There’s no lack of transportation options in San Francisco, but it’s important to plan ahead and pick the best route for your destination. Downtown, North Beach, and Fisherman’s Wharf are easily walkable. The city’s local MUNI buses and light rail, trolleys, and streetcars travel citywide, and are an economical and safe way to get around—just know you may need to wait a bit at your stop. Show
Here’s a look at all the ways to get around San Francisco: Underground BART System The underground BART metro system is a great way to travel within and beyond San Francisco, with routes south to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and east to Oakland, Berkeley, Pleasanton, and other communities. MUNI System San Francisco’s MUNI system, which includes both buses and the Muni Metro Light Rail trains, is extensive and economical. The Muni Metro consists of 24 surface stations, 9 underground stations, and 87 surface stops. All stations and many stops are wheelchair accessible. Cable Cars Clanging cable cars are always fun, but have a fairly limited system—best if you want to travel between the waterfront and Union Square. A downloadable map of the cable car routes is available on the Market Street Railway site. Fares are payable per trip, or via a 1-, 3-, or 7-day pass. Streetcars The “F Market and Wharves” historic streetcar, which runs along the Embarcadero, is a popular tourist route, with stops for Fisherman’s Wharf (at Embarcadero and Stockton), the Ferry Building (at Market and 4th Street), and for Oracle Park (home of the Major League’s Giants baseball team) at Don Chee Way and Steuart Street. A downloadable map of the F-line and E-line streetcar routes is available on the Market Street Railway site. Bike Share For do-it-yourself exploring, try one of the innovative and inexpensive bike systems available like Ford GoBike. Sign up for a low-cost 24-hour or 3-day membership, or a single ride. Then use your Clipper Card or the Ford GoBike mobile app to unlock a bike at the nearest station (scattered all over the Bay area, from San Francisco to East Bay to San Jose), and return it to any station. Healthy, inexpensive, car-free—not bad. Taxis and Rideshares Taxis are concentrated downtown and of course rideshares are available everywhere; while they can often be the fastest way to get around, fares can quickly add up. Train Caltrain connects San Francisco with San Jose and points in between, and heads as far south as Gilroy. Ferry To travel north to Marin County, hop aboard a Golden Gate Transit ferry to ride to Sausalito, or a Blue and Gold Fleet ferry to Tiburon. Guided Tours Guided tours are another fun way to explore without having to drive. Some tours use traditional vans or buses, while others employ more unusual modes of transport. Climb aboard a vintage fire engine to explore the city with San Francisco Fire Engine Tours, and even cross the Golden Gate Bridge. You will definitely notice the stares and smiles. Insider tips: A reloadable Clipper card, available at transit ticket offices and many Whole Foods Market and Walgreens stores, is a convenient way to pay your fares on all major Bay Area transit systems. You can find a searchable map of the various cable car, metro, and bus lines on the San Francisco Mass Transit Association (SFMTA) site. Fun travel thought of the day. With all of the very low fares to Europe going out of San Francisco I wanted to see if I could get to SFO without taking my car. So here is what I have discovered. The train goes from Sacramento to San Francisco (Capital Corridor Amtrak) 2. BART goes from the Richmond Transit stop of the Capital Corridor train to SFO 3. You could use Uber or Lyft from your house to the train station in downtown Sacramento. This also works in reverse. BART goes from SFO to a transfer station in Oakland where you can get another BART train to Richmond and then catch the Capital Corridor Amtrak train back to Sacramento. This will save someone having to give you a ride to SFO and/or the cost of parking your car at the airport. The cost of the train is around $27.00 each way and the cost of BART is $10.00 each way. You can buy a discounted BART ticket in the dining car on the train for $8.00 each way. So worst case it looks like about $37.00 each way which is pricy but not when compared to the cost of parking or someones time there and back twice. Lastly the schedule of the trains is very regular, at least in the daytime. Then there is the MEGA Bus that goes from the University Ave and 65th street light rail station to the Cal Train station in San Francisco. You can then take the Cal Train to SFO. It is actually the least expensive route available. Do you need to get from Sacramento to San Francisco without a car? With heavy traffic and expensive parking fees, it’s understandable why you would rather take public transportation. Luckily, there are multiple options to choose from to get to the city. To save you some time, here are the best ways to get from Sacramento to SF. Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links meaning if you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. For more info see our Disclosure Policy Best Ways To Get From Sacramento to San FranciscoThere’s a multitude of ways to get from Sacramento to San Francisco. It all depends on how long or short you want your travel time to be and how much you’re willing to spend. Besides driving to San Francisco, you have the option of riding a bus, train (Amtrak), BART, ferry, plane, or a combination of some of them. This article will help you decide for yourself which one is the best way to get from Sacramento to SF. Use the links below to see the individual options. Length of TimeCostBus2:10 hrs – 2:50 hrs$14-$31Train (Amtrak)2 hrs – 2:30 hrs$33Train (Amtrak) + BART3 hrs$27-$33Drive + BART1:30 hrs – 2 hrs Gas + $5.85Drive + Ferry2 hrsGas + $9Drive1:15 hrs – 1:40 hrsCost of Gas Plane00:59 mins – 1:14 hrs$204+ (one-way)Bus from Sacramento to San Francisco
For those who are traveling on a budget, taking the bus is the perfect option for you. Not only is it the cheapest way to get from Sacramento to San Francisco, but there are also two bus companies you can choose from. Nowadays, buses have upgraded services so you don’t have to worry about feeling uncomfortable throughout your trip. One con, however, is your bus could arrive later than scheduled due to traffic. Although not the norm, you also have to prepare in case the bus breaks down and gets you stranded for hours. FlixBus
FlixBus is one of the most affordable bus services that you can take to get to San Francisco from Sacramento. It has multiple trips throughout the day with the earliest departure time from midtown Sac at 5:45 am during the week and 7 am on weekends, while the last bus leaves at 1:45 pm on weekdays and 4 pm on weekends. The multiple drop-off points make it convenient based on which part of the city you want to get to. You can choose to reserve your seat at an additional cost. Even better, you have the option to travel neighbor-free and reserve a seat beside yours. You can also purchase additional storage if you’re bringing a lot of luggage. Make sure to arrive 30 minutes before your trip so you don’t miss your bus. Book your bus ticket hereGreyhound
Greyhound is another bus service that provides affordable prices for those traveling to San Francisco. It has 5 trips to SF during the week and 3 on weekends. Like FlixBus, you have the option of booking and reserving your seats on their website. You can choose between three fare types: Economy, Economy Extra, or Flexible. For those traveling at night, it might be better to choose another bus service as Greyhound’s bus station in Sacramento is in a sketchy neighborhood. This is our least favorite option out of the two bus companies on this list. Book your bus ticket hereSacramento to San Francisco by Train (Amtrak)
If you want to travel comfortably and avoid traffic jams, this is the best option for you. Besides the scenic views you’ll get from its big windows, it also has wide seats and enough space to get up and stretch your legs. If you also need to get to San Francisco early, Amtrak has a trip leaving at 4:10 am and arriving at 6:20 am. Make sure to give yourself enough time and arrive at least 15 minutes before the departure time as there are no assigned seats. Upon arriving at Emeryville station, Amtrak’s Thruway Bus will take you directly to San Francisco. By Train (Amtrak) + BART
If you’re traveling to locations close to a BART station, a combination of taking the Amtrak and BART is the best option for you. From Sacramento Valley Station, take the Amtrak and get off at Richmond Station. From there, transfer to the BART and take the Red Line. It will pass through Downtown San Francisco and directly to SFO. If you’re traveling by yourself at night, it is best to take the bus that goes straight to the city. Transferring at Richmond station during the day is perfectly fine and safe but try to avoid it late at night especially if traveling solo. 💡 Do you need to get back to Sacramento? Here is a detailed post on how to get from San Francisco to Sacramento Drive + BART
This option is great if you still want to drive but want to avoid the steep parking fees in the city. What’s great about the station is it’s right off the freeway so it’s easy to get to. This is also a good alternative if you want a little more flexibility with your time as you only have to account for the BART schedule. There’s a covered parking structure with a $3 fee per day. For Single or Multi-Day Reserved, it’s $6 per day and free on the weekends. Only the Multi-Day tickets allow you to leave your car for more than 24 hours. You can also purchase your parking spot from the BART app. Drive + Ferry
