How many airports are near San Francisco
Near San Francisco there're a total of 2 airports: San Francisco International Airport and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport. In this post we're going to focus on the first one, but take a look at how to get from Oakland airport to downtown San Francisco if you need to.
In this table you can see the main differences between the 2 airports:
| AIRPORTS IN SAN FRANCISCO | ||
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco International Airport | Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport | |
| Size | Larger, more distances for moving between terminals and more crowds. Higher number of bars and restaurants | Smaller, easier to move around |
| No. of terminals | 4 (1, 2, 3 and International) | 2 (1 y 2) |
| Type of flights | Mostly international, but also domestic | Mostly domestic, but also international |
| Public transportation to the center | Direct | Transfer required |
| Distance from downtown SF | 21 km (13 miles) | 30 km (19 miles) |
| Parking | Larger and more expensive | Smaller and more economical |
How to get from San Francisco International Airport to Downtown
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the main airport and the second largest in California after Los Angeles. If you're flying to San Francisco from a non-US country you'll most likely arrive at its international terminal, although it's also possible to arrive at any of the other terminals if you've taken a domestic flight.
The distance between San Francisco airport and downtown is 21 km (13 miles), and here you can find all the options to make this journey:
1. SamTrans, the cheapest option
💸Cost: $2.25 adults ($2.05 with Clipper), $1.10 children under 18 and seniors over 65 ($1 with Clipper)
⏱️Travel time: 1h20
SamTrans (San Mateo County Transit District) is the cheapest way to get from San Francisco airport to downtown, but also the slowest. This bus network operates in the south of San Francisco, specifically in the San Mateo area, but some lines pass through the airport and make some stops in downtown.
The cost of a single adult ticket is $2.25 and you can pay with the Clipper, a rechargeable card that you can buy physically at the machines in the stations or virtually. It costs $3, but you can save it if you buy it virtually with the Auto-Reload option (you have to link it to a payment method and it automatically recharges when you reach the minimum balance of $2.10).
In addition, the virtual Clipper card can be added to your Apple Wallet/Google Wallet, allowing you to use your phone in the readers. Paying the SamTrans ticket with Clipper has a small discount and it's also valid for the rest of public transportation in San Francisco (Muni network, BART, etc.). Otherwise, you can pay directly on the bus, but it must be in cash and exact.
The SamTrans lines you can take are:
- 292: passes through terminals 2, 3 and International and in downtown runs along Mission St, stopping at the junction with 9th, 7th, 5th and 1st. In the evenings, the 397 OWL line makes a similar route.
- EPX: this express line stops at Mission St with 8th, 5th, 3rd and 1st, at Main St with Market St and at Drumm St with Clay St. The bad things are that it doesn't always stop downtown, doesn't operate on weekends and doesn't pass through any airport terminal, but the stop is in the rental car area. To get to this point you have to take the blue line of the AirTrain, the free airport shuttle service.
2. BART, the fastest option
💸Cost: $11.15 for adults, $4.15 for seniors over 65 and $5.55 for children from 5 to 18 years old.
⏱️Travel time: 35 minutes
The fastest option to get city center from SFO is to use BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), a rapid rail network that connects the Bay Area with its surroundings and one of San Francisco's main public transportations. For us it is the ideal option to move between any of the San Francisco airports and downtown for its value for money: it's fast, runs very frequently and it isn't too expensive.
It has a total of 6 lines, but the ones that pass through the San Francisco Airport are the Y (Yellow) and the R (Red). In Downtown stops are at Civic Center/Union Square, Powell St, Montgomery St and Embarcadero.
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💡The BART station at San Francisco Airport is located in the departures area of the International terminal (near boarding gates G). In case you arrive at another terminal you can take the AirTrain to get there, the free shuttle service that moves inside the airport. It has 2 lines (red and blue) and both stop at the BART station.
💸The BART fare from the San Francisco airport to downtown (Powell St stop) is $11.15. The cost depends on the number of stops, so if you get off earlier or later it may change a few cents. You can pay for your BART ticket in 2 ways:
- Clipper Card: rechargeable card that can also be used for other transportation in San Francisco. You can buy it physically at the machines in the stations or virtually. It costs $3, but you can save money if you buy it virtually with the Auto-Reload option (i.e., you have to link it to a payment method and it is automatically recharged when you reach the minimum balance of $2.10). In addition, the virtual Clipper card can be added to your Apple Wallet/Google Wallet, allowing you to use your phone in the readers.
