LA Metro: A 5-Step Guide for Visitors

LA Metro is the train and bus network that takes you to Universal, Hollywood, Downtown, Santa Monica and Long Beach without a car. It works best for sights that sit on a rail line. Do it on your own for those sights, because the $5 daily cap beats most tour prices. Add a ride share or a tour only for the rest, such as the Hollywood hills. For the big picture, see how to get around Los Angeles without a car.

Step 1: Know what LA Metro is

LA Metro is the county's public transit agency, and it runs both trains and buses. Metro describes its rail as subway and light rail lines, so some trains run underground and some run at street level. Buses fill the gaps between stations.

Metro is not Metrolink. Metrolink is a different commuter rail service for longer trips. If you want that one, read our guide to the Metrolink.

The best way to see a big city is to pick one corner of it and do it well.

Step 2: Pay with a bank card, phone or TAP card

You pay $1.75 for one ride, and you can use a bank card, a phone wallet or a TAP card. Metro's fares page says to tap a physical or digital card on a bus or at stations. It also says you can add a TAP card to Apple Wallet. Metro's how-to-pay page says a TAP card is a reloadable fare card. You can buy a physical card for $2 at a TAP vendor or at TAP vending machines in Metro rail stations, or get a digital card in the TAP app. To ride Metro rail you must pay with a credit, debit or TAP card, so you do not need a TAP card if you tap your own bank card.

The daily cap is the best part. Metro says you pay for three rides in one day and ride free after that, and never more than $5. Transfers are free within two hours when you tap, but round trips are not included. Cash works on buses only, with exact change, and the cap does not apply to cash.

Here is what that means in plain numbers. In October 2026, Metro charged $1.75 a ride and never more than $5 a day, so the daily cap starts to pay off on the third ride, according to the 2026 Los Angeles Travel Cost Study.

Pro Tip Tap the same card or phone on every ride. The cap counts rides per card, so a second card starts a new count.

The Metro cap covers rides only. The tour prices later in this guide are separate, and they are per person.

A weekly cap of $18 also exists. Children under age 6 ride free with a paying adult, and Metro lists other cases for seniors and students on its page.

Step 3: Pick the line for your sight

The B Line is the line most visitors need, because it links Hollywood, Universal and Downtown. It runs from Union Station in Downtown to North Hollywood. Metro's timetable for the B and D Lines, effective 7 June 2026, shows about 25 minutes from Hollywood/Highland to Union Station. It shows 4 minutes from Universal/Studio City to Hollywood/Highland, with trains about every 10 minutes in the daytime.

The E Line takes you to Santa Monica. Its timetable shows about 45 minutes from Downtown Santa Monica to 7th St/Metro Center, with trains every 8 to 10 minutes on weekdays. The A Line goes to Long Beach and takes about an hour from Downtown Long Beach to 7th St/Metro Center. At 7th St/Metro Center, you can change between the A, B, D and E Lines.

For the beach side, our Santa Monica and Venice Beach guide shows what to do after you arrive.

Step 4: Plan one area per day

Downtown is the easiest area to cover with Metro, because all the main lines meet there. Grand Central Market says to take the A or E Line to Historic Broadway Station or the B or D Line to Pershing Square Station, and both are about one block from the market. So you can ride in, eat at Grand Central Market and walk the rest.

For a guide in Downtown, the Downtown Los Angeles history and architecture walk is a three-hour walk, from €43.62 per person. It is rated 4.98 from 109 reviews on GetYourGuide and run by See LA in a Day L.L.C. It meets at 341 S Hill St, has up to 20 people, and includes a guide and a mochi sample. Drinks, parking and tips are not included, and it is not suitable for people with mobility impairments. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on 22 October 2026. Walk it on your own if you only want the sights, and pay for the guide if you want the history.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

Universal is the second easy day. Universal says a Metro pedestrian bridge links Universal City station to the park. Ride the B Line to Universal City, cross the bridge and skip the $40 parking fee that Universal listed before 5 pm. Tickets and dates are on Universal's own site, and we cover them for you at Universal Studios Hollywood. A third-party ticket such as the Universal Studios Hollywood general admission ticket starts at €88.97 per person and is sold by GetYourGuide Tours & Tickets GmbH, not run by Universal. It is rated 4.63 from 9,993 reviews. It meets at the park, 100 Universal City Plaza, and the listing gives no duration or group size. It includes entry and the Studio Tour, and food, drinks, transport and parking are not included. That listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on 22 October 2026. A tour adds nothing here, so ride the B Line and buy only the ticket.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

Key Takeaway Pick one rail corridor per day, such as the B Line from Union Station to Universal City, and you will often spend $5 or less on transit.

Our count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 82 tours with Hollywood or Downtown in the title, so both areas are well covered if you want a guide.

Step 5: Ride with care and know the limits

Metro is safe enough for most visitors if you use normal city sense. Metro's safety page lists the Transit Watch app, a text line at 213.788.2777 for reports, and 911 for emergencies. Metro also says it runs surveillance cameras and uniformed safety staff.

Rail skips many places you may want to see. It does not reach the Hollywood hills, Beverly Hills' celebrity streets or most of the coast. For those, a bus tour such as the Hollywood and Beverly Hills open-air bus tour from €28.59 per person can save you the transfers. It is rated 4.53 from 2,901 reviews on GetYourGuide and run by Hollywood Bus Tours. It lasts 2 to 5.5 hours, and the meeting point depends on the option you pick. The listing says pickup is available, but hotel pick-up and drop-off are not included, and tips are not either. It gives no group size, only a private option. The listing showed free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead on 22 October 2026. A tour is worth it here, because doing the hills yourself needs a ride share, and I could not confirm a price for one.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 22 October 2026.

Here are the limits of this guide. It covers fares and times that Metro published on 22 October 2026. Schedules, closures and fares can change, so confirm them on Metro's pages the day you ride. For the airport, read about LAX airport first.