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Travel Information
Compare bus, train, and flight for San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA
Omio recommends booking the flight 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 an average ticket price of $140 For those with little time, consider booking a flight, which has an average total journey time of 6h 18m. If you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint, the train is your best option, with estimated CO2 emissions of 0.2 - 0.7kg. Average ticket prices depend on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of $140, while a flight costs an average of $546.
Distance: 458 miles (738 km)
Compare flight with
Most popular Flight | Train | Bus | Driving |
|---|---|---|---|
$546 Average price | $153 Average price | $140 Average price Cheapest | $117 Average price (fuel + tolls) |
6h 18m Average total duration Fastest 4h 18m Onboard + 2h 0m Additional time* | 14h 59m Average total duration 14h 29m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 13h 1m Average total duration 12h 31m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 7h 49m Average total duration (door-to-door) |
2.2 - 4.4kg CO2 emissions | 0.2 - 0.7kg CO2 emissions Lowest | 0.7 - 1.8kg CO2 emissions | - CO2 emissions |
 Most popular airline |  Most popular train company |  Most popular bus company | Your own car or car rental |
Direct Options | Direct Options | Direct Options | Direct Options |
Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.
This is compared to other travel options from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA:
A bus is $13 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA costing on average $153.
A bus is $405 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA costing on average $546.
Other travel options to San Francisco, CA take longer:
Bus takes on average 13h 1m.
Train takes on average 14h 59m.
You'll arrive about 3h 31m sooner (4h 18m by flight vs 7h 49m by car). Tickets start at around $546 compared to roughly $117 in fuel and tolls — a bit more, but you get time back and avoid a long drive.
Driving makes more sense if you're travelling as a group, want flexibility on timing, or plan to stop en route.
Travel optionsfrom 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
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.
- 769 Pacific Surfliner · 4769 Connecting Bus8:10 AM13h30Old Town Station, San Diego, CA9:40 PMSan Francisco, CA$741One-way1 transfer
Cheapest
- 769 Pacific Surfliner · 4769 Connecting Bus8:10 AM13h30Old Town Station, San Diego, CA9:40 PMSan Francisco, CA$741One-way1 transfer
Fastest
AS14503:43 PM1h39San Diego International Airport5:22 PMSan Francisco International Airport$1391One-way0 transfers
Other options
- 765 Pacific Surfliner · 4765 Connecting Bus6:10 AM13h50Old Town Station, San Diego, CA8:00 PMSan Francisco, CA$851One-way1 transfer
- 765 Pacific Surfliner · 4765 Connecting Bus6:01 AM13h59Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA8:00 PMSan Francisco, CA$851One-way1 transfer
- 769 Pacific Surfliner · 5719 Connecting Bus · 719 Gold Runner · 6619 Connecting Bus8:10 AM14h20Old Town Station, San Diego, CA10:30 PMSan Francisco, CA$1341One-way3 transfers
- 785 Pacific Surfliner · 4785 Connecting Bus4:10 PM13h35Old Town Station, San Diego, CA5:45 AMSan Francisco, CA$741One-way1 transfer
- 769 Pacific Surfliner · 4769 Connecting Bus8:01 AM13h39Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA9:40 PMSan Francisco, CA$741One-way1 transfer
- 785 Pacific Surfliner · 4785 Connecting Bus4:01 PM13h44Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA5:45 AMSan Francisco, CA$741One-way1 transfer
- AS13992:19 PM1h40San Diego International Airport3:59 PMSan Francisco International Airport$1391One-way0 transfers
- AS2919:30 PM1h42San Diego International Airport11:12 PMSan Francisco International Airport$1391One-way0 transfers
- AS31005:22 PM1h44San Diego International Airport7:06 PMSan Francisco International Airport$1391One-way0 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.
This is compared to other travel options from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA:
A bus is $13 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA costing on average $153.
A bus is $405 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA costing on average $546.
Other travel options to San Francisco, CA take longer:
Bus takes on average 13h 1m.
Train takes on average 14h 59m.
- Around 67 flights per day.
- Around 5 trains per day.
- Around 5 buses 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.
- Flights mostly depart from San Diego International Airport and arrive in San Francisco International Airport.
- Trains mostly depart from Solana Beach Station, Solana Beach, 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, Transit Center Bay 29.
- Travel with Greyhound, FlixBus to go to San Francisco, CA by bus.
- Travel with American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United, CitizenPlane, skywest airlines to go to San Francisco, CA by flight.
- Travel with Amtrak to go to San Francisco, CA by train.
- 2 direct buses per day with Greyhound.
- 18 direct flights per day with Alaska Airlines, United, CitizenPlane.
Travelling from San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA: related information
Here are some other resources that might have the information you need
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