San Francisco International Airport to Port of San Francisco
Getting from San Francisco International Airport to Port of San Francisco — 25-50 min, 15 miles
Transfer Options
Rideshare & taxi
Pier 27 fronts directly onto The Embarcadero, and the Port allows taxis and vehicles to drop cruise passengers at the terminal hall entrance. Within the city a rideshare from downtown or the wharf is a short hop; from the airports it is the fastest option when traffic is light and the least predictable when it is not.
SFO publishes approximate taxi fares of $57 downtown and $66 to Fisherman's Wharf and notes that up to five people can share a ride for the price of one, which is what makes a cab competitive with four BART fares for a family. If you need a wheelchair accessible taxi at SFO, the airport says to contact the taxi coordinator or dial *1107 from any courtesy phone.
Hotel shuttles & park-and-cruise
No hotel we checked publishes a shuttle to Pier 27 or Pier 35. What the airport hotels do publish is parking: Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport advertises an Airport Park and Fly Package covering up to seven days, and The Dylan Hotel at SFO a Park, Stay & Fly Package covering up to ten. Both are written for airline passengers, and both leave the trip to the pier to you.
Match the allowance to your itinerary before you book — a seven-night Alaska round trip fits inside Crowne Plaza's window, and a ten-day Mexican Riviera does not. Both hotels sit within reach of Millbrae BART, which is what makes them work: park the car, ride through to Embarcadero, then cover the last mile by streetcar. Aggregators sell park-and-cruise bundles at several downtown San Francisco hotels, but those are third-party products rather than anything the hotels publish themselves, so confirm the terms with the hotel before you rely on them.
From San Francisco International (SFO)
BART runs from a station on the departures level of SFO's International Terminal straight into downtown with no change of train — board a Yellow Line (San Francisco/Antioch) or Red Line (San Francisco/Richmond) train and ride to Embarcadero, the last San Francisco stop before the bay. BART's trip planner puts that at 31 to 32 minutes, with trains roughly every 8 to 9 minutes midday. From any terminal other than the International, take the free AirTrain to the Garage G/BART station stop first. Embarcadero station is not at the ship: the Port measures it at about a 20 minute walk to Pier 27, so most people finish the trip on the F Market streetcar, which stops at The Embarcadero/Sansome Street across from the terminal door. By road the terminal is 15 miles from the airport, a 25-50 min drive depending on how the 101 is running.
Two things catch cruise passengers here. The first is Sunday: BART's first train out of SFO on a Sunday is 8:08am, and BART itself advises making other plans if you need an early start — SamTrans routes ECR Owl and 397 run overnight and are the published fallback. The second is payment. BART no longer sells paper tickets, Muni cash boarding needs exact change, and every rider aged five and over needs their own card or device, tapping in and out with the same one; mixing them triggers a $7.55 penalty fare. Also worth knowing before you stand at the curb: Lyft and Uber pick up on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage rather than at arrivals, and at the International Terminal from the departures-level center island, zones 14 to 17.
F Market & Wharves streetcar
The F line runs historic streetcars from Castro along the length of Market Street, around the Ferry Building, and then north up The Embarcadero past the piers. For Pier 27 the stop is The Embarcadero & Sansome Street, which is across the road from the terminal rather than a walk from it; for Pier 35 it is the next stop north, The Embarcadero & Bay Street. Both are the stops the Port itself names. SFMTA publishes headways of 12 minutes midday and evening and 20 minutes morning and late night, the same on weekdays and weekends.
The route page headline says 7am to midnight, but the published timetables start earlier — the first inbound car leaves Castro at 6:00am on both the weekday and Sunday tables, reaching the Embarcadero stops around 6:30. Trust the timetable rather than the headline if you have an early boarding. Two other notes: SFMTA is withdrawing single-ride passes from MuniMobile from 1 September 2026, so use Clipper or contactless for a later sailing, and the E Embarcadero line that some guides still list as an alternative was showing as suspended with no current service when we read its route page on 2026-08-17.
Driving & Port Parking
There is no parking at either cruise terminal. The Port states that temporary or overnight parking is not provided at the cruise terminals, and names Metropolis as the operator of cruise parking at 55 Francisco Street and 80 Francisco Street, a little under a half-mile from Pier 27 and slightly closer to Pier 35. Both are prepaid, dated products booked against your ship and sail date rather than drive-up parking. The Impark surface lot physically on Pier 27 is not an option on a sailing day: the operator's listing states that no parking is allowed when a cruise ship is docked.
