Getting Around Riverside
Riverside sits in Southern California's Inland Empire, and like much of the region it is built around the automobile. Most visitors will find that a car makes getting around easiest, but there is a workable public transport network of commuter rail and local buses, plus taxis and ride-hailing, for those who would rather not drive.
By Car
Driving is the default way to move around Riverside, and traffic congestion can seriously slow your day. Several freeways serve the city and its neighborhoods:
- The CA-60/I-215 runs along the north side of the city. The Market Street exit provides access to Downtown; the 3rd/Blaine and University exits lead into the University neighborhood; and the Martin Luther King exit serves the mostly residential Canyon Crest area.
- The CA-91 runs the length of Riverside from its origin at the 60/215/91 interchange in the north, eventually extending into Corona, Orange County, and on to Long Beach. Notable exits include University Ave. (bordering Downtown), Central Ave. (near the Riverside Plaza), Tyler St. (next to the Galleria at Tyler mall), and La Sierra Ave. (near the city's second Metrolink station and Castle Park).
- The major crosstown arteries are Arlington and Magnolia Avenues, where congestion is interminable — travelers are well advised to use other routes. Jurupa Ave. largely parallels Arlington, while Indiana and Victoria avenues parallel Magnolia. Victoria Avenue is lightly used and quite scenic, and if you're willing to drive slightly out of your way it's worth the extra distance to cruise among the city's old orange groves.
Rail: Metrolink and Amtrak
Riverside is a hub of the Metrolink commuter rail system, which is the backbone of car-free travel in and out of the city.
- Riverside–Downtown station is about a mile outside the city center, with ample parking. Facilities are limited to public telephones and ticket machines — there are no restrooms. It is served by RTA routes 1 and 16 and CommuterLink routes 208, 210, and 212.
- Riverside–La Sierra station, in the south of the city, has the same facilities and is served by RTA routes 12 and 15. Solar generating arrays cover much of its parking lot.
Metrolink service patterns differ between weekdays and weekends, and the two stations are served by different combinations of lines, so check the schedule for your travel day before you set out.
Amtrak also serves the Downtown station with one trip per day on the long-distance Southwest Chief. Traveling to Riverside from out of the area by rail is neither convenient nor cheap, but it can be done. Note that Amtrak personnel are not available at the Riverside station: if you are boarding there you must have advance reservations, which for a spontaneous trip is as simple as a phone call to Amtrak. You can pick up your ticket from the Metrolink kiosks at the station, or from the staffed stations in Fullerton, Anaheim, and Los Angeles. Amtrak California also runs buses each day to the Riverside Downtown station, connecting to the Gold Runner in Bakersfield for journeys to and from points north.
Buses and Local Public Transport
While the vast majority of people in the city drive, public transport does exist. Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) operates local buses in and around Riverside, Corona, Beaumont, Banning, San Jacinto, Temecula, and other cities in western Riverside County.
RTA's intercity services are the most useful routes for visitors connecting between towns:
- Route 200 travels along the CA-91 between the San Bernardino Metrolink Station/Downtown Transit Center, the Riverside Metrolink Station, the Anaheim ARTIC/Metrolink Station, and Disneyland. The nearest connections to Greyhound and other intercity services (to Barstow, Indio, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Phoenix, San Diego, Long Beach, and more) are in San Bernardino and Anaheim.
- Route 204 goes up to Montclair through Ontario and the Ontario Mills Mall, where passengers can transfer to Omnitrans route 61 to reach Ontario Airport — the closest airport to the area.
- Routes 205–206 travel along I-15 between the Corona Transit Center (at Main & Grand, near the junction of the 91 and the 15), through Murrieta and Lake Elsinore, to the Promenade Mall in Temecula.
- Omnitrans route 215 runs from the Riverside Metrolink Station to San Bernardino.
There are no Greyhound or Megabus stops or stations in Riverside itself. FlixBus serves the city with a stop at UC Riverside (Parking Lot 30, 900 Martin Luther King Blvd, at the lot's eastbound transit stop opposite the main campus, next to or at the RTA bus shelter), connecting Riverside to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Phoenix, and other destinations. Check your ticket for up-to-date boarding locations.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
The source material for Riverside does not describe a taxi or ride-hailing network in detail. As in most Southern California cities, visitors should expect to rely on taxis and app-based ride-hailing for point-to-point trips, particularly late at night or when buses and trains are not running. Because the city is spread out and car-oriented, these services are a practical fallback when you don't want to drive yourself.
Walkability
Riverside is a sprawling, automobile-oriented Southern California city, so walking is best suited to specific districts rather than as a way to cross town. Downtown and the University neighborhood are the most natural areas to explore on foot, and the Metrolink station is roughly a mile from the city center — a walkable distance, but one to plan for rather than assume. For most other trips around the city, expect to combine walking with a car, bus, or rail connection.
Getting There from the Airport
Ontario International Airport is the closest airport to Riverside and the most convenient arrival point. It is a medium-sized airport with direct flights to many American cities and to Mexico, an uncrowded terminal, and generally easy freeway access. Travelers flying into Ontario should look into Southwest Airlines, which generally has reasonable prices.
By car from Ontario: follow the signs for Interstate 10 East, then get on the I-15 South, and then the CA-60 East. You will spend only about two miles on the I-15, so stay in the two right-hand lanes. After that interchange, you're only about 15 miles outside the city.
By public transport from Ontario: it is possible, but most certainly difficult. For non-drivers or frugal travelers, here is how it works:
- Take the airport shuttle around to the Omnitrans bus stop on Airport Dr and wait for the Omnitrans 61 bound for Ontario/Fontana. This costs $1.15, exact change only.
- During commute hours on weekdays, get off at the Ontario Mills transit center near the mall and board a red Riverside Transit Agency route 204 bus headed toward "Riverside." It costs $2.25 and takes about half an hour.
- Outside weekday commute hours, buy an Omnitrans day pass ($3.50) on the #61 and ride it to Fontana Metrolink. From there, board either the #10 or #14 to San Bernardino and get off downtown. Cross the street and board the #200 to Riverside.
- Either option will eventually drop you off at the Downtown Riverside Bus Terminal.
Other Los Angeles-area airports: flying into LAX, Burbank Airport, Long Beach Airport, or Orange County's John Wayne Airport to reach Riverside is certainly possible, but not recommended. All are about an hour's drive away — and that's without congestion, which isn't likely.
Riverside Municipal Airport is centrally located and offers easy access to the city for those with their own aircraft. No commercial passenger flights serve this airport.