San Francisco Transportation
The 4-Runway SFO International Airport on a clear day; source Russs/Wiki Commons
Airport
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is one of America’s Top 15 Hub Airports by passenger volume. If you have an hour or more layover, consider visiting art galleries between each terminal. The architecturally bold International Terminal has many such rewards.
Like every world-class airport, SFO features an array of cafes, lounges, gift shops, passenger amenities, and nearby hotels. Navigating the horseshow-like 4-terminal airport is easy.
Rapid Transit to Downtown
AirTrain Automated People Mover circulates outside all terminals and stops at BART-SFO Transit Station and SFO Rental Car Center. Travelers going to San Francisco by rapid transit should exit AirTrain at BART SFO Station, then walk down one level to catch the BART Dublin-Pleasanton Train.
Travelers commuting southbound on the Peninsula should pay $4 to ride a different BART SFO Station train to BART-Caltrain Millbrae Station. Upon arrival at Millbrae Station, locate the vending machine and purchase a Caltrain ticket headed to a southbound destination on the San Francisco Peninsula.
Taxis/Shuttles/Uber/Lyft
Catch a taxi at the Ground-level roadway of each terminal in the middle island. Super Shuttle (415-558-8500) travels all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Follow signage to the Uber/Lyft pickup area.
Car Rentals
Follow signage from your arrival terminal to the AirTrain Station. It runs every few minutes to/from SFO Car Rental Center, which hosts Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty brands.
Train Station
The architecturally stunning Salesforce Transit Center in Downtown San Francisco currently connects rapid buses, regional buses, tour buses, intercity buses, Amtrak shuttle buses, taxis, and Uber & Lyft rideshares. It has an unused underground level pre-built for trains.
Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco currently hosts regional & rapid buses; (c) Soul Of America
Biden awarded the city most of the federal funding to build a 1.3-mile rail tunnel into the Salesforce Transit Center. The state and local partners will contribute the rest. By 2031, the rail tunnel is slated to open for Caltrain commuter trains too.
Some years later, the California High-Speed Rail trains will use the same tunnel to enter downtown San Francisco.
Located 1 block from BART-Muni Metro Embarcadero Station and 3 blocks from the Ferry Building, the Amtrak shuttle bus runs from the San Francisco Salesforce Transit Center across the bay to Oakland Amtrak Station at 245 2nd Street in Jack London Square. From there you can board these Amtrak lines:
Capitol Corridor: Auburn-Sacramento-Emeryville-Oakland-San Jose
San Joaquin: Oakland-Emeryville-Stockton-Merced-Fresno-Bakersfield
Coast Starlight: Los Angeles-Oakland-Sacramento-Portland-Seattle
California Zephyr: Chicago-Omaha-Denver-Sacramento-Emeryville
Amtrak Capitol Corridor runs 15 daily roundtrips. Amtrak San Joaquin Oakland runs 6 daily roundtrips. Amtrak Coast Starlight and Amtrak California Zephyr are long-distance trains that will soon run 2 daily roundtrips.
With reservations, Amtrak provides wheelchair lift assistance for all trains. All trains feature a cafe car, quiet car, bike space, and WiFi. Long-distance trains include a reservations-only dining car with the wait staff.
Tours & Experiences
Black San Francisco Tours
DESCRIPTION: Take a guided tour through 220 years of the Black Experience in San Francisco with John William Templeton, author of Our Roots Run Deep: the Black Experience in California; Templeton offers a Downtown guided tour, all-city excursions, and Original Jazz Clubs of the Barbary Coast in San Francisco Tour. Templeton will give you the real deal on San Francisco’s history with a surprising backstory.
PRICING: walking tours $15, motor tours $35
ADDRESS: contact Templeton for a meeting place and details in San Francisco
PHONE: 415-240-3537
WEBSITE: https://blackmoney.com/californiablackhistory-com/
San Francisco Historian and Black Tour Guide John Templeton; (c) Soul Of America
Urban Trek USA
DESCRIPTION: Features four different walking tours that are environmentally friendly and enable guests to understand why San Franciscans love their city so much. Points of interest include Union Square, Chinatown, Jackson Square, North Beach, Telegraph Hill, Levis Plaza, and the Ferry Building.
PRICING: $30 per person
ADDRESS: Meet at Union Square, San Francisco
PHONE: reservations required 415-265-8229
WEBSITE: http://www.urbantrekusa.com
On Sunny days enjoy Opentop CitySightseeing Tourbus in Golden Gate Park; (c) Soul Of America
CitySightseeing San Francisco
DESCRIPTION: The original open-top, English double-decker tour bus company in San Francisco offers hop-on/hop-off tours. Experienced tour guides in the upper deck provide insights about each attraction. Start with the 1.5-hour San Francisco Downtown Loop. If so inclined, add the Golden Gate Bridge + Sausalito Loop or Golden Gate Park Loop or Night Tour on the same day. If you hate driving on steep hills and the hassles of parking, sample area attractions with the 4-in-1 All Loops Tour for the best value over 48 hours. You can also bundle trips to Alcatraz, Wine Country, Muir Woods, Yosemite, San Francisco Segway Tours, and GPS-guided GO Cars.
