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Getting There By Air:

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Tel: (650) 821 8211.
Website: www.flysfo.com

Situated 25km (15 miles) southeast of the city, off Routes 101 and 280, San Francisco International Airport is the 13th busiest in the USA and 21st busiest in the world, handling an average of 1,000 flights daily. In 2004, total passengers numbered almost 33 million.

Major airlines: More than 20 domestic airlines and 25 international carriers operate in and out of San Francisco International, including US carriers United Airlines (tel: 1 800 241 6522; website: www.ual.com) and American Airlines (tel: 1 800 433 7300; website: www.aa.com). Other airlines include British Airways, China Airlines, Air Canada, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. Qantas Airways added direct flights from San Francisco to Sydney several times a week in March 2006. Domestic airlines provide regular flights to the rest of the USA. They include Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and US Airways.

Airport facilities: These include banks, ATMs, bureaux de change and numerous bars and restaurants, gift and specialty shopping, including duty-free outlets. Five public information booths and a Bureau of Consular Affairs are on site. An AirTrain takes passengers to nine airport stations and to car hire operators, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Enterprise, National and Thrifty. San Francisco International was voted Best Airport in the United States for 2005 by Executive Travel magazine. It also houses the world’s first, fully accredited art museum in an airport, and in the international terminal boasts an aviation library and the Louis A Turpin Aviation Museum. A business center, located in the Airport Travel Agency (tel: (650) 877 0422), provides fax services, airline tickets, luggage storage, shipping boxes and hotel reservations. A number of airline lounges are available for frequent flyer cardholders. Self-serve conference and business facilities are available at PowerPoint, in the G-side of the International terminal.

Transport to the city: Shuttles, buses, taxis and limousines are all readily available. American Airporter Shuttle (tel: (415) 202 0733) provides a 24-hour, door-to-door service. Also 24-hour service are Lorrie’s Shuttles (tel: (415) 334 9000; website www.sfovan.com) and Super Shuttle (tel: (415) 558 8500). Taxis are metered and the fare to the downtown and Fisherman’s Wharf area ranges from US$30-45. San Mateo County Transit aka SamTrans (tel: 1 800 660 4287) runs bus services to the Transbay Terminal at Mission Street. Journey times vary between 25 minutes and 45 minutes, depending on traffic. Public transportation leaves from the blue zone on the airport’s lower level. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) (tel: (415) 989 2278; website: www.bart.gov) now operates public transport from the airport on the International Departure/Ticketing level to downtown and other areas. The cost is based on the distance traveled. Trains run from early morning until evening, with the last train at 2346 nightly. Visit www.511.org to create a custom itinerary on San Francisco Bay Area’s public transportation.


Oakland International Airport (OAK)
Tel: (510) 563 3300.
Website: www.oaklandairport.com

Located across the Bay, 32km (20 miles) from Downtown San Francisco, Oakland receives mainly domestic although some international flights arrive here, and may be a less expensive gateway to the Bay Area.

Major airlines: Around a dozen airlines fly to and from OAK. The major US airlines include United Airlines (tel: 1 800 241 6522; website: www.united.com) and American Airlines (tel: 1 800 433 7300; website: www.aa.com). Other carriers include Alaska Airlines, Aloha Airlines, America West, Azteca, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Mexicana Airlines, Suntrips, Southwest Airlines and US Airways.

Airport facilities: Facilities include banks, ATMs, shoeshine, Internet access, travel insurance, duty-free shopping, currency exchange and food outlets. Car hire is available from Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National and Thrifty. Wayport has opened a number of private mini-offices close to departure gates housing personal computers, fax and Internet services. The airport provides details. Laptop Lane (tel: (510) 969 3580) has mini-offices in Terminal One and Two. Each mini-office has a personal computer, a color laser printer, plain paper fax machine, a multi-line phone and laptop PC connections to a T-1 line for Internet and e-mail.

