Origin
Brea, CA
Late night in Brea on Tuesday
Local time
3:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Brea, CA to Long Beach, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
43m
Distance
29 mi
47 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 40m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 51m
10 AM
0h 46m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Brea, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Brea to Long Beach is a straightforward 29.1-mile journey that typically takes about 42 minutes. Because this is a short trip within the Pacific Coast region, you can easily complete it in a single day without needing an overnight stay. Your route primarily utilizes South Brea Boulevard, East Imperial Highway, and CA 57 South to navigate between these two California cities. With fuel costs estimated at around $7, it is an economical drive that fits perfectly into a morning or afternoon schedule. Whether you are heading to the coast for work or leisure, this distance is manageable for any driver looking for a quick transition between inland Orange County and the shoreline.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove Freeway | 9.2 mi | 10m |
| Orange Freeway | 8.5 mi | 9m |
| East 7th Street | 2.7 mi | 6m |
| CA 22 | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| San Diego Freeway | 1.7 mi | 1m |
| East Imperial Highway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| East 4th Street | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| Alamitos Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden Grove Freeway
— 9.2 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brea, CA and Long Beach, CA.
1
Start on South Brea Boulevard
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
·
South Brea Boulevard
2
Continue on South Brea Boulevard
0.1 mi
·
33 sec
·
South Brea Boulevard
Use the left lane.
3
Turn left onto CA 90
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
East Imperial Highway
Use the left lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
Toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
5
Merge onto CA 57
8.5 mi
·
9 min
·
Orange Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
19 sec
Exit 1C
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
7
Keep slight left at fork
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Toward CA 22 West
8
Merge onto CA 22
9.2 mi
·
10 min
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on CA 22; I 405
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit onto CA 22
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
CA 22
Exit 23
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork onto East 7th Street
2.7 mi
·
6 min
·
East 7th Street
12
Turn left onto Rose Avenue
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Rose Avenue
Use the left lane.
13
At end of road, turn right onto East 4th Street
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
East 4th Street
14
Turn left onto Alamitos Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Alamitos Avenue
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right onto East Ocean Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
East Ocean Boulevard
Use the right lane.
16
Arrive at destination
East Ocean Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 1.5 and 27.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.5 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
CA 57 / Orange Freeway
Merge onto CA 57 / Orange Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
10 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 1C
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
5
10.3 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 22 West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward CA 22 West
7
22.1 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
CA 22
Take the exit onto CA 22 toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 23
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
6
27.4 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
Rose Avenue
Turn left onto Rose Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.67 one way
$13.33 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.87 | $13.74 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.05 | $14.10 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.40 | $12.81 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.1 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 | 8.7 | 0 | $3.04 | $1.39 |
| Efficient EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.54 | $1.16 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.6 | 0 | $4.06 | $1.86 |
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
Long Beach, CA
Late night in Long Beach on Tuesday
Local time
3:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°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
16 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
43m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate experience. While you will utilize CA 57 South, the route maintains a 0% highway share, meaning you should be prepared for frequent stops and navigating city infrastructure. The personality of this drive is defined by local roads, requiring your full attention as you transition between Brea and Long Beach. Since there is no single long, uninterrupted stretch, the path remains consistently engaging and varied. You will spend your time navigating surface streets, making this a practical, hands-on trek rather than a monotonous highway cruise.
75% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.2 mi on Garden Grove Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden Grove Freeway and Orange Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.5 miles in near CA 57 / Orange Freeway.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 13 decision points packed into just 29 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 43m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles (CA 57 / Orange Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 10 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 10.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
About the Cities
Starting in Brea, CA
Full guide →Arriving in Long Beach, CA
Full guide →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
- • RMS Queen Mary — retired British ocean liner
- • Terminal Island — island in Los Angeles County, California, United States
- • Aquarium of the Pacific — public aquarium in Long Beach, California
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 43m. Total distance: 29 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
43m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (75%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.2 miles on Garden Grove Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Long Beach, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles (CA 57 / Orange Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 10 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 10.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Long Beach, CA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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