Viviana7

Hi,
I was planning on renting a car in San Francisco-but I don't know if it's a good idea or not. I'm hearing that it's not a good idea. How is the public transportation there? What do you suggest? I'm used to driving in NYC, so that's not the problem. I'm afraid parking is a problem.
Thanks for your help.

artlover

No, do not rent a car in SF. Yes, parking is one of the problems. Public transportation is very good.

hpeabody

I recently spent a long weekend in San Francisco. You do not need a car when in the city, in fact it is a pain in the butt because of the parking situation. But, there are great places to go outside of the city. What I did this time was take the BART from SFO airport to Powell St station. I walked to my hotel in the Union Square area. I spent the first full day doing the touristy stuff in the city. On the second day. I walked to the Dollar renta-a-car location in Union Square and picked up the car I had pre-reserved. I went very early to be assured of getting a car, I spent the day enjoying Golden Gate Park, The Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods and Sausalito. I returned the car just before closing time (7PM). Then I walked back to my hotel It worked out great for me. I spent another day in the city and then I also took the BART back to the airport

clarkgriswold

How long are you going to be there? There certainly is A LOT to get out and see outside of the city, but will you have time. There are a few hotels that include parking in their rates.

Viviana7

I plan on staying overnight in Sonoma or Napa, then be in SFO for 3 nights.

LoveItaly

Hi Viviana, just so others understand..SFO is San Francisco Airport. The initials for San Francisco is SF. While staying in SF personally I would not bother with a car for the reasons that other Fodorites have expressed. Do have a wonderful visit!

meo

Driving in San Francisco isn't bad - I think it is easier than NYC. The problem is the parking; on-street is really frustrating and garage parking is expensive (4 hrs at the Pier 39 garage is $28).

If you don't mind the expense of parking, I think it might be good to have a car, so you can do things like drive to the beach, over the Golden Gate Bridge, to the Marin Headlands, and Napa/Sonoma, and the other places mentioned by hpeabody. For getting around touristy parts of The City, you can walk or take a taxi. Public transportation is convenient, but I personally dislike using it in SF.

dmlove

Public transportation is convenient, but I personally dislike using it in SF.

I work in the city, and only use BART (and occasionally a streetcar to get to AT&T Park, although I usually just walk), but I was wondering what you dislike about public transportation in SF?

BTW, I actually think a car is great for at leas a day in SF -- much easier to drive out to the ocean, or up and down the hills, or through some of the fabulous residential neighborhoods, in a car than using either public transportation or your feet.

meo

Well, now that I think about it, I dislike using public transportation in most places! I don't like having to work around the schedules, not getting a seat, how many times the air has been breathed(!), etc. Instead of trains and buses, we almost always take taxis in cities where we don't want to drive.

I do like BART for certain things, such as going to an A's game. I used to take Muni to work and didn't care for it - so many people crammed in each car. These are all just personal issues, so for someone who doesn't have the same issues, public transportation in SF would be convenient.

Maybe I just need to take some public transportation into The City tomorrow for a little "retail therapy!"

blakejared

For the downtown/central area, where there is already a lot to see, public transit is excellent. But if you're travelling out to the suburbs, having a car might help, and driving isn't as bad as in New York.