The best ways to get from San Jose to Los Angeles

At 340 miles, the distance between San Jose and Los Angeles calls for a road trip. The quickest option is cutting inland to Interstate 5 which runs directly into the Los Angeles area. The roughly six-hour route passes through famously lackluster surroundings, so make sure to load up on podcasts or bring company for conversation. Alternatively, the more picturesque Highway 101 adds another hour of travel time but offers glimpses of the coast and pit stops at popular destinations including San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, and Santa Barbara. As with any long-haul road trip, check online highway conditions at Caltrans before hitting the road.

With a flight time of one hour, booking airfare might be the most expedient way to travel between San Jose and Los Angeles. Major carriers such as Alaska, Southwest, and American each offer numerous daily, nonstop flights between the cities. The compact Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) sits just outside Downtown San Jose, and is a breeze compared to the sprawling, buzzing Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). You can also bypass LAX by flying into one of the region’s smaller, almost quaint airports such as Burbank (BUR) or Long Beach (LGB).

Advance planners hoping to ride the bus can snag a seat with Megabus for as little as $1 each way. The discount carrier which lured a new generation of bus riders with perks such as reservable reclining seats, restrooms, and individual power outlets, offers deeply discounted tickets on its six-hour and forty-minute trek from San Jose to L.A. months in advance. Even if you don’t score $1 fare, you might still find tickets for $5 or $9. Greyhound offers a variety of daily buses from San Jose to Los Angeles with competitive amenities including free WiFi, individual power outlets, and an app to buy tickets and track your bus. Depending on number of stops, the trip can extend more than ten and a half hours. Book early to reserve the express bus which arrives in L.A. in less than seven hours. The Europe-based Flixbus offers direct service between the two cities for consistently low fares. Note that while pick-up and arrival locations are within or close to city centers, they are often outside of traditional bus stations. Reflecting the brand’s targeted audience, the departure point may be a designated intersection near a university campus such as USC or UCLA.

Train bound-travelers can enjoy one of the most covetable routes offered by Amtrak aboard the famed Coast Starlight. The train runs once a day in each direction, offering picturesque views of Central Valley vineyards, and long coastal stretches of the Pacific shoreline. Passengers receive their own seat—mercifully, Amtrak trains are configured without middle seats—but can also take advantage of the route’s picturesque surroundings by heading to the Observation Car which features varied seating and floor-to-ceiling windows. Downstairs, a small cafe serves snacks, beer, and wine which come in handy over the day-long trip. The train usually departs San Jose’s Diridon Station at 10:07am and arrives at Los Angeles’ Union Station at 9pm, with a regular one-way fare of $50.