SFO to Pier 27: getting from the airport to your San Francisco cruise

SFO is the closest airport to the San Francisco cruise piers, about 15 miles by road, and the only one with a direct train. BART runs from the airport to Embarcadero station without a change, and the Port of San Francisco puts Pier 27 about 20 minutes' walk from there. With a lot of luggage, a taxi, a rideshare or your cruise line's transfer is simpler.

First check your pier. Of the 101 sailings on our schedule, 53 show Pier 27, the James R. Herman Cruise Terminal, and 4 show Pier 35, a few minutes' walk north. The rest leave after 31 December 2027, where the port's schedule ends. Our terminal guide explains how to tell.

This site is independent. We do not sell transfers, and every fare below comes from the operator's own page on the day we read it.

How far is SFO from Pier 27?

About 15 miles by road, and around 25 minutes with no traffic. Oakland is about 20 miles away over the Bay Bridge, and San Jose about 48.

Airport	To Pier 27 by road	Drive with no traffic	Train to Embarcadero
San Francisco, SFO	About 15 miles	About 24 minutes	BART, no change
Oakland, OAK	About 20 miles	About 33 minutes	BART, one change at Coliseum
San Jose, SJC	About 48 miles	About 64 minutes	Free bus to Milpitas, then BART

We measured these on 3 November 2026 with the OSRM routing engine, from each airport to Pier 27. They assume empty roads, so read them as the least the drive will take. Pier 35 is the port's 6 to 8 minutes' walk further north.

Which airport is best for a cruise from San Francisco?

SFO, if your airline flies there. It is the closest, it has the only direct BART line, and it is the only airport Carnival's transfer serves.

Oakland works too. BART from Oakland Airport needs one change and costs a little more than from SFO, and the drive crosses the Bay Bridge. San Jose is more than three times as far by road, so we would pick it only for a clearly better flight.

How do you get from SFO to Pier 27?

The cheapest way is BART from the airport to Embarcadero, then a walk or the F-line streetcar. The easiest is a taxi or rideshare to the terminal door, covered in the next section. On 3 November 2026 BART's own fare data gave $11.80 for an adult from SFO to Embarcadero, and a 10:00 a.m. train that day took 31 minutes with no change.

1. Reach the SFO BART station. SFO says it is on the Departures and Ticketing level of the International Terminal, on the G gates side. From a domestic terminal, ride the free AirTrain to the Garage G/BART Station stop.
2. Pay at the gate. SFO says BART's Tap and Ride lets you pay adult fares with a contactless credit or debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. A Clipper card works too, and the machines at the SFO station sell them.
3. Ride to Embarcadero. The station is at 298 Market Street, at the foot of Market Street. BART says you need two elevators to get from the platform to the street, and the street elevator is at Main Street and Market Street.
4. Finish on foot or by streetcar. The port puts Pier 27 about a 20-minute walk from Embarcadero station. Muni's F Market and Wharves line stops at The Embarcadero and Sansome Street for Pier 27, and at The Embarcadero and Bay Street for Pier 35.

A Muni ride was $2.85 with Clipper or a contactless card and $3.00 in cash on 3 November 2026, good for 120 minutes. SFMTA listed the F line from 7 a.m. to midnight daily, so an early start means walking or a taxi for the last mile.

BART is the cheapest way in. It is also the most work with large cases, which you take on the AirTrain, through the station, up two elevators at Embarcadero and then a mile along the waterfront.

How much is a taxi from SFO to Pier 27?

Expect about $60 on the meter before traffic time and tip, by our arithmetic. San Francisco taxis run on the city's meter rates, and a ride that starts at SFO adds a $6.00 pick-up fee.

These are the SFMTA rates we read on 3 November 2026:

Item	Rate on 3 November 2026
First fifth of a mile, the flag rate	$4.15
Each further fifth of a mile	$0.65
Each minute of waiting or traffic delay	$0.65
Pick-up fee at SFO, in effect since 1 July 2025	$6.00
Drop-off fee at SFO	None

Our 15.3-mile route from SFO to Pier 27 comes to about $54 on those rates, plus the $6.00 pick-up fee. That is about $60 before any time stuck in traffic. SFMTA's own estimate, updated 3 June 2026, gives $56 for a taxi from the city to SFO, the trip home, with tolls, tips and waiting time left out.

A few rules from the same rate card help with luggage. There is no luggage surcharge, though a driver may charge up to $1 for each bag that will not fit in the cab or a closed trunk. Drivers must accept major credit cards. SFO says taxi drivers must accept fares to all Bay Area destinations, and that up to five people can share one ride for the price of one.

Where do you catch Uber, Lyft or a taxi at SFO?

It depends on the terminal. On 3 November 2026 SFO's pages said:

• Taxis. From the taxi zones on the center islands of the roadway, on the Arrivals and Baggage Claim level of every terminal. Uniformed coordinators are there from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Lyft and Uber at the domestic terminals. Level 5 of the Domestic Garage. Terminal 1 uses the A/B and B area, Terminal 2 the C and D area, and Terminal 3 the E, F and F/G area.
• Wingz at the domestic terminals. On the Arrivals level curb, at Doors 7 and 8 of Terminal 1, Doors 4 and 5 of Terminal 2, and between United blue signs 8 and 10 in Terminal 3.
• Lyft, Uber and Wingz at the International Terminal. Zones 12 to 17 on the center islands of the Departures and Ticketing level roadway.

