How to Take BART from SFO to Downtown San Francisco (2023)

01of 07

BART From a Domestic Terminal

The BART station is in the International Terminal. The next step shows you how to find the station. If you arrive at a domestic terminal, it will only take a few minutes to get there.

Don't assume that you're arriving in a domestic terminaljust because you came from somewhere else in the U.S. Some domestic flights arrive in the international terminal.

Arriving in Domestic Terminal 3

If you arrive in Terminal 3, it's connected to the International Terminal by an interior walkway, which will be your quickest option. Go up from the arrivals level to the departures level and look for signs to the International Terminal.

Arriving in Other Domestic Terminals

From the other domestic terminals, it may be easier to take the Air Train, which circles the airport, especially if you have a lot of luggage with you. Airport arrivals are on level 2 and Air Train is at level 4.

Go to the departures area (where the ticket counters are) and look for signs like the one above. When you get to the Air Train station entrance, you'll go up one level.

Air Train has two lines. The Red Line is the fastest way to get to the International Terminal, but the Blue Line will also get you where you want to go.

Get off Air Train at the International Terminal. It’s clearly marked for BART, too.

Go down from the Air Train level to the Departures Level, then follow the directions in the next step to get to the BART station.

Continue to 2 of 7 below.

02of 07

BART From the International Terminal

If you arrive at the International Terminal, turn right after you leave customs and go up the escalator to the departures level.

The station entrance is just around the corner from the top of the escalator. As you get off the escalator, a wall will be directly in front of you. Go right just a step or two and look up for signs to BART. Make two quick lefts and you'll see the revolving doors at the BART station entrance (which is shown in the picture above) straight ahead.

If you get lost or take the wrong escalator, don't worry. Just look for signs that point to BART. They're all over the place.

Continue to 3 of 7 below.

03of 07

Where Do You Want to Go?

BART is an extensive transit system that covers much of the San Francisco area, but if you're a visitor coming from the airport, it's likely that you will get off at one of the stops along Market Street. They're shown on the map above, along with a few places you might be going to. If you want to see where more of the top sights are, use a map instead.

You'll need to know which stop you're getting off at before you board, to be sure you add enough fare to your ticket to cover the cost of the trip. It's also a good idea to use the toilets before you leave the airport. Most BART stations do not have them.

BART Stops on Market Street

The places mentioned below are within walking distance of each station. San Francisco city streets frustratingly change names as they cross Market. The name in parenthesis is north of Market. For example, 8th St (Taylor) means the street is 8th south of Market and Taylor north of there.

Civic Center: Market Street between 6th (Taylor) and 10th (Polk), City Hall, performing arts center

Powell Street: Market Street between 4th (Stockton) and 6th (Taylor), Union Square, Westfield San Francisco Centre, Moscone convention center

Montgomery Street: Market Street between 1st (Bush/Battery) and 4th (Stockton), Financial District, also convenient for the convention center

Embarcadero: The last exit in San Francisco, close to the Ferry Building and lower Financial District. It's a good place to get a taxi or trolley to Fisherman's Wharf.

If you want to know which stop is closest to your hotel, the easy solution is an old-fashioned one: pick up the phone, call and ask.

Continue to 4 of 7 below.

04of 07

Getting a BART Ticket

Inside the station, you'll buy your ticket from machines like this one. It was out of service when we snapped this shot, making it easy to photograph, but you'll find plenty of them that are working, on both sides of the lobby.

You can also pay in advance by buying a ​Clipper Card which is also good on most major transit systems in the San Francisco area. Many major travel websites also sell them. In mid-2019, BART began a program to eliminate paper tickets and require everyone to use an electronic Clipper Card instead. You can check which stations have implemented this on the BART website.

If you plan to buy tickets for a big group at the station, you should know that BART limits credit card purchases to prevent fraud. If you are in a larger group, bring more than one card or order in advance.

