How to Get to San Diego: Airport Shuttles, Amtrak Surfliner and Border Crossings

Unlike major cities where the main airport sits an hour outside town, San Diego has one of the most conveniently located arrival hubs in North America. Whether you are landing right beside the downtown bayfront, riding the coastal railway down from Los Angeles, driving across the desert from Las Vegas, or flying into Mexico and walking across a private skybridge into California, we broke down every arrival route into the city.

Flying Into San Diego International Airport (SAN)

San Diego International Airport (SAN), locally called Lindbergh Field, sits right along the northern shore of San Diego Bay just three miles northwest of downtown. Because the single-runway approach descends directly over Balboa Park and bankers Hill skyscrapers, ask for a left-side window seat when flying in for an memorable aerial view of downtown and the Coronado Bridge. The airport operates two terminals (Terminal 1 and Terminal 2), linked by a free terminal loop shuttle and a scenic waterfront pedestrian pathway.

Getting from the airport terminals into town is remarkably fast and requires no expensive rail transfer:

• The San Diego Flyer (Free Electric Shuttle to Old Town): Marked with distinctive orange-and-blue surfboards, this free electric shuttle bus picks up passengers outside both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 every twenty to thirty minutes and runs directly to the Old Town Transit Center. At Old Town, you can connect seamlessly to the MTS Trolley (Blue and Green lines), Coaster commuter trains, and Amtrak.
• MTS Bus Route 992 to Downtown and Santa Fe Depot: Operating every fifteen minutes from both terminals, municipal Bus 992 drives straight down North Harbor Drive past the cruise ship terminal and the Embarcadero, stopping at Santa Fe Depot (for Trolley connections) before terminating in the downtown core. You can tap a contactless bank card or use the PRONTO app on board.
• Rideshares, Taxis and Rental Cars: Because Little Italy, the Gaslamp Quarter, and Point Loma are only ten to fifteen minutes away by road, Uber, Lyft, and licensed taxis from the Ground Transportation islands are very quick. Rental car companies operate out of a centralized Consolidated Rental Car Center on the north side of the runway, reached via a free 24-hour shuttle bus from the terminals.

Using Tijuana Airport via the Cross Border Xpress (CBX) Bridge

For travellers arriving from Latin America or domestic Mexican destinations, Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) sits directly against the United States border fence in Otay Mesa. Thanks to the Cross Border Xpress (CBX), an enclosed pedestrian skybridge connecting the Tijuana airport terminal directly into a dedicated U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility on the San Diego side, ticketed airline passengers can walk across the border in minutes without ever stepping onto Tijuana city streets. From the San Diego CBX terminal, shuttle buses and rideshares connect to Santa Fe Depot and San Ysidro Trolley station.

By Train: The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner to Santa Fe Depot

If you are combining San Diego with Los Angeles, Orange County, or Santa Barbara, the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner is one of the most scenic rail journeys in California. Running multiple times daily from Los Angeles Union Station, the train hugs the very edge of the Pacific cliffs through San Clemente, Oceanside, Encinitas, and Del Mar before pulling into San Diego's historic 1915 Spanish Colonial Santa Fe Depot downtown (with an earlier stop at Old Town). Always check Amtrak's current status before booking, as coastal bluff stabilization work in South Orange County occasionally replaces a short segment with an Amtrak bus bridge.

Arriving by Car and Intercity Bus

Drivers coming south from Los Angeles follow Interstate 5 (I-5) down the coast, while travellers arriving from Arizona enter via dramatic boulder mountains on Interstate 8 (I-8), and visitors from Las Vegas or the Inland Empire take Interstate 15 (I-15). Long-distance Greyhound and FlixBus coaches drop passengers at the Old Town Transit Center or downtown stations connected to San Diego local transit.