San Francisco Airport Transfers

Arriving in a new city and having a driver waiting to take you to your hotel is priceless. Discover all the options to make your arrival in San Francisco as comfortable as possible.

Alex Grande

Alex Grande

6 min read

San Francisco Airport Transfers

Aircraft landing at San Francisco International Airport | ©Alan Wilson

You are probably arriving in San Francisco after a long flight and are looking for the most comfortable way to get to your hotel. I'll tell you everything you need to know in this article to make your landing in the city as quick and easy as possible.

The most comfortable option

San Francisco Private Transfer from Airport to Hotel

Convenient transportation from San Francisco airport to your hotel

With this private tour you will get your trip off to a good start and can easily reach your hotel in a VIP SUV or luxury car at an economical price.

San Francisco airport is located about 20 km from the city center. It is a busy place where finding a cab, bus or other vehicle to take you into the city could be a real challenge. Therefore, this transfer from the airport to your hotel in San Francisco is an ideal option.

In addition, you can choose the type of car you want to take you, a luxury car for three people or a VIP SUV for five.


Recommended if... you want to start your trip off on the right foot and not worry and go comfortably to your hotel.

Private transfer: the most comfortable way

Private transfer| ©Vladimir Proskurovskiy
Private transfer| ©Vladimir Proskurovskiy

Although there are several ways to get to the city from the airport. If you are looking for a door-to-door service, I recommend that you hire in advance a private transfer service from the San Francisco airport to your hotel for you, your group and your luggage.

This service has all the comforts of a cab or Uber, but with the added bonus that you will have the driver waiting for you at the airport exit ready to help you with your bags and take you to your accommodation, for a better price than the other options mentioned.

The big advantage is that you won't have to worry about how to get to the city and unlike the shared transfer you will go directly from the airport to your hotel in a comfortable minivan.

How this service works

You will have to provide some information about your flight, such as the identification code and the approximate landing time (in the case of arrival transfers) or take-off time (in the case of departure transfers). The operating company will share this information with the driver and will know if your flight has been delayed, at which departure they will have to wait for you and most importantly, they will know the exact time to drop you off at the airport so that there is no problem with your flight.

Most importantly, by sharing this information the driver will be able to contact you if there are any problems with your flight, and will inform you if there are any changes to the pick-up that you should be aware of. Each passenger is entitled to one suitcase and one carry-on bag. If you have special luggage (instruments, bicycles, professional photographic equipment...) please check with the transport agency before booking.

How long does it take to get there? About 30 minutes on a day without too much traffic, and up to 40 minutes if you are unlucky. Your driver will wait for you for a maximum of 30 minutes. This does not mean that you have to rush to get off the plane; your transfer driver will use your flight details to calculate how long it will take you to find and get to the meeting point.

Return transfer from your hotel to the airport

You have the same transportation option available for when your vacation is over and you want to return to the airport without stress, with a private transfer from your hotel in San Francisco to the airport.

You can book your private departure transfer from your hotel to the San Francisco airport in advance to have everything organized and under control and take away the stress that airport days usually generate.

Book your transfer from the airport to your hotel in San Francisco

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit): the most popular form of transport

BART Station, San Francisco International Airport| ©Ken Lund
BART Station, San Francisco International Airport| ©Ken Lund

The most popular method of public transportation to get to San Francisco after landing is the subway or BART, which connects the airport to downtown San Francisco. There are three to four trains every hour, and it takes about half an hour to get downtown. To take the BART, you will have to go to the International Terminal, which is a short walk from Terminals 1 and 3.

You can also ride the AirTrain, which is free and leaves from all terminals directly to the BART station. And by the way, I tell you that the BART is the subway system of San Francisco and with it you can reach all areas of the city. It has several types of tickets available, depending on the distance. They are also separated by age: blue for adults, orange for youth and green for seniors.

To get from the airport to downtown as an adult, you can buy a Clipper card and a $9.15 ticket, or the BART Blue Ticket which will cost you $9.65.

How long does it take to get there? About 30 minutes for both the outbound and return trip.

Book your private transfer from the airport to the hotel

Bus: the most economical way

Blue bus|©munidave
Blue bus|©munidave

There are three SamTrans bus lines that will take you from the airport to the city: 292, 397 and KX. All three will take you to Transbay Terminal, next to San Francisco's financial district. The ticket costs about $2.25 for the 292, 397, and the KX bus ticket costs $4.00. If you are looking for an inexpensive way to get to San Francisco from the airport, this is it.

How long does it take to get there? About 1 hour each way.

Book your private transfer from the airport to the hotel

Cab or Uber: the more expensive option

Cab in San francisco|©bior
Cab in San francisco|©bior

I only recommend one of these two options if for any reason you cannot book a private transfer from downtown, as it will give you all the advantages of a cab but with the peace of mind of having it insured and for a better price. Roughly, the price to go by cab from the airport to San Francisco is $50.

How long does it take to get there? About the same as private transfers, only you will have to wait for your driver. In total, about 40 minutes.

Book your private transfer from the airport to the hotel

Practical information for getting around the San Francisco airport

San Francisco Airport AirTrain| ©Rob Bertholf
San Francisco Airport AirTrain| ©Rob Bertholf

You've just landed at the airport, now what? I give you some key pieces of information and recommendations to give you a head start:

  • The AirTrain is free and connects the different terminals to parking areas, public transportation stops and the rental car hub.
  • SFO has four terminals: Terminals 1, 2 and 3, which are for domestic flights, and the International Terminal, which is divided into A and G terminals.
  • Each terminal has its own security checkpoint so my advice is to cancel any plans you have in a different terminal than the one you arrive in. I'm one of those who feels a little bit older every time I go through an airport security checkpoint, so I try to avoid them whenever possible.
  • To be honest though, the security checkpoints at SFO are not the worst thing in the world, they go pretty fast andthe lines are not too long, plus you can pay to avoid the line if you are in a hurry. If you are interested in what you read, look for the light blue CLEAR logo, you will find it at all checkpoints.

You now have all the information you need to travel to San Francisco as if you had already been there, now enjoy your visit!

Book your transfer from airport to hotel in San Francisco

  • Private transfer
  • Price: From 41€.
  • Duration: Between 30 and 40 minutes
  • The most comfortable option: the driver will be waiting for you.
  • BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
  • Price: You can buy a Clipper card and a $9.15 ticket, or the BART Blue Ticket which will cost you $9.65 for the ride
  • Duration: 30 minutes
  • Frequency: Between three and four three per hour.
  • Bus (SamTrans company)
  • Price: From $2.25 to $4.00 each way.
  • Duration: About 1 hour each way
  • Buses 292, 397 and KX
  • Cab or Uber
  • Price: $50
  • Duration: 40 minutes plus the time it takes for the driver to arrive.