Getting there
Getting to San Diego.
One airport close to downtown, a free shuttle that does the Trolley's last mile, one bus straight downtown, and the Trolley network once you arrive. The detail below is checked against the airport's own site and MTS.
The airport
Flights land at San Diego International Airport (SAN). Its own site, san.org, carries the public transportation page this section is checked against, 1 November 2026: the airport is close in to downtown, and the ground transport choices are a free shuttle, one direct bus, taxis and rideshare at the terminals' Transportation Plazas, and the rental car shuttle.
From the airport to the city
The San Diego Flyer: the free shuttle
The San Diego Flyer is the airport's free electric shuttle between Terminals 1 and 2 and the region's transit. It runs to the Old Town Transit Center, where travellers connect to the Trolley, MTS buses, COASTER trains and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner, and its trips are timed to meet the first and last trains and buses of the day. It also serves the Trolley directly: ride the Flyer to the Admiral Boland Way stop, tell the driver you want the Palm Street stop, and walk one block northeast on West Palm Street to Middletown Station, on the UC San Diego Blue Line and the Green Line.
Bus 992: straight downtown
MTS Route 992 runs between the airport and downtown, from the Broadway and Kettner Boulevard stop. Per the airport's page it connects you to the UC San Diego Blue Line at Santa Fe Depot or America Plaza Station, the Green Line at Santa Fe Depot Station, and the Orange Line at Courthouse Station, with Rapid buses onward. Santa Fe Depot is also the downtown station for Amtrak and COASTER trains.
Taxis and rideshare
Taxis and rideshare pick up at the Transportation Plazas outside each terminal: follow the Ground Transportation signs from baggage claim and cross to the plaza for the taxi ranks and the app pickups. Have the app open and your pickup plaza confirmed before you walk out; the plazas are busy at the evening arrival banks.
Rental cars
The airport's rental companies work from a consolidated Rental Car Center reached by the free rental car shuttle from the Transportation Plaza outside each terminal. Tell the shuttle driver if you want the Trolley stop on the way: the shuttle drops passengers one block from Middletown Station when the driver is notified.
Once you arrive: the Trolley
The San Diego Trolley is the city's light rail, run by MTS. The UC San Diego Blue Line runs from the Mexican border through downtown and up to UC San Diego, and the Green Line runs from downtown through Old Town and Mission Valley to SDSU and beyond; downtown, where the lines converge, is where the Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter stops sit. MTS publishes the fares on sdmts.com: an adult one-way fare is $3, valid for two hours including transfers, and paying by PRONTO card, app or contactless tap caps the day at the $7 day pass value. Every rider needs their own card, app or contactless payment, and you tap or scan at the station validator before boarding.
For the days out, the attractions guide covers the places themselves, and the family page works through getting around with children.
Getting there questions, answered
Does the Trolley go to the airport?
Not to the terminal door. The airport's own public transportation page is plain that the Trolley does not stop at San Diego International Airport. The free San Diego Flyer shuttle links the terminals to the Trolley instead: to the Old Town Transit Center, and to a stop on Admiral Boland Way one block from Middletown Station on the UC San Diego Blue Line and the Green Line. Tell the Flyer driver you want the Palm Street stop for Middletown.
What is the cheapest way in from the airport?
The free way is the San Diego Flyer to Old Town or Middletown, then the Trolley. The direct way is the MTS Route 992 bus between the airport and downtown. Either way the Trolley fare itself is $3 one way for an adult as MTS publishes it, valid for two hours of transfers, and a PRONTO card or app stops charging at the $7 day pass value.
How do I reach the Convention Center and the Gaslamp?
By Trolley to the downtown stations. MTS runs the UC San Diego Blue Line and the Green Line through downtown, and downtown is where the lines converge; the Convention Center and Gaslamp Quarter stops are on that downtown section. MTS adds extra Trolley service for major events, Comic-Con included.
Do I need a car in San Diego?
For the centre, no: downtown, the Gaslamp, Old Town, Balboa Park and Mission Bay are covered by the Trolley and buses, and the downtown hotels describe much of the core as walkable. A car earns its keep for the spread-out trips: La Jolla and Torrey Pines at your own pace, the Safari Park in Escondido, and LEGOLAND in Carlsbad, though the COASTER trains and Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner run up that same coast from Santa Fe Depot and Old Town.