SFO Airport
Just landed — how to get into San Francisco
San Francisco International sits 13 miles south of the city, and the good news for arrivals is that BART runs from inside the terminal complex. The catch is the airport premium on the fare, no flat-rate taxi, and a rail system that closes at midnight and doesn't open until 8 am on Sundays.
At a Glance
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BART to downtown
$11.80 · about 30 min
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Taxi
~$56 metered + $6 SFO fee · no flat rate
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Terminals
T1 Harvey Milk · T2 · T3 (rebuild) · International
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AirTrain
Free · 24/7 · every 4 min
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First BART out
4:58 am wkdy · 8:08 am Sun
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Long-term parking
$27 max per 24 hr
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Terminal 3 AirTrain station is closed until 2027
Terminal 3 (United) is being rebuilt. Its AirTrain station is shut until the new facility opens in 2027 — the Terminal 2 station is now the "Terminals 2 & 3 AirTrain Station" and serves both. Baggage carousels 1–3 are closed, walking routes to the International Terminal and BART are being diverted outdoors between T3 doors 7 and 12, and the AMEX Centurion Lounge has moved to Terminal 2.
Official details →
ℹ️
Late-evening BART delays through summer 2026
BART is replacing its train control system between Daly City and Millbrae. Expect delays of up to 30 minutes after 9 pm on Sunday–Thursday nights around SFO and Millbrae, plus occasional weekend single-tracking between Millbrae, SFO, and San Bruno. Check advisories before a late flight.
Official details →
Taxi Fares
SFMTA's official estimate for a taxi between San Francisco and SFO is about $56 on the meter (updated June 3, 2026). Add the $6.00 SFO pick-up fee when your trip starts at the airport — there is no drop-off fee going the other way — plus tolls and tip.
Flag rate (first ⅕ mile) $4.15 · each additional ⅕ mile $0.65 · $0.65 per minute of waiting or traffic. No surcharge for ordinary luggage — up to $1 per item that won't fit in the cabin or a closed trunk.
Worth knowing: Unlike New York's JFK, San Francisco has no fixed airport flat rate — the meter runs, so a jam on the 101 costs you money. The flip side: taxis never surge. When Uber and Lyft spike on a Friday evening or in bad weather, the taxi queue at the center island is often the cheaper ride, and up to five people can share one fare.
Compare Your Options
Most people should take BART
$11.80 and about 30 minutes to four downtown stations, from a station inside the terminal complex. The bus is cheaper and a taxi is easier with luggage, but for one or two people between roughly 5:30 am and midnight, BART is the trip. The exceptions are worth knowing: before 5:30 am, after midnight, all Sunday morning until 8 am, three or more people splitting a fare, or a hotel far from a BART station.
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Fastest
20–50m
Uber / Lyft
💰
Cheapest
$2.05–$2.25
SamTrans bus
Every Way Out of the Airport
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1
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From Terminals 1, 2, or 3: ride the free AirTrain Red Line to the Garage G/BART Station stop. From the International Terminal, walk — the station is on the Departures/Ticketing Level, G Gates side.
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2
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Tap a contactless bank card, Apple/Google Pay, or Clipper at the fare gate. BART no longer sells paper tickets.
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3
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Board a Yellow Line (Antioch) or Red Line (Richmond) train — both stop at Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell St, and Civic Center. About 30 minutes.
💡 Pro Tip
Check the destination on the front of the train, not the colour. Everything on that platform is going toward San Francisco, but a Millbrae-bound train is going the other way — and after 9 pm the Yellow Line is usually your only option.
First train departing SFO: 4:58 am weekdays, 5:47 am Saturday, 8:08 am Sunday. Last trains around midnight — there is no overnight BART. Trains leave roughly every 10 minutes during the day.
How BART fares work →
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1
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Follow the taxi signs down to the Arrivals/Baggage Claim Level of your terminal.
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2
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Join the queue at the roadway center island — uniformed taxi coordinators work the zones from 7 am to 2 am and can call a wheelchair-accessible cab.
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3
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Metered fare to your address. Up to five people ride for the price of one.
💡 Pro Tip
Take a cab from the official center-island queue only, and never from someone who approaches you inside the terminal. If your destination is more than 15 miles beyond San Francisco or SFO and doesn't end in the city, the meter rate goes up to 150% — agree on the destination before you set off.
