Origin
Albany, CA
Late night in Albany on Tuesday
Local time
1:47 AM
PDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Albany, CA to San Francisco, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
14.1 mi
23 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 20m
★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Albany, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Albany to San Francisco is a quick, straightforward trip covering just 14.1 miles. You can easily complete this drive in about 22 minutes, making it a perfect day trip that requires no overnight stay. Navigating primarily via the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, Eastshore Freeway, and Route 80, you will find this transition between Pacific Coast cities to be highly efficient. With fuel costs estimated at around $3, it is an incredibly budget-friendly commute. Whether you are heading into the city for work or a short visit, this route offers a seamless connection between the two locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 6.2 mi | 9m |
| Eastshore Freeway | 4 mi | 5m |
| Route 80 | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Buchanan Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Octavia Boulevard | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Market Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Central Freeway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| San Pablo Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
— 6.2 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Albany, CA and San Francisco, CA.
1
Start on CA 123
368 ft
·
16 sec
·
San Pablo Avenue
2
Turn left onto Buchanan Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Buchanan Street
Use the left lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
Toward I 80 West, I 580 East: Oakland, San Francisco
Use the left / straight lanes.
4
Merge onto I 80; I 580
3.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Eastshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit onto Eastshore Freeway
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Eastshore Freeway
Toward San Francisco
Use the slight left lane.
6
Merge onto I 80
0.4 mi
·
33 sec
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn slight left onto I 80
0.4 mi
·
33 sec
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
8
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
5.5 mi
·
8 min
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the slight left lane.
9
Continue on I 80
0.3 mi
·
24 sec
·
Route 80
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
10
Continue on I 80
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Route 80
Exit 2A
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
11
Continue on I 80
0.4 mi
·
32 sec
·
Route 80
Exit 1A
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 1B
Toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Merge onto US 101
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Central Freeway
14
Continue on Octavia Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
42 sec
·
Octavia Boulevard
Exit 434B
Toward Octavia Boulevard, Fell Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Turn right onto Market Street
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Market Street
Use the right lane.
16
Keep slight right at fork onto Market Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Market Street
17
Arrive at destination
Market Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 12.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Buchanan Street
Turn left onto Buchanan Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
8
0.7 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward I 80 West, I 580 East: Oakland, San Francisco
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left / straight lanes.
Toward I 80 West, I 580 East: Oakland, San Fran...
6
4.3 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Eastshore Freeway
Take the exit onto Eastshore Freeway toward San Francisco
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward San Francisco
6
5.9 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
I 80 / Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80 / Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
8
12.7 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Keep slight right at fork toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 1B
Toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.24 one way
$6.48 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $3.34 | $6.68 |
| premium | $6.18 | $3.43 | $6.86 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.11 | $6.23 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.48 | $0.68 |
| Efficient EV | 3.5 | 0 | $1.23 | $0.56 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.97 | $0.90 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
San Francisco, CA
Late night in San Francisco on Tuesday
Local time
1:47 AM
PDT
Current temp
71°F
Sunny
NW 2 to 8 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
2 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
22m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a mixed driving experience as you transition across the bay area. You will spend about 40% of your time on highways, providing a blend of rapid transit and local navigation. The longest uninterrupted segment occurs on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, where you will cover 6.2 miles of the route. Because this is a relatively short trip, the road feel shifts quickly from suburban stretches to the dense urban environment of San Francisco. It is a functional drive designed for speed and convenience rather than a leisurely backroad cruise.
40% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.2 mi on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Buchanan Street.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 14.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 22m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Buchanan Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.3 miles (Eastshore Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
185 ft
-33 ft
Total Climb
265 ft
Total Descent
254 ft
Highest Point
185 ft
~9.1 mi in
Elevation Range
218 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Albany, CA
Full guide →Albany is a city in the inner East Bay in the Bay Area in California.
Arriving in San Francisco, CA
Full guide →“Frisco” · Founded 1776
The centerpiece of the Bay Area, San Francisco is one of the most visited cities in the world, and with good reason. The cultural center of northern California, San Francisco is renowned for its mixture of scenic beauty and unique culture that makes it one of the most vibrant and desirable cities in the nation, if not the world. Sandwiched between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on a small square of land seven miles (11 km) on each side, San Francisco offers a wealth of treasures for the visitor, from the windswept and often foggy bay to the steep hills lined with Victorian homes that overlook the spectacular scenery of the city.
Top landmarks
- • Golden Gate Bridge — suspension bridge on the San Francisco Bay
- • Alcatraz Island — island in San Francisco, California, United States of America
- • San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge — suspension bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland, California, USA
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 22m. Total distance: 14.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (40%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.2 miles on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at San Francisco, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Buchanan Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.3 miles (Eastshore Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area (5 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at San Francisco, CA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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