Anybody from San Francisco?

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luxstang

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Hi guys,

As I will be traveling to California later this year, I have a question to ask:

I´ve read somewhere that it is no use having a rental car while being in San Francisco because of parking issues.

The post suggested that you turn your rental in sooner (if SF is your last stop and you leave from there) or pick it up after your visit in SF (if your plane arrives to SF and you spend a few days there before traveling the rest of the country).

Can anybody help me out with some first hand information on this?

Thanx

 
My wife and I visited SF a few years ago and did not need a rental car. Just took a shuttle van from the airport to the hotel downtown. Plenty of transportation with the cable cars, vintage buses, taxi's etc. Probably best to buy an all day pass. Actually a lot to do withing walking distance. Make sure you visit the Wharf area. You may want to rent a car for a day if you want to sightsee outside the city or drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.

 
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My wife and I visited SF a few years ago and did not need a rental car. Just took a shuttle van from the airport to the hotel downtown. Plenty of transportation with the cable cars, vintage buses, taxi's etc. Probably best to buy an all day pass. Actually a lot to do withing walking distance. Make sure you visit the Wharf area. You may want to rent a car for a day if you want to sightsee outside the city or drive across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Same thing for my wife and I when we visited SF a few years ago.....took airport/hotel shuttle...walked around SF and then we rented a car to drive around outside the city ....and cross the Golden Gate.

 
There was acutally an indoor car show going on when we were there down in the Wharf area. I remember seeing a yellow Mach 1 in the show. I need to fnd the picture and see if it belongs to anyone here!

 
I lived just south of San Francisco for 31 years. You don't need a rental car if you are staying inside the city. My friends and I use to take BART into the city and we just walked every where. It is probably the most beautiful city I have ever been in (depending on the weather).

 
It may sound hokey but my wife and I took one of the many guided bus tours available (Grey Line I think). They hit the highlights, GG Bridge, Architecture and other points of interest. We were only there a few hours as it was part of a trip I made for work. A tour like this may give you give you an idea of things you want to explore further.

As for parking there are some options near the Wharf. I parked our truck and trailer in a lot there.

Another cool California place is Hearst Castle @ San Simeon. There is some amazing Architecture and Antiquities from all over the world.

 
Thank you for the info.

We´ll fly from Europe into LA, take a rental and explore California. Then we´ll take Highway 1 to SF.

The return flight will be from SF to Europe, so I guess I´ll leave SF for the last days of our stay and turn the car in e few days earlier. No use paying for a rental if you don´t need it.

Of course I will need it to visit the filming locations of "Bullit". :)

"Guided bus tours" sounds cheesy but sometimes it really is a good way to get an overview of a city, especially if you don´t know your way around.

It makes you feel like a tourist, but.... what the heck!

 
Make sure to tour Alcatraz! My wife has family in SF, and we usually go there once or twice a year, but I have yet to visit the prison :(.

ETA: Oh, and some other really good places are Napa Valley (if you like wine), the Presidio and the civil war fort at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge...and the fort on the north end of the GG Bridge...and the Cabrillo Hwy stretch of Hwy 1...and Half Moon Bay...just a few ideas...

 
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Make sure to tour Alcatraz! My wife has family in SF, and we usually go there once or twice a year, but I have yet to visit the prison :(.

ETA: Oh, and some other really good places are Napa Valley (if you like wine), the Presidio and the civil war fort at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge...and the fort on the north end of the GG Bridge...and the Cabrillo Hwy stretch of Hwy 1...and Half Moon Bay...just a few ideas...
I´ll keep that in mind.

Thanks a lot!

::thumb::

 
I travel up there fairly frequently. If I am working in the city, I prefer not to get a car. The hotels charge about $50 per day for parking and it isn't necessary if you are just sightseeing in the city. As someone else mentioned, BART goes from the airport to downtown and beyond for about $8 (to downtown). From there you can take MUNI, the cable car, taxis, or walking. Plenty of ways to get around without a car. Make it a goal to try them all!

 
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