If you’re traveling for leisure and you want to take public transportation that has the best views of the San Francisco skyline, consider taking the ferry from Vallejo Ferry Terminal. This is a great option if you’re traveling with family and friends. From Sacramento, it’ll take about an hour to get to Vallejo Ferry Terminal, and daily-paid parking is available across the terminal. You can purchase your tickets and top off Clipper cards at the ticket office, and the ferry will take you to Downtown San Francisco Terminal (Gate E). Here is the Ferry Schedule for your convenience. Drive
If taking public transportation doesn’t appeal to you, driving is something you should consider. Traveling during rush hour (7-9 am and 4-7 pm) is best avoided unless you want to get stuck in traffic. Depending on how heavy the traffic is, it will take longer than taking the train, but you don’t have to go through the hassle of changing lines and waiting for the train to arrive. Driving to San Francisco is the most flexible choice among the others on this list, but you have to take into consideration the cost of gas, toll, steep parking rates, and traffic congestion in the city. 💡 Local Tip: If traveling solo, you can use the carpool lane from 10 am to 3 pm and 7 pm onwards Plane
If you don’t like the idea of land or sea travel, flying is the best option for you. Air travel might seem the fastest way to get to San Francisco, but it actually takes longer because you have to check in. It takes even longer if you brought a lot of luggage with you. Air travel is one of the most expensive modes of transportation on this list. Besides the expensive airfare, you also have to consider the additional costs to travel to and from the airport. Getting From Sacramento to SFO AirportTrain (Amtrak) + BART
From Sacramento Valley Station, ride the Amtrak and get off at Richmond Station. From there, transfer to the BART’s Red Line, which will take you directly to SFO. There’s another way to get there, and it’s the only trip offered from 9:00 pm to midnight. From Richmond Station, take the Orange Line to MacArthur Station. Then transfer to the Yellow Line which will take you directly to SFO. Airport Shuttle
If you don’t like the hassle of riding public transportation, you can take an airport shuttle to your destination. It’s more expensive than taking the train, but you won’t have to transfer lines and wait for the train to come. You can book your shuttle in advance, and the pick-up location and cost will depend on the shuttle service that you’ll book. You can pick whatever car you want, so this is perfect if you’ve got a lot of luggage. Here are some shuttle services that you can choose from:
FAQsHow do I get from Sacramento to San Francisco without a car?The best way to travel from Sacramento to San Franciso without a car is by taking the bus which costs $14-$31 and takes 2:10 hours. You can also ride the train (Amtrak) for $33 or a combination of the Amtrak and the BART. What is the cheapest way to get from Sacramento to San Francisco?The cheapest way to get from Sacramento to San Francisco is by bus with the cost ranging from $14 to $31. The two bus companies available are Flixbus and Greyhound offering multiple trips throughout the day. Does BART run from Sacramento to San Francisco?No, it doesn’t. However, you can ride the Amtrak from Sacramento Valley Station and get off at Richmond Station. From there you can ride BART’s Red Line to get to San Francisco. You can also take the Orange Line at Richmond Station and get off at MacArthur Station. Then transfer to the Yellow Line, which will take you to San Francisco. Wrap-UpWhether you’re traveling from Sacramento to San Francisco without a car or you just want to avoid the heavy traffic and steep parking fees in the city, there are a lot of options you can choose from. Traveling can be quite a hassle, but planning your trip carefully and doing ample research can make it a more enjoyable experience. Is Amtrak running from Sacramento to San Francisco?There are 13 daily trains from Sacramento to San Francisco. Traveling by train from Sacramento to San Francisco usually takes around 2 hours and 50 minutes, but the fastest Amtrak train can make the trip in 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Does BART run from Sacramento to San Francisco?No, there is no direct train from Sacramento to South San Francisco Station (BART). However, there are services departing from Sacramento and arriving at South San Francisco via Richmond. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 2h 43m.
Can you take a boat from Sacramento to San Francisco?There is no direct connection from Sacramento River to San Francisco. However, you can take the travel to Alcatraz then take the ferry to San Francisco Pier 33.
How much does it cost to take Amtrak from Sacramento to San Francisco?The average train ticket price from Sacramento to San Francisco is $37. The best way to find train tickets from Sacramento to San Francisco is to book your tickets as early as possible.
|