Transport to the city: About two dozen shuttle services operate door-to-door from Oakland Airport to surrounding areas. AC Transit (tel: (510) 817 1717; website: www.oaklandairport.com/ac_transit.shtml) operates the TransBay Express, providing a 24-hour service between Oakland International and the TransBay Terminal at Mission Street and First Street in San Francisco. Buses depart at the front of both terminals. The service runs every 15 minutes (0600-2100) and hourly thereafter. AC Transit’s line 58 connects the airport to the Alameda/Oakland Ferry (tel: (510) 522 3300), which runs services to San Francisco’s ferry terminal and Pier 41, at Fisherman’s Wharf. Numerous shuttles include Bayporter Express (tel: (415) 467 1800 or 1 877 467 1800; website: www.bayporter.com). Journey times vary between 30 minutes and 60 minutes, depending on traffic. An AirBART shuttle provides services between Oakland International and the Bay Area Rapid Transit – BART (tel: (510) 465 2278; website: www.bart.gov) train station, for trips into San Francisco. The Airport Express also goes to Sonoma and Marin Counties (tel: 1 800 327 2024). Last pickup is 12 midnight.

Approximate flight times to San Francisco: From London is 11 hours; from New York is 5 ½ hours; from Los Angeles is 1 hour 20 min; from Toronto is 5 hours 20 min and from Sydney is 14 ½ hours.

Getting There By Water:

The Port of San Francisco (website: www.sfport.com) operates the 100-year-old Ferry Building on The Embarcadero, situated at the end of Market Street. The port is technically the 11km (7 miles) of San Francisco Bay waterfront, stretching from Hyde Street Pier in the north to India Basin in the south. It includes restaurants, promenades and the attractions of Fisherman’s Wharf (see Key Attractions). The recently remodeled Ferry Building Marketplace celebrates food in all its forms. Shops offer artisan cheeses, fresh local fish, organic fruit and vegetables, specialty groceries and delicatessens, wine merchants, coffee shops, cafes and restaurants. The Book Passage bookstore hosts author events, seminars and legendary Mystery Writers’ & Travel Writers’ conferences. A farmers’ market is held here four days a week: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with Saturday being the biggest day. The Thursday and Sunday markets are open seasonally, and much of the produce is organically grown.

Ferry services: The Ferry Building is a terminal that serves sightseeing boats and local and Marin County ferries (see Public Transport). The Ferry Building, Pier 39 and Pier 41 are where the various ferries dock – many companies use several of the docks, depending on the routes served. Golden Gate Transit Ferry (tel: (415) 455 2000; website: www.goldengateferry.org) operates services to Marin County. Information on all ferry services is available online (website: www.transitinfo.org). Bay Crossings is the ferry ticket shop and tour information center located centrally in the Ferry Building (website: www.baycrossings.com).

Transport to the city: The Muni F line stops at the Ferry Building and runs along Market Street to the Castro District or Fisherman’s Wharf. The Embarcadero BART station is approximately three blocks southwest, along Market Street at Davis Street, with East Bay and citywide connections.

Getting There By Road:

The minimum driving age in California (as in the rest of the USA) is 16 years and cars drive on the right. All valid national licenses are acceptable, however, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is preferred. US insurance is mandatory. National Interstate Highways can only be entered or exited at specific interchanges and have even numbers from east to west (I-8 near the Mexican border) and odd numbers from north to south. Tolls on roads, bridges and tunnels are commonplace. Speed limits are typically 56kmh (35mph) in cities and 113kmh (70mph) on the Interstate, unless otherwise posted. Drivers on the West Coast, however, tend to go faster. All occupants of the car must wear Seatbelts and passengers under 12 must be seated in the back. Drivers may turn right at a red light, if the way is clear. A flashing red traffic light is the same as a stop sign, which means that it is necessary to come to a full stop and proceed when safe. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%. California has strict drink-driving laws, and penalties may be given at 0.04%. The Zero Tolerance Law, stricter for drivers under 21 years of age, can revoke the license of drivers with a blood-alcohol content of 0.01% for one year on the first offence. Driving on steep hills may require special care, and emergency care should be used when parking on hills. Manual transmission cars advancing from a stopped light on a steep hill may roll back. Visitors to the San Francisco area are advised to hire automatic cars.

