In October we will be in Glen Ellen and on our last day we will need to drive to San Francisco airport to return our rental car by 4:00 P.M. on a Friday. Looking for suggestions on the best route to follow.
Also I am assuming the bridges all have "tolls", but are there toll booths or just electronic pass lanes?
Thanks!

Go over the Golden Gate Bridge into SF. Do not go via the East Bay and the Bay Bridge and therefore get on the "most congested freeway" in the Bay Area. You'll be doing a reverse commute - but still I would not go via the Bay Bridge. We have lived in San Francisco or in northern San Mateo since 1975, and we always take the GG Bridge.

Everything is electronic pass. Somehow, your car rental company will bill you - I think.

Get in the far right lane once you near the end of the GG Bridge, then take the 19th Ave exit. Follow the cars in front of you on on Park Presidio Ave, then through Golden Gate Park - staying to the left. Then exit the Park on 19th Ave & hopefully the traffic won't be too slow on 19th ave. Continue on 19th Ave on to Hwy 280. Then follow the signs to the airport, taking hwy 380, and 101. Trip is probably 1 1/2 hrs - but I would pan on 2 hrs min.

Stu Dudley

Honestly, I'd download Waze and follow the directions it gives. That will give you real-time traffic. If the Bay Bridge is uncrowded (and it will be midday), it will be faster than trekking through the city.

The Golden Gate Bridge either uses a pass or bill-by-plate. The Bay Bridge takes cash.

Don't take the Bay Bridge. The Bridge itself is not the problem - it's Hwy 80 leading to the Bridge, and 101 from the Bridge to SFO. Traffic on getaway Friday starts around 2:00 these days on 101. We have lived 7 mins south of SFO since 1981, and we avoid 101 as much as we can.

Stu Dudley

To give some context... if you were to ask how to get from SOMA to Berkeley, stududley would probably find a way to get you to avoid the Bay Bridge.

That isn't to say that the Bay Bridge route isn't prone to delays (it is), or that there won't be times where the GG is better. But the reality is that both options have downsides. The GG route has you traversing city streets and can see its own delays.

As none of us are clairvoyant, it is really impossible to tell you which route will be better when you make the trip, which is why I recommend using Waze or another social traffic app. They aren't perfect, but they are a better bet than trying to choose between two pretty terrible routings using information that isn't relatively real-time.

>> if you were to ask how to get from SOMA to Berkeley, stududley would probably find a way to get you to avoid the Bay Bridge.

If one stays in the left lane on 19th Ave. the traffic usually flows quite freely because there are no left turns allowed in its entire length. Once the traveler sees the shopping center on the south side of the city, he should move to the right lane. Aside from a potential slowdown going through Golden Gate Park, I think that the Golden Gate Bridge is the better option. It is the shortest route between Sonoma and SFO.

Also, the drive from Sonoma to SFO via the GG Bridge is one of the loveliest drives in the Bay Area (except through San Rafael & 19th Ave). Using the Bay Bridge is perhaps the ugliest drive in the Bay Area - except the last half of the Bay Bridge when you get a nice view of the Embarcadero - but if you do it after about 1PM you'll have the sun in your face (like I did most days driving home from work) & you'll see mostly shadows.

Stu Dudley

Another vote for using the GG Bridge - 19th Ave. - 280, just as Stu says. I make every effort to avoid 80 & the Bay Bridge always.

Absolutely take the GG Bridge. The whole East Bay freeway system connecting to the Bay Bridge should be avoided on a Friday.

Take the Golden Gate Bridge rather than the Bay Bridge. Much nicer scenery and who wouldn't want to go over the Golden Gate Bridge for bragging rights and a great view. Probably no fog.

travelgormet, I live in Berkeley and sometimes I do take the GGB to get into the City!!! So Stu is not just being a contrarian. Sometimes it is faster to drive the 26 miles across the Richmond/San Rafael and GGB than it is to drive the 13 miles on 80 and across the Bay Bridge. FYI the Bay Bridge is not the problem--it is the backup that results from the toll plaza and there is backup most of the day.

I'm aware that sometimes it will be faster to go one way or the other, which is why I recommended using Waze so you know what the traffic is like at that point in time, as opposed to last Tuesday, last month, last year, or last decade.

6 to 1, I think the vote is in.

Another vote for Waze. We made almost the same trip yesterday, and following Waze took us from Sonoma to summer with almost no traffic. If we are just followed freeway directions it would've added 45 minutes to our trip in pack traffic

It's very summer right here at home where I am and think of the time I've saved.

Study this website:
http://goldengate.org/tolls/

This is by far the best way to deal with tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge. There is no need whatsoever to go through your rental car company, since they will tack on processing fees.

Thank y'all so much for the great responses! I will definitely use WAZE and take the GGC (I like the idea of the better view!) It is very helpful to have you detail even the lane to be in, Stu! I actually "practiced" driving from Florence to Montepulciano, Italy using google street view, so now I can practice this route (I am very visually cued) ahead of time.
Superb! I am so looking forward to my trip to California!

wow... i hope your trip wasn't planned for this week!! i live here and you would most certainly have to be evacuated from Glen Ellen. Were you able to be here before the fires??

>>wow... i hope your trip wasn't planned for this week!!