There's no lack of transportation options in San Francisco, but it's important to plan ahead and pick the best route for your destination. Downtown, North Beach, and Fisherman's Wharf are easily walkable.
People Also Ask
Downtown San Francisco is easy to navigate. It's compact and fairly walkable, with multiple easy-to-use public transit options. However, due to its windy, hilly streets and pricy parking, driving around San Francisco is not recommended unless you plan on traveling outside the city itself.
For glitz and glamour and some cutting-edge culture in the SoCal sunshine, it's got to be LA.But for a smaller-town feel with big-name sights, you're best off in San Francisco. Better still, rent a car, drive the spectacular coastal highway that connects the two, and take in both cities on one trip.
Is San Francisco still one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S. in 2019? Yes. Being on the tip of a hilly peninsula, San Francisco is still one of the most beautiful, interesting, and walkable cities in North America.
As one of the most walkable, bike-friendly and transit-connected cities in America, San Francisco is best explored by foot, on bike and on Muni, the city's public transportation system. We're here to help you get around San Francisco.
Cable cars and street cars are San Francisco's historic public transit. Cable cars are located downtown and run on three lines: Powell-Hyde, Powell-Mason, and California Street. The F-Line streetcar runs up and down Market Street all the way to Fisherman's Wharf.
In the Bay Area, most neighborhoods in cities like San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland score high marks on the walkable index, mostly due to robust transportation networks and high numbers of pedestrian-accessible intersections.
The best time to visit San Francisco is from September to November. Believe it or not, fall offers some of the city's warmest temperatures year-round, not to mention fewer crowds than summer. Spring is another good time to visit thanks to its mild temperatures and lack of rain (compared to other parts of California).
San Francisco is not a difficult city to drive in but parking will be expensive in downtown areas and popular tourist attractions. If you're mostly going to be spending your time in the larger cities with good public transit (San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, etc) I would say you don't really need to rent a car.
Bridge crossings can be made by tour bus, taxi, ride-sharing services, and public transit. Golden Gate TransitOpens in new window buses and San Francisco Muni buses stop at the San Francisco toll plaza, where visitors can get off to walk or cycle the bridge, toll-free.
Yosemite is about 170 miles away from San Francisco and about a 4-hour drive. So, we recommend starting your day as early as 5 AM or 6 AM to have full experience in the park. If you prefer to sleep in while on vacation, something we're all guilty of, you can easily book a hotel.
While SF is geographically small there is a lot of up and down to it. It's much better to suss out the public transit than trying to walk everywhere. Walking to the Golden Gate Bridge or Presidio is enjoyable. Walking back from the Golden Gate Bridge or Presidio with sore feet isn't so enjoyable.
Union Square, best area to stay in San FranciscoUnion Square is perhaps the best-known neighborhood, since it's the center of the city. This is a very dynamic place, where you can attend many concerts and events throughout the year.
January and February are the cheapest months to visit San Francisco. The weather is least pleasant in winter, but the crowds are the smallest, and hotel room prices lower. But avoid New Year's Eve and the days around Chinese New Year parade in February to save money.