The American Automobile Association – AAA (tel: 1 800 922 8228; website: www.aaa.com) provides information and may offer reciprocal benefits to members of automobile clubs in other countries.

Emergency breakdown service:
AAA 1 800 AAA HELP or 222 4357.

Routes to the city: Major highways are Route 80, the transcontinental highway from the east via Salt Lake City, Interstate 5, stretching to Seattle in the north and San Diego in the south and Route 101, the north–south thoroughfare. The scenic and meandering coastal road, Highway 1 or PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), has incomparable ocean views, however, it also has many intersections and traffic lights, which make for a longer trip. Both Santa Cruz and Monterey are on Highway 1. From both cities, drivers can take this scenic route (Highway 1) or connect to Highway 17 for the Interstate 280 north, which cuts down driving time.

Approximate driving times to San Francisco: From Santa Cruz – 2 hours; Monterey – 2 hours 30 minutes; Lake Tahoe – 4 hours; Los Angeles – 8 hours; Seattle – 21 hours.

Coach services: Greyhound (tel: 1 800 229 9424; website: www.greyhound.com) provides the most extensive bus service throughout the USA. The station is the Transbay Terminal, 425 Mission Street, South of Market (tel: (415) 495 1569). Regular long-distance services include Los Angeles, Seattle and Lake Tahoe.

Getting There By Rail:

Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; website: www.amtrak.com) is the national railway provider, operating a regular and timely service. Two Amtrak terminals are situated across the Bay, in Oakland. The newer station is located in Jack London Square, 245 Second Street (tel: (510) 238 4322). A second station, situated at 5885 Landregan Street, Emeryville (tel: (510) 450 1081), is where most trains arrive and depart from. Emeryville has a bus service into San Francisco. Facilities include free unattended parking in the station parking lot and a newspaper stand. An Amtrak ticket and baggage center is located at 101 The Embarcadero, Mission Street, Pier 2.

Rail services: The Coast Starlight travels north from Los Angeles to Seattle, with a stop in the Bay Area. The California Zephyr route travels from the Bay Area to Chicago. There is a daily service to Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago, San Jose, Los Angeles (journey time – between 8 hours 30 minutes and 12 hours), Anaheim and San Diego (journey time – 12-14 hours). Trains also run to Ontario (journey time – 9-10 hours) and Las Vegas (journey time – 12 hours).

CalTrain (tel: 1 800 660 4287; website: www.caltrain.com), a regional train, serves Palo Alto, San Jose and many other small cities from the station at Fourth Street and King Street. These stop at 22nd Street and Pennsylvanian Street.

Transport to the city: A shuttle transports passengers between the two East Bay Amtrak stations and the Ferry Building and CalTrain station in San Francisco.

Getting Around:

Public Transport
To avoid steep hills and aching feet, the city’s transport authority, San Francisco Municipal Railway – Muni (tel: (415) 673 6864; website: www.sfmuni.com or www.transitinfo.org) operates trolley cars, buses, streetcars, cable cars and a light rail system, for a 24-hour service to all areas of the city. The Bay Area Travel Info line (tel: 511; website: www.511.org) has automated information on most routes and traffic.

San Francisco has many different types of above-ground vehicles covering the same routes. Buses, trolleys (with wire cable) and streetcars all cover the same routes and command the same fare. These operate citywide, with the name, destination and line number displayed on the front of the bus. Stops are designated by pole signs and curb and street markings. Tickets are purchased upon boarding and exact change is required. Historic streetcars run similar routes, every 6-15 minutes. The cars come from as far away as Italy and date back to 1928, with US$14 million spent on restoring and maintaining them. Tickets are purchased upon boarding.

Cable cars, which run three routes (see Key Attractions) and provide some of the best views in the city. Passengers can buy tickets on-board (exact change is required) or from kiosks located at the cable car turnarounds. One-day cable car passes are available, although the Muni Passport (see below) is a better deal if you plan to ride other Muni vehicles.

