Day trip from Los Angeles to Laguna Beach

Driving from Los Angeles

The miles below are estimates from OSRM driving routes on OpenStreetMap data, from Main Beach to each starting point. They are routing estimates, not official distances, and they give miles, not minutes, because freeway traffic changes every drive.

From	About this many miles by road (OSRM estimate)
Downtown Los Angeles (Union Station)	50.1
Los Angeles International Airport	55.2
Santa Monica	62.4
Long Beach Airport	34.1

Visit Laguna Beach says to take the 405 or the 5 South and exit onto Highway 133 South. That road turns into Laguna Canyon Road and becomes Broadway. It lists the 405 as the closest freeway and the 73 as the toll road option. Pacific Coast Highway, which hugs the coast, is its scenic alternative. Test the drive for the hour you will travel, in both directions.

See getting here for airports and the road names in town.

Trains and the OCTA bus

No train stops in Laguna Beach. The nearest stops are on two services:

• Metrolink Orange County Line. It runs between L.A. Union Station and Oceanside, with stops at Irvine, Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente and San Clemente Pier. Its timetable marks some trains as not stopping at some stations.
• Pacific Surfliner. Its station list includes Los Angeles, Anaheim, Irvine, San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente, where the train stops next to the pier.

OCTA Route 1 runs along Pacific Coast Highway between Long Beach and San Clemente, and its timetable effective August 9, 2026 lists the San Clemente Metrolink station and Dana Point Harbor. The timetable lists stops at Laguna Beach High School and the Laguna Beach Civic Center, with separate weekday and weekend schedules. Metrolink says OC Bus routes that connect directly with Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains honor valid tickets and passes from both.

Service changes happen, and Metrolink posts its alerts on its Orange County Line page. Check Metrolink, Amtrak and OCTA on the day you travel.

Parking and the trolley

The city lists numbered public lots with addresses, such as Lot 1 at 234 Broadway Street, Lot 2 at 322 Forest Avenue and Lot 6, the Glenneyre Structure, at 501 Glenneyre Street. Meters and pay stations take credit and debit cards, and the Laguna Beach Parking App pays by phone. Rates, hours and summer rules are in the parking guide.

Two ways to park once and ride:

• Lot 16 on weekends. From September 8, 2026 to June 25, 2027, the city lists parking at Lot 16 (Act V, 1900 Laguna Canyon Road) for $5 and a free Canyon Route trolley downtown on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The lot is closed to the public Monday to Friday.
• Summer Breeze. The city’s Summer Breeze page describes a free loop from a lot at 16355 Laguna Canyon Road in Irvine, near the I-405 and SR-133 interchange, to the art festivals and downtown. The page lists no year, and the city had not posted summer 2027 routes on October 28, 2026.

Once downtown, the free Coastal Route runs on Coast Highway between North Laguna and Heisler Park, downtown and South Laguna. In the off-season it comes every 20 to 30 minutes. See the trolley page for hours.

A day route through this site

Start with one day in Laguna Beach, which sets the order of the day from tide pools to sunset. A few choices fit a day that ends with a drive home:

1. Choose how you arrive. Drive and park in a downtown lot, or take the train to San Clemente and the bus north, or park at Lot 16 on a weekend and ride the trolley.
2. Pick a beach. The beaches page lists them all. Read the beach rules first.
3. Check the season. Best time to visit covers crowds and weather by month.
4. Add stops. Heisler Park, the downtown galleries and sunset spots each have a page here. The city’s Coastal Route lists stops at North Laguna/Heisler Park and downtown.
5. Leave with room to spare. The same two roads lead out, Laguna Canyon Road and Coast Highway.

For other places to add on the same trip, see day trips from Laguna Beach.