BajaNomad

Getting from SD airport to the trolley

funkynassau - 11-4-2011 at 06:12 AM

Hi,
Heading to Ensenada on the 14th. Flying into San Diego airport. How do we get to the trolley to the border from the airport?

Thanks!
Funkynassau

woody with a view - 11-4-2011 at 06:23 AM

cab is easiest. trolley is at the Santa Fe train depot. about a 5 minute cab ride.

sancho - 11-4-2011 at 10:45 AM

I would think Woody is correct, if you care to
research it a bit, I'm guessing there is a city
bus running along Harbor Dr. in the direction
of downtown SD where you could board the Trolley,
not sure it would be worth the effort, approx
2 1/2-3 mi. form airport to downtown

Woooosh - 11-4-2011 at 10:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by sancho
I would think Woody is correct, if you care to
research it a bit, I'm guessing there is a city
bus running along Harbor Dr. in the direction
of downtown SD where you could board the Trolley,
not sure it would be worth the effort, approx
2 1/2-3 mi. form airport to downtown

You can buy a "day pass" on the airport bus and use that to transfer to the trolley at Santa Fe station downtown. Depends how light you travel. The bus stops curbside at the south end of terminal two near the USO.

bajaguy - 11-4-2011 at 10:59 AM

METRO BUS

Service Area: bus service connects with Trolley, COASTER and Amtrak stations and is wheelchair accessible.

Description: Public transit is available to and from the Airport and downtown San Diego on the Metropolitan Transit System's Route 992,

Contact Information: 619-557-4555

Location: stops at Terminals 1 and 2 and the Commuter Terminal, and operates between 5:00 a.m. and 11:30 p.m., every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends and holidays.

TROLLEY SERVICE

Service Area: Its three lines serve many popular areas and attractions, such as Downtown, the Convention Center, SDSU, Old Town, and the Mexican border

BajaBlanca - 11-4-2011 at 02:09 PM

wow Bajaguy - pretty complete information. not even I knew all that and I lived in san diego for over 20 years hahaha

funkynassau - 11-5-2011 at 07:03 AM

We will have backpacks only, we travel light ;) So I need a bus from the airport to another station by the sounds of it. I was under the impression there was something right at the airport that would take us to the border, guess I got that wrong!

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
Funkynassau

ecomujeres - 11-5-2011 at 03:26 PM

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit system website has schedules for the buses.

http://sdcommute.com

We've used both the bus and a taxi to get to the trolley station. Which one we chose at the time depended on when we arrived at the airport and how long we had to wait for the next bus.

There is cross-border bus service from San Diego to Ensenada, I think they still do it out of the downtown SD Greyhound Station. That eliminates a lot of transfers: to the trolley, the walk across the border, the bus or taxi to the bus terminal in TJ and the bus to Ensenada. We did it the opposite way a couple of years ago. Cheap too. Contact Greyhound or visit their website.

Kalypso - 11-5-2011 at 05:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by funkynassau
We will have backpacks only, we travel light ;) So I need a bus from the airport to another station by the sounds of it. I was under the impression there was something right at the airport that would take us to the border, guess I got that wrong!

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.
Funkynassau


Yes, you will have to take a cab or bus to pick up the trolley to the border. Lindberg Field is a pretty small airport comparatively speaking and they are currently expanding Terminal 2 so there is a lot of construction. The busses that connect to the trolley and downtown are red and well marked. They run a continuous loop, so unless there's a problem on Harbor Drive, you probably won't have to wait too long, if at all. You'll connect to the Blue Line trolley going to San Ysidro at American Plaza. Cabs are plentiful in SD, especially at the airport, but they are not particularly economical.

It's about 45 mintues from American Plaza to San Ysidro. Once there you'll need to go over the foot bridge to the other side than walk across the border. The ABC bus leaves every half hour for Ensenada. These are very good busses, the trip is about $6.50/7.00 and takes about an hour and a half. There are 2 sets of turnstiles to go through when you walk across, after the first one, there will be a walkway that goes off to the right, go right. Once through the 2nd set of turnstiles cross the street and go left. Then go past the yellow taxis and McDonalds and head towards the sign that says Plaza Viva. The station is pretty easy to find, it's just past the Taxi Libre stand. Sit on the right side of the bus for the best views.

Enjoy your trip

funkynassau - 11-5-2011 at 07:21 PM

Thanks so much for the replies! I will check the bus stn link and I am going to print out the directions for when we get to the border. It is probably all quite simple when you know where you are going but this is our first trip there.

Thanks for all of the help! :bounce:

DavidT - 11-5-2011 at 07:49 PM

http://www.sdmts.com/Tripplanner.asp

You can use the "landmark" dropdown lists, Lindberg field terminal 1 and 2 are listed, then choose San Ysidro trolley station for your destination. It looks like you can buy a day pass from the bus driver for $5 per person which is good for the trolley also. Board right at the airport, total travel time about 1 to 2 hours depending on time of day.

[Edited on 11-6-2011 by DavidT]

Kalypso - 11-5-2011 at 09:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by funkynassau
Thanks so much for the replies! I will check the bus stn link and I am going to print out the directions for when we get to the border. It is probably all quite simple when you know where you are going but this is our first trip there.

Thanks for all of the help! :bounce:


Best directions are at this web site

ABC Bus web site in Spanish.

This site has some basic info in English.

You'll be fine.