Hi I was wondering if all of the hotels charge for parking? Does anyone know of any that do not?

I don't know, but pay whatever they want. IMHO there is no other parking. We tried to visit SF for the day and parking was such an ordeal that I'm surprised I'm still married.

Well that's pretty terrible advice. Perhaps when taking a car to SF it is best to locate appropriate parking in advance as ronijean is doing so as to avoid disrupting a marriage over a trivial matter.

When my sis was married in the city we all stayed at the Joie de Vivre property, Hotel Del Sol which offers free parking:

http://www.jdvhotels.com/hotels/del_sol/services

It's a pretty funky place.

In July we stayed at Villa Florence and parked in a very nice garage at Mason & O'Farrell for $29 every 24 hours. We left it there and walked or took public transport. It was a clean and well lit garage and we had no problems.

Some motels away from the center have free parking--the Cow Hollow Motor Inn, for instance, which is near the shops and restaurants on Chestnut Street and Union Street. www.cowhollowmotorinn.com

I agree with Suzie, there are a variety of garages for different prices. I personally think it's worth it for saving $10.- plus a night. ITA on the Lombard Street hotels, with free parking. I would probably take the 15 - 20 minute bus ride from Union Street, to Union Square at $1.50 a ride. If you return within the time stamped (maybe 2 1/2 to 3 hours?), your return ride is free. I really liked staying in the Cow Hollow/ Union Street area.

We just returned from SF last week and were happy that someone offered advice to use a public parking garage vs. hotel parking. HOWEVER, location of your hotel is key.

We stayed at the Hilton Financial district which charged a whopping $42 for overnight parking whereas the Portsmouth Parking garage just across the street charged $26.

What district is your hotel in? I'd search for "parking garage", "san francisco" and the location of your hotel to see what options are nearby.

Another option (if you won't be needing your car in the city) is to use the long term parking at the BART stations outside of the city and BART in. You'll save a ton this way if you're in the city for more than a few days.

Have fun!

Again, agree that one needs to do some research on parking options if one needs to keep a car while in San Francisco, if one wants to save some $.

We were in SF over Labor Day weekend and had a car for 3 days. We stayed at the Hyatt Embarcadero. Parking at hotel would have cost $57/day = $171 total (and not including tips for valet).

Instead, we parked at the Embarcadero Center 4 garage for just $30/day. The garage entrance is a 1-min walk from the hotel. And the garage is open from 7a-12MN daily. We were happy to save $81 by walking an extra 2 minutes a day.

San Francisco has always been a mess when it comes to parking and especially downtown.

I zipped up there, from L.A., last month for some R&R and just refused to pay $45. a day for parking, so on this past trip I didn't rent a car. I walked, took the very crowded public buses, and took one taxi. Happy Travels!

I'm not sure what Guenmai means about the "mess" when it comes to parking. There's plenty of lots (in addition to the hotel parking), both indoors and out, at all price levels (none of which is cheap, but all of which are less than hotels). I work in Four Embarcadero, where yk parked in lieu of parking at the Hyatt (which is next door). I don't park in my building, because while $30 a day is cheap compared to $57 a day for a hotel, it's still very expensive on a monthly basis. I park about 2-1/2 long blocks from here where there are lots that cost $14 a day.

Yes, dmlove, there are definitely open lots which are significantly cheaper than garages.

I have done research before my trip, and came up with a few conclusions:

1) Many open lots are closed on evenings and weekends
2) Safety can be an issue for overnight parking at open lots

Therefore, though the Embarcadero garage is still rather expensive, I felt it was the safest place to park which would give me a peace of mind. Also, I didn't want to park at an open lot several blocks away and then walk to the hotel at 11:30pm in the evening.

yk, I don't disagree with you in the slightest -- I think you made the right choice (although I personally think the Embarcadero garages are a little spooky at night). But there are other less expensive indoor garages, too. I was really reacting to the "parking is a mess" post!

OP, where are you staying?

Ronijeni do you live in California? If so, the Intercontinental on Howard has a deal for you! Free parking, $20/day gas credit & breakfast for the price of your room. Hotel parking in SF is usually between $25 & $50 per night. If you stay at the Golden Gate, a sweet little B&B near Union Square, the parking garage across the street is about $20 per night. I believe all the close-in hotels charge for parking these days.

Yikes, the three non-enclosed lots I was referring to are closing down at the end of October (they're putting the temporary TransBay terminal there). Back to the drawing board.

Man I wish I had known about that Intercontinental deal when I wen to SG!!! Though I do hate that term "staycation!"

dmlove - I need to park one night (next Wed) in a closed garage. I read somewhere about the Sutter-Stockton garage. Do you know it? I'm staying at Campton Place. Is this garage a good choice for me or do you have another suggestion?

Thanks former nyer!

Centralparkgirl - How about the Union Sq Garage?
http://www.unionsquareshop.com/parking.html

both the sutter/stockton or the union square garages are covered facilities barely within a block of the campton place.

yk and abranz - thanks! - they are both fine. $30 is reasonable and I just need it for one night.

sorry I missed this, Centralparkgirl, but you got good advice from the others!

Hello, I am staying at California and Montgomery (the Omni) and will need parking on a Friday night. I am bit confused about the location of the garages cited here -- can anyone suggest a garage near the Omni? thanks so much.