There are 5 ways to get from Los Altos to San Rafael by bus, train, ferry, subway, or car
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Line 40 bus, Caltrain, line 101 bus
best- Take the bus from San Antonio & Almond to Mountain View Transit Center40
- Take the train from Mountain View Caltrain Northbound to San Francisco Caltrain Northbound
- Take the bus from Mission St & 2nd St to San Rafael Transit Center-Platform B101 / ...
3h 13m$18–26Drive 55.3 mi
cheapest- Drive from Los Altos to San Rafael55.3 mi
1h 8m$11–15Caltrain, ferry
- Take the train from Palo Alto Caltrain Northbound to San Francisco Caltrain NorthboundLocal Weekday / ...
- Take the ferry from Oracle Park Ferry Terminal to Larkspur Ferry TerminalLarkspur
3h 17m$18–35Caltrain, BART, line 580 bus
- Take the train from Mountain View Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northbound
- Take the subway from Millbrae to El Cerrito Del Norte
- Take the bus from El Cerrito del Norte BART Station to Andersen Dr & Francisco Blvd W580
3h 39m$24–36Bus, line 101 bus
- Take the bus from Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9 to Daly City BART-Bay 3Ecr
- Take the bus from Mission St & 4th St to San Rafael Transit Center-Platform B101 / ...
4h 37m$14–25
Los Altos to San Rafael by bus and train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Los Altos to San Rafael is to drive which costs $10 - $15 and takes 1h 8m.
The fastest way to get from Los Altos to San Rafael is to drive which takes 1h 8m and costs $10 - $15.
No, there is no direct bus from Los Altos to San Rafael. However, there are services departing from San Antonio & Almond and arriving at San Rafael Transit Center-Platform B via El Camino & Showers, Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9, Daly City BART Station and Mission St & 4th St. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 4h 37m.
The distance between Los Altos and San Rafael is 64 miles. The road distance is 55.6 miles.
The best way to get from Los Altos to San Rafael without a car is to line 40 bus and Caltrain and line 101 bus which takes 3h 13m and costs $18 - $26.
It takes approximately 3h 13m to get from Los Altos to San Rafael, including transfers.
Los Altos to San Rafael bus services, operated by SamTrans, depart from Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9 station.
Los Altos to San Rafael bus services, operated by SamTrans, arrive at Daly City BART-Bay 3 station.
Yes, the driving distance between Los Altos to San Rafael is 56 miles. It takes approximately 1h 8m to drive from Los Altos to San Rafael.
There are 464+ hotels available in San Rafael.
What companies run services between Los Altos, Santa Clara County, CA, USA and San Rafael, CA, USA?
You can take a bus from San Antonio & Almond to San Rafael Transit Center-Platform B via Showers & El Camino, El Camino & Showers, Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9, Daly City BART Station, and Mission St & 4th St in around 4h 37m.
- Phone
- +1 800-660-4287
- Website
- caltrain.com
Train from Mountain View Caltrain Northbound to San Francisco Caltrain Northbound
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $8–10
- Website
- https://www.caltrain.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab
- One-way Adult
- $8–10
Train from Palo Alto Caltrain Northbound to San Francisco Caltrain Northbound
- Ave. Duration
- 51 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $7–9
- Website
- https://www.caltrain.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab
- One-way Adult
- $7–9
Train from Mountain View Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northbound
- Ave. Duration
- 38 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $6–8
- Website
- https://www.caltrain.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab
- One-way Adult
- $6–8
- Phone
- +1-510-464-6000
- Website
- bart.gov
Subway from Millbrae to El Cerrito Del Norte
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 8m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $11–15
- Website
- https://www.bart.gov
- Phone
- +1 408-321-2300
- Website
- vta.org
Bus from San Antonio & Almond to Mountain View Transit Center
- Ave. Duration
- 34 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $2–5
- Website
- https://www.vta.org/
- Adult
- $2–5
- Phone
- +1 415-921-5858
- bridgecomments@goldengate.org
- Website
- goldengate.org
Bus from Mission St & 2nd St to San Rafael Transit Center-Platform B
- Ave. Duration
- 53 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $6–9
- Website
- https://www.goldengate.org/
- Adult
- $6–9
Bus from El Cerrito del Norte BART Station to Andersen Dr & Francisco Blvd W
- Ave. Duration
- 32 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $5–8
- Website
- https://www.goldengate.org/
- Adult
- $5–8
Bus from Mission St & 4th St to San Rafael Transit Center-Platform B
- Ave. Duration
- 51 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $6–9
- Website
- https://www.goldengate.org/
- Adult
- $6–9
- Website
- samtrans.com
Bus from Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9 to Daly City BART-Bay 3
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 4m
- Frequency
- Every 20 minutes
- Estimated price
- $2–4
- Website
- http://www.samtrans.com
- Schedules at
- http://www.samtrans.com
- Phone
- +1 415-455-2000
- contact@goldengate.org
- Website
- goldengate.org
Ferry from Oracle Park Ferry Terminal to Larkspur Ferry Terminal
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- $6–16
- Website
- https://www.goldengate.org
- Schedules at
- https://www.goldengate.org/ferry/schedules-maps/
- Adult
- $14
- Youth 5-18, Seniors 65+, disabled
- $6–7
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