- Tap and Ride: easier option for tourists, as you can directly use your contactless debit or credit card or your card added in Apple Wallet/Google Wallet. It is only possible to use 1 card or mobile per person.
📅BART operates every day of the week, but the schedule changes depending on the day:
- Monday to Friday: from 5:00 am to 00:00 am
- Saturdays: from 6:00 am to 00:00 am
- Sundays: from 8:00h to 00:00h
3. Private transfer from San Francisco airport to downtown
💸Cost: about $60 per vehicle (to be divided by the number of persons)
⏱️Travel time: about 40 minutes (variable according to the traffic)
If you're looking for a service that you can book as far in advance as you want, comfortable, that picks you up at the airport and drops you off at your accommodation in San Francisco, the best thing to do is to book any of these 2 private transfers:
- Transfer from San Francisco Airport to Civitatis downtown: the price is per vehicle and you have the option of 3, 5 and 14 seater cars. This transfer can be booked for both directions: from the airport to downtown and from downtown to the airport.
- Transfer from San Francisco Airport to city center with the Get Your Guide: the price is per person, but it's cheaper the more people go. It's only in the direction from the airport to downtown.
4. Cab from San Francisco airport to downtown
💸Cost: from $57 to Downtown and from $66 to Fisherman's Wharf (approx. prices)
⏱️Travel time: about 40 minutes (variable depending on traffic)
Another option to get to downtown is to take a cab right away. By law, all taxis are metered and charge an extra $6 for leaving or arriving at the airport. In addition, tolls (if any) are paid by the customer or added to the final bill.
The bad side of this option, unlike the transfer, is that the price isn't fixed and if there's a lot of traffic the bill can go up.
This service operates 24 hours a day and the stops are located in all airport terminals with their corresponding sign. Airport staff is available from 7:00 am to 2:00 am to help you find one.
5. Uber, Lyft and YRide
💸Cost: from $62 to Downtown and from $64 to Fisherman's Wharf (approx. prices)
⏱️Travel time: about 40 minutes (variable depending on traffic)
Uber, Lyft and YRide are mobility companies operating in San Francisco. You can download any of their apps and request a ride, knowing from the beginning what you're going to pay (advantage over a cab). We have experience with Uber and it has always worked well for us.
Please note that the pick-up points for these services are at different points than the official taxis (you'll find them as Ride App Pickup):
- Domestic terminals 1, 2 and 3: the pick-up point is on level 5, where the parking area for all domestic flights is located.
- International Terminal: the pick-up point is on level 3 (where the departures and check-in area is located), specifically in zones 14 to 17.
6. Renting a car at San Francisco Airport
If you're going on a USA West Coast road trip and you start it in this city, it's likely that you'll rent a car in San Francisco.
The most economical option is usually at the airport, as it's where there're more companies, although having a car while visiting the city can be cumbersome as well as practical: it's good for visiting places farther from downtown (Sausalito, Twin Peaks, viewpoints of the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.), but in some areas parking is expensive and complicated.
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The car hire companies in San Francisco Airport are located outside the terminals and to get there you need to take the blue line of the AirTrain and get off at the Rental Car Center stop.
💡Some tips when renting your car in San Francisco:
-Do a rental car search in San Francisco using this comparison site: in it you can find all the companies and compare prices, in addition to hiring the cheapest fully insurance. Search both San Francisco airport and downtown to see where you get the best price.
ℹ️ We arrived by plane, went downtown by public transportation, visited San Francisco in 4 days and picked up the rental car at a downtown office to start our West Coast road trip.
-Look for an accommodation in San Francisco with parking: if you decide to hire a car at the airport and visit the city, it'll be very useful if your hotel has parking. Some options of hotels in San Francisco with free parking are:
- Travelodge by Wyndham Presidio
- Cow Hollow Inn and Suites
- Signature Inn
- Chelsea Inn
- Columbus Inn
- Nob Hill Motor Inn
-Beware of tolls: both the Golden Gate Bridge (linking San Francisco to Sausalito) and the Bay Bridge (linking San Francisco to Oakland) are tolled, but only on the way into San Francisco (not on the way out of the city).
To pay them (between $8 and $10) you must as your rental company on how to do it, whether through their FasTrak account or by making the payment through the web. If you do it yourself, the maximum limit is 48 hours after the bridge has passed.
We hope you found this post useful to know how to get from the San Francisco airport to downtown!
