Getting Around San Francisco

ARRIVING & DEPARTING

By Air
The major gateway to San Francisco is the San Francisco International Airport (tel. 415/761-0800), just south of the city, off U.S. 101. Several domestic airlines serve the Oakland Airport (tel. 415/577-4000), which is across the bay but not much farther away from downtown San Francisco (via I-880 and I-80), although traffic on the Bay Bridge may at times make travel time longer. Flying times: 6 hours from New York, 4 hours from Chicago, and 1 hour from Los Angeles.

CARRIERS
From the U.S.
Carriers serving San Francisco include Alaska Air (tel. 800/426-0333); American (tel. 800/433-7300); Continental (tel. 800/525-0280); Delta (tel. 800/221-1212); Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525); Southwest (tel. 800/435-9792); TWA (tel. 800/891-4141); United (tel. 800/241-6522); and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322).
For inexpensive, no-frills flights, contact Private Jet (tel. 404/231-7571, 800/546-7571, or 800/949-9400), based in Atlanta.
From the U.K.
Carriers serving San Francisco direct include American (tel. 0345/789-789); British Airways (tel. 020/8897-4000 or 0345/222111 outside London); Delta (tel. 0800/414767); United (tel. 0800/888555); and Virgin Atlantic (tel. 01293/747747).
BETWEEN THE AIRPORT AND TOWN
A taxi ride from SFO to downtown costs about $30. Airport shuttles are inexpensive and efficient. The SFO Airporter ($10) picks up passengers at baggage claim (lower level) and serves selected downtown hotels. SuperShuttle stops at the upper-level traffic islands and takes you from the airport to anywhere within the city limits of San Francisco. It costs from $11 to $13 depending on your destination. Inexpensive shuttles to the East Bay (among them Bayporter Express) also depart from SFO's upper-level traffic islands; expect to pay around $20.
To drive to downtown San Francisco from the airport, take U.S. 101 north to the Civic Center (9th Street), 7th Street, or 4th Street exit. If you're headed to the Embarcadero or Fisherman's Wharf, take I-280 north (the exit is to the right, just past 3Com Park) and get off at the 4th Street/King Street exit. King Street becomes the Embarcadero a few blocks east of the exit. The Embarcadero winds around the waterfront to Fisherman's Wharf.

By Train
Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245) trains--the Zephyr, from Chicago via Denver, and the Coast Starlight, traveling between Los Angeles and Seattle--stop in Emeryville (5885 Landregan St.) and Oakland (245 2nd St. in Jack London Sq.). Shuttle buses connect the Emeryville station and San Francisco's Ferry Building (30 Embarcadero at the foot of Market St.).

GETTING AROUND

By Car
Driving in San Francisco can be a challenge because of the hills, the one-way streets, and the traffic. Take it easy, remember to curb your wheels when parking on hills, and use public transportation whenever possible. This is a great city for walking and a terrible city for parking. On certain streets, parking is forbidden during rush hours. Look for the warning signs; illegally parked cars are towed. Downtown parking lots are often full and always expensive. Finding a spot in North Beach at night, for instance, may be impossible.

