How to travel from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA

Fri, Dec 05
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Travel Information to San Francisco, CA from Chicago, IL

Distance1849 miles (2983 km)
Available travel modesBus, train or flight
Ticket price range$118 - $124
Cheapest modeFlight • $118 (€106) • 4 h 38 min
Fastest modeFlight • $118 (€106) • 4 h 38 min
Popular travel companiesGreyhound, United or Amtrak

Take a bus, train or flight to travel 1849 miles (2983 km) from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA. The most popular travel companies which serve this journey are Greyhound, United or Amtrak among others. Travelers can even take a direct bus, flight or train from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA.

Travel options
from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA

How to get from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

train

The best way to travel from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA is by taking a train because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

Amtrak5 California Zephyr
02:00PM53h07
Chicago Union Station, Chicago, IL
05:07PMEmeryville station, Emeryville, CA
$2861One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

Amtrak5 California Zephyr
02:00PM53h07
Chicago Union Station, Chicago, IL
05:07PMEmeryville station, Emeryville, CA
$2861One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

UnitedUA1406
06:55AM4h47
O'Hare International Airport
09:42AMSan Francisco International Airport
$5871One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Amtrak381 Carl Sandburg · 5 California Zephyr
07:40AM59h27
Chicago Union Station, Chicago, IL
05:07PMEmeryville station, Emeryville, CA
$3091One-way
1 transfer
Amtrak27 Empire Builder · 11 Coast Starlight
03:05PM67h24
Chicago Union Station, Chicago, IL
08:29AMEmeryville station, Emeryville, CA
$4471One-way
1 transfer
Amtrak3 Southwest Chief · 14 Coast Starlight
02:25PM57h06
Chicago Union Station, Chicago, IL
09:31PMEmeryville station, Emeryville, CA
$17471One-way
1 transfer
Greyhoundundefined · undefined · undefined+FlixBusFlixBus
12:01PM56h04
Chicago, Greyhound Bus Station
06:05PMSan Francisco, Townsend Street / 5th Street, CA
$5531One-way
3 transfers
Greyhoundundefined · undefined · undefined · undefined
10:00AM71h15
Chicago, Union Station (Amtrak), IL
07:15AMSan Francisco, Transit Center Bay 29
$5771One-way
3 transfers
Alaska AirlinesAS329 · AS680
10:00AM7h46
O'Hare International Airport
03:46PMSan Francisco International Airport
$5021One-way
1 transfer
Alaska AirlinesAS587 · AS680
08:00AM9h46
O'Hare International Airport
03:46PMSan Francisco International Airport
$5021One-way
1 transfer
Alaska AirlinesAS329 · AS1385
10:00AM10h03
O'Hare International Airport
06:03PMSan Francisco International Airport
$5021One-way
1 transfer

Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .

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FAQs: Travel from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA

Travel to San Francisco, CA easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA.

FAQs

There are 3 options to travel from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA including taking a bus, train or flight.

The cheapest way to get from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA is by taking a flight with average ticket prices of $118 (€106) compared to other travel options to San Francisco, CA:

A flight is $4 (€4) less than a bus for this route with tickets for a bus from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA costing on average $122 (€110).

A flight is $6 (€6) less than a train with an average ticket price of $124 (€112) from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA.

The fastest way to get to San Francisco, CA from Chicago, IL is by flight with an average travel time of 4 h 38 min.

Other travel options to San Francisco, CA take longer:

Taking a bus requires on average 59 h 15 min of travel time.

Train takes on average 53 h.

You should expect to travel around 1849 miles (2983 km) between Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA.

The average frequency per day from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA is:

  • Around 8 buses per day.
  • Around 46 flights per day.
  • 4 trains per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your journey between Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA as scheduled services by bus, train or flight can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA:

    Omio works with many trusted partners that can help you travel the best way from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA:

    • You can go to San Francisco, CA from Chicago, IL by bus with Greyhound or FlixBus. You'll see cheap bus tickets for $122 (€110) with Greyhound from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA on Omio.
    • You can take a flight from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA with United, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines or Frontier Airlines. Cheap tickets can be found for $88 (€79) with Frontier Airlines from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA.
    • You can travel by train to San Francisco, CA from Chicago, IL with Amtrak, and you can find Amtrak Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA tickets for $124 (€112) on Omio.

    Yes, there are direct services available from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA with the following travel companies:

    • 13 direct flights per day with United, American Airlines or Alaska Airlines.

    Direct services tend to save you time and add more convenience in getting you to San Francisco, CA as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking your tickets from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA.

    Looking to extend your trip from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA? Many Omio customers who go from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA usually extend their vacation to explore other popular destinations like Los Angeles, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Sacramento, CA, New York, NY or San Jose, CA. If you're looking to explore Los Angeles, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Sacramento, CA, New York, NY or San Jose, CA from San Francisco, CA, let Omio find you the best connections available at an affordable price.
    HomeTravelTravel to USATravel to San Francisco, CAHow to travel from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA

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