3 ways to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco

Los Angeles and San Francisco may be on opposite ends of California, but thanks to direct flights, regular trains, and incredibly scenic roads, getting from one city to the other is easy. Whether you want to zip north or take your time, enjoying the scenery and making stops along the way, there’s an option for you. Read on for three great ways to travel from L.A. to S.F. and start planning your weekend getaway now.

There are five different airports in the Los Angeles area: Los Angeles (LAX), Burbank (BUR), Long Beach (LGB), John Wayne (SNA), and Ontario (ONT). Each one offers nonstop service to the San Francisco Bay Area’s three airports—San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK), and San Jose (SJC)—making for plenty of options. Flight time is about 90 minutes and, while prices vary from airline to airline (and from airport to airport), you can expect to find a one-way ticket for between $35 and $100, depending on the season and time of day.

As L.A.’s major international airport, LAX has the most flights and, therefore, a wider range of price points, but keep in mind that you’ll likely be stuck in the city’s infamous traffic getting to the airport. For that reason, travel-savvy Angelenos often use L.A.’s smaller airports, especially for short-haul flights.

You may have read about California’s $80-billion plan for a high-speed train from Los Angeles to San Francisco by 2033. Theoretically, the “bullet train” will get passengers from L.A. to S.F. in only two hours and 40 minutes. For now, however, it’s Amtrak or bust.

If you’d like to make an adventure out of the journey, check out Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train. It’s a 12-hour trip, but the route is beautiful, hugging the shore for majestic views of the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountain Range. To make it even more enjoyable, forgo coach for one of the Superliner Roomettes, which feature two seats that convert to an upper and lower bed. Tickets start at $67.

The Coast Starlight runs once daily from Union Station in Los Angeles to Jack London Square Station in Oakland. From there, make the four-minute drive (or 15-minute walk) to the 12th St./Oakland City Center BART station and take the train to downtown San Francisco.

If speed is your concern, Amtrak’s fastest (but much less scenic) route on the Pacific Surfliner takes roughly 10 hours and costs between $35 and $53. Expect to pay about $10 more if you’re booking the same day you’re traveling. As of publishing, there isn’t an Amtrak train route that will take you straight into downtown S.F., so unfortunately, you’ll still need to transfer from the Pacific Surfliner to an Amtrak-chartered bus to get into the heart of the city.

The bus isn’t the fastest way to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco—it takes seven to 10 hours—but it’s the cheapest, with prices ranging from $9 to $39. The major operators are Flixbus, Megabus, and Greyhound, and all offer decent legroom, bathrooms, Wi-Fi service, and power outlets.

Flixbus runs between L.A. and S.F. seven days a week. There are about six to 12 non-stop buses per day during the week and up to 14 on Saturday and Sunday, departing from downtown Los Angeles, University of Southern California (USC), and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and arriving in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. Alternatively, Megabus goes from Union Station in Los Angeles to San Francisco CalTrain station downtown. Tickets for both lines start at $10.

Greyhound’s rates are higher, starting at $25, but their express bus will get you to S.F. in about seven hours. They also offer express overnight buses if you don’t want to waste a day traveling.

If you’d rather drive yourself, know that Interstate 5 isn’t the most scenic highway, but it’s the fastest route at about six hours. Those with an extra three or four hours to spare should take the Pacific Coast Highway (or Highway 1) instead. The route, which stretches from southern to northern California, rolls through coastal towns, over magnificent bridges, and into dense forests, boasting spectacular views along the way. Great stops for food and fun include Neptune’s Net seafood restaurant in Malibu, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, the Santa Cruz Wharf, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and the Moss Beach Distillery overlooking Seal Cove.