How to drive between San Diego and San Francisco?

If you want to get from San Diego to San Francisco or from San Francisco to San Diego, you can get there by any public transportation method.

This guide will help you choose the best route for your trip.

Traveling from San Diego to San Francisco – in one day
Distance: 500 miles
Driving time: 8.5 hours or so without traffic or stops

The states of California offer many choices for travel between San Diego and Los Angeles. I’ve made this trip many times and you can help simplify just a couple of the options.

If you’re trying to make this long drive from San Diego in one day, you should arrive in LA as soon as possible. Many online map websites will guide you through Los Angeles via I-5. But in my experience, I feel like the run time is sadly pushed not just by an hour, but by adding more than an hour to the tour.

Instead, try this route: Take I-15 north from San Diego, then take I-210 west to connect to I-5 west to avoid the busiest points.

Traffic jams can occur on any road at any time. It is best to check the current traffic conditions before making sure it is the optimal route during that time. Los Angeles radio KNX 1070 has often improved traffic if there is no mobile device providing traffic information.

Once you connect with I-5 you will travel about 280 miles north. Then I-580 and I-80 will cross the San Francisco Bay Bridge into West San Francisco.

If going south from San Francisco to San Diego, those directions will be reversed.

Traveling from San Diego to San Francisco – If you have more than one day

You can drive between San Diego and San Francisco using the directions above. But where is it? Instead, visit parts (if you have time):

• Start with tips for driving north from San Diego to Los Angeles. Depending on the traffic, you will be heading north between 2 and 3 hours.
• Check out all options from Los Angeles to Los Angeles to San Francisco.
• If you choose the US Hwy 101 route, try San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles or Pimms Beach for a day stop. They are halfway between San Diego and San Francisco. Continue this guide to learn more about that route.
• If planning to follow the CA Hwy 1 coastal route, Morrow Bay and Cambria are a good stop a little farther north on a short day. This guide starts in San Luis Obispo and takes you up the coast to San Francisco.

If you’re heading south, you can use reversible directions, then use the tips for driving between San Diego and Los Angeles.

Flights between San Diego and San Francisco

Travel Time: The travel time between San Diego and San Francisco is approximately 1.5 hours. Even when you add a few hours for check-in and luggage, it’s the fastest way to travel between the two cities.

Southwest Airlines is a popular option for this trip, with no baggage fees and no change fees. If you book a few weeks in advance you will be able to get the lowest rates. But you’ll have to go to their site to get to them – they don’t participate in search queries on other sites.

For all other airlines, you can compare flights using trippassaver. The three-letter code for San Diego Airport is SAN, and San Francisco is SFO.

Using other San Francisco regional airports
SFO is not the only San Francisco airport. Accessible to Oakland or San Jose. Check out other San Francisco area airports and find out their pros and cons.

From San Diego to San Francisco by bus or train

Buses and trains can run from San Diego to San Francisco. Although they are lighter than flying (summarized on the previous page). They will take 50% more than driving the fastest route.

San Diego Bush to San Francisco
Greyhound buses from San Diego to Los Angeles. Travels from 10 miles per hour to once per hour. The fastest times are more than 11 hours and the airfares are lower than flights.

Once you get to Los Angeles you have more options, including some luxury buses. They are detailed here