San Francisco to Sacramento: 7 BEST WAYS [2023]

While San Francisco and Sacramento are not that far apart, there are several options to choose from ranging from trains to planes.

The challenge is deciding what option is best for you based on the timing of your trip and your budget.

Luckily, we make this journey on a regular basis as we have lived in both of these destinations and have taken every option for this transit.

We included all the key details on how to get from SF to Sacramento, from travel time to the estimated cost, to help you pick the best choice for your trip. 

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7 Best Ways to get from San Francisco to Sacramento

• Cheapest Option: By Bus (Flixbus)
• Fastest Option: By Uber/Lyft
• Best for Group Travel: By Shuttle

The cheapest way of getting from San Francisco to Sacramento is by riding a combination of BART and bus, but it would also take the longest.

Taking a direct bus is fairly cheap and takes just as long as the other alternatives.

Traveling by train or a combination of BART + Train is almost the same, and then there’s the more costly option of taking Uber or Lyft, traveling by plane, or riding the shuttle from SFO to SMF.

Use the links on this table to view the different options available.

	Length of Time	Cost
By Bus	2:30 hours	$14
By Train	2:30 hours	from $33
By BART + Train	2:20 hours	$33
By BART + Bus	3:10 hours	$8.60
By Shuttle	2 hours minimum	from $110
By Uber / Lyft	1:30 hours	from $120
By Plane	55 minutes (direct)	from $200

How to Get from San Francisco to Sacramento

1. San Francisco to Sacramento by Bus

• Best For: Travelers on a budget
• Time/Cost: 2.5 hours/starts at $14
• CHECK RATES & AVAILABILITY

Riding the bus from the city to Sacramento is very accessible, with tickets starting as low as $14, with the trip taking approximately two and a half hours if there are no delays.

Taking the bus is also the cheapest and the most direct means of traveling.  Both Flixbus and Greyhound cover the route traveling between SF and Sacramento, and both have multiple trips running throughout the day. 

Flixbus

• Estimated Cost: $10.99 – $20.99
• VIEW BUS TICKETS

Flixbus has about ten trips a day between SF and Sacramento with travel times ranging from as short as 2 hours to as long as almost 3 hours.

Taking this bus to Sacramento is pretty comfortable and straightforward, especially for the price.

We’ve taken this trip multiple times, and this company has always been reliable and on-time, and the buses are clean and well-maintained.

Reservations are best made online, where you can choose your seat for an additional cost or book the entire row for a fixed additional price of $6.99.

Note that the bus ticket prices shown are base prices and are subject to an additional service fee.

• Pick-up Locations: Daly City BART, SF (5th/Townsend), Hyde/Beach (SF Fisherman’s Wharf)
• Drop-off Locations: Old Sacramento (2nd St/J St), Midtown Sac (29th/K)
• Services Onboard: restroom, wifi, power outlets, extra legroom, onboard entertainment
• Earliest Bus / Latest Bus: 9:35 AM / 8 PM

Greyhound

• Estimated Cost: $14 – $17
• VIEW BUS TICKETS

Greyhound only runs about three trips per day from SF to Sacramento and travel times range between 2.5 to 3 hours.

You can book your bus tickets online, which is recommended as some trips do sell out.

A $5.98 service fee is added on top of the base fare, and there is no fee for selecting a seat as it is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Greyhound bus delays are frequent, and their bus station in Sacramento is in a sketchy neighborhood.

So if you’re traveling late in the afternoon or your ETA is in the evening, it might be better just to book Flixbus instead.

• Pick-up Locations: San Francisco Bus Station at 425 Mission Street
• Drop-off Locations: Sacramento Bus Station at 420 Richards Blvd
• Services Onboard: wifi, power outlets, extra legroom, onboard entertainment
• Earliest Bus / Latest Bus: 7:30 AM / 3:40 PM

2. Train from San Francisco to Sacramento (Amtrak)

• Best For: Travelers with more budget looking to travel comfortably
• Time/Cost: 2.5 to 3 hours / from $33
• CHECK RATES & AVAILABILITY

Traveling via Amtrak gives you the option of traveling very early in the morning and until fairly late at night.

If you haven’t ridden the Amtrak before, the ride is very comfortable with plenty of leg room and even has a snack cart onboard if you want to purchase some drinks or small snacks.

Since there is no Amtrak station in San Francisco, you will need to go to the bus stop on Mission street where an Amtrak Connecting bus will take you to the Emeryville station. 

From there, you will get on the Capitol Corridor train that takes you to Sacramento. 

The Sacramento Amtrak station is in downtown Sacramento so you can easily catch an Uber or Lyft to get to your destination.

You can reserve tickets in Coach, which gives you basic amenities almost like those in buses.

You can also splurge for a bit more comfort and luxury by booking a Business class seat or a Private Room. 

If you have luggage or are planning to bring your bike along for the trip, there are racks and bicycle cars for riders. Checked baggage services are also available onboard. 

• Departing from: Chase Bank on 555 Mission Street
• Drop-off Locations: Sacramento Valley Station
• Services Onboard: extra legroom, outlets, wifi, at-seat lighting, tray tables, private rooms, seating options, checked baggage, onboard dining, pet-friendly, quiet car
• Earliest Train / Last Train: 5:40 AM / 8:50 PM

3. BART to Sacramento from San Francisco 

• Best For: For those who are traveling to locations close to a BART station
• Time/Cost: 37 minutes, $5.20 (BART) + 1:40 hours, $27 (Amtrak) = ~ 2:20 hours, ~$33

Although you cannot take the BART directly to Sacramento from San Francisco, you can easily transfer to an Amtrak train that will take you to downtown Sac.