Driving time is an estimate: about 20 minutes off-peak, 45 minutes or more when the 101 or 280 backs up. Fares to Marin or the East Bay add bridge tolls.
Cost comparison in both directions →
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1
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Domestic terminals: go up to Level 5 of the Domestic Garage — T1 uses cores A/B and B, T2 uses C and D, T3 uses E, F, and F/G.
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2
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International Terminal: pickups are on the Departures/Ticketing Level roadway center island, zones 12–17.
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3
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Request the car once you have your bags and are walking to the zone, not from baggage claim.
💡 Pro Tip
The pickup point is not the curb where you'd be dropped off — at the domestic terminals it's a garage two levels up, and walking there takes a few minutes. Set the pickup in the app before you request, or you'll watch your driver circle. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles can pick up curbside at Terminals 1–3 instead.
Waymo and other autonomous rides also serve SFO with their own pickup rules. Driving times are estimates and match a taxi; the difference is price volatility, not speed.
When rideshare beats BART →
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1
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AirTrain to the BART station, then a short Millbrae-bound BART ride — about four minutes.
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2
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At Millbrae, cross to the Caltrain platform in the same complex.
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3
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Caltrain south to Palo Alto, Mountain View, or San Jose — Express trains reach San Jose in about an hour.
💡 Pro Tip
Don't ride into San Francisco and back out again to reach the Peninsula — that's the classic first-timer mistake and it costs you an hour. Millbrae is the interchange, and BART to Millbrae is one of the cheapest trips out of the airport.
BART time shown is the airport-to-Millbrae leg only; add your Caltrain journey. Check BART's Caltrain transfer timetable for the connection you need — Millbrae connections are re-timed at each mid-August and mid-January schedule change.
Caltrain zones and fares →
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1
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Route 292 stops at the terminals: Terminal 2 Arrivals center island by Courtyard 2, Terminal 3 Arrivals curbside by Courtyard 4, International Terminal Level 1 at Courtyard A and curbside by Courtyard G.
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2
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Routes EPX and 142 leave from the Rental Car Center — take the AirTrain Blue Line to get there.
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3
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Late at night, the ECR Owl and Route 397 run north to San Francisco and Daly City and south to Palo Alto.
💡 Pro Tip
The reason to know SamTrans is the clock, not the price: it runs 24 hours a day from SFO, which makes it the only transit option when BART is closed — including before 8 am on a Sunday. Check the timetable in advance, because owl service is infrequent.
SamTrans is a local bus making every stop, so it's much slower than BART for the same trip into the city. Fares: $2.25 cash or mobile, $2.05 with Clipper, $4.50 day pass.
Late-night and early-morning options →
Terminal Guide
🚋 AirTrain: Terminal 1 station — Mezzanine Level 3, across the passenger skybridge
📍 Pickup: Taxi at the Arrivals center island · Rideshare on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage, cores A/B and B · Wingz at Doors 7 and 8
You can walk from the International Terminal to Terminal 1's B Gates — SFO says that's the best way between the two, faster than waiting for AirTrain.
🚋 AirTrain: Now the "Terminals 2 & 3 AirTrain Station" — serves both T2 and T3 while T3's own station is closed
📍 Pickup: Taxi at the Arrivals center island · Rideshare on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage, cores C and D · Wingz at Doors 4 and 5 · SamTrans 292 at the Arrivals center island by Courtyard 2
This is the AirTrain station United passengers now use, and it's where the AMEX Centurion Lounge moved during the Terminal 3 rebuild. From the International Terminal, AirTrain beats walking to T2.
🚋 AirTrain: CLOSED until the new facility opens in 2027 — use the Terminals 2 & 3 station
📍 Pickup: Arrivals Level Doors 4–12 for curbside pickup — walk further down toward Doors 10–12 for a less congested wait · Rideshare on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage, cores E, F, and F/G
Mid-rebuild, so allow extra time: baggage carousels 1–3 are closed, and if you're walking to the International Terminal or BART you'll be routed outdoors along the covered sidewalk between Doors 7 and 12. Post-security interim walkways still connect every terminal, so connecting passengers don't have to exit security.
