Daytrips, Weekend Trips From San Francisco Without A Car
Getaways without a vehicle San Francisco, Bay Area weekend trips without a car. Daytrips, things to do without a vehicle Bay Area, last minute trips Tahoe, Yosemite
Last updated April 29. 2025
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Weekend Trips, Getaways Without A Car San Francisco
Living in San Francisco and in the Bay Area is great, but it can take its toll if you are used to driving and getting away on a whim, and you don’t have a vehicle at the moment.
Whether you just had a break-up, got laid-off, need to take a mental health break, want to escape the fog or spotted your ex with a new person online, there are options to be had. If you are patient, resourceful, and outgoing, you will be rewarded with great adventures.
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Tahoe Weekend Trip From San Francisco Bay Area
Tahoe is a pristine area to explore and many people go there to stay in cabins, hike or do some skiing. Lake Tahoe is big (~72 miles) and can take 3 hours to drive around the lake without stops and during off-peak days/times.
It’s spread out and hard to get around unless you have a car, bike or join a tour. Many people
North Shore is split between Kings Beach (West) and Incline Village (East) with the latter being the more expensive area.
South Lake Tahoe is more casual and more to the liking of folks who want to gamble, have drinks on the water or hang out in one of the many motels along the coast. Stateline is the area where the casino starts (the stateline between California and Nevada)
Reno/Truckee are outside of the lake but still grouped together when people talk about Lake Tahoe. Truckee is smaller and more rugged whereas Reno is larger, more commercial.
More tips, details coming soon.
Transportation Options From San Francisco Bay Area To Lake Tahoe
Driving can be pretty challenging, unpredictable and rather dangerous if you are not familiar with driving in the snow or have a proper vehicle. Fortunately, there are several options to get to/from Lake Tahoe from the Bay Area.
Sports Basement Tahoe Ski Bus
Offers a ski bus from various locations including San Francisco, Berkeley, Walnut, Creek, Redwood City, Campbell, Novato & Sunnvyale.
Sports Basement is one of the most reliable, trusted stores in the Bay Area so don’t worry about getting scammed.
Amtrack Train From Bay Area To Tahoe
Emeryville → Martinez → Davis → Sacramento → Roseville → Colfax → Truckee
Tahoe Convoy (Luxury Bus)
Leaves from downtown San Francisco
Greyhound Bus To Tahoe
San Francisco to Truckee
Megabus/Flixbus
Buses often change seasonally so check to see if they are running.
Flights From SFO, Oakland, San Jose To Reno
There are direct flights about 60-75 minutes.
Yosemite Weekend Trip From San Francisco
Yosemite is about 3-4 hours from San Francisco depending on traffic, where in the city you depart etc. Once you arrive, there are shuttles at the base/valley but you do need to find a way to get there. Also, people do like to stop and get views from the pull-out just as you exit the tunnels.
Given most people hike and the park is crowded during the weekends and warmer months, going without a car can be preferred to avoid parking and re-parking, crowds, traffic and what not.
Extranomical Tours Yosemite
Expensive but convenient, efficient. Charge by person but makes all the popular stops, about 15 hours.
Amtrak Train From Emeryville To Merced, Bus To Yosemite Valley
Oakland → Emeryville → Richmond → Martinez → Antioch → Stockton → Modesto → Denair → Merced
Some people go up on a Friday, spend the night in Merced (cool small town) and then go up for the day to Yosemite and bus back to reduce time on bus for a day and maximize time in Yosemite since lodging can be tricky.
