BART runs from a station inside SFO's International Terminal straight to downtown San Francisco: about 30 minutes to Powell Street for US$11.80. Taxis and ride-hailing suit a group with bags, and after the last train back, at 12:43am, they're the only way.
What's the best way from SFO into the city?
For most layovers, take BART from SFO's International Terminal: about 30 minutes to Powell Street, downtown, for US$11.80, with a train at least every 20 minutes. Allow about 90 minutes from landing to sitting on the train, and leave town 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight to be back at the airport 90 minutes before departure. The last trains back leave Powell Street at 12:43am, every night.
Getting through the border
Before any train, you clear US border control. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has no transit zone and publishes no queue times, so plan on about 90 minutes from landing to sitting on a BART train, and more when several long-haul flights land together.
- The route out. From the gate you walk to passport control in the International Terminal, then collect your checked bags and take them through customs. The BART station is in the same building, up on the Departures level.
- Mobile Passport Control, CBP’s free app, may be open to you; check the app. Where it works, it has its own line at passport control.
- Bags. On one ticket, hand your bags back at the baggage desks just outside the arrivals hall, through the doors marked “Connecting Flights”, and go into town with only your hand luggage. On separate tickets you keep them: see storing bags below.
- Landing on a US domestic flight? No border to clear. Take the free AirTrain from Terminal 1, 2 or 3 to the BART station, and allow about an hour from landing to the train, by our estimate.
The options at a glance
| BART | Taxi | Uber or Lyft | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To | Powell St, Montgomery St, Embarcadero and the rest of downtown | Anywhere | Anywhere |
| Time | About 30 min to Powell St | 25 to 35 min off-peak, our estimate | As a taxi |
| Single fare | US$11.80 | On the meter, with a US$6 airport charge included | Shown in the app |
| Pay with | Contactless card or phone, Clipper | Ask the driver | In the app |
BART: the way in for almost everyone
- Where. The station is on the Departures level of the International Terminal, on the G gates side. From the arrivals hall, go up a level to Departures and follow the BART signs.
- Which train. Every train leaving the airport toward San Francisco stops at Powell Street, Montgomery Street and Embarcadero; don’t take one heading south to Millbrae. Coming back, board a train whose sign says SFO or San Francisco Int’l Airport: trains for Daly City stop short of the airport.
- The ride. About 30 minutes to Powell Street, for Union Square and the cable cars, and about 32 to Embarcadero, for the Ferry Building.
- How often. Toward the airport, a train at least every 8 minutes by day on weekdays and every 12 at weekends; after 9pm, every 20 minutes.
- The fare. US$11.80 each way to any of the downtown stations, so US$23.60 for the round trip. Tap a contactless bank card or a phone at the gate as you go in and again as you leave. A Clipper card or a paper ticket from the station machines works too. Everyone needs their own card or ticket.
| Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First train from SFO | 5am | 5:48am | 7:48am |
| It reaches Powell Street | 5:28am | 6:17am | 8:17am |
| Last train back from Powell Street | 12:43am | 12:43am | 12:43am |
These are BART’s trip planner times for November 2026. A time after midnight belongs to the night before, so the 12:43am on a Saturday night leaves in the early hours of Sunday. The last trains back are the same every night from each downtown station, and all reach SFO at 1:14am:
| Last trains back from | Every night |
|---|---|
| Powell Street | 12:43am |
| Montgomery Street | 12:42am |
| Embarcadero | 12:40am |
On Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day BART runs its Sunday timetable, so the first train leaves the airport at 7:48am. On 14 and 15 November 2026 buses replace trains between 24th St Mission and Daly City, on the line to the airport, and BART expects delays of up to 30 minutes. Works like these come up on other weekends too, so check BART’s trip planner on the day.
Taxis and ride-hailing
- Taxis wait at the taxi zones on the centre islands of the Arrivals level roadway, staffed from 7am to 2am. They run on the meter, which includes a US$6 charge for leaving the airport. SFO publishes no fare or journey time to downtown; allow 25 to 35 minutes off-peak, by our estimate, and longer at rush hour.
- Uber and Lyft pick up at the International Terminal from the centre-island zones 12 to 17 on the Departures level, and at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 from Level 5 of the Domestic Garage. The app shows the fare before you book.
- After the last train. Once BART stops, a taxi or ride-hail is the way back to the airport. Allow about 50 minutes from Union Square, our estimate including the wait for a car.
A car beats BART mainly for three or four people sharing with bags, or after midnight. On your own, BART is cheaper and avoids the traffic.
Private transfers
A pre-booked transfer gives you a driver waiting at arrivals and a price agreed before you land. It costs more than BART and suits a family with luggage or a late landing. Quotes depend on the car, the address and the time of day, so compare the price for your exact trip.
Moving between terminals: the AirTrain
The AirTrain is free and runs 24 hours a day, as often as every 4 minutes.
- Red Line, clockwise: every terminal, the BART station and the Grand Hyatt at SFO, in a loop of about 9 minutes. This is the one for a layover.
- Blue Line, counter-clockwise: the same stops plus long-term parking and the Rental Car Center, in about 25 minutes.
- Terminal 3. Its own AirTrain station is closed until the new one opens in 2027. Use the Terminal 2 station, now called Terminals 2 & 3, and walk.
- At night, from 11pm to 5am, maintenance can slow the AirTrain, so allow a few extra minutes.
Flying on within the US? Ride BART back to the airport, then take the Red Line to your terminal; the 2 hours 40 minutes below covers it.
Storing bags
The only left luggage at the airport is the Airport Travel Agency in the International Terminal, open daily from 6am to 11pm. It prices bags by size and publishes no rates, so ask at the desk or call 650-877-0422. Check its closing time against your return: a bag left there can’t be collected after 11pm.
Timing your return
Be back at SFO 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. With your bags checked through, that’s time for security and the walk to your gate; there’s no passport check on the way out of the US. The usual advice to arrive 3 hours before an international flight allows for checking in. If you still need to check in or drop a bag, allow longer and check your airline’s cut-off.
In practice, leave Powell Street or Embarcadero 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight: about 70 minutes for the wait, the ride and the walk into the terminal, then 90 minutes at the airport.
| Layover | Time in town |
|---|---|
| 6.5 hours | About 2 hours |
| 8 hours | About 3.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 5.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 7.5 hours |
These times assume about 90 minutes from landing to the train, 32 minutes to Embarcadero, 70 minutes back to the terminal and 90 minutes at the airport, as on the Ferry Building plan in the itineraries. Put simply, your time in town is your layover less about 4 hours 40 minutes.