Best way to travel between la and sf?

Question

i'm thinking of visiting these 2 cities soon from nyc. if i book a flight to one of these cities first...what is the best wayto travel between them? book another flight, gray hound bus, amtrak? when i mean best...i mean cheapest and fastest. if i book another flight between sf and la...i would have to go thru security check and wait in the airport for a couple of hours in the airport...so dunno...that's y im looking for another alternatives. thx in advance.

Answer 1

Virgin America flies from NY to both SF and LA. As both answerer told already the best way is fly. Obviously is faster but if you want it cheaper you have to look for many websites to find deals. Go to virgin America web page and see how much the tickets costs. I do this trip every 2 months and always go for this airline (you accumulate points and can get a free ticket )

http://www.virginamerica.com/va/home.do

Sadly you posted late this question because yesterday ended the summer special with this airline. LAX to SFO was $59 and now it's at regular price $69

TIP: Look for flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, fares are cheaper in these days ( that's why I always fly on Tue's or Wed's to SF lol)

Check airline fares daily at night, sometimes fares go down suddenly for a couple hours ( I got a deal from LAX to SFO for just $38 a couple months ago. This fare just came up between 10pm and 12am)

Good luck

Answer 2

another atlernete routing is use california shuttle

they have service betwen those two cities twice a day

Answer 3

Stay in L.A. it's cheaper and get a rental car the drive is great and you can stop along the way...I live in S.F. I hope you enjoy my beautiful city.  I would love to trade you houses so I could go to NYC and you could come here. to SF.  When in L.A. you must go to Venice Beach,so worth it bring your camera.  

Answer 4

I agree with So-crates.  Flying is really the way to go.  

If think about the time spent and the cost of gas, it's really more convenient to take the plane.  However, if you're going to be traveling around LA, you'll want to rent a car, so that expense may factor into your own equation.  

Answer 5

fastest would be by airplane. currently there are deals using southwest for travel in state for like $59 one way if you book online.  Flight is about 1 hour, plus say 1.5 hour in security. http://www.southwest.com/hotfares/hotfar...

By Car depending on the car you rent, would take approximately $70 - $100 in gas and takes about 5 - 6 hours depending on where you are going to in LA. and that does not include the rental price and the extra charge for drop off in another city.

Amtrak is the longest, most time consuming method of going between the two cities.  It is about 12 hours 40 minutes on the Coast Starlight. And would be approximately cost you $52.  While very scenic, it is really an all day deal.

Regarding driving vs. flying one of our local newspapers a few years back did a test between flying and driving with all the different security things, etc. and they found that driving was a hair faster. but that was when they were making you get there like 2+ hours early.

Personally I would fly.

Answer 6

I would recommend using Amtrak to make the trip between LA and the Bay Area. There are 3 Amtrak train routes that travel along California's north south corridors. First the Coast Starlight is the famous mainline route along the coast which operates once per day in each direction, costs a bit more and is a bit slower than the other routes but is more luxurious. Secondly the San Joaquin's route has several departures a day and runs through the central valley with bus connections on the portion between Bakersfield and various pick up points throughout the LA area including LA union station. Thirdly, the Pacific Coast Surfliner is a quicker version of the Starlight and operates two departures a day directly out of LA union station with bus connections for the segment between San Luis Obispo and the Bay Area. The fares generally run about $40 each way and the service is enjoyable plus the views are great! Good Luck!

Answer 7

Hello.

I live in CA, and I occasionally commute between LA and SF on business. Seriously, by plane is the way to go...wont take you more than 3 hours - and the flight is one of those hours... Car will take 8 hours, and train will take about 5+ hours, depending upon stops and if they run into any problems... Bus would be cheapest, but youre talking 8+ hours of smelling stinky people.

To make life easy for you, fly into the smaller airports. So, fly from NYC to SFO, but leave out of Oakland airport to get to the LA area...and see if you can fly into Bob Hope airport in LA. Shouldnt cost more than $250 round trip...