Trip from Lafayette, CA to Long Beach, CA

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 20, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

7h 16m

Distance

389.8 mi

627 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$90

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 32 min

4 AM

7h 6m ★

6 AM

7h 16m

8 AM

7h 38m

10 AM

7h 24m

12 PM

7h 22m

3 PM

7h 25m

5 PM

7h 37m

8 PM

7h 10m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly

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city in Contra Costa County, California, United States

Lafayette, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Los Angeles County, California, United States

Long Beach, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Lafayette, CA to Long Beach, CA covers 389.8 miles and takes about 7h 16m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Westside Freeway, I 5 Truck, I 405 Truck for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 224.4 miles on Westside Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $89.59 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

194.9 miles from Lafayette, CA

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 35m into the drive .

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
Westside Freeway	224.4 mi	4h
I 5 Truck	58.6 mi	1h 7m
I 405 Truck	23 mi	26m
Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway	19.2 mi	22m
San Diego Freeway	18 mi	20m
William Elton Brown Freeway	17 mi	18m
Donald D Doyle Highway	14.8 mi	17m
Golden State Freeway	4.1 mi	4m

Longest stretch: Westside Freeway — 224.4 mi, about 4h

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Lafayette, CA and Long Beach, CA.

Start on Saint Mary's Road

41 ft · 2 sec · Saint Mary's Road

Turn right onto Moraga Road

0.4 mi · 55 sec · Moraga Road

Turn right onto Mount Diablo Boulevard

0.1 mi · 21 sec · Mount Diablo Boulevard

Turn left onto 1st Street

0.1 mi · 25 sec · 1st Street

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 40 sec

Toward CA 24 East: Walnut Creek Use the straight / right lanes.

Merge onto CA 24

1.6 mi · 1 min · CA 24

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 32 sec

Toward I 680 South: Mount Diablo Boulevard, San Jose Use the slight right lane.

Keep slight right at fork

0.7 mi · 1 min

Toward I 680 South: San Jose, Dublin, South Main Street

Merge onto I 680

0.2 mi · 16 sec · Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway

Continue on I 680

1.4 mi · 1 min · Donald D Doyle Highway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 680

13 mi · 15 min · Donald D Doyle Highway

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 33 sec

Exit 30A Toward I 580 East: Livermore, Stockton Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Keep slight left at fork

0.7 mi · 1 min

Toward I 580 East: Livermore, Stockton Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 38 sec

Toward I 580: Stockton Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Merge onto I 580

1.4 mi · 1 min · Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 580

18 mi · 20 min · Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Keep slight right at fork onto I 580

11 mi · 11 min · William Elton Brown Freeway

Keep slight left at fork onto I 580

5.9 mi · 6 min · William Elton Brown Freeway

Merge onto I 5

224 mi · 4 hr · Westside Freeway

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck

58 mi · 1 hr 6 min · I 5 Truck

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Keep slight left at fork onto I 5

4.1 mi · 4 min · Golden State Freeway

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck

0.3 mi · 17 sec · I 5 Truck

Exit 158 Toward I 405 South Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Keep slight right at fork onto I 405 Truck

23 mi · 26 min · I 405 Truck

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Keep slight right at fork onto I 405

18 mi · 20 min · San Diego Freeway

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Take the exit

377 ft · 9 sec

Toward I 710 South: Long Beach Use the slight right lane.

Continue on this road

0.3 mi · 39 sec · this road

Exit 32B Toward I 710 South: Long Beach

Merge onto I 710

2.4 mi · 3 min · Long Beach Freeway

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Continue on I 710

0.5 mi · 40 sec · Seaside Freeway

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 37 sec

Toward Downtown Long Beach, Convention Center, Aquarium Use the slight left / straight lanes.

Continue on Shoreline Drive

1.3 mi · 2 min · Shoreline Drive

Turn left onto South Chestnut Place

0.2 mi · 30 sec · South Chestnut Place

Use the left / uturn lanes.

Turn right onto West Ocean Boulevard

0.5 mi · 1 min · West Ocean Boulevard

Continue on East Ocean Boulevard

0.1 mi · 21 sec · East Ocean Boulevard

Use the left lane.

Arrive at destination

East Ocean Boulevard

Trip Plan

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.

You can normally do this drive in one day.

Plan roughly 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.

The halfway point lands around 194.9 miles from Lafayette, CA, or about 3h 35m into the drive.

The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 224.4 miles.

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 86 miles or 1h 38m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 194.9 miles or 3h 35m 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 3m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Long Beach, CA than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

Open the route before leaving Lafayette, 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 Lafayette, CA

This is one driving day of about 389.8 miles and 7h 16m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 86 miles from Lafayette, CA.

This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.

Plan about 2 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.

The longest stretch is on Westside Freeway for about 224.4 miles.

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Los Angeles County, California, USA

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Santa Clarita, CA

195 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.

Pacing Suggestions

Turlock, CA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 86 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Mendota, CA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 194.9 miles from Lafayette, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Before the longest stretch

Fuel check

Top up before Westside Freeway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 224.4 miles.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Nearby Places

Restaurants, cafes, gas stations and more along your route.

