San Francisco: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
San Francisco is a city of 827,526 people in United States (California), 28 m (92 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre. It has 2 railway stations on record, including San Francisco Transbay Terminal. Our booking partner lists 412 places to stay.
Key facts
Open San Francisco in Google Maps
Daylight in San Francisco runs from about 9 h 36 min a day in late December to 14 h 50 min in late June (computed for 37.77° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
San Francisco is served by 6 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre, whose 11,870-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK, 18 km), Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC, 63 km), San Carlos Airport (SQL, 33 km), Buchanan Field (CCR, 40 km), Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS, 89 km).
Flights to San Francisco: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include San Francisco Transbay Terminal, Third and Townsend Depot. Trains to San Francisco
Buses to San Francisco · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 412 places to stay in San Francisco. Of the 351 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (120), and 12 are five-star. Across 260 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 7.9 out of 10. Guests have left 374,148 reviews in total.
Hotels in San Francisco: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 15 hostels in San Francisco, out of 412 places to stay of every kind — 3.6% of everywhere it lists in the city, around the middle of the range for the cities we hold figures for. Across 14 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 7.9 out of 10, level with the city’s hotels. Guests have left 24,861 reviews across them.
Hostels in San Francisco: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area | 12,400,045 | 2020 |
| San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park | 1,936,101 | 2020 |
| Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco | 1,500,761 | 2015 |
| Fort Point | 1,315,241 | 2010 |
| San Francisco Museum of Modern Art | 632,519 | 2012 |
| M. H. de Young Memorial Museum | 394,402 | 2021 |
| Legion of Honor | 302,175 | 2015 |
| Musée Mécanique | 100,000 | — |
| Randall Museum | 90,000 | — |
The busiest is Golden Gate National Recreation Area at 12,400,045 visitors in 2020. At that volume, anything with a gate is worth a timed ticket or an early start.
Tours, tickets and day trips from San Francisco
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- San Jose, 67 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Fresno, 261 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Sacramento, 121 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Oakland, 13 km
- Stockton, 101 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Reno, 299 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Fremont, 46 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Modesto, 126 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Santa Rosa, 78 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Elk Grove, 116 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Zurich, Abidjan, Burgas, Caracas, Sydney, Thessaloniki, Taipei, Cork, Haifa, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai.
Common questions
Which airport serves San Francisco?
San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 18 km (11 mi) from the centre, plus 5 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is San Francisco?
About 827,526 people live in San Francisco, across 601 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is San Francisco in?
America/Los_Angeles, currently UTC-7.
What currency is used in San Francisco?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Are there hostels in San Francisco?
15 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in San Francisco.
How many hotels are there in San Francisco?
Our booking partner lists 412 places to stay in San Francisco, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near San Francisco?
San Jose (67 km), Fresno (261 km), Sacramento (121 km), Oakland (13 km), Stockton (101 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.