SFO to Carmel-by-the-Sea Private Car Service
Private, direct transportation from San Francisco International Airport to inns, hotels and cottages in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
A transfer, not a tour: no stops and no guide — we pick you up at SFO and drive you directly to Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Flat rate $350 one way, either direction.
A seven-seat minivan runs a flat $350 one way between SFO and Carmel-by-the-Sea — the same price to the airport as from it, no surge, no meter, no per-bag charge. For a larger party or a different car, the premium SUV and the Black SUV are priced in the booking flow, where the exact all-in fare for your vehicle is shown and confirmed before you pay.
The booking flow adds the $5.50 SFO airport fee, shown as its own line: $355.50 all-in for the seven-seat minivan.
Starting from a San Francisco hotel instead? The seven-seat minivan is $350 one way from any address in the city — no airport fee; the bridge toll is measured for your address and shown as its own line.
Pickups between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. add the published night fee, shown as its own line before you pay. Tip is not required.
Why travelers book this route
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a little over two hours south of SFO — down 101, past Monterey on Highway 1 and into a village where the streets have no numbers and the inns are tucked between the trees. It is not a place to arrive tired in a rental car looking for an address. A private transfer takes you from the arrivals curb to the inn's door, and the driver knows where the door is.
There is no scheduled service that reaches Carmel from the airport in one piece, and a rideshare quote for a two-hour one-way depends on a driver willing to take it. A booked car has a confirmed driver, the luggage in the back and a fare fixed before you fly.
The return to SFO is booked the same way, at the same rate — a pickup at the inn timed to your flight, with the drive up 101 planned for.
Arrivals curb, flight tracked, driver confirmed by text
Book online in about a minute — no account, no app. A person reviews the request and texts back to confirm the ride and the fare; on the day, the driver texts before pickup and again on arrival. Then it is the drive to Carmel-by-the-Sea, direct, with no other passengers and no stops.
Add your flight number
We track the flight. A late landing moves your pickup rather than losing it, and there is no waiting fee for flight delays.
Meet at the arrivals curb
Collect your bags and step out to the arrivals curb at your terminal. We text your driver's name, car and plate before you land.
Luggage goes in the car
The driver loads at the curb and unloads at your door. Enter your bag count when you book so the right vehicle comes — the minivan for a family or four large cases.
The way back, curbside
For the ride to your flight home, the driver drops you at the departures level of your terminal, with the pickup time set against your check-in.
About Carmel-by-the-Sea
Carmel-by-the-Sea is the square mile of cottages, galleries and inns between Highway 1 and Carmel Beach, with Ocean Avenue running down the middle to the sand. Inns are named rather than numbered, and most are within a few blocks of the avenue.
Its rate is shared with Pebble Beach, just across the Carmel Hill; Monterey and Pacific Grove, twenty minutes back, have their own.
- Carmel addresses are given by cross-streets and the inn's name — 'Ocean between Lincoln and Monte Verde' — and that is exactly what the driver needs. Type the inn's name into the booking form.
- Carmel Valley Village, twelve miles inland, is outside the published Carmel rate: enter the address and we confirm that fare personally before you commit.
Choose the vehicle that fits your trip
Every class is a flat rate, both directions. Exact fares and seating for your route are shown in the booking flow, confirmed before you pay. The Sprinter is chartered by the hour — see hourly car service.
Carmel-by-the-Sea to SFO private car service
The return leg books in the same form at the same rate: choose "I'm going to the airport", enter your hotel or rental in Carmel-by-the-Sea as the pickup, and add the flight number — we set the pickup time against the check-in your airline wants, allowing for the traffic on the way, and you review the whole trip before you pay.
How long does it take to get from SFO to Carmel?
About two hours and ten minutes with the roads clear. Holiday weekends and the evening commute through San Jose add to that; your driver plans for it, and the fare doesn't change.
Where do we meet the driver at SFO?
At the arrivals curb of your terminal. Add your flight number when you book and we track it; we text the driver's name, car and plate before you land, and a late flight moves the pickup rather than losing it — with no waiting fee.
Our inn has no street number — how do we book?
Type the inn's name into the booking form, or the cross-streets Carmel uses instead of numbers. The driver knows the village; if anything is unclear we ask before the day, not on it.
Is the ride private?
Yes. The car is yours alone, direct from the airport to your inn — no other passengers, no stops. It is a transfer, not a tour.
How much luggage fits?
The seven-seat minivan is the car for this drive: four large cases and the carry-ons in the back, child seats installed by the driver if you ask for them when booking. A couple with two suitcases rides in it just as comfortably. Enter your bag count when you book and we'll say if anything looks tight.
Can you drive us from Carmel back to SFO?
Yes, at the same rate. Choose 'I'm going to the airport' in the booking form and enter your inn as the pickup. Add the flight number and we set the pickup time against your check-in, with the drive up 101 allowed for.
What is added to the fare?
Only the SFO airport fee, shown as its own line in the booking flow before you pay — the drive to Carmel crosses no toll bridge. No meter, no surge, no per-bag charge, no booking fee. Tip is not required.
Rated 5 stars by real riders
A real local business, based minutes from SFO in Burlingame — see what riders say about their pickups.
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Know your Carmel-by-the-Sea fare before you fly
Booking takes about a minute:
- Pick the airport and your date
- Enter your Carmel-by-the-Sea address and choose a vehicle
- We text you to confirm