Muni light rail travels along Market Street to the Mission District and Noe Valley (J line), the Ingleside district (K line), the Sunset District (L, M, and N lines), and the Castro, Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf (F line). Transfers are issued and are good for bus-to-rail or rail-to-bus connections within 90 minutes.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system (tel: (415) 989 2278; website: www.bart.gov) operates San Francisco’s subway, which runs along Market Street stopping at The Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic Center and links San Francisco with East Bay and Daly City. It operates from early morning (exact hours of service depend on the line: some Muni lines begin at 0430 on weekdays; others at 0730, others claim to be 24-hours) until 2400. Tickets are available for purchase from machines located in the stations.

Muni Passports are available for one day, three days or seven days and allow for unlimited travel on Muni services. These passes are sold at a number of venues, including the ticket booth at the cable car turnaround at Powell Street and Market Street, as well as the Visitor Information Center, lower level, Hallidie Plaza, Powell Street and Market Street. A comprehensive map of all Muni routes is available from local bookstores, newspaper stands and corner shops.

Ferries depart from the Ferry Building, The Embarcadero, located at the east end of Market Street – once the world’s second busiest passenger terminal, handling 100,000 daily ferry commuters. Regular crossings go to and from Bay communities. Sausalito and Larkspur are served by the Golden Gate Ferry (tel: (415) 923 2000; website: www.goldengateferry.org), which leaves from the south wing of the Ferry Building and makes frequent crossings, taking 30-45 minutes. Tickets are sold on-board. Blue and Gold Fleet (tel: (415) 705 5555; website: www.blueandgoldfleet.com or www.telesails.com), Red and White Fleet (tel: (415) 673 2900; website: www.redandwhite.com) and Vallejo Baylink (tel: (707) 643 3779; website: www.baylinkferry.com) run daily services from the Ferry Building (weekdays only for Tiburon) and Pier 41, Fisherman’s Wharf, serving Oakland, Alameda, Vallejo, Tiburon and Sausalito.


Taxis
Taxis are plentiful and, despite reports to the contrary, hailing them is not difficult, although the wise passenger will book in advance. Tipping is customary, almost obligatory, and drivers expect about 15%. Yellow Cab Cooperative Inc (tel: (415) 626 2345) and Veterans National & United Taxicab Company (tel: (415) 552 1300) are both reputable providers.

Driving in the City
While arriving in San Francisco by car is a delight, driving around this city is not. Hills and cable cars, which have right of way, do not help. Parking is at a premium, car parks are expensive and the unwitting tourist can easily fall prey to a hefty fine. Regulations can be confusing and are aggressively enforced – pedestrians at a crossing always have the right of way and colored curbs indicate restricted parking. It is important to note that, when parking on a hill, the driver must curb the wheels to prevent a runaway and ensure that the handbrake is on. Wheels should be turned out facing uphill.

The Fifth and Mission Parking Garage, located where Fifth Street and Mission Street meet, is the biggest in the city. Other car parks include Union Square Garage, Geary Street, and the Ellis-O’Farrell Garage, located where these two streets meet. The cheapest parking lots charge US$2 per hour and are, of course, the first to fill up.


Car Hire
The best reason for hiring a car is to explore the magnificent coastal road, Highway 1, or for longer journeys, further afield. Most car hire companies offer deals that include insurance and unlimited mileage but drivers should be at least 21 years of age – some specify 25 years. A valid driving license is required, while a second form of identification and booking ahead is advised. Alamo (tel: 1 800 327 9633; website: www.alamo.com), Avis (tel: (415) 885 5011 or 1 800 331 1212; website: www.avis.com), Budget (tel: (415) 292 8400 or 1 800 527 0700; website: www.budget.com), Dollar (tel: 1 800 800 4000; website: www.dollar.com) or Thrifty (tel: (415) 788 8111 or 1 800 367 2277; website: www.thrifty.com) offer competitive rates.


Bicycle Hire
For those visitors who believe they can take on the hills, New Holiday Adventure Bike Rental & Sales (tel: (415) 567 1192) hires out mountain and street bikes. The more adventurous may want to sit astride a Harley. Eaglerider Motorcycle Rental (tel: (415) 503 1900) can turn mere citizens into easyriders from around US$75 daily. Prices include helmets, basic liability insurance and unlimited mileage. Drivers must be at least 21 years old and hold a motorcycle driving license.

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