hans

We are planing on spending some time in Dan Francisco without a car and then driving for a few days through the Sonoma Valley. If we fly into Oakland, what would the costs be to take a cab in to Union Square? Are there other easy options?

My idea is to fly into OAK so as to rent a car there, drive around Sonoma/Napa, and then have an easier (?) return of the car at OAK when we are done. This would also avoid driving through San Francisco at the end of our trip to fly out of SFO.

Caitlin

I can't say how much a cab would be, but it would cost plenty. You can certainly arrange a limo or shuttle, or if you're up for public transit, it's pretty easy: you can take the AirBART bus from the airport to the Coliseum BART station, and then BART to the Powell Street station (near Union Square. Of course, this will take longer, about an hour and a half.

For public transit info, check out www.transitinfo.org/Airports

For shuttle services, etc. and also public transit info, check out the airport web site, www.flyoakland.com, and click on ground transportation.

Gail

I usually just take BART , but then I usually just have carry on if I'm using Oakland. I've used Bayporter when I've had to get an absurdly early flight but haven't taken them back into the city but I think you have to make a reservation

Gail

{sorry about that , computer glitch}
I think you need a reservation as this is not a heavily traveled route. {Oakland to SF}. Fare is $24 and I think $10 for each additional person. 877-467-1800. Another useful site in this regard is www.quickaid.com. Enjoy.

Paul

Hans,

Your plan to rent/return a car at Oakland and see the wine country first sounds very good. Upon dropping off the car and going to Union Square, taking BART (train) would be the least expensive, fastest and easiest (I think). The BART does not go directly into the airport in Oakland but a small shuttle bus takes you to the nearby Coliseum Station for a couple of dollars. Inside the station will be an attendant in a booth to help with any questions. When you are ready to depart SF for SFO, then you might take a cab or share a SuperShuttle van. SFgate.com has much information on this area, including transportation. The wine country is very beautiful, especially in the spring -- have fun. The Valley of the Moon area is my favorite in Sonoma, and St. Helena would be my favorite in Napa. Please remember that all highways are heavily patrolled for people who have had just 'a little too much wine tasting'. Be careful.

Laurie

Where are you staying? Unless you are staying in Oakland I can't think of a reason to fly into OAK. Most of the SF hotels have free or nominal fee transportation or limos and cabs are readily available. There aren't any really nice hotels directly on the BART line in Oakland so consider the daily to/from BART transportation also.

Frankly, the commute in and out of SF from SFO is much easier than the Oakland-SF commute by a long shot, unless you take BART.

Trust me, I do it daily!

kam

Oakland is a very convenient airport to visit Napa and Sonoma. You are wise to return the car before visiting San Francisco, but did you look into alternative places to return it? There are rental agencies in the city--quite a few near Union Square. You can drive in SF--it's just not necessary and parking is terribly expensive. If you could drive from Sonoma back to the city and return your car before checking into the hotel, that would be ideal. Then you wouldn't have to fool around with BART. As an alternative, search for the Supershuttle website or check sfgate.com. Have a great trip, and as someone else has said, be careful how much tasting you do when in the wine country if you are going to drive.