I think if you print out the long term tickets in advance, you don't have to park in special spaces -- you can park anywhere in the garage or the open logs (mlgb, correct me if I'm wrong) and there's always space available (the garage is 4 levels, and there are a couple of open surface lots, too).

I am still confused why you need to have the car in SF - is is that the drop off fees are expensive?

Thank you for all the helpful replies. We are travelling from Las Vegas to LA by car and it is more expensive to give up the car in SF and rehire one 5 days later , that is why we have a car in SF.
Correct me if I am wrong , but I think the answer is that we buy an airport ticket in advance starting on the Sunday for San Bruno for 5 days , arrive late afternoon and hope there is an empty spot. The difficulty is still buying the ticket in advance as we will not have access to a computer until we arrive in SF and will not know the reg of the car until we pick up the car to leave LV.I am trying to contact BART to see how this can be overcome.

I would just try to find some free unrestricted street parking in the Noe Valley (or someplace else without parking restrictions), and take the J-Church Muni Metro into downtown SF (20 min ride). That's what we do !!! Watch out for weekly street cleaning - you don't want to get ticketed or towed for that. All the restrictions are posted on the streets. Just drive around on Church, Sanchez, and Noe streets between 30th and about 23rd (and streets perpendicular to these streets) and keep an eye for pockets of unrestricted parking. After you park, walk along 24th street, have dinner or lunch, shop, have coffee, and then retrieve your bags & head downtown.

(I should not be advertising this !!!)

Stu Dudley

I have followed all of the conversation and contributed myself and I am concerned that you will add a great deal of stress to your trip over this problem so I will offer some alternatives.

If I read your itinerary correctly you are flying into Las Vegas and then driving to Yosemite, on to San Francisco and then down to L.A. I might suggest that you change the order unless you are already locked in. I would fly to San Francisco or Oakland, rent a car upon leaving and drive to Yosemite, drive to L.A. and then on to Las Vegas and drop off the car. This would eliminate the need to park the car in San Francisco and I would assume that wherever you are staying in Yosemite you could park the car. In L.A. unless you are staying in the city proper as opposed to Anaheim, etc. most hotel/motels have free parking. Drive to Las Vegas and drop off the car.I would also consider eliminating one leg of the trip and my choice would be Las Vegas unless you are into gambling.Your last choice would be to bite the bullet and pay the parking in the city or an additional drop off charge. Either way I personally would not want the stress of not being sure if a parking spot at the BART garage is available or how to preprint the long term permit.

Good Luck !

Thank you , sadly we have the flights booked into LV and out of LA & some of the accomodation is also booked. Our route is fixed .The parking is the only problem with the whole trip which covers 19 days. I think you may be right , it is really not worth all this stress and so maybe we will just have to pay the 150$ parking for 5 days ! Sounds like a lot of money.

What's wrong with my idea - we do it all the time? I was just there in the Noe valley 30 mins ago - and didn't have any trouble parking - although it can take a bit of driving around to find the blocks with unrestricted parking (abou 40-50% of the bocks). We had coffee at XO cafe on Church & 30 & watched about 3 muni metro buses go by, that will get you downtown in 25 mins. Concentrate on the blocks bounded by Church & Sanchez and Duncan & 30th st. Even a half block west of Sanchez. Also look around 23rd to 25th streets & between Sanchez & Diamond.

Street cleaning is actually every other week - it will be posted.

Stu Dudley

Why can't you print out your parking reservation before you leave Las Vegas?

are you factoring in the cost of BART to and from San Bruno?It will be $3.90 per person each way, so $15/day. If you do the Noe Valley J Church suggestion it is approx $2 each way for each of you. Personally if I were coming across the pond, to be in SF for 5 days, I would either eat the parking or eat the dropoff cost.
And i take the J Church ALL THE TIME and it is mostly reliable UNLESS IT'S not!!! Often just one car which is full.

mztery, it would only be BART from San Bruno twice -- they're staying in the city, and the point would be to leave the car outside the city so they don't have to pay hotel (or Embarcadero Center) parking prices.

got it, thanks for the explanation.

I have just had a very helpful reply from BART telling me how to purchase the airport parking permit for a hire car when you do not know the registration. However , it would appear that none of this is possible without a US credit card , so this is all in vain.
Many thanks for all your helpful suggestions.