San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the fifth busiest airport in the USA and is located 21 km south of the city center. Upon arrival, you can reach downtown San Francisco by Metro, Taxi, Private Transfer, Uber or Lyft.

This guide compares all available airport transfers at San Francisco Airport (SFO) according to classic travel factors. This includes travel time, cost per person (pp), a short route description and official links to book or buy tickets.

Transfer comparison from SFO airport to downtown

Overview of all airport transfers from San Francisco Airport to the City Center (Civic Center / UN Plaza)

	Transport	Travel time	Cost	More
	Metro	40 Min.	11.15 US$	Details
	Taxi	25 Min.	50 US$	Details
	Private Transfer	25 Min.	65 US$	Details
	Uber	25 Min.	30‑150 US$	Details
	Lyft	25 Min.	30‑90 US$	Details

Notices:
• There may be waiting times at the taxi rank if there are high volume of passengers. In this case, a pre-booked transfer (e.g. via Private Transfer) is the more faster and comfortable option.
• The optimal transfer depends on the number of travelers, budget and available time.

Metro

Infos here, tickets on-site ↗

Travel time:

40 minutes

Cost:

US$ 11.15 pp

Description:

Metro ‘Yellow Line’ from San Francisco Airport (Station “Garage G and BART” in section International Garage G) to the BART Station “Civic Center / UN Plaza”, directly in the city center

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Taxi

Official local taxis

Travel time:

25 minutes

Cost:

US$ 50

Description:

Taxi from San Francisco Airport (all terminals) to downtown San Francisco, the Civic Center or directly to your accommodation in the city center

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Private Transfer (AD)

Book a Welcome Pickup ↗

Travel time:

25 minutes

Cost:

US$ 65

Description:

Comfortable private transfer (via Welcome Pickups) from San Francisco Airport (Nameplate in the Arrival Hall) to downtown San Francisco or to your accommodation

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Uber (AD)

Order an Uber ride ↗

Travel time:

25 minutes

Cost:

US$ 30-150

Description:

Uber from San Francisco Airport (pick-up location according to Uber app) to downtown San Francisco, the Civic Center or directly to your accommodation

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Lyft

Order a Lyft ride ↗

Travel time:

25 minutes

Cost:

US$ 30-90

Description:

Lyft from San Francisco Airport (pick-up location according to Lyft app) to downtown San Francisco, the Civic Center or directly to your accommodation

Things to know about San Francisco:

1. The Golden Gate Bridge isn’t really red – the official paint color is International Orange
2. The Chinese fortune cookie was invented by a Japanese resident of San Francisco
3. The tide is so fast in the Bay that some sailboats end up moving backwards in strong currents