Sunset in West Hollywood to Universal is really not that far. You are perfectly fine taking the subway at 9pm(and bus for that matter) even after 9pm. I take it home on the weekend way past midnight.

Instead of a organized tour you might want to consider taking the bus/subway to Universal and if you are really uncomfortable going back the same way(which you should not) just take a taxi, which would be around $25. That way you can go and leave on your own pace and are not restricted to some tourcompany schedule

thanks Alex 90028. I will have an 11 y-o girl with me, does that change your response at all? I guess we hear bad things about public transport in LA so I was a bit nervous about it. If I choose to take a taxi, would it be easy to pick one up at Univeral - is there a taxi rank?

as you are an expert on LA, I've also posted a question on the hop on hop off bus just a few minutes ago and would appreciate your thoughts on that post too.

regards Caroline

The Subway is patrolled by the sheriff dept, it is very save and clean. Where on Sunset are you staying? I think a 11 year old would love to take the train(i know i did when i was that age)

Your kid will probably be tired after spending an entire day at a themepark, so i would still suggest to just take a taxi home. It still beats an organized tour as you can explore everything on your own pace

Universal Citywalk is right next door, have some nice dinner and call it a day.

If you are on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, you can take the little dash shuttle bus to Hollywood/Highland for 25 cents and the subway from there for one stop($1.25) Should be a fun trip and no worries about safety or anything in that regards. The Dash Bus comes every 15 minutes, the subway i think every 11 or 12 minutes, so you would be at Universal in no time

alex very glad to hear the LA subway is safe. we like the train, so it would be a shame not to use it.

However I doubt she'll be tired after universal, I think it will be more likely me that will be exhausted! she has endless energy and we've done theme parks in london and paris and I get tired way before she does!

we'll be at the best western sunset plaza and i think there's a bus stop very close that can take us to the met station? is that right?

also, I need to get out to santa monica to catch up with my friend there -am i right in thinking I can take the subway there too?

The dash bus stops right outside your hotel. The Subway unfortunatly does not go to Santa Monica yet but you could just walk down the hill on La Cienega to catch the #704 rapid express bus. Will take about 3o/40 minutes to get there

If your kid is not tired after Universal, you might want to just take the subway one stop back to Hollywood and Highland and see a movie at the El Capitan Theater(across the street from the station) It is owned by disney, beautifully restored and usually has a fun pre show with disney characters. Afterwards just get some icecream at the disneystore and head home via a taxi

i'm staying at the sofitel and want to get to Universal and back.

what's best?

You can catch the little Dash bus for 25 cents outside your hotel on LA Cienega Blvd. Take it to Hollywood/Highland and switch to the Subway for one stop. Make sure to take the train marked "North Hollywood"

Keep in mind that the DASH bus runs only until 7 pm, Monday through Friday and until 6 pm on Saturday. It does not run at all on Sunday. So, in lieu of the DASH, you'll need to take a different route home.

Homsey, when the DASH isn't available, take the red line metro rail to the Vermont/Beverly Station and then transfer to the #14 Metro Bus (westbound) to La Cienega & Beverly Bl, adjacent to your hotel.

Cazz, you have 2 choices:

a. Take the red line to Hollywood & Highland Station and walk 4 blocks south on Highland Av to the corner of Highland Av & Sunset Bl. Transfer to the #2 Sunset Bl bus westbound (a right turn) to your hotel.

b. Instead of taking the red line metro rail train from Universal City, walk west on Lankershim Bl to the corner of Lankershim & Caheuenga Bl and take the #156 bus southbound (a left turn) to the corner of Highland Av & Sunset Bl. As above, transfer to the #2 bus.

thanks for the info guys.

Hi! I'll be going LA with another 2 friends and we're staying at Holiday Inn Express Westwood in Santa Monica.

Most people have advised rental of a car but we are unable to due to budget constraints. Currently, we're having some problems figuring out how to go to Universal Studios, Magic Mountain and Hollywood area by public transport. Would appreciate any help!

Thanks!