Top Restaurant

Century City Mall Dining Terrace

4.6 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Los Angeles, California

Near the end, short detour

1.8 mi from route ~5 min detour $20 to $30 mile 362

Hours: 10 am–9 pm

+13102773898

Visit website

Bubu's Restaurant

4.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Long Beach, California

2 mi

Century City Mall Dining Terrace

4.6 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, short detour

1.8 mi from route ~5 min detour $20 to $30 mile 362

Los Angeles, California

Hours: 10 am–9 pm

+13102773898

Visit website

Bubu's Restaurant

4.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, short detour

2 mi from route ~5 min detour $10 to $20 mile 389.8

Long Beach, California

Hours: 8 am–4 pm

+15625347279

Visit website

4.6 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, right off the route

0.5 mi from route ~1 min detour mile 389.8

Long Beach, CA

Hours: 9 am–6 pm

+15624324900

Visit website

Aquarium of the Pacific

4.6 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, right off the route

0.6 mi from route ~1 min detour mile 389.8

Long Beach, California

Hours: 9 am–6 pm

+15625903100

Visit website

SoCal Whale Watching

4.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, right off the route

0.6 mi from route ~1 min detour mile 389.8

Long Beach, California

Hours: 8 am–5 pm

+15624729514

Visit website

Los Virtuality - Virtual Reality Gaming Center

4.8 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, short detour

1.3 mi from route ~3 min detour mile 362

Los Angeles, California

Hours: 12–8 pm

+14243455068

Visit website

Signal Hill Park

4.6 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, short detour

2.4 mi from route ~6 min detour mile 389.8

Signal Hill, California

Hours: 6 am–10 pm

+15629897300

Visit website

Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier

4.5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, short detour

2.5 mi from route ~6 min detour mile 389.8

Long Beach, California

Hours: 5:30 am–12 pm

+15625703100

Visit website

Hurricane Harbor Los Angeles

4.3 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Near the end, short detour

2.8 mi from route ~7 min detour mile 334.1

Valencia, California

+16612554100

Visit website

UCLA Planetarium

5.0 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, short detour

2.3 mi from route ~6 min detour mile 362

Los Angeles, California

Hours: 7–8 pm

+13108254434

Visit website

Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 29

5 decision points cluster between mile 2.6 and 342.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

2.6 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward I 680 South: Mount Diablo Boulevard, San Jose

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 680 South: Mount Diablo Boulevard, San...

18.7 mi into trip | ~23m in

Take the exit toward I 580 East: Livermore, Stockton

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. Exit 30A Toward I 580 East: Livermore, Stockton

18.9 mi into trip | ~24m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 580 East: Livermore, Stockton

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 580 East: Livermore, Stockton

19.6 mi into trip | ~25m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 580: Stockton

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 580: Stockton

342.9 mi into trip | ~6h 18m in | I 5 Truck

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck toward I 405 South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 158 Toward I 405 South

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$89.59 one way

$179.19 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 136 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$6.02	$92.32	$184.65
premium	$6.18	$94.80	$189.59
diesel	$5.61	$86.06	$172.13

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$90

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$115–$140

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 136.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $41 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	Stops	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	116.9	1	$40.93	$18.71
Efficient EV	97.5	1	$34.11	$15.59
EV Truck/SUV	155.9	1	$54.57	$24.95

Gas CO2

136 kg

EV CO2

46 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.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 19, 2026

Origin

Lafayette, CA

Evening in Lafayette on Sunday

Local time

6:40 PM

PDT

Current temp

50°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Long Beach, CA

Evening in Long Beach on Sunday

Local time

6:40 PM

PDT

Current temp

58°F

Cloudy

ENE 0 to 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

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

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

8 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

Golden Gate National Recreation 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...

26 mi from route ~66 min detour Free

View on nps.gov

Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.

What kind of drive is this?

389.8 mi in 7h 16m, mostly highway — 224.4 mi of that is on Westside Freeway.

95% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.

34 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.

Longest single stretch: 224.4 mi on Westside Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Westside Freeway and I 5 Truck. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.6 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

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 29 significant decision points across 389.8 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 2.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 18.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 18.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

About the Cities

Starting in Lafayette, CA

Full guide →

Lafayette is a city of 25,000 (2020) in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It is primarily a residential town located in the hills between Berkeley and Walnut Creek, although it does offer shopping and dining, and the Lafayette Reservoir is popular with hikers. Lafayette is home to the wealthy set. The median age is 45, and the singles scene is non-existent. Nevertheless, Lafayette attracts a variety of people for a variety of reasons. Most people come for the quiet, private atmosphere.

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 7h 16m. Total distance: 389.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

7h 16m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 224.4 miles on Westside Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 34 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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.

Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 2 meaningful breaks. There are 34 rest areas along the route for bathroom stops.

Yes — Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (6 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Not recommended in a single day. At 7.3 hours each way, a round trip means 14.5 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Long Beach, CA before the return drive.

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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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Explore more options from Lafayette, CA or browse trips ending in Long Beach, CA.

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