millie2112

Hello all again
Thought I would start another post as I am starting to rethink the driving from LV to Santa Monica. I thought it would be a good idea - we could take our time, and stop off at a few outlet malls ( my 17 yr old would love to pick up some bargains).
HOwever, I am looking on map sites and it says the drive is 4.5 hours. Is this correct?
We would be leaving LV on the monday morning.
I have now looked at Southwest airlines and we could get some cheap flights for that morning.
So now I am confused. We do not want to keep the car in LA as my husband does not want to drive it around LA
Those that have done the drive - good idea????

nytraveler

It's going to be very hard to get around LA without a car - unless you are planning on staying in the immediate area of your hotel. It will probably cost more to rent a car in LV an drop of in LA - but it will probably les than 3 air tickets and renting another car in LA.

lincasanova

Calculate the extra expense of taxis once you arrive at LAX or luggage fees on certain airlines. Will you have a higher drop off fee if you leave the car in LV? This is something to be sure about before changing your plans and drop off city.

lingerer

I live in LA. Angelenos drive between LA and Vegas frequently, though admittedly none of us enjoy it very much. Just leave early in the morning and get it over with. Your estimated drive time is indeed correct, but the pros of having a car in Santa Monica will far outweigh the inconvenience of the long drive. Taxis are expensive in Southern California and not always plentiful, and public transportation is...a work in progress, let's say. There are many sights to see here and they are spread far apart. Even if you do decide to fly between Vegas and LA, I strongly suggest you rent a car while in Santa Monica. You can frequently avoid the freeways once you're here...I certainly do!

(Personally I'd skip the outlets, or do them as an excursion while you're in Vegas. Stopping to shop will just make the drive feel longer.)

Songdoc

The drive is indeed around 4-1/2 hours -- or more if you hit traffic -- and it's not particularly scenic or attractive. I'd fly.

And I agree -- it will be very difficult to get around in L.A. without a car -- unless you take bus tours.

michele_d

If you do decide to drive LV-Santa Monica then leave early Monday morning and drive straight through. If you arrive in LA much after 2 pm you run the risk of traffic, lots of traffic. There is always traffic, no matter what the time but it just gets awful the later in the afternoon you go. Really try to avoid the 3-6 pm slot. It wouldn't be a great intro to LA.

millie2112

thank you all
I thought to drive and the drop the car off in Santa monica when we arrive (staying at Loews - good rate on Travelzoo). then to see the sights do hop on hop off tour. also,use a taxi to take us to the airport. I will not be charged a one way drop off fee.
So what time should we leave Las Vegas - is 8am too late?

lingerer

Well, if you are intent on not keeping the car while in Los Angeles, then you may as well fly if returning the car in Vegas & buying airline tickets won't cost you much more. It's not a terribly fun drive. Actually, if you fly you might still want to look into the cost of renting a car from LAX solely to take you to and from Loews...might be cheaper than a taxi.

If you do drive from Las Vegas, I strongly agree with michele_d's advice to arrive in LA no later than 2pm. I had forgotten you are going to Santa Monica. Might take you closer to 5 hours without traffic. Leaving at 8am would be fine.

mlgb

Don't listen to all the "you must have a car to see LA" comments. You can do very well without one.

The drive takes 5 hours in no traffic, which happens mostly in the middle of the night or middle of the day. It isn't the greatest drive in the world, and they LOVE to give speeding tickets on it. For a flight of $50 per person, I'd go that way, myself.

There is an outlet mall in Las Vegas, so why not just visit that one?

Guenmai

I've lived in L.A. County since 1965 and a car is a good thing to have. Taxis are expensive. We do have a subway system and of course buses. I was once stuck on the bus for many hours a day, and for a couple of months, going to and from work. It's much faster in a car to really get around a lot of areas as L.A. County is 500 square miles big. And there's a lot to see in the area and things are spread out.

This past summer, friends of mine came from Europe, and landed in another state and rented a car. They kept the same car and drove through several states. When they got here, they ended up in Santa Monica at a hotel. I picked them up one Saturday and toured them around in my car and we were out for 12 hours and never left L.A. County. They loved the tour that I gave them of the different areas and we could have never done it without a car.

The friends had a rental car and used it for the other 2 days that they were here. They went to Disneyland in it one day and then to Universal Studios and some other areas on their second day. It saved a lot of time having the car. Plus, they made multiple stops along their tour.

As for driving from Vegas to L.A., I'm not one to do it. However, my best friend zips up there all the time, from The Valley. She has no problem with the distance. She zips up to go shopping. One time I went with her, but personally would rather fly, out of Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena Airport and then get a rental car. Happy Travels!