Origin
Villa Park, CA
Morning in Villa Park on Tuesday
Local time
8:10 AM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Villa Park, 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
38m
Distance
25.1 mi
40 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 35m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Villa Park, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 25.1-mile drive from Villa Park, CA to Long Beach, CA takes about 38 minutes and is perfect for a single-day trip. You'll primarily navigate via the Garden Grove Freeway and East 7th Street, with a portion on CA 22. With a fuel cost estimated at $6, this route is budget-friendly. The drive focuses heavily on highway travel, making it an efficient way to get from the Pacific Coast region to another part of the Pacific Coast. It's a quick journey, ideal for those looking to minimize travel time between these two Southern California locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden Grove Freeway | 12.7 mi | 14m |
| East 7th Street | 2.7 mi | 6m |
| CA 22 | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| Costa Mesa Freeway | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| San Diego Freeway | 1.7 mi | 1m |
| East 4th Street | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| East Katella Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Villa Park Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden Grove Freeway
— 12.7 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Villa Park, CA and Long Beach, CA.
1
Start on Center Street
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
Center Street
2
Turn right onto S18
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
Villa Park Road
3
Continue on S18
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Katella Avenue
4
Turn left
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach, Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto CA 55
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Costa Mesa Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
39 sec
Exit 13
Toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway, Long Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Merge onto CA 22
13 mi
·
14 min
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on CA 22; I 405
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
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.
10
Keep slight left at fork onto East 7th Street
2.7 mi
·
6 min
·
East 7th Street
11
Turn left onto Rose Avenue
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Rose Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
At end of road, turn right onto East 4th Street
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
East 4th Street
13
Turn left onto Alamitos Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Alamitos Avenue
Use the left lane.
14
Turn right onto East Ocean Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
East Ocean Boulevard
Use the right lane.
15
Arrive at destination
East Ocean Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 1.4 and 23.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
1.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Turn left toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach, Costa Mesa Freeway
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward CA 55 South: Newport Beach, Costa Mesa F...
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
CA 55 / Costa Mesa Freeway
Merge onto CA 55 / Costa Mesa Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
3.4 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the exit toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway, Long Beach
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 13
Toward CA 22 West: Garden Grove Freeway, Long B...
7
18.2 mi into trip
|
~22m 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
23.5 mi into trip
|
~33m in
|
Rose Avenue
Turn left onto Rose Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.77 one way
$11.54 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $5.94 | $11.89 |
| premium | $6.18 | $6.10 | $12.21 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.54 | $11.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.20 |
| Efficient EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10 | 0 | $3.51 | $1.61 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% 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
Morning in Long Beach on Tuesday
Local time
8:10 AM
PDT
Current temp
68°F
Sunny
WNW 10 mph
0% chance
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
4 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
38m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a highway-focused experience for about 74% of this 25.1-mile trip. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 12.7 miles, primarily on the Garden Grove Freeway. This means you'll spend a good portion of your 38-minute drive on faster-paced roads. While primarily highway, the route does incorporate some local street driving, particularly on East 7th Street as you approach Long Beach. The overall feel is one of efficient transit rather than scenic exploration.
74% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.7 mi on Garden Grove Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden Grove Freeway and East 7th Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.4 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 25.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.6 miles (CA 55 / Costa Mesa Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
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 38m. Total distance: 25.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (74%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.7 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 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.6 miles (CA 55 / Costa Mesa Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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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