Origin
Long Beach, CA
Late night in Long Beach on Tuesday
Local time
5:24 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Long Beach, CA to Van Nuys, 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
51m
Distance
40.5 mi
65 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 0m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 55m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 49m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Van Nuys, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Long Beach to Van Nuys is 40.5 miles and takes about 51 minutes via San Diego Freeway and Long Beach Freeway, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This route stays within California's Pacific Coast region, offering a straightforward drive between two major Southern California hubs. With the majority of the trip on freeways, you'll find it's a practical choice for getting between these areas efficiently. Plan for a quick transition, as this is a relatively short drive ideal for a single-day trip.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Freeway | 33.1 mi | 38m |
| Long Beach Freeway | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| Victory Boulevard | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| East Ocean Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| Shoreline Drive | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Seaside Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| North Golden Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
San Diego Freeway
— 33.1 mi, about 38m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Long Beach, CA and Van Nuys, 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
33 mi
·
38 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Exit 65
Toward Van Nuys, Victory Boulevard
Use the straight / sharp right lanes.
15
Turn left onto Victory Boulevard
1.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Victory Boulevard
Use the left / right lanes.
16
Arrive at destination
Victory Boulevard
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
20 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 40.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 20.2 miles from Long Beach, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 4.7 and 38.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
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
8
38.9 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Take the exit toward Van Nuys, Victory Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / sharp right lanes.
Exit 65
Toward Van Nuys, Victory Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$9.31 one way
$18.62 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $9.59 | $19.18 |
| premium | $6.18 | $9.85 | $19.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.94 | $17.88 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.2 | 0 | $4.25 | $1.94 |
| Efficient EV | 10.1 | 0 | $3.54 | $1.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.2 | 0 | $5.67 | $2.59 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% 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
Van Nuys, CA
Late night in Van Nuys on Tuesday
Local time
5:24 AM
PDT
Current temp
74°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
18 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
51m 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?
This drive is mostly highway, with 89% of the 40.5 miles on freeways like the San Diego Freeway and Long Beach Freeway. You'll experience one long stretch of 33.1 miles on the San Diego Freeway before transitioning to surface streets. Expect urban merging and dense exits as you navigate the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The final portion of your drive will be on Victory Boulevard.
89% 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: 33.1 mi on San Diego Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
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 13 decision points packed into just 40.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 51m.
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.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
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 Van Nuys, CA, road signs point toward San Diego and Santa Monica.
San Diego
4.7 mi in
|
~7m
Santa Monica
4.8 mi in
|
~7m
About the Cities
Starting 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
Arriving in Van Nuys, CA
Full guide →Van Nuys is a prominent neighborhood in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, a part of the city of Los Angeles in Southern California. Although there are few tourist attractions here, Van Nuys serves as a civic and commercial center for the Valley.
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 51m. Total distance: 40.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
51m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (89%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 33.1 miles on San Diego 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 Van Nuys, 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 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.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Van Nuys, 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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