San Francisco

thanks

Message edited 3/1/2006 10:41:50 PM.

Re: San Francisco

San Francisco is a difficult city to do a lot of walking in because of the steep hills. However, they have tons of taxis, buses and trolleys you can use to get around.

If you are staying soley in the downtown area, I would not rent a car. If it's your first time in San Fran, you can do a bus tour...for the day...which is nice.

If you are interested in visiting, Monterray/Carmel or Napa Valley, then I would rent a car only for the days I was seeing those sites. (There are tours to there as well, so you can just skip the car altogether, if you don't mind tours)

The parking in the downtown area, can be expensive...and sometimes the car is just inconvenient.

Have a great time, San Francisco is wonderful !

Re: San Francisco

We rented a car for outside trips - one up to Muir Woods (which I cannot recommend enough!), another for a drive to some artsy area - the name escapes me - and another for a drive to Sonoma & Napa valley's.

We walked throughout downtown with no problem...don't get me wrong, we stopped mid-hill a lot but preferred to walk to see the sites rather than drive.

Re: San Francisco

Thanks for the info.

Re: San Francisco

Just curous--Where are you staying? I'm tryignt o book a hotel there for April.

From what I've been reading, I agree with the above posters--only rent a car if you are going out of the city. The public transporation is supposed ot be very good & it is a small city, so you can walk to a lot of places.

Re: San Francisco

We stopped there for the first two nights of our honeymoon. We didnt rent a car and walked or took the trollys everywhere.

I dont really see a need for renting a car to do the city things.

We stayed at the Hyatt in fishermans warf. I thought it was nice

Re: San Francisco

I lived in SF for 9 years. You don't really need a car unless you are leaving the city, and there are a few car rental locations in or around Union Square if you want to rent one for a day or two. If you are planning on staying in the city, I would not recommend renting one, since parking is a nightmare. You might be able to park at your hotel, but I would imagine it is $$$. If you do get one, and have trouble parking, there is a reasonable garage at Sutter and Stockton Streets.

It is a small city, compared to NY and getting around the downtown area is very walkable. The bus and streetcar system is pretty good during the day, but at night, the buses don't run as frequently. Also, the further you get from downtown, the fewer bus lines there are. There are cabs, but they are expensive, and you have to call for one, for the most part, it is not like NY, where you can hail one on the street.

Message edited 2/25/2006 3:22:50 PM.

Re: San Francisco

We stayed at the Orchard Hotel. Great location- close to everything, including the trolley. Nice & quiet at night, but nearby restaurants and a few bars. I believe continental breakfast was included. It was lovely! trip advisor reviews

Re: San Francisco

Any one else have suggestions on where to stay in San Fran/Sacramento area?

We are heading out to Ca in July with our son who will be 18 months by then...

Towards the end of our trip we are looking to spend a few nights in San Fran then we are flying out of Sacramento

TIA
~CarrieAnn