Public transport
Generally
The advice given here is not necessarily complete and current. Do your own research to confirm the routes and prices listed here. The most highly recommended website is the San Diego Metro Transit System, which has a very useful trip planner page. Apparently, if you punch in the Valley Center Library as the destination, the planner puts out a good itinerary. You might also try “13560 Muutama Lane”, the Monastery’s street address.
Public transport in San Diego (trains or buses) requires exact change or a Compass card. You can get a Compass card from some bus ticket machines in downtown San Diego.
Trains
There are commuter trains going north and south along the coast called the Coaster. It’s $17.00 (they want exact change) from the Santa Fe Depot in San Diego to the city of Oceanside where you can pick up a spur line called the Sprinter to the Escondido Transit Center in the city of Escondido. This run is $2.00. These seem to be part of the San Diego Metro Transit System, and you can get the schedules and prices from the San Diego Metro Transit System website. See “the 992” below for getting to the Santa Fe Depot from the airport, and see “the 388 or 389” below for getting from the Escondido Transit Center to Valley Center.
Buses
The public buses here are run by the San Diego Metro Transit System and the North County Transit District. Please double-check the below information to make sure it’s still up to date.
The routes that come into play should be:
Airport to Downtown San Diego: the 992
The 992 gets you from the San Diego Airport to the Santa Fe Depot, which is San Diego’s downtown public transport hub. It’s about a 10 minute ride and runs every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends.
Downtown San Diego to Escondido: the 235 or 280
The 235 and 280 both go from San Diego to the Escondido Transit Center. The 280 is a commuter route that goes more rapidly than the 235, but only if you catch it very early or late in the day.
From Escondido
As there is no public transportation the last 8 miles from Valley Center, the Monastery used to offer visitors taking public transportation a ride from Valley Center. That has proven to be increasingly burdensome as the Monastery has grown along with the daily duties of the long-term lay residents. So unfortunately options for getting here by public transportation have narrowed.
Uber or Lyft
This is now the recommended way of getting from Escondido to the Monastery. It’s about a 30 minute ride. The cost of the ride is unclear. When more guests provide feedback, this section will be updated with better information.
Escondido to Valley Center: the 388
The 388 goes from Escondido to Valley Center and departs every two hours. Jump off at the corner of Valley Parkway and Cole Grade Road. You are still 8.3 miles from the Monastery at this point. There might be an outside chance you can get a Lyft or Uber in Valley Center, but doubtful. That’s why the recommendation is now to get an Uber or Lyft from Escondido.
Useful pages for day visitors
Useful pages for overnight visitors
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