Mill Valley’s transportation consists of some public bus service, ferry service, taxis, cars, bicycles, and walking. While public transportation is adequate for commuting, it’s easier to get around Mill Valley by driving or riding your bike.
Mill Valley is served by the Marin Southern County bus 17 connecting to San Rafael, Strawberry, Mill Valley, and Marin City. As bus 17 continues towards San Raphael, it heads east towards Strawberry and travels north on highway 101. However it is not very efficient for traveling locally within Mill Valley. The best way to get around the city is to use a car, bike or walk. The entire area of the city is only 4.8 square miles and the town center is roughly in the middle. Though some streets may be a bit of an uphill because of the hills, most are easily navigable.
The 4 bus leaves downtown Mill Valley for San Francisco every 10 minutes during rush hour. The total rush hour travel time to downtown San Francisco by bus is 1 hour and 11 minutes. The rush hour drive time is 28 minutes. The most direct driving route from Mill Valley to San Francisco is highway 101.
When taking the ferry, the Larkspur Terminal is about 10 minutes away from the town center. Travel time to the San Francisco Ferry Building is only 30 minutes.
CA State Route 1 is a very scenic coastal highway. A lovely trip begins at the center of town. Traveling south on Miller Ave then heading west on CA State Route 1, you pass by Muir Woods. When the road reaches Muir Beach go north to Point Reyes National Seashore. It takes only 17 minutes to drive from downtown Mill Valley to Muir Beach on this route. The total trip to Point Reyes is one hour and eight minutes.
It’s easy to get around Mill Valley by car. Within the city you can walk and if you are commuting into San Francisco it is worth taking the bus in.