YARTS Yosemite Valley Shuttle
North Bay Trips From San Francisco (Marin, Sonoma)
Sausalito Weekend Trip From San Francisco Without A Car
Take ferry to downtown; a little touristy but beautiful
Shops, cafes, views and more; great for biking
Take 61 bus to Mt Tam, Stinson, Bolinas
Tiburon Weekend Trip
Small downtown with a few restaurants, cafes, and nice walk along the water
Good for biking, and a day trip to/from Angel Island via ferry
Fairfax/Point Reyes Station Getaway
68 Marin bus goes direct from San Rafael transit station through Fairfax to Point Reyes Station
Bus also stops at Bear Valley Visitor Center (great for hiking)
There is also a shuttle to/from Novato to Pt Reyes Station on 1st & 3rd Fridays
Petaluma Weekend Getaway
Take ferry to Larkspur → take SMART train to downtown Petaluma
Shops, restaurants, antiques & beautiful architecture (walkable downtown)
Sebastopol Weekend Trip From San Francisco
Take 172 bus from downtown SF to Santa Rosa and then transfer to bus to Sebastopol
Can also take SMART train from Larkspur to Santa Rosa and then bus to Sebastopol
Healdsburg Weekend Trip From San Francisco
Take Ferry to Larkspur, then take SMART train to Sonoma County Airport. Then you can take a bus to Healdsburg or take a cab (about 10 miles away)
Awesome downtown, lots of wine, great restaurants and super walkable.
Napa Weekend Trip From San Francisco
Take Vallejo Ferry and then take bus to Napa (very walkable downtown)
Sonoma/Marin/SFO Shuttle Services
Similarly, you can get to Larkspur from SFO airport via Marin Airporter shuttle ($31).
Can also get to Sonoma County Airport from SFO via Groome Transportation Shuttle.
Santa Cruz Getaway From San Francisco Without A Car
Santa Cruz is a coastal college town and fun for a nice getaway without too much time on the bus/train and has great beer.
Take Caltrain to San Jose Diridon Station then 17 bus to Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz has great bars, restaurants, convenient buses and great for kids (boardwalk). Other activities include outdoor salsa dancing, street fairs, festivals and more.
Monterey Weekend Trip From SF Without A Vehicle
A bit more romantic, mature and touristy area. Well worth the visit. If you can rent or bring bikes, it’s about 6 miles from downtown to get to the 17 mile drive.
Take Amtrak Coast Starlight to Salinas, bus to Monterey
Can also take shuttles from SFO/San Jose Airport
To get to SFO, you can take BART.
Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo Weekend Trip From San Francisco No Car
Most of the drive is along highway 101 which doesn’t really approach the coast (mostly inland) so that plus time it takes to drive (not much time saved) there isn’t much of a reason to drive. Once there, really no need for a vehicle anyways as the towns are small and fairly walkable.
Continue along Amtrak Coast Starlight (about 5 hours from Emeryville)
Both are walkable towns with lots of bars, restaurants and wine (Paso is wine country whereas San Luis is more of a college town).
You could go further to Santa Barbara and downtown LA but then it takes much longer and not really a weekend trip.
San Francisco - Sacramento Weekend Trip Without A Car
Sacramento gets a hard time for it’s more rural, hotter climate but there are a lot of restaurants, bars, museums, street art there.
San Francisco To Sacramento Public Transportation
Amtrack Train From Bay Area to Sacrametno
Emeryville → Martinez → Davis → Sacramento
Greyhound Bus From 5th & Folsom
Flixbus Salesforce Transit Center To Sacramento
Daytrips From San Francisco Without A Car
Daytrips from the Bay area without a car are definitely doable but you will need to plan ahead, be flexible and make backup plans just in case there are delays. Some of my favorite daytrips from San Francisco without a vehicle.
San Francisco to Angel Island via Tiburon
San Francisco to Alameda Spirits Alley via ferry service and free weekend shuttle
San Francisco to Jack London Square, Oakland via BART (beer/food sun & more)
San Francisco to Palo Alto, San Mateo or Redwood City via Caltrain.
San Francsico to Sausalito via ferry (food, walks along the water, drinks, shops)
San Francisco to Marin/Sonoma County via Golden Gate Transit bus.
San Francisco to Muir Woods via Larkspur Ferry and shuttle service.