Getting to Santa Cruz

Information is up-to-date as of March 2012.



Driving directions to UCSC

UC Santa Cruz is located on California’s Monterey Bay – 75 miles south of San Francisco, 45 miles north of Monterey and Carmel, and just over the coastal mountains from Silicon Valley and the San Jose International Airport. Driving directions are available on the UCSC website.

From San Jose International Airport (SJC)

The closest major airport to Santa Cruz is Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC). To get from SJC to Santa Cruz via public transportation, two options are available:

  1. The Highway 17 Express runs between San Jose Diridon Station and Santa Cruz Metro Center. To get to Diridon Station, you have two options:
  2. Greyhound runs from the San Jose Greyhound Station to the Santa Cruz Metro Center. To get to the Greyhound Station, you have two options:

    • Take the VTA Airport Flyer (Route 10) Eastbound to the Metro/Airport Light Rail Station . Then take the Light Rail (Route 901 or 902) Southbound 5 stops to the Santa Clara Light Rail Station. Finally, walk 4 blocks west on Santa Clara Street, turn left on Almaden Ave, and walk one block to the Greyhound Station.

To get from SJC to Santa Cruz via a direct, private shuttle, several options are available.

Other airport shuttle options are available here. The prices of these options vary greatly. Be sure to make reservations in advance.

⬑ Back to the top


From San Francisco International Airport (SFO):

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the primary international airport that serves the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are flying internationally, you will most likely find much greater availability and cheaper tickets by flying into SFO. Although SFO is farther from Santa Cruz than San Jose, it is still very easy to get from SFO to Santa Cruz.

To get from SFO to Santa Cruz via public transportation, take BART from the SFO BART Station to the Millbrae BART Station. Transfer to Caltrain, and go Southbound to San Jose Diridon Station. Take the Highway 17 Express from Diridon Station to the Santa Cruz Metro Center.

To get from SFO to Santa Cruz via a direct, private shuttle, several options are available.

Other airport shuttle options are available here. The prices of these options vary greatly. Be sure to make reservations in advance.

⬑ Back to the top