Which side of the plane to sit on: Dublin to San Francisco?
Flying from Dublin to San Francisco? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.
The best window changes along the way.
Confidence: lowTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Dublin toward the northwest, the right window looks out over the Mourne Mountains and Bru na Boinne (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Wicklow Mountains and the Wicklow Mountains National Park on the left.
- leftView of Wicklow Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Mourne Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Bru na Boinne (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Wicklow Mountains National Park (national park)
Flight path features
2:18 PMAcross the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the John Long Mountains and the North Fork Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cap Aupartuapik and Cape Acadia on the right.
- leftView of John Long Mountains (mountain range)
- leftView of North Fork Range (mountain range)
- rightView of Cap Aupartuapik (peninsula coastline)
- rightView of Cape Acadia (peninsula coastline)
Landing views
11:31 AMDescending into San Francisco from the northeast, the right window looks out over the Vaca Mountains and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the left.
- leftView of Coyote Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Vaca Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- leftView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Dublin to San Francisco?
It's a toss-up. Both sides have something; see the breakdown below.. Across the middle of the route, the left window looks out over the John Long Mountains and the North Fork Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cap Aupartuapik and Cape Acadia on the right.
What views will you get at takeoff from Dublin?
Climbing out of Dublin toward the northwest, the right window looks out over the Mourne Mountains and Bru na Boinne (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Wicklow Mountains and the Wicklow Mountains National Park on the left.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the northeast, the right window looks out over the Vaca Mountains and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Coyote Hills and the Niles Canyon on the left.