how far is san francisco from santa clara
San Francisco is about 40 miles (roughly 60–65 kilometers) from Santa Clara, with a typical driving distance of around 45 miles depending on your exact start and end points.
Quick Scoop
Basic distances
- Straight-line distance (as-the-crow-flies): About 39 miles / 62 km.
- Driving distance: Commonly reported around 45 miles / 72–73 km via US‑101 or I‑280, depending on the route.
- Direction: Santa Clara lies southeast of San Francisco; you travel northwest to get into the city.
Typical travel time
- By car, in light traffic, the drive can be about 45–60 minutes.
- In heavier Bay Area traffic (rush hours, events, bad weather), it can stretch closer to 1.5 hours or more.
Think of it as a solid cross‑Bay‑Area commute: not quite “next door,” but definitely a realistic daily trip for many workers and students.
If you’re planning a visit, checking live traffic and transit options right before you go makes a noticeable difference in how long it actually feels.
TL;DR: San Francisco is roughly 40 miles (about 60–65
km) from Santa Clara, usually around a 1‑hour drive depending on
traffic.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the
internet and portrayed here.