Best Time to Drive from Thousand Oaks to Santa Monica

Right now (10:18 am PDT): about 42 minutes via US-101 South and I-405 South, usually 33 at this time.

Only 1% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.

Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Thousand Oaks to Santa Monica by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	32	32	33	34	34	34	34	34	33	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Tue	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Wed	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	34	34	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	32
Thu	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	33	32
Fri	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	33	32
Sat	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	32	32	32	33	32	32	32	33	32
Sun	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	34	33	33	33	32	33	33	32

About this drive

On weekdays the 36-mile drive from Thousand Oaks to Santa Monica (via US-101 South and I-405 South) usually takes as little as 31 minutes and up to 34 minutes, when leaving around 10 am on Mondays. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 33 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Sundays (34 minutes).

About 35 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.4 miles surface streets (about 2 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Thousand Oaks to downtown Santa Monica along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.

Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.

Questions

What is the best time to drive from Thousand Oaks to Santa Monica?

On weekdays, leave early in the morning or late in the evening. The drive usually takes about 31 minutes then, versus up to 34 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Thousand Oaks to Santa Monica?

The 36-mile drive usually takes 31 to 34 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 33 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Thousand Oaks to Santa Monica?

Leaving around 10 am on Mondays is usually slowest, about 34 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Los Angeles (22 miles) · I-405 South in Los Angeles (10 miles) · I-10 West in Los Angeles (3 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow

More drives

Santa Monica to Thousand Oaks (return trip) · Thousand Oaks to Los Angeles · Thousand Oaks to Pasadena · Thousand Oaks to Long Beach · Thousand Oaks to West Covina · Thousand Oaks to Burbank · Thousand Oaks to Glendale · Thousand Oaks to Santa Clarita · Thousand Oaks to Van Nuys · Thousand Oaks to Torrance · Thousand Oaks to LAX · Thousand Oaks to Hollywood

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	32	32	33	34	34	34	34	34	33	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Tue	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Wed	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	34	34	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	32
Thu	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	33	32
Fri	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	33	32
Sat	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	32	32	32	33	32	32	32	33	32
Sun	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	34	33	33	33	32	33	33	32

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	32	32	33	34	34	34	34	34	33	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Tue	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Wed	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	34	34	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	32
Thu	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	33	32
Fri	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	33	32
Sat	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	32	32	32	33	32	32	32	33	32
Sun	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	34	33	33	33	32	33	33	32

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	32	32	32	33	34	34	34	34	34	33	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Tue	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32
Wed	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	34	34	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	32
Thu	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	33	32
Fri	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	33	33	33	32	32	32	32	32	33	32
Sat	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	33	32	32	32	33	32	32	32	33	32
Sun	32	32	32	32	32	33	33	34	34	34	33	33	33	32	33	33	32