There are 5 ways to get from Silicon Valley to San Rafael by train, bus, 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.
Caltrain, line 101 bus
best- Take the train from Palo Alto Caltrain Northbound to San Francisco Caltrain NorthboundLocal Weekday / ...
- Take the bus from Mission St & 2nd St to San Rafael Transit Center-Platform B101 / ...
2h 14m$15–20Drive 50.5 mi
cheapest- Drive from Silicon Valley to San Rafael50.5 mi
1h 3m$10–14Caltrain, 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
2h 31m$13–25Caltrain, BART, line 580 bus
- Take the train from Palo Alto 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 1m$21–30Bus
- Take the bus from Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9 to El Camino Real & Linden AveEcr / ...
- Take the bus from San Francisco Airport to Larkspur - dropoffFrom SFO
3h 18m$23–36
Silicon Valley to San Rafael by train and bus
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Silicon Valley to San Rafael is to drive which costs $9 - $14 and takes 1h 3m.
The fastest way to get from Silicon Valley to San Rafael is to drive which takes 1h 3m and costs $9 - $14.
No, there is no direct bus from Silicon Valley to San Rafael. However, there are services departing from Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9 and arriving at Larkspur - dropoff via Millbrae BART-Bay 12 West Busway and San Francisco Airport. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 3h 18m.
The distance between Silicon Valley and San Rafael is 51 miles. The road distance is 50.8 miles.
The best way to get from Silicon Valley to San Rafael without a car is to Caltrain and line 101 bus which takes 2h 14m and costs $15 - $20.
It takes approximately 2h 14m to get from Silicon Valley to San Rafael, including transfers.
Silicon Valley to San Rafael bus services, operated by SamTrans, depart from Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9 station.
Silicon Valley to San Rafael bus services, operated by SamTrans, arrive at El Camino Real & Linden Ave station.
Yes, the driving distance between Silicon Valley to San Rafael is 51 miles. It takes approximately 1h 3m to drive from Silicon Valley to San Rafael.
There are 445+ hotels available in San Rafael.
What companies run services between Silicon Valley, CA, USA and San Rafael, CA, USA?
You can take a bus from Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9 to Larkspur - dropoff via El Camino Real & Linden Ave, Millbrae BART-Bay 12 West Busway, SFO Airport Terminal G-Lower Level, and San Francisco Airport in around 3h 18m.
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- Phone
- +1 800-660-4287
- Website
- caltrain.com
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 Palo Alto Caltrain Northbound to Millbrae Caltrain Northbound
- Ave. Duration
- 29 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $5–7
- Website
- https://www.caltrain.com
- Schedules at
- https://www.caltrain.com/?active_tab=route_explorer_tab
- One-way Adult
- $5–7
- 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
- +1 415-921-5858
- 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
- Website
- samtrans.com
Bus from Palo Alto Transit Ctr-Bay 9 to El Camino Real & Linden Ave
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 14m
- Frequency
- Every 20 minutes
- Estimated price
- $2–4
- Website
- http://www.samtrans.com
- Schedules at
- http://www.samtrans.com
- Phone
- +1 415-461-4222
- Website
- marinairporter.com
Bus from San Francisco Airport to Larkspur - dropoff
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 6m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $20–30
- Website
- https://marinairporter.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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