Best Time to Drive from Ventura to San Diego

Right now (12:51 am PST): about 169 minutes via I-5 South and I-405 South and US-101 South.

Only 32% 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.

About this drive

On weekdays the 191-mile drive from Ventura to San Diego (via I-5 South and I-405 South and US-101 South) usually takes as little as 166 minutes and up to 340 minutes, when leaving around 1:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 261 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 1:30 pm on Saturdays (226 minutes).

About 189 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.4 miles surface streets (1 to 2 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Ventura to downtown San Diego 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 Ventura to San Diego?

On weekdays, leave before 5:30 am or after 7:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 166 minutes then, versus up to 340 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Ventura to San Diego?

The 191-mile drive usually takes 166 to 340 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 261 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Ventura to San Diego?

Leaving around 1:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 340 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

US-101 South in Los Angeles (51 miles) · I-5 South in San Diego (46 miles) · I-405 South in Los Angeles (37 miles) · I-5 South in Orange County (19 miles) · SR-73 South in Orange County (17 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (16 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow

More drives

Ventura to Los Angeles · Ventura to Santa Monica · Ventura to Pasadena · Ventura to Long Beach · Ventura to Burbank · Ventura to Glendale · Ventura to Van Nuys · Ventura to Torrance · Ventura to LAX · Ventura to Hollywood · Ventura to Culver City · Ventura to Downey

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