How to travel from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA

Sat, Feb 14
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United
1,000+ more
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Travel Information

Compare bus, train, and flight for San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the bus with prices starting from €42. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 2h 32m. In case you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint the train is your best bet as it emits only 0.2 - 0.7kg. The ticket price range depends on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of €42, and a flight costs an average of €43.

Distance: 458 miles (738 km)

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus
Flight

€79

Average price

€74

Average price

Cheapest

€210

Average price

13h 56m

Average total duration

13h 26m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

12h 41m

Average total duration

12h 11m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

5h 32m

Average total duration

Fastest

2h 32m

Onboard

+

3h 0m

Additional time*

0.2 - 0.7kg

CO2 emissions

Lowest

0.7 - 1.8kg

CO2 emissions

2.2 - 4.4kg

CO2 emissions

Amtrak

Most popular train company

FlixBus

Most popular bus company

Alaska Airlines

Most popular airline

Direct Options

Direct Options

Direct Options

Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.

Travel options
from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA

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

Our recommendation

bus

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

Amtrak769 Pacific Surfliner · 4769 AMTRAK
08:01AM13h39
Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
09:40PMSan Francisco, CA
$741One-way
1 transfer

Cheapest

Amtrak769 Pacific Surfliner · 4769 AMTRAK
08:01AM13h39
Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
09:40PMSan Francisco, CA
$741One-way
1 transfer

Fastest

Alaska AirlinesAS2173
12:30PM1h44
San Diego International Airport
02:14PMSan Francisco International Airport
$3261One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Amtrak765 Pacific Surfliner · 4765 AMTRAK
06:01AM13h59
Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
08:00PMSan Francisco, CA
$851One-way
1 transfer
Amtrak769 Pacific Surfliner · 5719 AMTRAK · 719 Gold Runner · 6619 AMTRAK
08:01AM14h29
Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
10:30PMSan Francisco, CA
$1531One-way
3 transfers
Amtrak765 Pacific Surfliner · 14 Coast Starlight · 6619 AMTRAK
06:01AM16h29
Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
10:30PMSan Francisco, CA
$5741One-way
2 transfers
Amtrak785 Pacific Surfliner · 4785 AMTRAK
04:01PM13h44
Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
05:45AMSan Francisco, CA
$741One-way
1 transfer
Amtrak761 Pacific Surfliner · 4761 AMTRAK · 6697 AMTRAK
04:01AM15h19
Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
07:20PMSan Francisco, CA
$941One-way
2 transfers
Amtrak5811 AMTRAK · 711 Gold Runner · 6611 AMTRAK
10:10PM13h20
Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
11:30AMSan Francisco, CA
$1341One-way
2 transfers
Alaska AirlinesAS2112
08:00AM1h55
San Diego International Airport
09:55AMSan Francisco International Airport
$3261One-way
0 transfers
Alaska AirlinesAS2466
02:52PM1h44
San Diego International Airport
04:36PMSan Francisco International Airport
$3261One-way
0 transfers
Alaska AirlinesAS3264
08:59PM1h48
San Diego International Airport
10:47PMSan Francisco International Airport
$3261One-way
0 transfers

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

Compare prices and tickets Prices for trains, buses and flights

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FAQs: Travel from San Diego, CA 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 San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA.

FAQs
There are 3 options to travel between San Diego, CA and San Francisco, CA including taking a bus, train, and flight.
The cheapest way to travel from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA is a bus with an average price of $53 (€42).

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

A bus is $0.86 (€0.68) less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA costing on average $54 (€43).

A bus is $31 (€24) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA costing on average $84 (€66).

The fastest way to travel from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA is by flight with an average journey time of 1h 38m.

Other travel options to San Francisco, CA take longer:

Bus takes on average 11h 40m.

Train takes on average 13h 16m.

The distance from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA is approximately 458 miles (738 km).
The average frequency per day from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA is:
  • Around 49 flights per day.
  • Around 23 buses per day.
  • Around 22 trains per day.

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

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA:
  • Flights mostly depart from San Diego International Airport and arrive in San Francisco International Airport.
  • Trains mostly depart from Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA and arrive in Emeryville station, Emeryville, CA.
  • Buses mostly depart from San Diego, Congress Street (Old Town Park), CA and arrive in San Francisco, Townsend Street / 5th Street, CA.
If finding a good deal is your main consideration for your trip from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA, then we'll help you find the best value travel companies for you:
  • Travel with Alaska Airlines, United, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines to go to San Francisco, CA by flight.
  • Travel with FlixBus, Greyhound to go to San Francisco, CA by bus.
  • Travel with Amtrak to go to San Francisco, CA by train.
Omio customers who travel from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA often also extend their vacation to go to Los Angeles, CA, Sacramento, CA, Las Vegas, NV, New York, NY, San Jose, CA. Omio can help you plan your trip by finding the best connections between San Francisco, CA and these popular destinations at a great price.
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