Origin
Stanford, CA
Morning in Stanford on Tuesday
Local time
6:41 AM
PDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Stanford, 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
49m
Distance
36.1 mi
58 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 45m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 52m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 57m
8 PM
0h 47m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Stanford, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 36.1-mile drive from Stanford, CA to San Francisco, CA will take you about 49 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. The route is predominantly highway, with 84% of it on major freeways like the Junipero Serra Freeway and Bayshore Freeway. You can expect a fuel cost of around $8 for this short journey. Since it's a quick trip with no recommended stops, you'll have plenty of flexibility to travel whenever suits you best. Both your origin and destination are within the Pacific Coast region, so you won't be transitioning between vastly different landscapes.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Junipero Serra Freeway | 19.2 mi | 22m |
| Bayshore Freeway | 4.9 mi | 5m |
| James Lick Freeway | 4.2 mi | 6m |
| Sand Hill Road | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Quentin L. Kopp Freeway | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Junipero Serra Boulevard | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Central Freeway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Campus Drive East | 0.7 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
Junipero Serra Freeway
— 19.2 mi, about 22m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Stanford, CA and San Francisco, CA.
1
Start on Bowdoin Lane
323 ft
·
19 sec
·
Bowdoin Lane
2
Turn right onto Arguello Mall
226 ft
·
14 sec
·
Arguello Mall
3
Turn right onto Campus Drive East
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Campus Drive East
4
Turn straight
359 ft
·
13 sec
5
Turn straight onto Junipero Serra Boulevard
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Junipero Serra Boulevard
6
Turn right onto Santa Cruz Avenue
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Santa Cruz Avenue
Use the right lane.
7
Turn left onto Sand Hill Road
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Sand Hill Road
Use the left lane.
8
Keep slight right at fork
262 ft
·
6 sec
Toward San Francisco
9
Take the ramp
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 280 North: San Francisco
Use the straight lane.
10
Merge onto I 280
19 mi
·
22 min
·
Junipero Serra Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
25 sec
Exit 43B
Toward I 380 East: San Francisco International Airport
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on I 380
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Quentin L. Kopp Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Exit 6B
Toward US 101 North: San Francisco
14
Merge onto US 101
4.9 mi
·
5 min
·
Bayshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Continue on US 101
4.2 mi
·
6 min
·
James Lick Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Continue on US 101
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Central Freeway
Toward Civic Center, Golden Gate Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Continue on Octavia Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
42 sec
·
Octavia Boulevard
Exit 434B
Toward Octavia Boulevard, Fell Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Turn right onto Market Street
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Market Street
Use the right lane.
19
Keep slight right at fork onto Market Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Market Street
20
Arrive at destination
Market Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
18 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 36 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18 miles from Stanford, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 1.7 and 23.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1.7 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
Santa Cruz Avenue
Turn right onto Santa Cruz Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
3.2 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight right at fork toward San Francisco
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward San Francisco
5
3.2 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the ramp toward I 280 North: San Francisco
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 280 North: San Francisco
5
3.9 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
I 280 / Junipero Serra Freeway
Merge onto I 280 / Junipero Serra Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
23.1 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Take the exit toward I 380 East: San Francisco International Airport
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 43B
Toward I 380 East: San Francisco International...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.30 one way
$16.59 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.55 | $17.10 |
| premium | $6.18 | $8.78 | $17.56 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.97 | $15.94 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.8 | 0 | $3.79 | $1.73 |
| Efficient EV | 9 | 0 | $3.16 | $1.44 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.4 | 0 | $5.05 | $2.31 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Morning in San Francisco on Tuesday
Local time
6:41 AM
PDT
Current temp
71°F
Sunny
NW 2 to 8 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 17 at 11:09AM PDT until April 18 at 8:00AM PDT by NWS Eureka CA
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 10:52AM PDT until April 17 at 5:00PM PDT by NWS Las Vegas NV
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
7 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
49m 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 highway-focused drive for the majority of this journey. Eighty-four percent of the 36.1 miles will be on expressways, primarily the Junipero Serra Freeway, which features the longest uninterrupted stretch of 19.2 miles. This means you'll be experiencing consistent, relatively fast-paced travel for most of your trip. The route is designed for efficient transit rather than leisurely sightseeing, focusing on getting you from point A to point B with minimal fuss. The latter part of the drive will transition onto the James Lick Freeway as you approach San Francisco.
84% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.2 mi on Junipero Serra Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Junipero Serra Freeway and Bayshore Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.7 miles in near Santa Cruz Avenue.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 14 decision points packed into just 36.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 49m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles (Santa Cruz Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 3.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Stanford, CA
Full guide →Top landmarks
- • Lou Henry and Herbert Hoover House — historic house in Stanford, 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 49m. Total distance: 36.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
49m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 19.2 miles on Junipero Serra Freeway. 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 1.7 miles (Santa Cruz Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 3.2 miles: 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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