Century City Mall Dining Terrace
Near the start, short detour
Los Angeles, California
Hours: 10 am–9 pm
+13102773898
Visit websiteCompiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
7h 35m
Distance
400.7 mi
645 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$92
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
South San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Long Beach, CA to South San Francisco, CA covers 400.7 miles and takes about 7h 35m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Westside Freeway, US 101, CA 152 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 182.5 miles on Westside Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $92.10 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
200.4 miles from Long Beach, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 46m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Westside Freeway | 182.5 mi | 3h 15m |
| US 101 | 47.8 mi | 55m |
| CA 152 | 41.1 mi | 51m |
| San Diego Freeway | 40.8 mi | 47m |
| I 5 Truck | 39.3 mi | 45m |
| Golden State Freeway | 22.3 mi | 25m |
| South Valley Freeway | 19.9 mi | 22m |
| Long Beach Freeway | 2.3 mi | 3m |
Step-by-step road directions between Long Beach, CA and South San Francisco, CA.
Start on East Ocean Boulevard
Turn right onto North Golden Avenue
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto Shoreline Drive
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 710
Continue on I 710
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight right at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 405
Merge onto I 5 Truck
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5 Truck
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
Take the exit
Continue on CA 152; CA33
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 152
Take the exit onto CA 152
Merge onto US 101; CA 152
Keep slight left at fork onto US 101
Keep slight left at fork onto US 101
Take the exit
Turn left onto South Airport Boulevard
Turn left onto South Airport Boulevard
Continue on Airport Boulevard
Arrive at destination
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 88 miles or 1h 44m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 200.4 miles or 3h 46m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 6h 24m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near South San Francisco, CA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Long Beach, CA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Long Beach, CA
This is one driving day of about 400.7 miles and 7h 35m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
200 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
A short stop after about 88 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 200.4 miles from Long Beach, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Westside Freeway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 182.5 miles.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Restaurants, cafes, gas stations and more along your route.
Top Restaurant
Los Angeles, California
Near the start, short detour
Hours: 10 am–9 pm
+13102773898
Bubu's Restaurant
Long Beach, California
Near the start, short detour
Los Angeles, California
Hours: 10 am–9 pm
+13102773898
Visit websiteNear the start, short detour
Long Beach, California
Hours: 8 am–4 pm
+15625347279
Visit websiteNear the start, ~11 min detour
Santa Monica, California
Hours: 4:30 pm–12 am
+13102300402
Visit websiteNear the end, short detour
Sunnyvale, California
Hours: 10 am–10 pm
+14082458434
Visit websiteNear the start, ~11 min detour
Marina Del Rey, California
Hours: 7 am–9 pm
+13103399706
Visit websiteNear the start, right off the route
Valencia, California
Hours: Open 24 hours
+18774943833
Visit websiteAround the midpoint, short detour
Firebaugh, California
Hours: Open 24 hours
+18777983752
Visit websiteNear the start, right off the route
Valencia, California
Hours: Open 24 hours
Visit websiteNear the start, right off the route
Valencia, California
Hours: Open 24 hours
+18887584389
Visit websiteNear the start, short detour
Valencia, California
Hours: Open 24 hours
+18777983752
Visit websiteNear the start, short detour
Valencia, California
Hours: Open 24 hours
+18774943833
Visit websiteNear the start, short detour
Valencia, California
Hours: Open 24 hours
+18336322778
Visit websiteAround the midpoint, short detour
Firebaugh, California
Hours: Open 24 hours
+18337484267
Visit websiteNear the start, right off the route
Long Beach, CA
Hours: 9 am–6 pm
+15624324900
Visit websiteNear the start, right off the route
Long Beach, California
Hours: 9 am–6 pm
+15625903100
Visit websiteNear the start, right off the route
Long Beach, California
Hours: 8 am–5 pm
+15624729514
Visit websiteNear the start, right off the route
Los Angeles, California
Hours: 12–8 pm
+14243455068
Visit websiteNear the end, short detour
Sunnyvale, California
Hours: 6 am–9 pm
+14087307506
Visit websiteNear the end, short detour
South San Francisco, California
Hours: 6 am–7 pm
+16508756973
Visit websiteNear the end, short detour
Mountain View, CA
Hours: 10 am–3 pm
+16509644024
Visit websiteNear the start, short detour
Valencia, California
+16612554100
Visit websitePlace data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
5 decision points cluster between mile 4.7 and 48.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
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
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
Keep slight right at fork toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork toward I 405 North: Santa Monica
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck toward I 5 Truck North, CA 14 Truck
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$92.10 one way
$184.20 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $94.91 | $189.81 |
| premium | $6.18 | $97.45 | $194.89 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $88.47 | $176.94 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$92
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$117–$142
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 140.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $42 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 120.2 | 1 | $42.07 | $19.23 |
| Efficient EV | 100.2 | 1 | $35.06 | $16.03 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 160.3 | 2 | $56.10 | $25.64 |
Gas CO2
140 kg
EV CO2
47 kg (66% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Afternoon in Long Beach on Saturday
Local time
12:47 PM
PDT
Current temp
58°F
Partly Cloudy
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 12:31AM PDT until April 17 at 5:00PM PDT by NWS Las Vegas NV
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 12:31AM PDT until April 17 at 5:00AM PDT by NWS Las Vegas NV
Destination
Afternoon in South San Francisco on Saturday
Local time
12:47 PM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
National Historical Park
Established in 1988, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park celebrates America’s maritime heritage on the Pacific Coast. Our 50-acre park has grown around Aquatic Park Cove, a protected area...
National Recreation Area
Experience a park so rich it supports 19 distinct ecosystems with over 2,000 plant and animal species. Go for a hike, enjoy a vista, have a picnic or learn about the centuries of overlapping history f...
National Historical Park
Celebrate and honor the contributions and sacrifices of American civilians on the WWII home front. Discover how diverse communities lived, worked, and interacted. Many faces, many stories, many truths...
National Monument
Walk among old growth coast redwoods, cooling their roots in the fresh water of Redwood Creek and lifting their crowns to reach the sun and fog. Federally protected as a National Monument since 1908,...
National Recreation Area
The Santa Monica Mountains offer easy access to surprisingly wild places. Experience the famous beaches of Malibu or explore more than 500 miles of trails. The park abounds with historical and cultura...
National Monument
Yes, we can! Widely recognized as the most important Latino leader in the United States during the twentieth century, Cesar Chavez led farm workers and supporters in the establishment of the country's...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
400.7 mi in 7h 35m, mostly highway — 182.5 mi of that is on Westside Freeway.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Westside Freeway and US 101. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.7 miles in.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 25 significant decision points across 400.7 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
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.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Long Beach, CA and South San Francisco, CA, road signs point toward Hollister and San Jose.
Hollister
San Jose
Founded 1888
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.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 7h 35m. Total distance: 400.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
7h 35m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
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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