buses than on planes, for some reason. Trains even more so (have you considered that option?), but personally if I have the time, I prefer ground transport to air transport. You see more, get more of an experience, and it's often cheaper to get from the bus station to my hostel than from the airport too.
Finally, there's the food. Don't overlook this - airplane food these days, if it exists, is often fairly basic. I've found some fun little diners and so on that the Greyhound or other buses stop at, and it's been worth it for the experience. Still haven't forgotten 'World Famous El Bambi' diner in the middle of nowhere, Utah that the Greyhound stopped at back in 2001/2002.
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How can I travel from San Francisco to Los Angeles?
The best way to get from San Francisco to Los Angeles is to fly which takes 3h 43m and costs $55 - $200. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs $28 - $65 and takes 8h, you could also Caltrain and train, which costs $55 - $95 and takes 13h 25m.Is it better to drive or fly from LA to San Francisco?
The best option for you to travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco depends on time available, comfort and convenience. If you plan on exploring the California coast, travel by car is the best solution. If you prefer getting from Point A to Point B in the fastest time possible, flying is an easy decision.How long does it take to get to San Francisco to LA by plane?
The flight time from San Francisco to Los Angeles is 1 hour, 21 minutes.How far is SF from LA by plane?
The shortest distance (air line) between San-Francisco and Los-Angeles is 347.42 mi (559.12 km). The shortest route between San-Francisco and Los-Angeles is 381.03 mi (613.20 km) according to the route planner. The driving time is approx. 7h 6min.Would you ride a train from San Francisco to Los Angeles??! Losing my AMTRAK virginity
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Answer 2
Depending on where your meeting is, and what else you plan to do in the Los Angeles area, consider doing neither, and renting a car instead. "Los Angeles" is not just one place, but rather a huge sprawling expanse. Once you get there, you are still likely to be far from where you want to be, with no way to get to your intended destination unless you have a car. Therefore, even if you take a bus or train, you would still want to rent a car once you get to L.A.
Answer 3
The difference in the price and time is pretty substantial.
Taking the bus will cost you around 40$ to 50$ according to Busbud while a flight can cost anywhere between $100 and 250$ for a one-way ticket according to Google flights.
A flight will take roughly an hour and a half (plus the time for getting to the airport, going through security and leaving the airport).
A bus ride will take roughly 8 hours.
The amtrak is another option but twelve hours is too long. Having taken an Amtrak from Montreal to New York which took 11 hours, I can attest that taking the Amtrak for a long distance route is long, slow and dreadful.
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