Best Time to Drive from Sacramento to Vacaville

Right now (7:32 pm PDT): about 35 minutes via I-80 West, usually 35 at this time.

Only 42% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.

Typical drive time by departure time

Minutes from Sacramento to Vacaville by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	36	37	36	37	37	37	37	37	36	35	33	32	32	32	32	32
Tue	31	35	37	36	37	37	36	35	35	34	34	33	32	32	31	32	32
Wed	31	35	36	35	40	41	40	38	38	36	35	33	32	32	32	32	31
Thu	31	34	36	35	39	40	35	35	36	35	34	33	32	32	31	32	31
Fri	31	35	36	36	39	40	40	40	40	40	42	45	40	35	32	32	31
Sat	31	32	32	32	34	41	58	55	51	47	45	41	35	32	32	33	32
Sun	31	31	32	31	33	34	47	55	54	51	50	50	45	41	37	34	31

About this drive

On weekdays the 34-mile drive from Sacramento to Vacaville (via I-80 West) usually takes as little as 31 minutes and up to 45 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays. The fastest times to leave are before 6 am or after 5 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 37 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Saturdays (59 minutes).

About 29 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 4 miles surface streets (6 to 9 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from downtown Sacramento (the Capitol) to central Vacaville along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.

Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.

Questions

What is the best time to drive from Sacramento to Vacaville?

On weekdays, leave before 6 am or after 5 pm. The drive usually takes about 31 minutes then, versus up to 45 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Sacramento to Vacaville?

The 34-mile drive usually takes 31 to 45 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 37 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Sacramento to Vacaville?

Leaving around 3:30 pm on Fridays is usually slowest, about 45 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-80 West in Sacramento (17 miles) · US-50 West in Sacramento (6 miles) · I-80 West in Bay Area (2 miles)

Sacramento traffic right now · Sacramento traffic tomorrow · Bay Area traffic right now · Bay Area traffic tomorrow

More drives

Vacaville to Sacramento (return trip) · Sacramento to Roseville · Sacramento to Elk Grove · Sacramento to Davis · Sacramento to Folsom · Sacramento to San Francisco · Sacramento to Oakland · Sacramento to SMF · Sacramento to Stockton · Sacramento to Concord · Sacramento to Vallejo · Sacramento to Berkeley

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	36	37	36	37	37	37	37	37	36	35	33	32	32	32	32	32
Tue	31	35	37	36	37	37	36	35	35	34	34	33	32	32	31	32	32
Wed	31	35	36	35	40	41	40	38	38	36	35	33	32	32	32	32	31
Thu	31	34	36	35	39	40	35	35	36	35	34	33	32	32	31	32	31
Fri	31	35	36	36	39	40	40	40	40	40	42	45	40	35	32	32	31
Sat	31	32	32	32	34	41	58	55	51	47	45	41	35	32	32	33	32
Sun	31	31	32	31	33	34	47	55	54	51	50	50	45	41	37	34	31

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	36	37	36	37	37	37	37	37	36	35	33	32	32	32	32	32
Tue	31	35	37	36	37	37	36	35	35	34	34	33	32	32	31	32	32
Wed	31	35	36	35	40	41	40	38	38	36	35	33	32	32	32	32	31
Thu	31	34	36	35	39	40	35	35	36	35	34	33	32	32	31	32	31
Fri	31	35	36	36	39	40	40	40	40	40	42	45	40	35	32	32	31
Sat	31	32	32	32	34	41	58	55	51	47	45	41	35	32	32	33	32
Sun	31	31	32	31	33	34	47	55	54	51	50	50	45	41	37	34	31

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	36	37	36	37	37	37	37	37	36	35	33	32	32	32	32	32
Tue	31	35	37	36	37	37	36	35	35	34	34	33	32	32	31	32	32
Wed	31	35	36	35	40	41	40	38	38	36	35	33	32	32	32	32	31
Thu	31	34	36	35	39	40	35	35	36	35	34	33	32	32	31	32	31
Fri	31	35	36	36	39	40	40	40	40	40	42	45	40	35	32	32	31
Sat	31	32	32	32	34	41	58	55	51	47	45	41	35	32	32	33	32
Sun	31	31	32	31	33	34	47	55	54	51	50	50	45	41	37	34	31