Getting Around Pasadena

Getting Around Pasadena

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley, located northeast of downtown Los Angeles. For a visitor, the practical question is how to move between its walkable districts, and how to reach them from the airport. The good news is that Pasadena combines genuinely pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods with a light rail connection to the wider Los Angeles rail network.

Rail: The Metro A Line

The backbone of car-free travel in Pasadena is the Metro A Line light rail, which runs between Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles and continues east toward Azusa. Within Pasadena, the line serves the Arroyo Seco Parkway corridor, Old Pasadena, and East Pasadena. Several stops sit in the median of the 210 Freeway, while others put you directly in the historic core.

Because the A Line links up with other Los Angeles-area rail lines and with Amtrak, it is the most useful single route for a visitor who wants to explore beyond Pasadena without a car. A trip between Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena takes roughly twenty minutes.

Paying is straightforward: Metro trains and buses accept contactless credit cards and Apple Pay by tapping on board, and the system automatically grants free rides once daily and weekly fare caps are reached. If you don't have a contactless card, ticket kiosks at stations sell tap cards and tickets.

Buses and Other Public Transport

Pasadena is served primarily by the county-wide Metro bus network and by Pasadena Transit, the local city bus system. Regional connections are also available from Foothill Transit and LADOT's Commuter Express.

• Metro buses cover the county-wide network, including routes that link Pasadena to other parts of Los Angeles.
• Pasadena Transit handles local trips within the city.
• Foothill Transit provides regional service into the surrounding San Gabriel Valley.
• LADOT Commuter Express adds another regional option.

One route worth knowing for sightseeing is Metro's 180 bus, which runs from Pasadena to visitor-oriented areas of Hollywood; the ride takes about an hour and is often interesting in its own right. As with the rail system, the same contactless tap-to-pay and fare-cap rules apply across Metro trains and buses.

Be aware that the transit network is not especially expansive. You'll get the most out of it if you stay near a major rail line or bus route.

Taxis and Ride-Hailing

The source material describes shared-ride shuttle vans and taxis primarily in the context of airport transfers rather than everyday city travel. For getting around Pasadena itself, the emphasis in the available guidance is on walking, the A Line, and buses. If you are arriving by air, though, taxis and shuttle services are a real option — see the airport section below.

Walking and Biking

Pasadena as a whole is large enough that you will eventually want a car or public transit, but it is a very pedestrian-friendly city. Many hotels and motels sit within easy walking distance of major shopping and entertainment areas, including Old Pasadena, the Playhouse District, and South Lake Avenue. Old Pasadena in particular is the city's original commercial district and is highly walkable, with shops, restaurants, and services clustered together and good sidewalk infrastructure.

Cycling is also viable. Pasadena has dedicated bike lanes and "Roseways" — cyclist-priority streets — along with a protected bike lane on Union Street. Some routes can still be challenging, and the infrastructure is a work in progress, but it is a genuine option for shorter trips.

Getting There from the Airport

The closest and most convenient airport is Burbank/Bob Hope Airport (BUR) in Burbank. Other nearby airports are Los Angeles International (LAX), Ontario (ONT), and Orange County (SNA).

From Burbank (BUR)

The best way into Pasadena from Burbank is via a shuttle service such as Prime Time Shuttle or Xpress Shuttle.

From LAX

There are several ways to reach Pasadena from LAX:

• Taxi: a taxi from LAX to Pasadena costs approximately $80.
• Shared-ride van: Prime Time offers shared-ride vans serving the Pasadena area. Stand under the orange "shared ride vans" sign on the center concrete island outside the airport and tell a customer service representative — easy to spot in their red jackets — that you need a ride to Pasadena. If no representative is available, flag down a red van with a "Pasadena" placard in the windshield. The approximate cost is $25 per person, and the trip takes about an hour.
• FlyAway bus + Metro A Line: take the Union Station FlyAway bus, which runs 24 hours a day, then transfer to the A Line light rail. At LAX, stand under the green "FlyAway, Buses and Long-Distance Vans" sign on the center concrete island outside the terminal; the bus stops at each terminal. Board a blue FlyAway bus heading to Union Station. It is a large charter-style bus and is occasionally not labeled. Buses run every half hour, except between 1AM and 5AM when they run hourly. You may need to pay once the bus arrives at Union Station, in which case pay at the little kiosk near the bus stop. Once at Union Station, walk behind the ticket counter, go down the stairs, follow the path, and enter Union Station on the left. Head for the Metro A Line (yellow signs) at track 1, then go up the stairs to the trains. Be sure to board a northbound (Pomona) train. The A Line stops in Pasadena at Filmore, Del Mar, Memorial Park, Lake, Allen, and Sierra Madre Villa. Travel time is almost 30 minutes depending on system congestion. The entire journey from LAX to Pasadena takes about two hours.
• Metro rail via the LAX Metro Transit Center: it is possible to take the train the whole way by using the Metro K and E lines to Union Station and then transferring to the A Line, by taking the C Line to Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station and transferring there to the A Line, or by combining the C, J, and A lines. To reach the Metro Transit Center from LAX, take a bus from the airport — follow signs for LA Metro; pickup is in a different location from the Union Station FlyAway. These routes are cheaper than the FlyAway but longer and require more complicated transfers, so research the route in advance and follow signage carefully for the correct trains and directions. The K and E lines may feel safer for those unused to traveling on public transit in the United States.

By Car

From downtown Los Angeles or other southern cities, take the 110 freeway north until it ends; the 110 ends at the south end of Pasadena. From the east and west, Pasadena can be reached via Interstate 210. California Highway 134 East is the most direct route from Glendale and Burbank.

Practical Summary

For most visitors, the winning combination is to stay in or near Old Pasadena, the Playhouse District, or South Lake Avenue, where walking covers the day-to-day needs, and to use the Metro A Line for trips into Los Angeles or east toward Azusa. Pasadena Transit and Metro buses fill in the gaps, and contactless tap-to-pay with automatic fare caps makes paying simple across the Metro system. From the airport, Burbank is closest and best served by shuttle, while LAX offers a choice between taxis, shared-ride vans, and the FlyAway-plus-A-Line combination.