SFO also says autonomous rides with Waymo are available there for select Waymo passengers, through the Waymo app. We found no rideshare price on any airport page, so check the app before you book.

At the pier, the port says taxis and other vehicles may drop off cruise passengers at the Pier 27 terminal hall entrance.

Does Carnival or Princess run a transfer from SFO to the cruise port?

Both do. Carnival publishes a price, and Princess does not.

Line	What it says	Price on 3 November 2026
Carnival	SFO to the Port of San Francisco on sailing day, and back on the last day	From $34.99 a person each way
Princess	Airport to ship or hotel, met by a Princess representative after baggage claim	Not published

Carnival's SFO transfer

• Your flight must land at SFO by 12:00 PM on sailing day. Coaches start at 10:30 AM and run hourly to the port until 1:00 PM.
• Meet at Baggage Carousel 1 in Terminal 1, the base of the escalator in Terminal 2, Baggage Carousel 4 in Terminal 3, or outside customs for international arrivals.
• You can buy it up to two days before you sail, in My Cruise Manager or through Carnival. Carnival then wants your flight details at least two days before the cruise.
• If you arrive in town early, Carnival says to return to Terminal 1, Baggage Carousel 1, by 12:00 PM on sailing day.
• Carnival names the operator as Metro Shore Services, an independent contractor, and says unused transfers are not refunded.

Carnival lists its transfers for SFO only. We found no Carnival transfer from Oakland or San Jose.

Princess transfers

Princess says its airport-to-ship transfers are available however you booked your flights, and that a uniformed representative meets you once you have your luggage. Its FAQ describes fixed pricing that avoids surge rates, but none of the Princess pages we read gave a figure.

At $34.99 a person on 3 November 2026, two people on Carnival's coach pay $69.98 each way by our arithmetic. That is more than the roughly $60 taxi meter we worked out above, so the coach mainly saves money for someone traveling alone.

How do you get from Oakland Airport to Pier 27?

Take BART, with one change, or a taxi or rideshare over the Bay Bridge. On 3 November 2026 BART's fare data gave $13.45 for an adult from Oakland Airport to Embarcadero, and a train at 10:02 a.m. that day reached Embarcadero at 10:36 after a change at Coliseum.

• BART. The airport says its BART station is across the street from the terminals, and the ride to Coliseum takes about 8 minutes. From there you change to a train into San Francisco.
• Train hours. The airport lists trains every 6 minutes from 5 a.m. on weekdays, 6 a.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. on Sundays, and every 20 minutes from 11 p.m. to midnight. If your ship leaves on a Sunday, check the first train before you plan an early start.
• Rideshare. Pick-up is on the 3rd Curb, Sections 3C2 to 3C9. The airport names Lyft, Uber and Wingz.
• Taxi. The airport lists taxi operators but publishes no fare. For the trip home in a San Francisco cab, SFMTA's estimate updated 3 June 2026 gives $78 from the city to Oakland Airport, before tips and waiting time.

The drive is about 20 miles by our measurement. SFMTA's rate card says the passenger pays the bridge toll on a San Francisco taxi.

How do you get from San Jose Airport to Pier 27?

By a free bus and BART, or by taxi or rideshare for about 48 miles. Public transport takes a bus to Milpitas and then BART all the way to Embarcadero.

• Free bus. SJC says VTA Route 60, the Airport Flyer, stops at Terminal A, Stop 7 and Terminal B, Stop 5, runs to Milpitas BART, and is free to ride in either direction from SJC.
• BART from Milpitas. On 3 November 2026 BART's fare data gave $9.65 for an adult from Milpitas to Embarcadero, and a train at 10:05 a.m. that day took 59 minutes with no change.
• Caltrain. SJC says Route 60 also connects to Caltrain at the Santa Clara Transit Center. BART is the one that runs straight to Embarcadero, so it is the simpler of the two for Pier 27.
• Taxi. On-demand taxis wait at Terminal A, Stop 2 and Terminal B, Stop 1. SJC's page gave a metered rate on 3 November 2026 of $15.00 for the first mile, $4.00 for each additional mile and $1.00 a minute of waiting. For our 48.3-mile route that comes to about $204 before waiting time and tip, by our arithmetic.
• Rideshare. Terminal A uses Stop 1 for Lyft, Tesla, Uber and Wingz, and Stop 9 for Waymo. Terminal B uses Stops 7 to 10, with Lyft and Wingz at Stop 10.

Can you fly into San Francisco on the day of your cruise?

You can, but leave a margin. Princess's guideline for voyages leaving San Francisco is that domestic flights should land at least 3 hours before the ship's departure. Carnival's transfer needs your flight on the ground at SFO by 12:00 PM.

Public transport has limits early in the day. The F line starts at 7 a.m., and Oakland Airport's BART service starts at 8 a.m. on Sundays. A night in the city first avoids both, and our guide to hotels near Pier 27 compares the options.

What is the earliest flight home after a San Francisco cruise?

Princess's guideline for voyages ending in San Francisco is a domestic flight at least 5 hours after the ship arrives. Carnival's return transfer to SFO starts at 8:00 AM and runs hourly, and Carnival says return flights must not be any earlier than 12:00 PM.

If your flight is late in the day, the port says there is no luggage storage at the cruise terminals. It points to self-service lockers at the California Welcome Center at PIER 39, which our terminal guide covers. If you drove, see cruise parking in San Francisco.