I am planning a (first) trip to San Fran this September and am looking for seasoned travelers recommendations for hotel (including surrounding areas), transportation issues (rental car vs. public transporation), and best sites in the area to see (i.e. Alcatraz, ???).

Also appreciated would be favorite eating establishments and why. (Healthy, spicy, etc.)

Some general questions:
How far is Union Square from SF Airport?
How far is Oakland Airport from SF area? (recommended airport?)
Shuttles to hotels from airport(s)?


Thank you for any advise you can offer.

Don't know distances from Union Square to the airports, but here are some things to keep in mind:
Oakland airport is small and manageable and from there you can take BART into the city (don't bring a lot of luggage though)
SFO has one of the worst on time records anywhere and often suffers because of the fog. There's no viable public transportation into the city. You take a taxi or one of the Super Shuttle vans.
Many websites to help you. www.sfgate.com and click on travel or sfvisitors.org You do not want to rent a car to visit SF--parking is very tight and prices are $20 plus per day, even at some hotels. If you want to take a daytrip out of the city, rent the car up in the city for the one day only. You need to get moving on reservations for September.

Don't know your interests, but here's some info for starters:
1. To see/do: Alcatraz, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, Chinatown, Golden Gate Bridge,Golden Gate Park, Sidetrip to Sausalito
2. SFO to Union about 1/2 hour travel time, Oak also about 1/2 hour from airport to city of SF
3. No known shuttles. SFO airport is very busy, more difficult access. OAK is easier to navigate in and out of, but either will serve you for proximity

Hi ROni- here's my list of restaurants- been going to SFO for over 20 years- you'll love these: Zuni Cafe (in the SOMA area),Kuleto's (italian in the Villa FLorence hotel off Union Sq- great Italian Breakfast,Postrio Rest,make sure you have DIM SUM - you don't need to go to CHinatown for it- the best rest. for it is down the block from SHeraton Palace but I forgot the name--hotels: Villa FLorence,Hyatt Union Sq,Monaco hotel to name a few

I VERY rarely say this, but please do a search on this board - there are LOTS of postings re: SF. Having said that. . .here are some suggestions:

You absolutely do not need a car if you're planning on staying in the city. SF is a walkable city (lots of hills though!). There is also excellent public transportation via the BART system, the buses, and the cablecars (only two routes for these). You can actually buy a several day Muni pass which will get you around rather cheaply throughout the city. Public transportation is very reliable and quick. From the airport (I agree, OAK is a MUCH better airport as far as getting in and out of - if you have a choice). If you're coming from SFO, take the Super Shuttle. They're right out front. Only $16 per way into town. They make several stops, but they're the cheapest. There is a bus that you can take as well that will only cost $2 or so, but I'm not sure where you exactly get it from (you may want to check with the airport info folks when you arrive (bottom of the escalators).

Best sites. Personally, I wouldn't include Alcatraz, but to each their own. I'd suggest the following:

Muir Woods
Sausilito
Drive to Napa or Sonoma for a day
Drive down the 49 mile scenic route to Carmel/Big Sur
Coit Tower at night
Fort Lewis
Palace of Arts
SOMA (Modern Art Museum)
There's a great little museum in the Embarcadero, but I'm sorry, the name escapes me - incredible views from the top
Golden Gate Park

That should be enough to get you started anyway.

Some of my favorite restaurants:

Sears (for breakfast - great pancakes - you have to wait in line for awhile though).
Trattoria Contadina (great Italian)
definitely Dim Sum
Washington Square for dessert and jazz (if you enjoy jazz)

Have a wonderful time - SF is one of my favorite cities in this country!

We, too, are visiting SF in September. We have flights into OAK. I've done lots of research already, but haven't found one thing. ldsant mentions a "Supershuttle" from SFO, but I've found nothing of the like from OAK. Is there or is BART/bus/taxi the only way?

Please, does anybody know of a shuttle or other transport company from OAK to the Fisherman's Wharf area?

I need to correct something Idsant said: I recently visited SF and found it to be much more car dependent than I thought it would be.

The first sign of this was my observation that almost every apartment building I saw had a garage in front of it (my friends there even said that most people drive in SF). Second, the BART serves the Bay Area; it's primary purpose is similar to a communter rail - to connect the suburbs to the downtown. You cannot take the BART from Union Square to, say, Fisherman's Wharf. The BART is not like subways in NY, Boston, or DC which move people around within the city. Third, the cable cars are not the best mode of transportation. They have limited range and there is a HUGE line of people waiting for the cable car at each end (Union Sq & Fisherman's). Riding a cable car is certainly a must-do in SF, but don't go there thinking you can use it as a primary source of transportation.