🚋 AirTrain: Stations near the A Gates and the G Gates — Level 4 from the Main Hall
📍 Pickup: Rideshare and Wingz on the Departures/Ticketing Level center island, zones 12–17 · Taxi at the Arrivals center island · SamTrans 292 on Level 1 at Courtyard A and curbside by Courtyard G
This is the terminal with the BART station, on the Departures/Ticketing Level on the G Gates side. Arriving here? Turn right out of customs, take the escalator up to Departures, walk straight ahead and turn left at the art exhibit — the entrance is right there. It's also where SFO's only bag storage is, at the Airport Travel Agency on Level 3.
Airlines move between terminals, so we don't publish a roster that could be a year stale — confirm yours on SFO's official airline list. All four terminals connect post-security, so you never have to clear security twice to change terminals.
AirTrain Guide
Red Line — clockwise, about 9 minutes for the full loop
All terminals→Terminal garages→Garage G / BART Station→Grand Hyatt at SFO
The line you want for BART or for hopping between terminals. It does not reach Long-Term Parking or the Rental Car Center.
Blue Line — counterclockwise, about 25 minutes for the full loop
All terminals→Terminal garages→Garage G / BART Station→Grand Hyatt at SFO→Rental Car Center→Long-Term Parking
The only way to reach the Rental Car Center and Long-Term Parking. Slower loop, so allow the extra time.
Fare
Free — there is no charge to board AirTrain, ever
Frequency
Departures as often as every 4 minutes
Hours
24 hours a day, year round. Maintenance between 11 pm and 5 am can change routings and stretch travel times.
Pro tip: AirTrain is free and runs all night, which makes it the quiet answer to a lot of SFO problems: sleeping between terminals, reaching a 24-hour rental desk, or riding to the Grand Hyatt. Take the Red Line unless you need parking or a rental car.
Check Before You Move
Before You Leave
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Hotels near SFO — Hotels.com
Airport hotels with free shuttles, plus the Grand Hyatt at SFO on the AirTrain loop itself.
Compare SFO hotels →
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Hotels near SFO — Booking.com
Same search, second opinion — worth checking both before a red-eye or an early departure.
Compare on Booking.com →
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Store your bags in the city
SFO's own storage is one desk at the International Terminal. If your flight is hours away and you want to see the city first, drop bags downtown instead — flat rate per bag, per day.
Compare options →
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US eSIM (Holafly)
Landing from abroad? Set up a US eSIM before you fly and you'll have data the moment you leave airplane mode — handy when you need the BART gate to take Apple Pay.
Get a US eSIM →
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SFO parking, or BART instead
Long-Term Parking is $4 per 30 minutes to a $27 daily maximum, on the AirTrain Blue Line. BART's multi-day station parking — Millbrae is four minutes away — usually costs less.
Official SFO parking →
Hotel, storage, and eSIM links above are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no cost to you, and it doesn't change a word of the transit advice on this page. How this works →
Frequently Asked
How do I get from SFO to downtown San Francisco?
BART is the direct option: ride the free AirTrain to the Garage G/BART Station stop (or walk, if you're in the International Terminal), then take a Yellow or Red line train to Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell St, or Civic Center. It costs
$11.80 and takes about 30 minutes. A taxi is roughly $56 on the meter plus the $6 SFO pick-up fee, and 20–45 minutes depending on traffic.
Full cost and time comparison →
How much is BART from SFO?
$11.80 to any of the four downtown San Francisco stations, $5.85 to Millbrae, $10.80 to Daly City, and $12.20 to 12th St Oakland, as of September 2026. Discounted fares to downtown are $5.90 with Clipper START or a Youth Clipper card and $4.40 with a Senior or RTC card. Fares are distance-based, and the airport trip carries a premium. Source:
BART Fare Calculator.
How BART fares work →
Is the SFO AirTrain free?
Yes — AirTrain is free and runs 24 hours a day, with departures as often as every four minutes. The Red Line does a nine-minute clockwise loop of the terminals, garages, the BART station, and the Grand Hyatt. The Blue Line takes about 25 minutes counterclockwise and is the only way to reach the Rental Car Center and Long-Term Parking. Between 11 pm and 5 am maintenance can change routings, so allow extra time.
