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Napa to San Francisco Directions

Easy to follow directions from Napa to SFO Airport
Fast and scenic alternatives

These choices give you fast or scenic alternative routes from Napa to San Francisco and San Francisco International Airport. You'll get clear and concise driving directions.

These routes help you end your Napa Valley scenic drive in the best way possible. From Napa, you'll have three choices below —

Fast route to San Francisco International
Fast route to downtown San Francisco, and our favorite . . .
Most pleasant route to downtown San Francisco

For a great scenic drive through the Napa and Sonoma valleys, see Part I.

Fast route to San Francisco International Airport

Avoid travelling this route during weekday morning and late afternoon rush hours. With less traffic, this route works even better after 6 p.m.

From Napa, go southbound on the Highway 29 expressway.

Continue southbound on Highway 29 to Marine World Parkway, which is California Highway 37.

Because Highway 29 south of Napa becomes a rather ugly route, it's so easy to resent the sprawl encroaching upon beautiful Napa Valley from this direction.

Take the eastbound 37 freeway onramp.

Drive east on 37 to Interstate 80.

Drive south on I-80 toward San Francisco.

As you pass Berkeley and Emeryville, stay in the right lanes. This is very important!

As you you approach the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge, the high cranes you'll see in the distance serve the large Oakland container ship port.

Follow the I-80 lanes over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge into San Francisco.

When I-80 ends, head southbound on U.S. 101 toward "San Jose."

From U.S. 101, the SFO airport rental car return and passenger terminal exits are clearly marked. Check this San Francisco International Airport link for more information.

Fast route to downtown San Francisco

Follow the route described above. Avoid the weekday morning rush hour.

Once over the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge, take the first exit to the right.

This leads you to Fremont Street.

Turn left onto one-way Fremont Street.

For the Fisherman's Wharf area, continue north on Fremont across wide Market Street, where Fremont changes its name to Front Street.

Turn left onto Sacramento Street.

Two blocks later, turn right onto Sansome.

Sansome runs into "The Embarcadero." Veer left onto Embarcadero.

Two blocks later, turn left onto Bay Street to reach Fisherman's Wharf area hotels.
For Union Square area hotels, turn left from Fremont onto Mission, before crossing Market Street.

Most Union Square area hotels may be reached by right turns off of Mission.
For the huge San Francisco Marriott at the Convention Center, turn left from Fremont onto Mission.

The Marriott will be on your right ahead, after passing Third Street.
For Nob Hill hotels, continue north on Fremont Street across wide Market Street, where Fremont changes its name to Front Street.

After crossing Market Street, immediately turn left onto Pine.

Most Nob Hill area hotels can be reached by turns off of Pine.

A more pleasant route to downtown San Francisco

This takes a more scenic and interesting route to San Francisco than the SFO Airport and downtown San Francisco routes above, but doesn't take much longer, unless you linger at sightseeing stops along the way.

From Napa, drive southbound on the Highway 29 expressway.

From Highway 29 just south of Napa, exit onto "southbound" (actually westbound) California Highway 121. You'll want to be going toward Sonoma.

Although Highway 12 shares this road with 121 for awhile, remain on Highway 121 when these split.

Instead of going into Sonoma on 12, continue on 121.

When you reach California Hwy 37 near San Francisco Bay, turn right onto 37.

Travel westbound on Hwy 37 toward Novato.

When you reach Novato, take the southbound U.S. Highway 101 freeway toward San Rafael and San Francisco.

Marin County

Once you've reached Novato, you are in Marin County, which may have the highest quality of life in the U.S. based on a multitude of factors.

For example, Marin has an exceptionally high percentage of land preserved in national and state and county parks, in greenbelts, and in agricultural zoning. These include the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Muir Woods National Monument.

These natural places create a vast allay of outdoor recreational opportunities near residential areas. In general, people in Marin are fit, very fit. You'll notice bicyclists and joggers everywhere. It sometimes seems as if body fat has been outlawed here.

Marin County Civic Center - optional side trip

We don't consider this all that optional, but you may be tired now. This is nice stop even after dark, and doesn't take long if you do not walk around the complex.

As you approach San Rafael along 101, take a few minutes to visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Marin County Civic Center. This was his last work—and unquestionably one of his greatest.

