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

There are 3 travel options from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA. You can take a bus, train or flight.

The cheapest way to travel from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA is a bus with an average price of $145 (€125).

This is compared to other travel options from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA:

Taking a bus costs $67 (€58) less than taking a flight, which average ticket prices of $212 (€183).

Taking a bus costs $83 (€71) less than taking a train, which costs on average $227 (€196) for the same trip.

The quickest way to travel to San Francisco, CA from Chicago, IL is by flight, which takes on average 4 h 37 min   compared to other travel options that take longer:

Getting to San Francisco, CA by bus takes 58 h 45 min on average.

Taking a train requires on average 53 h 45 min of travel time.

The distance is approximately 1849 miles (2983 km) from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA.

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

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your journey to San Francisco, CA from Chicago, IL 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:

The following travel companies offer services from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA:

• Travel with Greyhound or FlixBus for buses to San Francisco, CA. If you’re looking for a good deal on tickets, check for Greyhound Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA tickets on Omio for $156 (€134).
• United, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines or Frontier Airlines can take you to San Francisco, CA by plane. If searching for a good deal on flights, you can find tickets for Frontier Airlines from Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA for $92 (€79).
• Travel with Amtrak to go to San Francisco, CA by train. For a good deal on tickets, you can find Amtrak Chicago, IL to San Francisco, CA tickets on Omio for $155 (€134).

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

• Take a direct bus with.
• Direct services by plane with United, American Airlines or Alaska Airlines.
• Take a direct train with.

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.