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Trip from Santa Fe, TX to Galveston, TX

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

31m

Distance

20.6 mi

33 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 29m ★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Download GPX
Downtown Santa Fe, TX, TX

Santa Fe, TX

Mark Direen

city in and county seat of Galveston County, Texas, United States; port and coastal city

Galveston, TX

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This short, straightforward drive from Santa Fe, TX to Galveston, TX covers just 20.6 miles and should take around 31 minutes. Designed as a single-day trip, you'll spend most of your time on major roadways, with 86% of the journey on highways. The estimated fuel cost for this route is a budget-friendly $3. Given its brevity and highway-focused profile, this trip is ideal for a quick transfer or a spontaneous outing rather than an extended exploration. Both your origin and destination are situated within the Great Plains region, so you won't experience significant landscape changes along this specific path.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Highway 6 11.2 mi 17m
Gulf Freeway 6.2 mi 7m
Broadway - Avenue J 2.3 mi 3m
Gulf Freeway Frontage Road 0.4 mi <1m
Ball Street - Avenue H 0.1 mi <1m
Martin Luther King Boulevard - 29th Street 0.1 mi <1m
27th Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Highway 6 — 11.2 mi, about 17m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Santa Fe, TX and Galveston, TX.

1

Start on TX 6

11 mi · 16 min · Highway 6
2

Continue on TX 6

0.5 mi · 1 min · Highway 6
3

Continue on TX 6

0.4 mi · 59 sec · Gulf Freeway Frontage Road
4

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward I 45 South
5

Merge onto I 45

6.2 mi · 7 min · Gulf Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Continue on TX 87

2.3 mi · 3 min · Broadway - Avenue J
7

Turn left onto Martin Luther King Boulevard - 29th Street

0.1 mi · 20 sec · Martin Luther King Boulevard - 29th Street
8

Turn right onto Ball Street - Avenue H

0.1 mi · 26 sec · Ball Street - Avenue H
9

Turn left onto 27th Street

259 ft · 11 sec · 27th Street
10

Arrive at destination

27th Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 5

5 decision points cluster between mile 11.6 and 20.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
11.6 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 45 South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Toward I 45 South
5
11.8 mi into trip | ~18m in | I 45 / Gulf Freeway

Merge onto I 45 / Gulf Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
20.3 mi into trip | ~30m in | Martin Luther King Boulevard - 29th Street

Turn left onto Martin Luther King Boulevard - 29th Street

Navigation decision point

5
20.4 mi into trip | ~30m in | Ball Street - Avenue H

Turn right onto Ball Street - Avenue H

Navigation decision point

5
20.6 mi into trip | ~31m in | 27th Street

Turn left onto 27th Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.11 one way

$6.23 round trip

$3.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.20 $3.41 $6.81
premium $4.54 $3.68 $7.36
diesel $5.61 $4.55 $9.10

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.2 0 $2.16 $0.99
Efficient EV 5.2 0 $1.80 $0.82
EV Truck/SUV 8.2 0 $2.88 $1.32

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

Santa Fe, TX

Late night in Santa Fe on Tuesday

Local time

5:37 AM

CDT

Current temp

81°F

Cloudy

S 15 mph 3% chance Live forecast

Rip Current Statement

Rip Current Statement issued April 17 at 5:31PM CDT until April 18 at 10:00PM CDT by NWS Houston/Galveston TX

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 2:03PM CDT until April 18 at 8:00AM CDT by NWS Norman OK

Destination

Galveston, TX

Late night in Galveston on Tuesday

Local time

5:37 AM

CDT

Current temp

81°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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

31m 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 predominantly highway-focused drive for this 20.6-mile trip. You'll primarily navigate via Highway 6 and the Gulf Freeway before transitioning to Broadway - Avenue J. With 86% of the route on highways, this drive offers a consistent pace, allowing for efficient travel. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 11.2 miles on Highway 6, providing a solid segment of open road. This route is characterized by its directness and minimal deviation from major thoroughfares.

86% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.2 mi on Highway 6.

How Hard Is This Drive?

4/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Highway 6 and Gulf Freeway. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 11.6 miles in.

Driving Effort 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 31m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 11.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 11.8 miles (I 45 / Gulf Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.3 miles (Martin Luther King Boulevard - 29th Street): Navigation decision point.

About the Cities

Starting in Santa Fe, TX

Full guide →

Arriving in Galveston, TX

Full guide →

Founded 1785

Galveston is a city on Galveston Island, off the Texas Gulf Coast, approximately 45 minutes southeast of Houston. Galveston is a port of entry and a destination for almost all the cruise ships with ports of call in Texas. Many Houstonians have beach houses in Galveston or elsewhere in Galveston County where they sometimes relocate during the summer, or simply drive to Galveston to enjoy the local beach. This article also covers Port Bolivar, which is just to the northeast, an 18-minute ferry ride away.

Top landmarks

  • • USS Cavalla — 1943 Gato-class submarine
  • • Hotel Galvez — historic place in Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
  • • USS Stewart — 1942 Edsall-class destroyer escort

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 31m. Total distance: 20.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

31m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (86%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 11.2 miles on Highway 6. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 11.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 11.8 miles (I 45 / Gulf Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.3 miles (Martin Luther King Boulevard - 29th Street): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Galveston, TX 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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