 | San Francisco By Car Reviews | 1 - 10 of 60 |  |
A city of one-way streets, near-vertical hills and kamikaze bike messengers, San Francisco puts visiting drivers to the test. There is little or no free parking. Parking can cost more than $30, even more if you move your car. For the most part, public transportation is your best bet. How ever, if you still insist on a car, here are some driving tips!
If you plan to take any day trips, visit the beach, Napa Valley or Monterey, then access to an automobile will be a virtual necessity. The highways are fairly easy to navigate although they can become congested, especially during commute hours.
The bay area is ringed by highways 101, 880 and 80. The Bay, San Mateo and Dunbarton bridges cross the bay between the peninsula and the East Bay. Marin county is linked by the Golden Gate bridge to San Francisco and by the Richmond bridge to the East Bay.
Highway 101 runs through San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, north to Oregon and south to Los Angeles. It is typically crowded and often slow. Highways 101 and 280 both take you to San Jose.
Highway 280 runs south from San Francisco parallel to Highway 101 and is much less crowded. It that wasn't enough reason to take highway 280, it is worth the drive just for the scenery. It was voted the nation's most beautiful freeway after all.
Highway 80 exits the city eastbound to the Bay bridge and deposits you in Oakland. Continue east and highway 80 leads to Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.
Highway 880 runs parallel to highway 101 on the eastern side of the bay.
I still would not recommend driving in the city. The confusing array of one way and two way streets, steep hills and narrow lanes all conspire to make driving an unpleasant experience at best. Parking is in short supply and expensive. There is little or no free parking! Theme: Car/Motor Home
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As in New York and other cities, San Francisco taxis signal their availability by the lighted sign on top of the cab. When the sign is illuminated, the taxi is available.
Like in other Cities in the World, San Francisco also has a fair share of fake or "Bandit" taxis and to spot them, here are the ff guide: The words "San Francisco Taxi Cab" appear on the side and rear of cab, A small metal license plate is on the dashboard and A driver’s ID visible from the backseat.Popular tourist areas like Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square have a greater concentration of cabs than do outlying areas of the city. If you can’t hail a cab on the street, try the nearest major hotel for a taxi queue.
Popular tourist areas like Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square have a greater concentration of cabs than do outlying areas of the city. If you can’t hail a cab on the street, try the nearest major hotel for a taxi queue. For less populated areas, Phone a Taxi! make a call to one of the dispatch numbers listed below.
Taxi Cab Companies:
Arrow Cab Company
(415) 648-3181
DeSoto Cab Company
(415) 970-1300
Luxor Cab Company
(415) 282-4141
Metro Cab Company
(415) 920-0700
Yellow Cab
(415) 333-3333
Veterans Cab Company
Main: 415-648-4119
Taxi Fares
First 1/5th of a mile: $3.10
Each additional 1/5th of a mile or fraction thereof: $0.45
Each minute of waiting or traffic delay: $0.45
Airport surcharge: $2.00
Passengers pay for bridge tolls.
For distances 15 miles or farther outside the city limits, taxis will charge 150 percent! of the metered rate.
Tipping: Tip 15 to 20 percent of the total fare.
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 GGB toll plaza by Karnubawax
Here's a few freeway driving tips...
1) Hwy 101 & 280 are the two major north/south roads going to and from downtown. 280 is ALWAYS faster than 101. Hwy 101 is especially bad right where it goes onto the Bay Bridge (Hospital Curve); this area is congested at all hours of the day. Definitely try to avoid the city streets around 2nd and Mission during the afternoon rush hour - it is usually gridlock.
The fastest way through the city from north to south is to take Hwy 1 along 19th Ave. This bypasses the more densely populated areas of the city.
2) Hwy 380 connects hwy 280 with the airport, allowing you to bypass 101. Most of the time, this is the quickest and easiest option.
3) Hwy 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) is very beautiful, but is usually only 2 lanes, is very twisty, and can be very slow. However, the drive down the coast from SF to Monterey is breathtaking, and, if you have a car, you should definitely do it. The drive north through Marin County is equally gorgeous, but even more twisty.
4) Going around SF can be done by driving through the East Bay, but often these roads will be jammed up as well - especially during rush hour. If you REALLY want to avoid the traffic of the Bay Area, you'll have to go all the way over to Interstate 5.
5) Watch out for "Fastrak Only" lanes at the bridge tollbooths.
Listen to KCBS 740 AM or KGO 810 AM for traffic reports - usually every 10 minutes. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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 Bay Bridge, San Francisco by karenincalifornia
Better come and take a picture - quick! When all the internal squabbling stops, this bridge will be torn down and replaced with one intended to withstand a major earthquake. The new bridge has a very modern design and of course the very opinionated San Franciscans are all weighing in. Either you love the new design or hate it. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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 Parking in SF - Ughhh!!! by rmdw
But I was able to find weekend parking in the NE corner of the city for just $5 per day (several open lots). But leaving your car in one of these places overnight probably isn't such a great idea.
The best overall deal I found was an indoor lot near Sutter & Leavenworth. It's run by some great guys and costs just $15/day; more for in&out privileges.