You can start from any BART station, but if you are sightseeing in downtown SF, go to Powell Street Station under Market Street and take the red line to Richmond via Millbrae.

You can also ride the yellow line to Oakland and transfer to the orange line to Richmond.  

Closest BART Station to Sacramento

The closest BART station to Sacramento is Richmond Station, which connects with the Amtrak train station that will take you to the Sacramento Valley Station.

You should know that the Richmond BART station is in a sketchy neighborhood, so be extra cautious if traveling at night.

Local Tip: Make sure to check the Amtrak schedule as the last train from Richmond leaves at 8:30 pm on weekdays and 9:30 pm on weekends.

• Departing from: multiple BART stations
• Drop-off Location: Sacramento Valley Station
• Services Onboard: extra legroom, outlets, wifi, at-seat lighting, tray tables, private rooms, seating options, checked baggage, onboard dining, pet-friendly, quiet car

4. SF to Sacramento by BART + Bus 

• Best For: Travelers near a BART station
• Time/Cost: 36 minutes, $5.85 (BART Powell Street Station) + 2:30 hours, $2.75 (FAST bus) = ~3:06 hours, from $8.60

Traveling via BART + Bus is the cheapest way of traveling to Sacramento from SF given of course that you won’t have to take any other mode of transportation to the BART station.

Make your way to the nearest station in your location, and from there, ride the line that will take you to Walnut Creek Station.

Once you arrive at Walnut Creek Station, take the FAST Blue Line – B that will drop you off either at the 2nd and Capitol Mall or the Sacramento Valley Station.

Before using this mode of transport, check the bus schedule to ensure your arrival via BART will coincide with the departure from Walnut Creek.

Local Tip: The bus does not run on weekends to Sacramento, so you will need to use one of the other options. 

• Departing from: multiple BART stations
• Drop-off Locations: 2nd and Capitol Mall, Sacramento Valley Station
• Services Onboard: ample legroom, bicycle racks, luggage space

5. By Uber or Lyft

• Best For: Travelers with an extra budget and pressed for time
• Time/Cost: 1.5 hours / from $120 (see estimator)

Fares via rideshare are subject to surge pricing, which means that you may have to pay anywhere between $120-$250 at a given time.

If you want to be dropped off at an exact location, money is no object, or you are a bit pressed for time, then Uber or Lyft is for you.

This option is one of the most convenient ways to travel if you’re not old enough to rent a car, don’t want to drive, take local public transportation, or hire a luxury transport service. 

6. Plane

• Best For: Near the airport or traveling through SFO
• Time/Cost: 1 hour / $200
• Airlines: United Airlines, Alaska, American, Southwest

As tempting as this one-hour plane ride is, it is costly and takes the longest amount of time after you factor in the fact that it will take arriving early and getting checked in.

However, if your Sacramento destination is near the airport, or you’re coming in via SFO via a connection, it might be worth considering. 

How to Get from San Francisco Airport to Sacramento

If you happen to be landing at San Francisco airport and want to get to Sacramento without booking another flight or renting a car, you have a few options.

You can take pre-book a shuttle or take the BART + Train. Both options leave directly from the airport.

There are no bus stations on the premises, so if you want to take the bus, you must travel to the nearest one via taxi or rideshare. 

7. SFO to Sacramento Shuttle 

• Travel Time: 2 hours
• Cost: from $110 (Davis $110, Sunrise $215)

There are shuttles that you can prebook to pick you up at the airport and take you to Sacramento.

Take note that they don’t pick up curbside, so you must communicate with the driver regarding the pickup location once you arrive at the airport.

As most of these shuttles operate like rideshare, pick-up times vary depending on the number of passengers for pickups and dropoffs, so you will have to make allowance for delays.

These are shuttle providers you can book for your next trip:

• Sunrise Shuttle
• Davis Airporter

Train from SFO to Sacramento

• Travel Time: 1:15 hours (BART) + 1:34 hours (Amtrak) = ~ 2:50 hours
• Cost: $11.35 + $27 = ~ $38.35

There is a BART station at the SFO airport itself which you can take to get to the Richmond station.

Once you arrive at Richmond, you can take the Amtrak train to Sacramento Valley Station. This combination is relatively cheap compared to taking the plane or riding the shuttle.

You will have to carefully plan your trip to the airport and ride the BART early enough to get to the Amtrak train on time.

Local Tip: The last train leaves at 8:32 pm on weekdays and 9:32 pm on weekends. 

FAQs

Does BART run to Sacramento?

No, BART does not run to Sacramento as it operates within the Bay Area, but you can take the BART to the nearest train or bus station and catch a ride from there.

How do I get from SF to Sacramento?

There are many ways to get from SF to Sacramento. You can drive, book an Uber or Lyft, take the bus, take the BART + Train, or the BART + Bus. You can also travel directly to Sacramento via train, plane, or airport shuttle.

How far is San Francisco to Sacramento?

San Francisco is 87 miles away from Sacramento, and it would take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to drive when there is no traffic. Other forms of transportation other than a car can take at least 2 hours.

Wrap-Up: San Francisco to Sacramento

Making your way from San Francisco to Sacramento without a vehicle is not that difficult. You can choose from several options, ranging from train rides to riding the bus. Go ahead, plan your trip, and book your tickets. There’s a travel option here for everybody. 

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