🚍How to Get from Oakland Airport to Downtown San Francisco

Q: How many airports are in San Francisco

Near San Francisco there are a total of 2 airports: San Francisco International Airport and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport . In this article we are going to focus on the second one, but take a look at how to get from San Francisco International Airport to downtown if you need to. In this table you can see the main differences between both airports.

Q: How to get from Oakland Airport to Downtown

BART Bus 73 + BART Amtrak Taxis, Uber, Lyft and YRide Rental car in Oakland Airport

California

If you're looking how to get from Oakland Airport to downtown San Francisco, you've come to the right place! Here you're going to find all the possible ways, both public and private transportation, along with prices, timetables and journey times so you can choose the way that best suits you.

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How many airports are in San Francisco

Near San Francisco there are a total of 2 airports: San Francisco International Airport and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport. In this article we are going to focus on the second one, but take a look at how to get from San Francisco International Airport to downtown if you need to.

In this table you can see the main differences between both airports:

AIRPORTS IN SAN FRANCISCO
	San Francisco International Airport	Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport
Size	Larger, moving between terminals is harder and there are more crowds. More food options.	Smaller, easier to move
No. of terminals	4 (1, 2, 3 and International)	2 (1 and 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 Oakland Airport to Downtown

Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) is the second largest airport in the city. It has only 2 terminals and although it receives mostly domestic flights, there are also international flights arriving here.

It's located 11 km (7 miles) south of Oakland and the distance between the Oakland airport and downtown San Francisco is 30 km (19 miles). To connect both places it's necessary to cross the Bay Bridge, the bridge that links San Francisco with the town of Oakland.

Next, we'll tell you all the options to get from the OAK to downtown San Francisco:

1. BART, the fastest option

Price: $12.65 adults, $4.70 >65 years old and $6.30 children 5 to 18 years old.

⏱️Ride time: 35 minutes

The fastest option to get downtown from Oakland Airport is to use BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), a rapid rail network that connects the Bay Area to the surroundings and one of San Francisco's main public transportation systems. For us it is the perfect option to move between any of the San Francisco airports and downtown for its value for money: it's fast, there is a lot of frequency and it isn't too expensive.

BART has a total of 6 lines, but the only one that stops in Oakland Airport is the OAK (grey). Once you get in, stop at the next station (Coliseum) and take any of the other 2 BART lines that goes downtown (G or Green line and B or Blue line). The downtown stops are in order: Embarcadero, Montgomery St, Powell St and Civic Center/Union Square.

ℹ️ The BART stop at Oakland Airport is located on the street as you exit either of the 2 terminals.

💸The BART fare from Oakland Airport to downtown (Powell St stop) is $12.65 for adults. 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 online. It costs $3, but you can save money if you buy it virtually with the Auto-Reload option (i.e., you've to link it to a payment method and it's automatically recharged when you reach the minimum balance of $2.10). In addition, the virtual Clipper card can be added to your Apple/Google Wallet, allowing you to use your phone in the contactless 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 timetable changes depending on the day:

Monday to Friday: from 5am to 12am
Saturdays: from 6:00am to 12am
Sundays: from 8am to 12am

Please note that the G or Green line doesn't operate between 9pm and 12am.

2. Bus 73 + BART, the cheapest option

Price: $7.70 with Clipper or $7.95 cash (discounts apply to >65 years and children 5-18 years)

⏱️Ride time: 40 minutes

The cheapest option to get from Oakland Airport to downtown San Francisco is to take a combination of AC Transit bus 73 and BART.

Bus 73 departs from the airport (in the departures area of both terminals) and connects to Coliseum every 15 minutes from 4:56am to 12am (outside these hours bus 805 makes the trip). The ticket costs $2.50 if you pay with the Clipper card and $2.75 if you pay in cash.

Once at Coliseum, walk one block to the Coliseum BART station and take the B (blue) or G (green) line. Both stop at Embarcadero, Montgomery St, Powell St and Civic Center/Union Square. The cost of this BART ticket is $5.20.

