Origin
Marin City, CA
Late night in Marin City on Sunday
Local time
12:50 AM
PDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Marin City, CA to San Francisco, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
21m
Distance
10.6 mi
17 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Marin City, CA
Abhishek Navlakha
San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short, 10.6-mile drive from Marin City, CA, to San Francisco, CA, is easily manageable as a day trip, taking approximately 21 minutes. You'll primarily navigate using the Redwood Highway and Presidio Parkway, with a significant portion on the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The estimated fuel cost for this quick journey is around $2. Given its brief duration and the relatively low highway share of 15%, this route offers flexibility for when you depart. Both your origin and destination are situated within the Pacific Coast region, so expect coastal influences throughout your travels.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Redwood Highway | 3.3 mi | 4m |
| Golden Gate Bridge | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Presidio Parkway | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Webster Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Divisadero Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| California Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Oak Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Richardson Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Redwood Highway
— 3.3 mi, about 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Marin City, CA and San Francisco, CA.
1
Start on Drake Avenue
0.2 mi
·
49 sec
·
Drake Avenue
2
Turn right onto Donahue Street
270 ft
·
13 sec
·
Donahue Street
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
Toward US 101 South: San Francisco
Use the left lane.
4
Merge onto US 101; CA 1
3.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Redwood Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Continue on US 101
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Golden Gate Bridge
6
Merge
34 ft
·
0 sec
7
Keep slight left at fork
130 ft
·
1 sec
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
8 sec
9
Continue on US 101; CA 1
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Presidio Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on US 101
0.2 mi
·
43 sec
·
Richardson Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
11
Continue on US 101
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
Lombard Street
12
Turn right onto Divisadero Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Divisadero Street
Use the right lane.
13
Turn left onto California Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
California Street
14
Turn right onto Webster Street
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Webster Street
Use the straight lane.
15
Turn left onto Oak Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Oak Street
Use the left lane.
16
Turn right onto Gough Street
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Gough Street
17
Turn slight left onto Market Street
183 ft
·
15 sec
·
Market Street
Use the slight left lane.
18
Keep slight right at fork onto Market Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Market Street
19
Arrive at destination
Market Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 9.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Donahue Street
Turn right onto Donahue Street
Navigation decision point
7
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward US 101 South: San Francisco
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward US 101 South: San Francisco
6
7.6 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
Divisadero Street
Turn right onto Divisadero Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
8.8 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
Webster Street
Turn right onto Webster Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
9.9 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
Oak Street
Turn left onto Oak Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.40 one way
$4.81 round trip
$5.76/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.96 | $2.49 | $4.97 |
| premium | $6.09 | $2.54 | $5.08 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $2.25 | $4.51 |
Estimated Tolls: $9.00
Golden Gate Bridge
$9.00
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Tolls
$9
Total
$11
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.11 | $0.51 |
| Efficient EV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.93 | $0.42 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.48 | $0.68 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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 Sunday
Local time
12:50 AM
PDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
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
23 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
21m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this 10.6-mile segment. While only 15% of the route is on highways, you'll experience a brief but notable stretch of 3.3 miles on the Redwood Highway. The Presidio Parkway will likely bring you into the heart of San Francisco. This drive is less about long, uninterrupted cruising and more about navigating through varied road types as you approach your destination.
Only 15% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.3 mi on Redwood Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Donahue 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 10.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 21m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Donahue Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 7.6 miles (Divisadero Street): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
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 21m. Total distance: 10.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 3.3 miles on Redwood Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $9.00 in tolls one way, starting with Golden Gate Bridge. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 0.2 miles (Donahue Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 7.6 miles (Divisadero Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Muir Woods National Monument and Golden Gate National Recreation Area (6 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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