REQUIREMENTS
In the United States you must be 21 to rent a car; rates may be higher if you're under 25. You'll pay extra for child seats (about $3 per day), compulsory for children under five, and for additional drivers (about $2 per day). To pick up your reserved car you will need the reservation voucher, a passport, a driver's license, and a travel policy that covers each driver.
CAR RENTAL
Unless you plan on making excursions into Marin County, the Wine Country, or Silicon Valley, avoid renting a car. First see how well suited the cable cars are to this city of hills, how well the Muni buses and streetcars get you around every neighborhood, and how efficiently BART delivers you practically anywhere on the bay.
The major car-rental companies represented in San Francisco are Alamo (tel. 800/327-9633 or 0800/272-2000 in the U.K.); Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 or 800/879-2847 in Canada); Budget (tel. 800/527-0700 or 0144/227-6266 in the U.K.); Dollar (known as Eurodollar outside North America, tel. 800/800-4000 or 020/8897-0811 in the U.K.); Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131, 800/263-0600 in Canada, 020/8897-2072 in the U.K.); and National InterRent (tel. 800/227-7368 or 0345/222525 in the U.K., where National is known as Europcar InterRent). You may also want to consider reserving your car online with AAA Rental Cars. AAA shops all of the major car rental companies for the best price. Rates in San Francisco begin at $36 a day and $123 a week for an economy car with unlimited mileage. This does not include tax on car rentals, which is 8.25%.
San Francisco has many good budget rental-car companies: American International (tel. 415/692-4100), Enterprise (tel. 800/325-8007), and Reliable (tel. 415/928-4414) are a few. At the other end of the price spectrum, Sunbelt (tel. 415/771-9191) specializes in BMWs, and Corvette and Miata convertibles.
RULES OF THE ROAD
Drive on the right in the United States. The speed limit is usually 30 mph (50 kph) on urban roads, and 55 mph (90 kph) or 65 mph (105 kph) on highways. Distances are always measured in miles. California requires passengers in the front seat to wear seatbelts, and children under age 4 must ride in child-safety seats.
At traffic lights, it's legal to make a right turn even when the light is red, provided you come to a full stop first and no traffic is coming. Signs indicate when such a turn is not permitted. If in doubt, wait until the light turns green to make a right turn. At four-way intersections controlled by red stop signs, it's first-come first-go; when in doubt, yield to the right.
Gas stations are open late or 24 hours. Many are self-service, meaning that you have to pump the gas yourself. The price of gas (petrol) in the United States is far cheaper than in almost any other country; expect to pay about $1.30 a gallon. The U.S. gallon is slightly smaller than the Imperial gallon. Approximately four liters equals a gallon.

By Mass Transit

BUS AND LIGHT RAIL
San Francisco Municipal Railway System, or Muni (tel. 415/673-6864), includes buses and trolleys, surface streetcars, and below-surface streetcars, as well as cable cars. There is 24-hour service, and the fare is $1. The exact fare is always required; dollar bills or change are accepted. Eighty-cent tokens can be purchased (in rolls of 10, 20, or 40). Bus and streetcar transfers are issued free upon request when the fare is paid and are valid for 90 minutes-2 hours for two boardings of a bus or streetcar in any direction.
A $6 pass good for unlimited travel all day on all routes can be purchased from ticket machines at cable-car terminals and at the Visitor Information Center in Hallidie Plaza.
CABLE CAR
Cable cars are popular, crowded, and an experience to ride: Move toward one quickly as it pauses, wedge yourself into any available space, and hold on! The sensation of moving up and down some of San Francisco's steepest hills in a small, open-air, clanging conveyance is not to be missed.
The fare (for one direction) is $2. Exact change is preferred, but operators will make change. There are self-service ticket machines (which do make change) at a few major stops and at all the terminals. The one exception is the busy cable car terminal at Powell and Market streets; purchase tickets at the kiosk there. Be wary of street people attempting to "help" you buy a ticket.
The Powell-Mason line (No. 59) and the Powell-Hyde line (No. 60) begin at Powell and Market streets near Union Square and terminate at Fisherman's Wharf. The California Street line (No. 61) runs east and west from Market Street near the Embarcadero to Van Ness Avenue.
SUBWAY
You can use the trains of BART, more formally known as Bay Area Rapid Transit (tel. 650/992-2278), to reach Oakland, Berkeley, Concord, Richmond, Fremont, Colma, and Martinez; extensions are expected to open southeast to Castro Valley and Dublin. Trains also travel south from San Francisco as far as Daly City and Colma. Fares run from $1.10 to $4.70.

By Taxi
Whenever possible, avoid using taxis. Rates are high, and it is almost impossible to hail a passing cab, especially on weekends. If you must use one, either phone or use the nearest hotel taxi stand. Major taxi companies include City Wide Cab (tel. 415/9210-0700) and Yellow Cab (tel. 415/626-2345).

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San Francisco, CA 94122