Therefore, the total cost of this combination of transportation is $7.70 if you pay for the bus ride with Clipper or $7.95 if you pay by cash. It's the most economical way and only takes about 5 minutes longer than taking the full BART, although it's a less comfortable alternative and perhaps not worth the price difference.

3. Amtrak, the choice if you are staying in Oakland

💸Price: $12 for adults

⏱️Ride time: 1h20

Amtrak is the rail network of the United States and in this case we believe that it doesn't have any advantage over BART to go downtown, neither for price nor for convenience. We do see it useful if your accommodation in San Francisco is in Oakland, something we don't particularly recommend.

Please note that the Amtrak train station isn't located at the airport itself, you must first go to Coliseum. You can take the BART OAK line ($7.45), AC Transit bus 73 ($2.50) or AC Transit bus 805 during night ($2.50).

Once at Coliseum, you can take the Amtrak train and get off at the Emeryville station, it's about a 20 minute ride. Outside the Emeryville station there is a shuttle bus service that connects to downtown San Francisco, stopping at 401 Mission St (where the Saleforce Gondola is located).

If you are staying in Oakland, you may be better getting off at Jack London Square Station rather than Emeryville, as it's more centrally located.

Transport Oakland Airport — Amtrak train, San Francisco

4. Taxis, Uber, Lyft and YRide

💸Price: from $75 per vehicle

⏱️Ride time: around 1 hour

The most expensive way, but at the same time the most comfortable, is to take a cab at the airport or use one of the mobility apps that operate in San Francisco (Uber, Lyft, YRide...). When crossing the Bridge Bay to get to downtown, there is an $8 entrance toll to San Francisco that the driver charges you in the fare.

All cabs have by law a taximeter, but the price isn't set and if there is traffic, the bill can go up. On the other hand, if you use any of the apps, the price is fixed from the moment you make the reservation.

Remember that at the Oakland airport there is a space available to pick up passengers who have requested a transfer through an app, you'll find it at the exit between Terminal 1 and 2 with the Ride App Pickup sign.

5. Rental car in Oakland Airport

If you are going to make an itinerary along the West Coast of the United States and you start it in this city, it is likely that you'll rent a car in San Francisco.

The most economical option is usually at the airport, as it's where there are more rental companies. Take into account that having a car while visiting the city can be cumbersome and useful at the same time: 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.

The Oakland airport has a free shuttle that takes you to the car rental companies area, you'll find it at the exit of Terminal 2.

💡Some tips when renting your car in San Francisco:

-Search for a rental car in San Francisco using this comparison site: you can find all the rental companies and compare prices, in addition to buy the cheapest full insurance. Search both San Francisco airport and downtown San Francisco to see what 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 itinerary along the West Coast.

-Look for a hotel in San Francisco with parking: if you decide to rent 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:

-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 ask your rental company how to do it, whether through their FasTrak account or making you the payment through the web. If you do it yourself, the maximum limit is 48 hours after crossing the bridge.

How to get downtown San Francisco from Oakland airport — San Francisco

We hope you found this article helpful in finding out how to get downtown from San Franciscos Oakland Airport!

Update date: 8 February 2026

Irene García

Co-founder and writer

I’m a pharmacist, but I discovered that traveling is my true passion in life. I spent 6 months backpacking through Southeast Asia and Australia, and more than 2 years traveling across the American continent in my camper, driving from Ushuaia to Alaska. As you can see, adventure is my thing!

I’m also addicted to dark chocolate, hiking, watching TV series, and I love all the animals on the planet. I’m the kind of person who rescues spiders that get into home!

United States is one of my favorite destinations—it seems to me like one of the most complete and diverse countries in the world! I hope you enjoy my USA travel guides, and if you feel like writing to me once you’re back from your trip, I’d love to hear how it went.