Most public ransportation in SF is via bus. By California standards (i.e., LA), SF is walkable, but it is also pretty big. I would suggest that you bring plenty of cab fare with you when you go.

Not to start a flame war or anything, but I visit SF at least once a month (for the last five years) and have NEVER driven/rented a car in the city. You most definitely can walk. You can rent a car for a day or two once you're in the city, but parking is EXTREMELY expensive (some hotels charge $32 PER night) and difficult to find (unless the hotel has their own garage).Yes, it may be "far" compared to where you live, but it provides you the opportunity to see the city. Buses are very reliable and run often. There are cabs, but usually, I don't spend more than $15 on cabfare for two days in the city itself. Again, it depends upon where you are planning on staying and where you are planning on going to.

Linda - there are many transportation services from OAK. When you get to the airport, head towards airport information or ground transportation. They will be happy to direct you to the choices available. You can also check out http://www.supershuttle.com and see if they go from OAK Airport. I've never had to use them, so I don't have first hand knowledge. Sorry; hope this helps.

The 49 mile scenic drive certainly doesn't go to Monterey! It's a driving tour around the city and in close Bay area. The parking rate at the Fairmont Hotel last month was $35 per night. Same for the St. Francis two months ago. Do you really want to rent that car? MUNI will get you where you want to go in SF and there are accessible fairly inexpensive taxis as well. Don't count on the cable cars except as fun for tourists. BART is a subway basicially that takes you to the East Bay. Was never intended to take you around the city as in NYC. The tourist part of SF is very small and if you can walk at all you should be able to do a lot of it on foot. There are a lot of folks posting here with misinformation. Enjoy SF.

Thank you, Idsant.

A few corrections and elaborations here.

First, about airport transportation: it is simply not true that there is no viable public transit from SFO into the city (or to the East Bay, for that matter). At the North or International terminals at SFO, you can catch either the BART express shuttle or a SamTrans bus to the Colma BART station, a 15-minute ride, and then take BART downtown, for a total of 45 minutes and less than $5. I did this in June, and it is no more difficult than the BART connection from OAK.

You can certainly arrange shuttle transport in advance from OAK into SF. There is all sorts of info on the Oakland Airport web site: http://www.oaklandairport.com/groundtr.html

If you're spending your time in SF going to popular attractions (or going just about anywhere), you really do not need a car. Cable cars are not for transportation--they're so you can say you rode a cable car. Buses and MUNI streetcars/underground cover basically all the city (I have plenty of friends who get all over SF on a daily basis without cars). The streetcars run both aboveground and underground, depending on what part of the city you are in. BART can be very handy if you are going somewhere in the city that's near a station, and it is the best way to get to the East Bay.

www.transitinfo.org is an excellent site that gives comprehensive info on all public transit in the greater Bay Area, from buses to trains to ferries, with links to official sites, airport transportation, etc.

Linda get a car. Wine country is a must. Muir woods is also great, but, it's in Marin 20 minutes away and you should go. Also Muir woods is at the base of Mt Tamalpias which you should go to the top of to see the incredible views. Take warm clothes if you are staying in the city, summer afternoons can be very chilly.

Joe, thank you, but no car this trip. We're only going for a long weekend, just enough time to enjoy SF itself. We're going to see the British Museum's traveling exhibit on Egyptology. That leaves us only 2 days, and we plan on taking the ferry to Sausalito for lunch on Saturday, spending a little time there, then coming back and walking around the city. We've both been to SF before, and love the ambience. Have already done Muir woods and Mt Tamalpias. We're looking for Chinese and Italian food, a ride on a cable car, watching the sea lions off the wharf, and maybe stopping in a gallery or two. Thank you again for your tips, though.

I agree. Rent a car only to go out of the City. I have not seen the "new" streetcar mentioned. The "F" street car runs from Fisherman's Wharf thru downtown Market Street (near Union Square) and up Market. Costs bus fare ($1) and the old streetcars are great I think. If you take the cable car one way..take the street car the opposite way (no wait) . Unfortunately I heard they may discontinue this route..which would be a shame. I loved it.

Dont ever call it San Fran again. Ever.

Stay in Japantown. Visit China Beach and Muir Woods if you have the time.