Lake Tahoe has no commercial airport. The nearest airports are Reno-Tahoe International (45–60 minutes to the North Shore) and Sacramento International (about 2 hours to the South Shore). San Francisco is a 3.5-hour drive in good conditions; add at least an hour on a Friday evening.
By car is the most practical option. The two main routes are I-80 via Truckee to the North Shore, and US-50 through Placerville to South Lake Tahoe. Both require chains or snow tires in winter; CalTrans updates chain control information in real time at quickmap.dot.ca.gov. Avoid arriving on Friday evenings or Sunday afternoons in any season.
By bus: Greyhound serves South Lake Tahoe from Sacramento. BlueGo operates local transit around the South Shore. The North Shore has limited public transit; a car is effectively required there.
From the South Shore to the North Shore it is about 30 miles around either side of the lake. No ferries operate on the lake.