How do I reach secondary airports or ports?

Ride into the main city first, then swap to intercity rail or ferry operators. Booking apps like Trainline, JR East, or obilet list live seat counts.

What about luggage storage?

Use lockers at San Francisco stations or the airport itself if you need to bounce between hops.

SFOUnited StatesTPL: regional-hop-plan

San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco, United States

Drop-off

Downtown San Francisco (Embarcadero / Powell St BART)

Pin before customs

Fastest

BART Yellow Line (Antioch–SFO/Millbrae)

rail · 10-20m

Data

Nov 28

Audit

Quick verdict

Fastest into town

Service: BART Yellow Line (Antioch–SFO/Millbrae)
Headway: 10-20
Backup: Caltrain via BART transfer at Millbrae · 30-60m

Note

Frequent rapid rail from SFO International Terminal directly to downtown San Francisco BART stations including Civic Center, Powell St, Montgomery St and Embarcadero; typical travel time to downtown is about 30 minutes. Service runs daily with reduced frequency late at night—check BART schedule for exact first/last trains and overnight gaps, especially after midnight.cite

Beyond downtown

San Francisco: Regional Hop Plan

For travelers continuing beyond the main city core. Targets queries likesan francisco airport busandsfo to city centerfor eSIM funnels.

International business

Brief

Ideal for connecting directly into the city’s finance or embassy districts.

Service: BART Yellow Line (Antioch–SFO/Millbrae)
Mode: rail
Freq: 10-20m
Note: Frequent rapid rail from SFO International Terminal directly to downtown San Francisco BART stations including Civic Center, Powell St, Montgomery St and Embarcadero; typical travel time to downtown is about 30 minutes. Service runs daily with reduced frequency late at night—check BART schedule for exact first/last trains and overnight gaps, especially after midnight.cite

Regional coaches

Brief

Good when you need a one-seat ride into the suburbs or satellite cities.

Service: SamTrans Route 292
Mode: bus
Freq: 20-30m
Note: Local bus from SFO terminals to San Francisco via North McDonnell Road, serving southeastern neighborhoods and continuing to downtown along Mission Street. Operates day and evening hours and is a lower-cost but slower alternative to BART; overnight coverage is supplemented by ECR Owl and 397 routes.cite

What locals actually do

Brief

Even locals pad 30 minutes of buffer during peak traffic.

Service: SamTrans Route 292
Mode: bus
Freq: 20-30m
Note: Local bus from SFO terminals to San Francisco via North McDonnell Road, serving southeastern neighborhoods and continuing to downtown along Mission Street. Operates day and evening hours and is a lower-cost but slower alternative to BART; overnight coverage is supplemented by ECR Owl and 397 routes.cite

eSIMComing Soon

Stay connected from landing

Skip the airport SIM queue. We're partnering with eSIM providers to get you online before you even leave the gate.

✓Instant activation✓Local rates✓No SIM swap

FAQs

01How do I reach secondary airports or ports?: Ride into the main city first, then swap to intercity rail or ferry operators. Booking apps like Trainline, JR East, or obilet list live seat counts.
02What about luggage storage?: Use lockers at San Francisco stations or the airport itself if you need to bounce between hops.