Driving time to San Francisco

How much time should I allow for driving from downtown Sacramento to downtown San Francisco? I need to be in San Francisco by 7:00 p.m. on a Tuesday evening. Should I leave Sacramento at 5 p.m., or should I allow more time? Even if I%26#39;m in a hurry, I still cannot bring myself to exceed the speed limit.

Driving time to San Francisco

I normally allow 2 hours between Sacramento and San Francisco but in the evening I%26#39;d allow more as you will hit rush hour. So I%26#39;d allow 3 hours.

I%26#39;d also listen to the radio on 740 am for traffic updates. There are holdups sometimes if traffic is turning at the 80/680 junction so that%26#39;s one place where you have a choice - if it says 80 is busy around Richmond/Berkeley then take 680 and 24. You are pretty much confined to the Bay Bridge. You could stop at a BART station and take BART the rest of the way if the traffic is bad.

The Richmond Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge are alternatives to the Bay Bridge but longer and probably not good at the time you are going. So you do have to allow time for the Bay Bridge and its tolls.

Remember you need to allow time to park in San Francisco too.

Driving time to San Francisco

Thanks. This is very helpful!