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

Sat, Feb 21
+ Add return
Travel by train, bus, flight with
Amtrak
FlixBus
Alaska Airlines
Greyhound
United
1,000+ more
Amtrak
FlixBus
Alaska Airlines
Greyhound
United
1,000+ more
QR-Code
Scan to get our free app
Use our app to get live travel updates and book mobile tickets for trains, buses, flights, and ferries.
App Store
rate4.9
42K ratings
Google Play
rate4.6
136K reviews

Travel Information

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

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the bus with prices starting from €54. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 2h 2m. 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 €54, and a flight costs an average of €53.

Distance: 458 miles (738 km)

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus
Flight

€80

Average price

€71

Average price

Cheapest

€215

Average price

13h 18m

Average total duration

12h 48m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

13h 19m

Average total duration

12h 49m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

5h 2m

Average total duration

Fastest

2h 2m

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 Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA

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

Our recommendation

bus

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

Amtrak4770 AMTRAK · 770 Pacific Surfliner
10:35PM14h32
San Francisco, CA
01:07PMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
$781One-way
1 transfer

Cheapest

Amtrak4770 AMTRAK · 770 Pacific Surfliner
10:35PM14h32
San Francisco, CA
01:07PMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
$781One-way
1 transfer

Fastest

Alaska AirlinesAA9341
02:54PM1h36
San Francisco International Airport
04:30PMSan Diego International Airport
$3721One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Amtrak4794 AMTRAK · 794 Pacific Surfliner
10:10AM14h54
San Francisco, CA
01:04AMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
$911One-way
1 transfer
Amtrak6642 AMTRAK · 718 Gold Runner · 5818 AMTRAK
04:45PM12h50
San Francisco, CA
05:35AMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
$1211One-way
2 transfers
Amtrak6612 AMTRAK · 712 Gold Runner · 5812 AMTRAK · 790 Pacific Surfliner
09:40AM13h27
San Francisco, CA
11:07PMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
$1421One-way
3 transfers
Amtrak4790 AMTRAK · 790 Pacific Surfliner
07:45AM15h22
San Francisco, CA
11:07PMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA
$781One-way
1 transfer
Greyhound
10:40PM13h05
San Francisco, Transit Center Bay 29
11:45AMSan Diego, Congress Street (Old Town Park), CA
$1891One-way
0 transfers
Greyhound
10:40PM13h40
San Francisco, Transit Center Bay 29
12:20PMSan Diego, San Ysidro Transit Center
$1891One-way
0 transfers
Alaska AirlinesAA9412
10:09AM1h41
San Francisco International Airport
11:50AMSan Diego International Airport
$3721One-way
0 transfers
UnitedUA2177
10:55AM1h44
San Francisco International Airport
12:39PMSan Diego International Airport
$3721One-way
0 transfers
Alaska AirlinesAS3490
10:09AM1h41
San Francisco International Airport
11:50AMSan Diego International Airport
$3781One-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

Compare train, bus, and flight prices over the next three weeks. See the best deals at a glance, find the lowest fares, and choose the option that fits your budget.

Sun
Feb 22
Mon
Feb 23
Tue
Feb 24
Wed
Feb 25
Thu
Feb 26
Fri
Feb 27
Sat
Feb 28
Sun
Mar 01
Mon
Mar 02
Tue
Mar 03
Wed
Mar 04
Thu
Mar 05
Fri
Mar 06
Sat
Mar 07
Sun
Mar 08
Mon
Mar 09
Tue
Mar 10
Wed
Mar 11
Thu
Mar 12
Fri
Mar 13
Sat
Mar 14

More than 1,000 travel companies trust us to sell their tickets all in one place.

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

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

Travel to San Diego, 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 Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA.

FAQs
There are 3 options to travel between San Francisco, CA and San Diego, CA including taking a train, bus, and flight.
The cheapest way to travel from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA is a flight with an average price of $66 (€53).

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

A flight is $1 (€0.90) less than a bus for this route with tickets for a bus from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA costing on average $67 (€54).

A flight is $17 (€13) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA costing on average $83 (€66).

The fastest way to travel from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA is by flight with an average journey time of 1h 30m.

Other travel options to San Diego, CA take longer:

Train takes on average 11h 14m.

Bus takes on average 12h 55m.

The distance from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA is approximately 458 miles (738 km).
The average frequency per day from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA is:
  • Around 48 flights per day.
  • Around 25 buses per day.
  • Around 15 trains per day.

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

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA:
  • Trains mostly depart from Emeryville station, Emeryville, CA and arrive in Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA.
  • Flights mostly depart from San Francisco International Airport and arrive in San Diego International Airport.
  • Buses mostly depart from San Francisco, Townsend Street / 5th Street, CA and arrive in San Diego, Congress Street (Old Town Park), CA.
If finding a good deal is your main consideration for your trip from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, 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 Diego, CA by flight.
  • Travel with Amtrak, Caltrain to go to San Diego, CA by train.
  • Travel with FlixBus, Greyhound to go to San Diego, CA by bus.
Yes, there are direct services available from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA with the following travel companies:
  • 11 direct flights per day with Alaska Airlines, United, American Airlines.
  • 3 direct buses per day with FlixBus, Greyhound.
Omio customers who travel from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA often also extend their vacation to go to Los Angeles, CA, Anaheim, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Seattle, WA, New York, NY. Omio can help you plan your trip by finding the best connections between San Diego, CA and these popular destinations at a great price.
HomeTravelTravel to USATravel to San Diego, CAHow to travel from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA

The Omio App Makes Travel Planning Easy

We’ll get you where you want to go. From live train updates to mobile tickets, our innovative app is the ideal way to plan and keep track of your travel.

ios-badge
android-badge
Hand With Phone