Book the dated cruise product rather than turning up. The garages close at 7:00pm and their own lot data records that overnight parking is not permitted unless you are a cruise passenger, so the drive-up maximum is not a price you can actually use for a week away. Check the clearance before you set off: 80 Francisco Street posts 6 feet 5 inches, 55 Francisco Street posts 7 feet, and the Port names both garages equally without saying which one you will be assigned — so if you drive something tall, confirm the address with Metropolis rather than the Port. Two stale figures circulate widely and should be ignored: Princess's embarkation PDF still prints $18 a day for Impark, and its file was last modified in 2017.
Cost Comparison
| Option | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Rideshare & taxi | CostSFMTA's metered taxi rate is $4.15 for the first fifth of a mile, then $0.65 for each additional fifth and $0.65 a minute in waiting or traffic, with up to $1 per piece of luggage that does not fit inside. Rides originating at SFO carry a $6.00 exit surcharge. Uber and Lyft publish no fare estimate for the route, so we quote none. | Best ForArriving with heavy luggage, a group splitting one fare, or any time the transit connection would mean two changes |
| Hotel shuttles & park-and-cruise | CostCrowne Plaza's package includes parking for up to 7 days with additional days at $10; The Dylan's covers up to 10 days at $11 per additional day and adds a $25 transportation credit at checkout. Both read from the hotels' own pages on 2026-08-17. | Best ForDrivers who want the car off their hands for the length of the cruise and do not mind reaching the ship by rail |
| From San Francisco International (SFO) | CostBART publishes $11.80 one way from SFO to Embarcadero (Youth and Clipper START $5.90, Senior and Clipper Access $4.40), read from BART's own fare service on 2026-08-17. The F streetcar on top is $2.85 on Clipper or contactless and $3.00 in cash — but BART and SFMTA both publish a transfer discount of up to $2.85 within two hours, so on Clipper or a contactless card the streetcar leg nets to nothing. SFO's own taxi sheet, effective 07/01/2025, gives approximate fares of $57 downtown and $66 to Fisherman's Wharf, with Pier 27 between the two, plus a $6.00 exit surcharge on rides originating at the airport. Uber and Lyft publish no estimate for the route. | Best ForAlmost everyone flying in — the rail link is direct, and the last mile is a streetcar rather than a second train |
| F Market & Wharves streetcar | Cost$2.85 on Clipper, MuniMobile or a contactless card; $3.00 in cash on board, which needs exact change. Either buys 120 minutes of travel. A Day Pass is $5.70, and a 1-Day Visitor Passport $15.00. Seniors 65+ and disabled riders pay $1.40 on Clipper, and riders 18 and under travel free on regular Muni service. Read from sfmta.com on 2026-08-17. | Best ForThe last mile from Embarcadero BART, and for anyone staying downtown or along Market Street |
| Driving & Port Parking | CostMetropolis publishes a drive-up rate of $4.00 per 30 minutes with a $21.60 maximum for the day, alongside a separate flat-rate cruise product sold per sailing. Read from Metropolis's own zone pages on 2026-08-17. The Port publishes no rate of its own and says to confirm with the parking company before the trip. | Best ForDrivers within a few hours of the city who would rather leave the car than fly |
Local Tip
San Francisco International is about 15 miles from Pier 27, and BART is the reason most cruise passengers should not book a car. A Yellow Line or Red Line train runs from the station on the departures level of the International Terminal straight to Embarcadero with no change, in 31 to 32 minutes, for a fare BART publishes at $11.80 one way. From any other terminal, ride the free AirTrain to the Garage G/BART stop first. Embarcadero station is not the ship, though: the Port puts it at about a 20 minute walk from Pier 27, so finish on the F Market streetcar to The Embarcadero/Sansome Street, across the road from the terminal. That leg costs $2.85 on Clipper or a contactless card, and both BART and SFMTA publish a transfer discount of up to $2.85 within two hours, so in practice it is free if you tap rather than pay cash. Two traps are worth planning around. BART's first Sunday train out of the airport is 8:08am, and BART itself advises other arrangements for an early start; SamTrans routes ECR Owl and 397 are the published overnight fallback. And Lyft and Uber collect from Level 5 of the Domestic Garage rather than the arrivals curb, with the International Terminal working differently again. By road, allow around 25 minutes with clear roads and 45 to 50 in traffic; SFO's own taxi sheet gives approximate fares of $57 downtown and $66 to Fisherman's Wharf, plus a $6.00 airport exit surcharge.
Once you arrive, find your terminal:
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