By car
As in all suburbs, it is extremely difficult to get around without a car. Rental cars are available near John Wayne Airport.
Irvine is known for its winding streets that do not follow the traditional grid pattern most urban drivers are used to. It is extremely easy to become disoriented and lost if you are unfamiliar with the area. Bring a GPS or a map if you are new to the area. In the various housing tracts, if you follow the double yellow lines it will always lead you to an exit or through fare to a major street.
Since Irvine is bounded on all sides by freeways, most of the arterial streets which tend to be 4+ lanes in either direction will eventually lead to a freeway, but it may be many miles before this happens.
Gas stations are unusually rare for a city this large and are not usually visible from the street. If you are in need of gas in Irvine, your best chances are to look in large shopping plazas where a gas station is usually hidden. Hiding the gas stations are a 'sign of upscale gentrification' in this city where household incomes rank as one of the highest in the nation.
Most of the major roads in Irvine have a bike path near the shoulder. Watch out for cyclists using the bike paths.
By bike
Irvine is a large city, covering 74 square miles, but is very friendly to bicyclists. There are over 45 miles of off-road bicycle trails and 282 miles of on-road bicycle lanes provided in Irvine. It is possible to transit from north to south in Irvine via tree shaded greenbelt bike trails with only two grade level crossings of highways. Other trails lead into the nearby hills for road touring or mountain biking experiences. Some paths parallel wildlife corridors and riders can often get glimpses of some of the wildlife native to the area - ranging from birds sparrows to hawks, to oppossums and skunks, and coyotes to mountain lions. City of Irvine Bikeways
There are numerous bicyclist clubs in Irvine and weekend mornings are a favorite time for street touring by groups sometimes numbering in the dozens. Buses and trains carry bicycles when riders are traveling longer distances.