If you have tickets for NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco and Oakland and you’re coming from the South Bay, Caltrain can get you connected to all the festivities.

NBA All-Star events will be taking place from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16 at Oakland Arena and Chase Center, Moscone Center and Pier 48 in San Francisco. With games and concerts being held at multiple locations, public transit can help people get around the bay quickly so they don’t miss these events.

Like BART, Caltrain is also partnering with the NBA for All-Star Weekend, and they will be giving away exclusive prizes via the NBA Events app.

“Caltrain is proud to partner with the NBA and stands ready to get fans to and from Chase Center to catch all of the action without the hassle of traffic and parking,” the transit service said in a statement.

Clipper

If you’re considering taking any kind of public transportation in the Bay Area, getting a Clipper card is a worthy investment.

A Clipper card is valid to pay for fares at all Bay Area transit agencies, including BART, SamTrans, VTA, Muni and AC Transit. Riders age 5 to 18 or 65 and up can also apply for a discounted Clipper card pending birth date verification.

The pass is used by tapping either the physical card or a digital version from the Clipper app or after it’s transferred to your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet either before or after boarding a bus or train.

Clipper cards are available for purchase online and can be mailed to you directly. If you prefer to buy the card in person, there are staffed locations at the Clipper Customer Service Center at the Embarcadero BART/Muni Station Concourse, Bay Crossings at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, Clipper Customer Service at AC Transit at 1600 Franklin St. in Oakland or at either VTA office in San Jose. You can also buy a Clipper Card at Walgreens and other certain retail stores. Train stations throughout the Bay Area also have self-serve machines, where you can buy a new card.

You can also set up a new card in the Clipper app or transfer an existing Clipper card to your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. With this method, a physical card is no longer necessary and you can tap your phone at any reader.

You can also reload your Clipper card online or in-person at a retailer or self-serve machine or set it to automatically reload.  Further instructions on how to obtain and use a Clipper card can be found at clippercard.com/ClipperWeb.

“Clipper is really, I think, the easiest option available and one that we generally encourage for anyone who’s using transit on a regular basis,” said Caltrain spokesman Dan Lieberman. “Clipper is an easy process for getting onboard and getting where you need to go as quickly as possible.”

Caltrain

Lieberman said that SamTrans-operated Caltrain would be the best way for South Bay NBA fans to get to San Francisco.

“If you’re coming up from the South Bay, we’re absolutely your best option,” Lieberman said.

The closest Caltrain station to the San Francisco event centers is the northernmost San Francisco station. Chase Center is about a 15- to 20-minute walk from the station. However, if you don’t want to walk, you can get to Chase Center to by taking a Muni T Third Street light rail train from the platform on 4th Street between King and Berry. Riders were instructed to get off at UCSF/Chase Center (16th Street).

Pier 48 is about a 15-minute walk from the San Francisco Caltrain station. Moscone Center is a 15- to 20-minute walk from the station, but people can also take the Muni T Third Street light rail train the Yerba Buena/Moscone stop.

For those who took Caltrain to San Francisco but would like to go to events at Oakland Arena, Lieberman said riders can go from the San Francisco station to the Montgomery BART station. They are about a mile away from each other, or a 25- to 30-minute walk. For those who want to walk, Lieberman said people can walk northwest on 4th Street until Market Street and turning northeast toward the Ferry Building to get to the BART station. Alternatively, people can board the Muni N Judah train at 4th Street and King Street near the Caltrain station and get off at Montgomery Street to the BART station.

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Caltrain will be sticking to their standard weekend schedule and running trains every half-hour. The first trains leaving San Jose Diridon Station will depart just before 7 a.m. The last southbound trains for the evening will run at 12:05 a.m.

AC Transit

AC Transit will also be providing buses between San Francisco and Oakland to reach all four arenas. Riders were advised to take Bus lines 45, 46L, 73, 90, 98, NL, and O to reach the stadiums.

The transit agency will be updating their social media profiles with route videos and real-time updates on routes, schedules and service alerts.