Where is the BART station at SFO?
On the Departures/Ticketing Level of the Dianne Feinstein International Terminal, on the G Gates side. From Terminals 1, 2, or 3, take the AirTrain Red Line to the Garage G/BART Station stop. If you land in the International Terminal, turn right after customs, ride the escalator up to Departures, walk straight ahead and turn left at the art exhibit.
Is there a flat-rate taxi from SFO?
No. San Francisco taxis are metered for every SFO trip — there's no fixed airport rate. SFMTA's official June 2026 estimate for San Francisco to SFO is about
$56 on the meter, and a
$6.00 SFO pick-up fee is added when your ride starts at the airport (there's no drop-off fee going the other way). Trips ending more than 15 miles outside the city are charged at 150% of the meter. Taxis never surge, so on a busy evening they often undercut Uber and Lyft. Source:
SFMTA taxi fares.
Where do Uber and Lyft pick up at SFO?
At the domestic terminals, on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage — Terminal 1 uses cores A/B and B, Terminal 2 uses C and D, Terminal 3 uses E, F, and F/G. At the International Terminal, pickups are on the Departures/Ticketing Level center island at zones 12–17. Drop-offs are curbside on the Departures level. If you need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, you can be picked up curbside at Terminals 1–3 instead.
What time does BART start running from SFO?
The first train out of SFO leaves at 4:58 am on weekdays, 5:47 am on Saturdays, and 8:08 am on Sundays, with last trains around midnight. There is no overnight BART. For an early Sunday flight or a late-night arrival, you need a taxi, a rideshare, or SamTrans — which runs 24 hours from the airport.
Which terminal do I need at SFO?
SFO has four:
Harvey Milk Terminal 1 (Gates A/B and B1–B27),
Terminal 2 (C1–C11, D1–D18),
Terminal 3 (E2–E13, F5–F22, United's domestic home), and the
Dianne Feinstein International Terminal (A and G Gates, and the BART station). Airlines move, so confirm yours on
SFO's official airline list rather than trusting a roster that might be a year old. All terminals connect post-security, so you don't have to clear security again to switch terminals.
Is the Terminal 3 AirTrain station open?
No — it's closed until the new Terminal 3 facility opens in 2027. Use the Terminals 2 & 3 AirTrain Station (the old Terminal 2 station, renamed), which serves both terminals; all United passengers travelling by AirTrain should use it. While the rebuild continues, T3 baggage carousels 1–3 are closed and walking routes to the International Terminal and BART are diverted outdoors between Doors 7 and 12.
How do I get from SFO to Palo Alto, Mountain View, or San Jose?
Take BART one short hop to
Millbrae ($5.85, about four minutes) and change to Caltrain in the same complex. Caltrain fares run $4.00–$15.25 depending on how many zones you cross, and an Express train covers San Francisco to San Jose in about an hour. Riding into San Francisco first and back out again is the classic mistake. Flying out of Oakland instead?
OAK is a different calculation → Caltrain zones and fares →
Can I store luggage at SFO?
Yes, at one place: the Airport Travel Agency in the Dianne Feinstein International Terminal, Level 3, which takes luggage plus outsize items like skis, bicycles, and dog kennels at prices that vary by size. If you'd rather spend the day in the city unencumbered, storing bags downtown is usually easier than doubling back to the airport.
Where to store luggage in San Francisco →
How much is parking at SFO?
Long-Term Parking is $4 per 30 minutes with a $27 maximum per 24 hours, including taxes and fees, at 794 South Airport Boulevard — connected to the terminals by the AirTrain Blue Line, with the station on Level 5. SFO's cheapest rates are only available by booking online in advance. BART's multi-day reserved station parking, including Millbrae four minutes away, often works out cheaper still.
Sources & last check: Fares, hours, terminal layout, and pickup locations verified against bart.gov, api.bart.gov, flysfo.com, sfmta.com, and samtrans.com in September 2026. Driving times are estimates and depend entirely on traffic — everything else on this page comes from the operator. Last verified 2026-09. Official pages:
BART airport connections,
SFO public transit,
SFO AirTrain,
SFMTA taxi fares,
SamTrans fares.
Something outdated or incorrect? Report an error →