Other options:
HEARST PARKING CENTER
45 3rd Street (Right behind hotel)
(415) 989-4000
$19.00 (24 hours)
PARAMOUNT GARAGE
680 Mission St.@Third
(415) 348-9784
$19.00 (Starts after 2 ½ hours--
Good until 6am the next morning)
Early Bird Special: $15.00 (Arriving @ 8am)
$16.00 (Arriving before 9:30 am)
ELLIS-O’FARRELL GARAGE
123 O’Farrell @ Powell
(415) 986-4800
$2.00 per hour
$10.00 (5 hours)
$13.00 (6 hours)
$28.00 (24 hours)
SUTTER / STOCKTON STREET GARAGE
Sutter/ Stockton Streets
(415) 982-7275
$2.00 (every 2 hours)
$10.00 (5 hours)
$13.00 (6 hours)
$31.00 (24 hours)
FIFTH & MISSION YERBA BUENA GARAGE
833 Mission/Fifth
(415) 982-8522
$2.00 (1 hour—increases by $2.00 every hour)
$20.00 (24 hours)
UNION SQUARE GARAGE
333 Post/Geary
(415) 397-0631
$1.00 (½ hour)
$1.00 each ½ hour after (Increase amount may vary)
$28.00 (24 hours)
SF Airport - $8-10/day Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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 If you want to see this,
you need a car by Callavetta
A car can be a major headache in the City; or it can be a complete boon. For anyone not used to driving in a city, navigating the streets of SF can be a major challenge. Double parked trucks alone can drive a person to drink. Parking can be horrendously expensive and hard to find. Or it can be free and plentiful, depending on where you go.
For a thorough visit to SF, a car can be very helpful. The 49 mile drive is an excellent way to see what the City has to offer, and you must have a car to navigate the route. If you want the pleasure of driving over the Golden Gate Bridge (and paying $5.00 to come back) you must have a car. For the unbeatable views on the Marin Headlands, you must drive to get there (or be one heck of a cyclist).
Visitors who decide to bring a car into the city, will want to choose accommodations outside of the Financial District, Union Square area, Fisherman's Wharf area. There are hotels along Lombard St. that provide free parking to their guests. Otherwise, should you choose to stay in a hotel downtown, prepare to pay hefty parking fees. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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 by SLLiew
There are several routes.
1) Highway 101 is the fastest, goes along the west side of the San Francisco Bay and will pass by the SFO Airport.
2) More hinterland Freeway 208, between the bay and Pacific Ocean, rolling hills and vistas along the way.
3) Scenic, winding and longer Highway 1 along the Pacific Ocean.
4) Freeway 880 along the east side of the bay and crossing Bay Bridge into San Francisco. Can stopover at Treasurer island for a panoramic view of San Francisco.
If you are travelling for some time here, suggest trying all above routes to see more of the Bay Area. Theme: Car/Motor Home
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As is the case with most megalopolises (megalopoli?), what is referred to as "rush hour" lasts much longer. In addition, since Oakland and San Jose are both major employment hubs, there is no real "reverse commute" - traffic tends to be bad in all directions at once. Still, the conventional commute (to the city in the AM and from the city in the PM) is the heaviest.
The afternoon rush hour starts at about 3 PM and gets progressively heavier. It starts to die down about 6 or 6:30. Friday is, of course, the worst - it starts earlier and lasts longer. If you're going to pick a day to avoid driving, make it Friday.
Weekend evenings going into the City from the Bay Bridge can be very heavy at times.
For some reason, the morning commute is much more typical than the evening. Going against the grain in the AM is usually pretty smooth sailing - though in the afternoon, it isn't. Go figure.
I'm not suggesting that you skip seeing what you came to see just to avoid the traffic. Just remember that the Bay Area is the 4th largest urban area in the USA - with nearly 7 million people - most of whom go to and get off work at about the same time! Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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 Driving in to the city from
the Bay Bridge by Orbital_Leave a Comment
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It is easier to drive in downtown San Francisco because of the grid lines. But most of the streets are one-way and the many street uses names and not sequential numbers. So you need a street map to navigate.
It can be scary if you are not use to manual stick or know how which auto mode as the road goes up and down like roller coaster and you have to stop at a steep angle at a traffic light or feel the road is going down a valley.
But do not miss Lombard Street, "the crooked road" at Russian Hill. We all took turns going down this short crooked stretch. There are houses with garages and many tourists, so be careful. Theme: Car/Motor Home
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- Best Western The Hotel California San Francisco
580 Geary Street (formerly The Savoy Hotel), San Francisco, CA - Travelodge San Francisco By The Bay
1450 Lombard Street Van Ness & Franklin, San Francisco, CA - Monticello Inn - A Kimpton Hotel
127 Ellis Street, San Francisco, CA - Pacific Heights Inn
1555 Union Street, San Francisco, CA - The Monaco Hotel - a Kimpton Boutique Hotel
501 Geary St, San Francisco, CA - Chancellor Hotel on Union Square
433 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA - The Hotel Majestic
1500 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA - St. Paul Hotel
935 Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA - Steinhart Hotel
952 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA - Broderick Victorian
928 Broderick Street, San Francisco, CA - Hostelling International San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf
Fort Mason Buillding 240, San Francisco, CA - The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco
600 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA - InterContinental San Francisco
888 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA - Radisson Hotel San Francisco Airport
5000 Sierra Point Parkway, San Francisco, CA - Harcourt Hotel
1105 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA
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