3 Ways to Get From Oakland Airport to San Francisco
Are your San Francisco travels taking you through Oakland? Learn the three most efficient ways to get from Oakland Airport to San Francisco!
The Bay Area boasts two large international airports: San Francisco Airport (SFO), and Oakland Airport (OAK).
While neither of them are technically within the city limits of San Francisco, both airports are popular for locals and visitors alike to use. So thankfully, public transportation between either airport and the city center couldn’t be easier!
If your flight landed you in Oakland, you may be wondering what is the best way to get from Oakland Airport to San Francisco. The good news is that there are a variety of public transportation options available for visitors who don’t have their own vehicle.
Keep reading to learn about our three favorite modes of transportation from Oakland Airport to San Francisco!
- Ride Share
- Oakland Airport Shuttle Service
- BART
- How To Use BART
- How To Get From Oakland To San Francisco Airport
- See San Francisco
Are you staying in San Francisco for a few days? Looking to see the sights and sounds of our amazing city? Be sure to check out our award winning San Francisco tours.
How to Get from Oakland Airport to San Francisco
Ride Share
One good option is to take a ride-share vehicle, like Uber or Lyft, from Oakland to San Francisco. Just call up a driver, tell them your destination, and settle in for a safe, clean, and private drive between San Francisco to Oakland. While you’ll pay more for a ride-sharing taxi service, this is the best way to go if you don’t want to book ahead or share the drive with other travelers.
Oakland Airport Shuttle Service
The shuttles that runs from San Francisco to Oakland Airport are also great options. If you decide to book a shuttle, we recommend traveling with the Oakland Airport Super Shuttle. You can choose between two shuttle options: nonstop ride, and black car.
Nonstop ride is perfect if you are traveling with a large group or have lots of luggage. After purchasing tickets, all you have to do is check in through your smartphone to get directions to your pickup spot. Your group will have a private shuttle that takes you directly to your destination!
If you’re looking for style more than practicality, choose the black car option. When you land at the airport, your driver will be waiting at the baggage claim area. They’ll help you with your luggage, escort you to the car, and chauffeur you to your destination.
Both nonstop ride and black car are available for transportation to and from the airport. For any Super Shuttle service you use, remember to reserve your tickets in advance.
BART
Wondering how to get from Oakland Airport to San Francisco like a local? The answer is Bay Area Rapid Transit, aka BART. If you want to save some money and arrive at your destination quickly, take this option. It’s by far the cheapest way to get to and from Oakland Airport!
While the other two forms of transportation we’ve listed are also consistently reliable options, we personally feel that nothing beats the BART system for getting around between SF to Oakland!
Take a peek at our video below to see just how easy it is to take BART from Oakland to SF!
How to Use BART
How far is Oakland from San Francisco? The distance from Oakland to San Francisco is 20 miles. Riding BART, it will take you about 40 minutes.
To get from Oakland Airport to San Francisco, simply hop on the blue Daly City Line or green Millbrae line. Both of these lines will make stops at the Embarcadero, Powell Street, Civic Center, and the Mission district.
And whatever you do, be sure to avoid the orange line to Richmond city. If you’re trying to get to San Francisco, you want to be headed into the West Bay towards the Pacific Ocean. The orange Richmond line will take you further into the East Bay. Keep your eyes open and make sure you stay with blue or green. Just think: ocean colors!
How to Get from Oakland to San Francisco Airport
If you find yourself in need of transportation between SFO to Oakland or Oakland to SFO, you can also take BART between the two airports! Check out the BART airport guide to learn the best ways to get around between the two Bay Area airports.
See San Francisco
You made it to the city center, congratulations! Airports can be challenging to navigate. So, we hope the list of transportation methods we’ve mentioned above have helped make your travels smooth.
Now that you’re in the city, take a look at this list of fun ideas to help make your stay here spectacular! The good news is that everything is very accessible!
Muir Woods
Muir Woods National Monument isn’t technically in San Francisco. All the same, visitors to the Bay Area will really want to make a point of seeing this incredible forest. Located just about an hour north of the city, Muir Woods is an incredibly dense redwood grove.
The immense redwood trees only grow on the Northern Pacific Coast between the Monterey Bay and Southern Oregon, so you definitely won’t want to miss out on visiting these ancient wonders. Nothing compares to seeing the giant redwoods up close!
While getting to Muir Woods can be hard. Several of our tours make stops in this majestic park. Booking one of our Muir Woods tours is a great way to reserve your park entrance. It’s also a hassle-free form of transportation to Muir Woods!
Check out some of our tours here.
Bike the Golden Gate Bridge
Since San Francisco enjoys a generally mild climate, bikes are almost always a fun option. This city is built on hills—more than fifty of them. Due to this, we recommend renting electric bikes during your stay. They’ll make all those hills a cinch!
If you do rent a bike, be sure to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. You’ll enjoy some fantastic sights! We offer electric bike rentals and guided bike tours, so you can choose the San Francisco biking experience that best suits your taste.
We offer a bike the Golden Gate Bridge tour along with a shuttle to Muir woods. Check it out.
Seafood
While you’re in San Francisco, you simply have to try some fresh seafood! If you already love this cuisine, you’ll be in heaven. Not a fan of seafood yet? Maybe San Francisco’s diverse selection of fresh clam chowder bread bowls, fish and chips, Cioppino, and steamed Dungeness crab can switch you over.
We’d like to recommend Sotto Mare, located in North Beach. It’s a local favorite for good reason!
Neighborhoods
There are so many iconic sights in San Francisco, it’s impossible to name them all in one go. The Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the Piers… Those are all amazing places to see, but we recommend that you spend some time exploring the unique neighborhoods of San Francisco as well!
Wander through Haight-Ashbury, the birthplace of hippie culture. Stop in at some of the craft breweries in SOMA, or see the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square. Touring the city’s neighborhoods is one of the best ways to truly get to know San Francisco’s colorful and diverse culture!
Want to see even more of the surrounding Bay Area? Discover the wonder of California’s famous redwoods and enjoy some of the state’s most renowned wineries on our Ultimate Napa and Sonoma Wine Tour, or take in all the beauty of the coastline on our scenic tour of Carmel & Monterey.