San Francisco How to Get Around

You’re traveling to San Francisco. You’ve dreamed of seeing the Golden Gate Bridge and Cable Cars, maybe Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz. How are you going to get around?

It’s a compact city sitting on a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, but even with compact cities you need a plan for getting around.

If you arrive in the city by car, be prepared for traffic no matter what time of day you are driving. Parking is a problem as it is in most cities…. There isn’t enough of it. and it tends to be expensive.

Next you really need to think about the hills. Sounds innocuous enough… driving on hills, and San Francisco’s hills are part of the charm and beauty of the city. There are many streets that go up or down these hills, but a handful are truly precipitous.

Locals sometimes delight in scaring friends on streets which seem to vanish into thin air… with only a yellow sign that warns of a “hill” or “grade”.

If you’re driving on one of these… let us assure you the road does continue on the other side of the intersection… just be sure you’ve had your brakes checked. If you’re not used to driving steep hills, they can be downright intimidating. Most of these are located on Russian Hill, Nob Hill and Pacific, Dolores and Buena Vista Heights.

All of the steepest hills come with stop signs at the top. Most rental cars in the U.S. are automatics, and that’s exactly what you want in this city!

Parking on the hills can also be a challenge whether it’s parallel parking or perpendicular parking. (Which it often is on hills — just be sure you don’t fall out of the car if you’re on the downhill side!) It’s a law that you must always “curb” your wheels when parking on a hill to prevent runaway cars.

When facing downhill, turn your wheels to the right. When facing uphill on a street with a curb, turn your wheels to the left. When facing uphill on a street with no curb, turn your wheels to the right.

Market Street slices diagonally through the city. In fact, many streets intersect at odd angles. It’s not a city with a nice square grid of streets. Add the one way streets, and San Francisco can be an infuriating place to drive yourself.

San Francisco has better public transportation than many American cities, getting round with public transportation can be a better choice. Take cable cars up and down those hills to Nob Hill, Chinatown, North Beach or Fisherman’s Wharf. Hop on buses and historic trolleys along Market Street and the Embarcadero. They are a pleasure to take for the ride alone.

The Muni has an extensive system. Basic tickets cost $1.50; the cable cars are $5.00. A “Muni Passport” for 1, 3 or 7 days can be a good deal, allowing you to hop on and off without having to pay each time. It includes the cable cars, but not BART, the subway that has one line through the city.

You can get this passport at several locations in the city. Check the Muni website for details. Their website will also help you plan your route online. A good transit map is important to have, you can get one at transit booths or drugstores.

You can walk between many of the popular spots. Most areas are easy and safe to reach on foot, but remember that you’re apt to run into those hills, so don’t ignore taxis. Muni cannot take you everywhere, so grab a taxi when you need to.

Drive in San Francisco if you want, but you can get around quite well with public transportation, taxis, and your own two feet and that’s a lot less stress, leaving you free to just enjoy!