Best Time to Drive from SAN to Carlsbad

Right now (6:48 pm PDT): about 33 minutes via I-5 North, usually 32 at this time.

Only 44% 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 SAN to Carlsbad 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	31	32	35	34	33	33	33	33	33	37	41	41	32	32	32	32
Tue	31	31	32	34	36	34	33	33	33	34	41	48	47	38	32	32	32
Wed	31	31	32	34	36	34	34	33	33	35	43	52	53	40	33	32	31
Thu	31	31	32	34	34	35	34	34	33	35	45	56	55	40	33	32	32
Fri	31	31	32	33	33	33	33	34	36	40	49	50	43	35	33	32	31
Sat	31	31	31	31	32	33	37	38	38	37	37	36	35	33	32	33	32
Sun	31	31	31	31	32	33	40	40	39	37	37	35	34	33	33	33	32

About this drive

On weekdays the 33-mile drive from SAN to Carlsbad (via I-5 North) usually takes as little as 31 minutes and up to 56 minutes, when leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays. The fastest times to leave are before 8 am or after 6:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 34 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 11:30 am on Sundays (41 minutes).

About 30 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 3 miles surface streets (5 to 11 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from San Diego International Airport (SAN) (Vera Cruz Avenue) to central Carlsbad 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 SAN to Carlsbad?

On weekdays, leave before 8 am or after 6:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 31 minutes then, versus up to 56 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from SAN to Carlsbad?

The 33-mile drive usually takes 31 to 56 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 34 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from SAN to Carlsbad?

Leaving around 4 pm on Thursdays is usually slowest, about 56 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-5 North in San Diego (30 miles)

San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

Carlsbad to SAN (return trip) · SAN to Escondido · SAN to Oceanside · SAN to Chula Vista · SAN to El Cajon · SAN to La Jolla

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	31	32	35	34	33	33	33	33	33	37	41	41	32	32	32	32
Tue	31	31	32	34	36	34	33	33	33	34	41	48	47	38	32	32	32
Wed	31	31	32	34	36	34	34	33	33	35	43	52	53	40	33	32	31
Thu	31	31	32	34	34	35	34	34	33	35	45	56	55	40	33	32	32
Fri	31	31	32	33	33	33	33	34	36	40	49	50	43	35	33	32	31
Sat	31	31	31	31	32	33	37	38	38	37	37	36	35	33	32	33	32
Sun	31	31	31	31	32	33	40	40	39	37	37	35	34	33	33	33	32

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	31	32	35	34	33	33	33	33	33	37	41	41	32	32	32	32
Tue	31	31	32	34	36	34	33	33	33	34	41	48	47	38	32	32	32
Wed	31	31	32	34	36	34	34	33	33	35	43	52	53	40	33	32	31
Thu	31	31	32	34	34	35	34	34	33	35	45	56	55	40	33	32	32
Fri	31	31	32	33	33	33	33	34	36	40	49	50	43	35	33	32	31
Sat	31	31	31	31	32	33	37	38	38	37	37	36	35	33	32	33	32
Sun	31	31	31	31	32	33	40	40	39	37	37	35	34	33	33	33	32

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	31	31	32	35	34	33	33	33	33	33	37	41	41	32	32	32	32
Tue	31	31	32	34	36	34	33	33	33	34	41	48	47	38	32	32	32
Wed	31	31	32	34	36	34	34	33	33	35	43	52	53	40	33	32	31
Thu	31	31	32	34	34	35	34	34	33	35	45	56	55	40	33	32	32
Fri	31	31	32	33	33	33	33	34	36	40	49	50	43	35	33	32	31
Sat	31	31	31	31	32	33	37	38	38	37	37	36	35	33	32	33	32
Sun	31	31	31	31	32	33	40	40	39	37	37	35	34	33	33	33	32