San Mateo: 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 Mateo is a city of 103,536 people in United States (California), 13 m (43 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 8 km (5 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Daylight in San Mateo runs from about 9 h 37 min a day in late December to 14 h 49 min in late June (computed for 37.56° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
San Mateo is served by 5 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 8 km (5 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, 20 km), Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC, 41 km), San Carlos Airport (SQL, 9 km), Buchanan Field (CCR, 53 km).
Flights to San Mateo: every airport, routes and times
Buses to San Mateo · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- San Jose, 45 km — buses · car rental · tours
- San Francisco, 25 km — tours
- Fresno, 244 km — flights · tours
- Sacramento, 135 km — tours
- Oakland, 27 km — car rental · tours
- Bakersfield, 383 km — flights
- Stockton, 101 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Reno, 309 km
- Fremont, 30 km — car rental · tours
- Modesto, 117 km
Twin towns and sister cities: Varde Municipality, Toyonaka, San Pablo.
Common questions
Which airport serves San Mateo?
San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 8 km (5 mi) from the centre, plus 4 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is San Mateo?
About 103,536 people live in San Mateo, across 41 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is San Mateo in?
America/Los_Angeles, currently UTC-7.
What currency is used in San Mateo?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near San Mateo?
San Jose (45 km), San Francisco (25 km), Fresno (244 km), Sacramento (135 km), Oakland (27 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.