The civic center was perhaps Wright's most famous creation that was not a home or a hotel. I really love this complex. After all these years, Wright remains America’s most famous and beloved architect.

The two wings of the Marin County Civic Center include nearly all Marin County government functions, including an underground prison, courtrooms, and main library.

If the complex doors are still open, you can go in and wander around the administrative portion of the complex and the library.

You'll experience the extremely influential atrium design (think Hyatt Regency) inside. This is a more primitive form of what you see in newer buildings, but it was the catalyst for this architectural style.

Even if closed and after dark, the civic center is still very worthwhile to visit. You may walk between the wings to access the other side, or drive around to the back.

And, even after all these years, with so many changes in its immediate area, the civic center still works as great architecture. Very sadly, Frank Lloyd Wright did not live to see this, his 770th commission, completed.

To reach the civic center —

After you pass the interchange with Lucas Valley Road, you'll see the civic center pop up on your left.

Exit 101 at San Pedro Road.

Folow the Marin Civic Center signs to take San Pedro Road under the 101 freeway.

At the first major intersection after passing under the freeway, turn left onto Civic Center Drive.

You'll see the Frank Lloyd Wright complex on your left at 3501 Civic Center Drive. You can't miss it. It's quite distinctive!

To return to 101, drive south from the complex on Civic Center Drive, and then turn right onto San Pedro Road. This takes you a short distance to the southbound 101 Freeway.

Travel southbound on 101 toward San Francisco.

Sausalito - "optional" side trip

Although you could have visited this on the outbound trip, Sausalito is much less congested in the evening. Driving through Sausalito adds around 20 - 25 minutes to your trip, unless you stop and walk.

Sausalito ranks as one of the most pleasant and scenic suburbs in the United States. A large number of its residents commute to their jobs in San Francisco via ferry boat across San Francisco Bay, and as is typical in Marin, bike to the dock.

As in Monaco, to which Sausalito is compared, homes and apartments line the hillsides giving wonderful views.

From 101, take the southbound Sausalito exit at Bridge Boulevard - Bridgeway.

At the end of the off ramp, carefully turn left.

At the first intersection, turn right onto Bridgeway.

Head southbound on Bridgeway along the bay.

Years ago, the production of redwood mills throughout northwestern California flowed by railway onto docks here. Now the shore is lined by yachts, sailboats, and numerous houseboat colonies.

Once in Sausalito's very pleasant waterfront shopping area, Bridgeport changes names several times, but just continue to follow the main flow of traffic and traffic lanes along the shore. This will not be confusing, as the main traffic lanes are clearly marked.

While in "downtown Sausalito" try to find parking and take a walk along the shoreline. This gives better views than driving. On the left, at Napa Street, there is a pleasant waterfront park adjacent to the ferry terminal.

As you continue to drive south, the road turns more southerly, which gives great views of San Francisco in clear weather.

Once pass the built up area of Sausalito, the road turns toward the west and Highway 101.

Take the southbound 101 onramp toward San Francisco.

Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco

Drive southbound on U.S. 101.

In a few moments, you're on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Have $6 or so on hand for the bridge toll. These tolls do not begin to pay the cost of maintaining this bridge. Every aspect of the bridge, except the hidden cables in the upper suspension spans that hold up the roadway, has been replaced since original construction—often many times due to the salty and damp air.

Once over the bridge, continue on U.S. 101, instead of the more convoluted outbound route we used. You’re on “motel row” Lombard Street once you pass the Presidio, but still on U.S. 101.

Continue in this general direction to reach Fisherman’s Wharf. You’ll have to turn left after you pass Van Ness Avenue to reach eastbound Bay Street.

To travel to downtown and Union Square, turn right onto southbound Gough Street before you reach Van Ness. If you miss this, turn right onto Van Ness, the route of southbound Hwy 101.

Drive south on Gough or Van Ness to Geary.

You cannot turn left onto Geary, but if permitted, jog "sort of left "on the southeastward connecting street from Gough (one block) to O’Farrell.

From Van Ness, go around the block to get on eastbound O’Farrell.

O’Farrell takes you to the downtown Union Square and Financial District hotel areas.

All best wishes for an fantastic trip!

Go to Napa Valley scenic drive, part I.