4.9
4.6
Travel Information
Compare bus, train, and flight for San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA
Omio recommends booking the flight 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 an average ticket price of $111 For those with little time, consider booking a flight, which has an average total journey time of 6h 11m. 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 $111, while a flight costs an average of $554.
Distance: 458 miles (738 km)
Compare flight with
Most popular Flight | Train | Bus | Driving |
|---|---|---|---|
$554 Average price | $152 Average price | $111 Average price Cheapest | $101 Average price (fuel + tolls) |
6h 11m Average total duration Fastest 4h 11m Onboard + 2h 0m Additional time* | 15h 36m Average total duration 15h 6m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 14h 42m Average total duration 14h 12m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 7h 33m 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 Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA:
A bus is $42 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA costing on average $152.
A bus is $443 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA costing on average $554.
Other travel options to San Diego, CA take longer:
Bus takes on average 14h 42m.
Train takes on average 15h 36m.
You'll arrive about 3h 22m sooner (4h 11m by flight vs 7h 33m by car). Tickets start at around $554 compared to roughly $101 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 Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA
How to get from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA by train, bus or flight.
Our recommendation
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.
- 4770 Connecting Bus · 770 Pacific Surfliner10:35 PM14h17San Francisco, CA12:52 PMOld Town Station, San Diego, CA$741One-way1 transfer
Cheapest
- 4770 Connecting Bus · 770 Pacific Surfliner10:35 PM14h17San Francisco, CA12:52 PMOld Town Station, San Diego, CA$741One-way1 transfer
Fastest
AS24933:31 PM1h39San Francisco International Airport5:10 PMSan Diego International Airport$2511One-way0 transfers
Other options
- 4794 Connecting Bus · 794 Pacific Surfliner10:10 AM14h40San Francisco, CA12:50 AMOld Town Station, San Diego, CA$851One-way1 transfer
- 4794 Connecting Bus · 794 Pacific Surfliner10:10 AM14h54San Francisco, CA1:04 AMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA$851One-way1 transfer
- 6642 Connecting Bus · 718 Gold Runner · 5818 Connecting Bus4:45 PM12h50San Francisco, CA5:35 AMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA$1161One-way2 transfers
- 4770 Connecting Bus · 770 Pacific Surfliner10:35 PM14h32San Francisco, CA1:07 PMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA$741One-way1 transfer
- 4790 Connecting Bus · 790 Pacific Surfliner7:45 AM15h06San Francisco, CA10:51 PMOld Town Station, San Diego, CA$741One-way1 transfer
- 4790 Connecting Bus · 790 Pacific Surfliner7:45 AM15h22San Francisco, CA11:07 PMSanta Fe Depot, San Diego, CA$741One-way1 transfer
338211:22 AM1h54San Francisco International Airport1:16 PMSan Diego International Airport$1731One-way0 transfers- AS5017:03 AM1h42San Francisco International Airport8:45 AMSan Diego International Airport$2511One-way0 transfers
- AS74010:40 AM1h43San Francisco International Airport12:23 PMSan Diego International Airport$2511One-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
Compare bus, train, 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.
Oct 08
Oct 09
Oct 10
Oct 11
Oct 12
Oct 13
Oct 14
Oct 15
Oct 16
Oct 17
Oct 18
Oct 19
Oct 20
Oct 21
Oct 22
Oct 23
Oct 24
Oct 25
Oct 26
Oct 27
Oct 28
More than 1,000 travel companies trust us to sell their tickets all in one place.
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.
This is compared to other travel options from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA:
A bus is $42 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA costing on average $152.
A bus is $443 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA costing on average $554.
Other travel options to San Diego, CA take longer:
Bus takes on average 14h 42m.
Train takes on average 15h 36m.
- Around 68 flights per day.
- Around 8 buses per day.
- Around 3 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 bus, train, and flight can vary by season or day of the week.
- Flights mostly depart from San Francisco International Airport and arrive in San Diego International Airport.
- Trains mostly depart from Emeryville station, Emeryville, CA and arrive in Solana Beach Station, Solana Beach, CA.
- Buses mostly depart from San Francisco, Transit Center Bay 29 and arrive in San Diego, Congress Street (Old Town Park), CA.
- Travel with Greyhound, FlixBus to go to San Diego, CA by bus.
- Travel with American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United, CitizenPlane, skywest airlines to go to San Diego, CA by flight.
- Travel with Amtrak to go to San Diego, CA by train.
- 2 direct buses per day with Greyhound.
- 17 direct flights per day with Alaska Airlines, United, CitizenPlane.
Travelling from San Francisco, CA to San Diego, CA: related information
Here are some other resources that might have the information you need
Travel to popular destinations by train, bus or flight
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.
