Angel's Flight Railway

One of the most adorable and quirky things in all of LA is the bright orange 118-year-old funicular that takes passengers on a short ride between Hill Street and Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill.

For funicular nerds, the Angels Flight Railway has been in operation since 1901. It runs on a 2 ft 6-inch narrow gauge track, over a distance of 298 feet with a vertical gain of 96 feet. You’re welcome. oh! and it’s also the world’s shortest railroad!

Two cars run in opposite directions at the same time - they are named Olivet and Sinai. A one-way ride costs $1, and you pay at the top of the hill. If you buy a $2 round trip you’ll get an adorable souvenir ticket!

Angels Flight has been seen in over 100 movies dating back to the 1920’s, including 2016’s “La La Land”, and TV shows as early as the 1950’s including the only episode of “Perry Mason” ever shot in color, in 1966.

It also features in endless novels, artworks, and even video games, putting the FUN back in to Funicular!

The lower entrance is located right across from the Grand Central market. That’s a great place to sit and have a coffee and watch the funicular in action before taking your ride. Make sure to look to your left to see the very fit people running up the flight of stairs beside the railroad. Who are those people!?

Angels Flight operates every day from 6.45am to 10pm, including weekends and holidays.

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Southern California No. 184 -last visited January 2025