How to Get to San Francisco

Getting to San Francisco by Plane

Although many choose to take a road trip from other cities along the West Coast, if you're looking to arrive quickly and cheaply, the best option is without a doubt by plane. You can find flights from Los Angeles or Las Vegas for about US$ 50 with a flight time of around one hour.

If you would like to go from coast to coast, you can find flights from New York for a little over US$ 100, which is a steal for a flight of almost 7 hours.

If you're looking for a flight from London, Paris, Madrid, or other European cities, ticket prices start from US$ 900. Flights crossing the Pacific from Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Singapore go for around the same price.

You can use our search engine to find cheap flights and compare with various agencies

Once you have booked your flight, the next thing to do is to find the best way of getting from the airport to San Francisco’s downtown area:

Getting to San Francisco by Car

Those adventurous enough to drive to San Francisco already know about the long distances involved: 578 miles from Las Vegas (930 kilometres), 379 miles from Los Angeles (610 kilometres) and 500 from San Diego (810 kilometres). There are good roads but you'll need to remember that speed limits are strictly enforced. We suggest using Google Maps or a similar tool to plan your itinerary.

If you still have not rented a car, you can take a look at our car hire deals.

As a word of advice, if you arrive in San Francisco by car, it's advisable to look for a hotel with parking facilities in order to avoid having to use public parking, which can be quite expensive.

Getting to San Francisco by Train

This is the least attractive option for us, the price is similar to a plane ticket and the journey from Los Angeles takes over 11 hours. We can only see it as worthwhile for those wishing to view the Californian scenery.

A high-speed train linking the two cities has been planned, although it's not yet operational.