Origin
Long Beach, CA
Night in Long Beach on Friday
Local time
11:01 PM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Long Beach, CA to Century City, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
41m
Distance
29.6 mi
48 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Century City, CA
Abhishek Navlakha
Trip Overview
The drive from Long Beach, CA to Century City, CA covers 29.6 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on San Diego Freeway, Long Beach Freeway, West Olympic Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 20.8 miles on San Diego Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.80 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Long Beach, CA
Full guide →Long Beach is a large port city in Los Angeles County in Southern California. Long Beach has some nice people-gathering amenities and genuine tourist attractions, such as a world-class aquarium and the Queen Mary floating museum/hotel. Special events are also held in the city like the annual Long Beach Grand Prix (a premier racing event held on city streets) and the annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride event. When compared to other areas like Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and West L.A., Long Beach may not always be at the top of someone's tourist visit to the Los Angeles area, but the city draws its fair share of visitors and has proven it can definitely hold its own.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 29.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (80%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 41m highway drive covering 29.6 miles, with most of the trip on San Diego Freeway and Long Beach Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 20.8 miles on San Diego Freeway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 21 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
San Diego Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 20.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on San Diego Freeway and Long Beach Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.7 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 18 decision points packed into just 29.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 18 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
4.7 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the exit toward I 405 North, I 405 South: Santa Monica, San Diego
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 405 North, I 405 South: Santa Monica,...
9
4.8 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 405 North, I 710: Long Beach Freeway North, Santa Monica
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 405 North, I 710: Long Beach Freeway N...
8
4.9 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the sharp right lane.
Toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
8
5.2 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
7
5.5 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 405 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 405 North
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Long Beach, CA and Century City, CA, road signs point toward San Diego and Santa Monica.
San Diego
4.7 mi in
|
~7m
Santa Monica
4.8 mi in
|
~7m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Freeway | 20.8 mi | 23m |
| Long Beach Freeway | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| West Olympic Boulevard | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| South Sepulveda Boulevard | 1 mi | 2m |
| East Ocean Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| Shoreline Drive | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Seaside Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Century Park West | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
San Diego Freeway
— 20.8 mi, about 23m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Long Beach, CA and Century City, CA.
1
Start on East Ocean Boulevard
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
East Ocean Boulevard
2
Turn right onto North Golden Avenue
414 ft
·
6 sec
·
North Golden Avenue
3
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 710 North
4
Merge onto Shoreline Drive
0.5 mi
·
47 sec
·
Shoreline Drive
5
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 710 North
6
Merge onto I 710
0.5 mi
·
41 sec
·
Seaside Freeway
7
Continue on I 710
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Long Beach Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
Toward I 405 North, I 405 South: Santa Monica, San Diego
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 405 North, I 710: Long Beach Freeway North, Santa Monica
Use the straight lane.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Use the sharp right lane.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Use the straight lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Toward I 405 North
Use the straight lane.
13
Merge onto I 405
21 mi
·
23 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Exit 53A
Toward National Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Turn right onto National Boulevard
292 ft
·
15 sec
·
National Boulevard
Use the left / right lanes.
16
Turn left onto South Sepulveda Boulevard
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Sepulveda Boulevard
Use the left lane.
17
Turn right onto West Olympic Boulevard
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
West Olympic Boulevard
Use the right lane.
18
Turn left onto Century Park West
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
Century Park West
Use the left lane.
19
Turn right onto Century Woods Drive
172 ft
·
11 sec
·
Century Woods Drive
20
Turn left
253 ft
·
11 sec
21
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.80 one way
$13.61 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $7.01 | $14.02 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.20 | $14.40 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.54 | $13.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.9 | 0 | $3.11 | $1.42 |
| Efficient EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.59 | $1.18 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.14 | $1.89 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Century City, CA
Night in Century City on Friday
Local time
11:01 PM
PDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
1 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
41m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Long Beach, CA to Century City, CA covers 29.6 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are San Diego Freeway, Long Beach Freeway, West Olympic Boulevard. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.8 miles from Long Beach, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.80 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a short but busy drive. With 18 decision points packed into just 29.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
The main spots that need attention: at 4.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Between Long Beach, CA and Century City, CA, road signs point toward San Diego and Santa Monica.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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