Origin
Belmont, CA
Morning in Belmont on Saturday
Local time
9:05 AM
PDT
Current temp
65°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Belmont, CA to San Francisco, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
23.4 mi
38 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Belmont, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Belmont, CA to San Francisco, CA covers 23.4 miles and takes about 28m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on El Camino Real, Ralston Avenue, Marine Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.38 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Belmont, CA
Full guide →Founded 1926
Belmont is on the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
Arriving in San Francisco, CA
Full guide →The centerpiece of the Bay Area, San Francisco is one of the most visited cities in the world, and with good reason. The cultural center of northern California, San Francisco is renowned for its mixture of scenic beauty and unique culture that makes it one of the most vibrant and desirable cities in the nation, if not the world. Sandwiched between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on a small square of land seven miles (11 km) on each side, San Francisco offers a wealth of treasures for the visitor, from the windswept and often foggy bay to the steep hills lined with Victorian homes that overlook the spectacular scenery of the city.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 28m. Total distance: 23.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 28m drive with frequent turns across 23.4 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
El Camino Real is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Belmont, CA to San Francisco, CA is easy. At 28m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Belmont, CA to San Francisco, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| El Camino Real | — | — |
| Ralston Avenue | — | — |
| Marine Parkway | — | — |
| US 101 North | — | — |
| Bayshore Freeway | — | — |
| James Lick Freeway | — | — |
| Central Freeway | — | — |
| Octavia Boulevard | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
El Camino Real
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Belmont, CA and San Francisco, CA.
1
Start on El Camino Real
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
El Camino Real
2
Continue on El Camino Real
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
El Camino Real
3
Turn right onto Ralston Avenue
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
Ralston Avenue
4
Continue on Marine Parkway
0.3 mi
·
49 sec
·
Marine Parkway
5
Take the ramp slight right toward US 101 North: San Francisco
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
US 101 North: San Francisco
6
Merge slight left onto Bayshore Freeway
16 mi
·
19 min
·
Bayshore Freeway
7
Continue on James Lick Freeway
4.2 mi
·
6 min
·
James Lick Freeway
8
Continue on Central Freeway
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Central Freeway
9
Continue on Octavia Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
42 sec
·
Octavia Boulevard
10
Turn right onto Market Street
0.1 mi
·
32 sec
·
Market Street
11
Keep slight right to continue on Market Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Market Street
12
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.38 one way
$10.76 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $5.54 | $11.08 |
| premium | $6.18 | $5.69 | $11.38 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.17 | $10.33 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7 | 0 | $2.46 | $1.12 |
| Efficient EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.05 | $0.94 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.4 | 0 | $3.28 | $1.50 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
San Francisco, CA
Morning in San Francisco on Saturday
Local time
9:05 AM
PDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
21 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
28m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Belmont, CA to San Francisco, CA covers 23.4 miles and takes about 28m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are El Camino Real, Ralston Avenue, Marine Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.7 miles from Belmont, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.38 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
The drive from Belmont, CA to San Francisco, CA is easy. At 28m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Belmont, CA to San Francisco, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Belmont, CA to San Francisco, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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