San Francisco Parking and Transportation Tips

Find tips for San Francisco parking and transportation including limos in San Francisco, San Francisco parking garages, SFO airport shuttles and more. This section provides you with some tips on how to get to San Francisco, how to get around San Francisco, where to park and more.

There are a number of San Francisco transportation options and this section covers them all. Find out more about San Francisco airports, shuttles to and from SFO, car rentals, parking and more.

San Francisco Parking

Since I get a number of questions about parking in San Francisco, I’ll start this section here. If you decide to brave the parking scene, there are a number of parking options in the city. Parking on the street is the cheapest option, but street parking is tough to come across. It’s also tough to find a spot that isn’t limited to only those with parking permits.

The best option is to find a parking garage. There are a number of garages in Union Square and Fishermans Wharf. You can also park at your hotel, but both of these options are pretty pricey.

Garages in Union Square will run around $20 to around $40 a day. Garages in Fishermans Wharf are also pricey and will run you around $20 to $35 a day. Most hotels will charge anywhere from $20 to $50 a day, but these spots are more secure than a standard parking garage.

I pulled together a full San Francisco parking garages page to provide you with some ideas on where you can find the best garages, how much they cost and how long you can park there. I’ve also included additional information on what parking is like at many of the key hotels and how much it will cost.

Flights to San Francisco and the Bay Area

Now that we’ve covered San Francisco parking, let’s head into more details for your transportation options. The first step is getting to San Francisco. There are three major airports near San Francisco including the largest of the three San Francisco airports: SFO. There is also an Oakland California Airport and San Jose CA Airport.

There are different prices and different schedules for each airport. The best one for you depends on where you are staying while you are here.

One of the ways to get to and from the airport is to use a shared ride van or shuttle. An airport shuttle in San Francisco is a great way to get you to and from SFO to San Francisco. If you are heading to a location outside of San Francisco, learn more about your options on the SFO Airport Shuttle Options for Napa, Sonoma, Marin and the East & South Bay Areas page.

Options for Limo Services

If you want to avoid the San Francisco parking challenges, then renting a limo is a great option. You can either rent a limo to pick you up from the airport or rent one to get around the city for a night on the town. There are a number of great limo services in San Francisco.

Using a Car Service

Another one of the San Francisco transportation options is using a car service. This is a little cheaper than a limo and designed for a smaller group or a couple. There are a number of great car services in San Francisco and it’s another option to avoid the San Francisco parking scene.

Renting a Car

If you don’t mind paying the high San Francisco parking prices, then renting a car is another option. I only recommend this as a San Francisco transportation option if you are planning on leaving the city during your stay. If you are staying in the city the entire time, then it’s better to use public transportation to get in and around the tourist attractions.

You can also either rent a car when you are in the city or rent one at the airport. I’d highly recommend that you rent a car before you arrive to ensure that one is available for your visit. This section provides information on the options for a San Francisco rental car both at SFO and in rentals in the city.

If you are flying into San Jose airport, get information on rental cars for this airport on the car rental San Jose airport page.

San Francisco Transportation Options

There are a number of options for you to get around the city. The best options are taxis, ferries and the city transportation system called Muni.

One of the most popular options is a taxi. You can get a taxi in almost any area of the city. This page provides some tips for San Francisco taxis.

Another popular option is to take the public transportation system called Muni. Muni has buses, cable cars, light rail trains and other options. Learn more about all of these San Francisco public transportation options.

Another one of the popular transit options to visit places across the bay are the ferries. There are a number of different ferries to choose from and it can be a little confusing. The Sausalito Ferry, Tiburon Ferry and Angel Island Ferry are some of the most popular. If you still aren't sure which one you want, find out more about all of the options on the San Francisco Ferry: Options, Pricing & More page.

There are also some options for getting into and out of the city from places around the bay area. The Public Transportation San Francisco - Getting To and From the City page has more information on these options.

Overall, there are a number of San Francisco parking and transit options for your visit to San Francisco.