sudz

Any suggestions for what area to stay in for a 2 to 3 day stay in SF? We want to squeeze in as many touristy things as possible, so don't want to spend too much time traveling.

clarkgriswold

If you're going to park a car, consider the Columbus Motor Inn. Some hotels charge as much as $60 to park. Well-reviewed motel and it's by north beach, an easy walk to touristy Fisherman's Wharf and also just a few long blocks to Union Square or to the cable cars.

DebitNM

Somewhere in the Union Square area. It is easy to get around San Francisco, it is pretty compact.

What is your per night budget, before tax? What time of year?
Type of hotel - standard, fancy?? We can suggest if we know what you are looking for and when.

venturegirl

Take BART from airport into city and stay central along Market St. corridor. Even though Union Square is touristy, to optimize your time for just 2-3 days, I would suggest staying around stops of either Powell St/Union Sq, Montgomery/Financial District, or Embarcadero. This will allow you to easily travel to a number of places including up to the Mission neighborhood. Same stops will allow you to use the Market Muni lines (street cars or underground) up to neighborhoods like Noe Valley/Mission Dolores – or the other direction the street car goes around Embarcadero in both directions including up to Fisherman’s Wharf. From Union Sq/FiDi you can also easily walk to SOMA, Chinatown, and North Beach – or a cheap cab ride. Staying around Civic Center station would be fine also, but a tourist might perceive it to be a little more sketchy because there is often a lot of homeless people camping out in the evening. But it’s a good area for visiting - with the new Twitter building and upgraded Hayes Valley the area has been changing fast: Asian Art Museum, Symphony, Opera/Ballet, and Hayes Valley with lots of foodie options and new Jazz Center. You can access Golden Gate Park by Muni bus pretty easily from Union Sq area, even though the buses aren’t as efficient as the rail lines. Parking in the city is really challenging, so better to rely on public transit. If you want to visit Golden Gate Park or drive over the GG Bridge, you might pick up a car for just part of your visit. Sure, do some touristy things, but if you really want to see SF, make sure your hit at least a couple of the neighborhoods.

Guenmai

For decades, I've stayed in different areas of S.F. as I have some step-relatives who are from there. I personally like staying close to the Union Square/Market Street area.

One hotel, where I stayed for years, was the Hotel Diva which is on Geary Street and directly across the street from the Curran Theater. I've stayed at that Hotel ever since they first opened, I think it was. It's an easy walk to Union Square from there.

However, on my last trips up there, I've switched over to the Four Seasons on Market Street, as I'm a big Four Seasons fan. Plus, it's really easy to take the Bart from the S.F. airport to the hotel as there's a Bart station right there on Market, near the hotel.

As for having a car while in S.F., there have been times when I've rented one, but I don't even bother anymore as the hotel parking rates are astronomical and a lot of the paid, non-hotel lots are not so great, although expensive. When I'm in S.F., I either walk, take the bus, or a taxi as the distances are short, compared to here in L.A. Plus, I usually just fly up there for a 3-day getaway.

Happy Travels!