BART tickets work like a stored-value debit card. You load them with any amount of money. As you exit, the fareis deducted from the balance. You can put enough on your card to cover your round trip, but if you're worried about losing the card, just pay for the one-way trip and get another when you're ready to go back.

BART fares are distance-based, so you'll need to know where you're getting off before you buy your ticket. If you haven't done that yet, you won't find a map at the machine. Instead, head for one of the maps on the wall near the entrance.

Using the Ticket Machine

1. Look at the list of fares posted and find your destination station. That will most likely be Civic Center, Powell, Montgomery or Embarcadero. Confusingly (at least to me), the stops are listed alphabetically, not in the order they occur along the line.
2. The machines take cash, creditcards, and debit cards. Choose a payment method.
3. Each rider needs a ticket, but you can buy more than one at a time. Children under 4 ride free and don't need a ticket.
4. The default amount is $20, but you can change that. There's no keypad to let you just type it in, but you'll find buttons that let you add or subtract until you get the right value.
5. Print the ticket(s).

Continue to 5 of 7 below.

05of 07

Getting Onto BART

Take the ticket to any turnstile with a lighted green arrow and insert it. Collect the ticket when it pops out, you'll need it again when you get off.

There’s only one BART station at SFO. To get to downtown San Francisco, go down the escalator from the ticketing area and take the Pittsburg/Bay Point train. On some signs, this is written as San Francisco/Pts Baypoint or SF BAY PT. Trains arrive about every 15 minutes. The waiting time is shown on lighted signs overhead.

The line goes two ways. If you end up on the wrong side of the tracks (so to speak), seeing signs that point to Millbrae, just walk over to the other side.

You may also wonder what some of the lighted platform signs are trying to tell you, so here's the translation: 2-DOOR means an older car (with two doors) is approaching. 3-DOOR means it will be a newer car. Why do you care? You don’t, unless you feel the need to be the first one in the door when it arrives. Match the number of doors to the markings on the platform and you’ll know where to stand.

When you get on, choose a car near the center of the train. From there, it will be a little easier to see the signs inside the stations and to find your exit.

Continue to 6 of 7 below.

06of 07

On the BART Train

Once on board, stow your luggage out of everyone's way.

Stops are announced as the train approaches, but like most public transport systems we’ve been in, those announcements are hard to understand. In general, they go like this: "Next stop Powell Station," as the train starts to slow down, then as the train stops: "This is the Powell Station."

BART is replacing their cars with new ones, but until that's done (which will take several years), you won't find some of the stop-finding conveniences other transit systems have, like lighted signs that show the next stop. There is a BART map in each car and if you choose your seat so you can see it, you can follow along and know ahead which stop is yours.

It may also help you to know the order of just these four stops: Civic Center, Powell, Montgomery, Embarcadero - in order if you're going from SFO to San Francisco.

At each station, you’ll also see signs on the walls and overhead with its name.

If you get off too soon (or too late) by mistake, it's easy to recover. Don't go out through the turnstiles. If you need to go further, just get on the next train. Need to go back? Cross to the other side and get back on. It won't cost you anything extra.

Continue to 7 of 7 below.

07of 07

Exiting BART

From the arrival platform, go to any turnstile with a green, lighted arrow. Use your ticket again and the cost of your trip will be deducted from its value.

If you miscalculated and your card doesn't have enough value, it's an easy problem to fix. Just go to the special Addfare machines near the exit and top it up.

At each station along Market, you'll have a choice of exits. No matter which one you take, they're across the street from each other. It's easier to just take one and get oriented once you're at street level than it is to try to figure it out ahead of time.

If you need to "go" when you get to your destination station, be aware that most BART stations don't have restrooms. It has been that way ever since the 9/11 terror attacks. Some sources say the Powell Street Station may get new, all-gender facilities soon, but no date has been given.

Once you’re through the turnstile, go up the stairs or escalator to street level. Make sure to check out how to get around once you get there.