4.9
4.6Travel optionsfrom Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA
How to get from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA by train, bus or flight.
Our recommendation
The best way to travel from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA is by taking a flight because it’s the best combination of price and speed.
AS1470 · AS3352Cheapest
5 California Zephyr · 5005 AMTRAKFastest
UA1097Other options
3 Southwest Chief · 5817 AMTRAK · 717 Gold Runner · 6617 AMTRAK3 Southwest Chief · 14 Coast Starlight · 6619 AMTRAK27 Empire Builder · 11 Coast Starlight · 5011 AMTRAK
undefined · undefined · undefined · undefinedundefined · undefined · undefined · undefinedAS587 · AS680AS325 · AS1393AS1447 · AS322Find 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.
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.
Travelling from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA: related information
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