PRICING: buy online for discounts – San Francisco Downtown Loop $25 Adults, $16 Child; 4-in1 All Loops Tour $50 Adult, $28 Child
DEPARTS: Daily 9a-5p, every 10-20 minutes at 18 locations
ADDRESS: 2800 Leavenworth Street, San Francisco, CA
TRANSIT: only one block from Muni Vintage Streetcar to Fisherman’s Wharf station or the Fisherman’s Wharf turnaround for Powell & Hyde Cable Car
PHONE: 415-440-8687
WEBSITE: http://www.city-sightseeing.us
Rapid Transit
Metro Heavy Rail
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a 109-mile, 46-station Metro Heavy Rail system that runs in the subway, under San Francisco Bay, and on aerial tracks. BART trains reach up to 80 mph in the 7-mile dash under San Francisco Bay.
New BART trains at Powell Street Station; credit Taavi Väänänen/Wiki Commons
All BART trains run through Oakland. All BART trains use endpoint line names. The BART Berryessa/North San Jose-Richmond line, however, does NOT go to San Francisco:
• Richmond-Daly City/Millbrae
• Warm Springs-Daly City
• Pittsburgh/Bay Point-SFO
• Dublin/Pleasanton-Daly City/Millbrae
• Berryessa/North San Jose-Richmond
Pre-pandemic, BART transported 435,000 daily commuters at a 5-minute Rush Hour frequency and a 12-minute Night-time frequency. Like many Rapid Transit systems worldwide dependent on office worker riders, it is struggling to recover pre-pandemic ridership levels.
Bicycles are permitted on BART during mid-day, night-time, and weekends. Since station floors are even with train floors and each station has elevators, BART is wheelchair accessible. BART LED displays and audible messaging tell you when the next train arrives.
If you are familiar with Metro Rail ticket dispensers in NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Baltimore, or Miami, you’ll easily grasp the same approach for BART ticket dispensers.
Since BART commuters may travel up to 40 miles in one direction, the highest one-way fares reach $8. Better yet, purchase a discounted Clipper Card to interchangeably travel on all transit modes in the San Francisco Bay Area. BART hours of operation are:
Weekdays: 4:15 am-1:00 am
Saturdays: 6:00 am-1:00 am
Sundays: 8:00 am-1:00 am
Transfer underground from BART to Muni Metro at any of four (Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic Center) BART-Muni Metro stations located downtown and the BART-Muni Metro Balboa Park Station. After exiting BART-Muni Metro Embarcadero Station, you can walk 1 block east to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Such a travel convenience!
To the welcome relief of commuters, BART management has replaced old trains, upgraded most electrical systems & worn tracks, and is still renovating older stations in this age 50+ system.
Commuter Rail
Caltrain commuter rail runs one line between San Francisco and San Jose. In San Francisco, Caltrain terminates at a spartan 4th & King Station near Oracle Baseball Park located 1.3 miles southwest of Salesforce Transit Center in Downtown San Francisco.
A new electric-powered Caltrain commuter train headed to San Francisco; PD/Wiki Commons
Caltrain recently transitioned from diesel-powered to electric-powered trains that do not emit smog or greenhouse gases. The new trains have a safety control system that brakes faster when people or objects are on the tracks. Trains also accelerate faster, have more capacity, better seats, ADA-accessible restrooms, and more space for luggage and bikes.
Service runs up to 79 mph every 20 minutes during its 47-mile journey between San Francisco and San Jose. Caltrain also has limited-stop trains during commute hours.
Millbrae Station allows Caltrain commuters to transfer to a BART train that goes into SFO Airport. With an enhanced Caltrain ticket, you can also transfer to Amtrak trains at Santa Clara and San Jose Diridon Stations.
Metro Light Rail
San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni Metro) started as streetcars in the 1890s with mostly surface tracks. In 1980, larger-capacity Light Rail trains replaced streetcars, and a new tunnel under Market Street interconnected two old streetcar tunnels. When riding the Muni Metro System, you experience its hybrid Light Rail-Streetcar nature.
Commuters at Muni Metro Van Ness Station; (c) Soul Of America
Six Muni Metro lines run from 5 am-12 pm Sunday-Thursday and until 1 am Friday-Saturday:
J Church: Balboa Park-City College-Castro District-Market-Embarcadero
K Ingleside: Balboa Park-Church Street-Castro District-Market-Embarcadero
L Taraval: SF Zoo-West Portal-Van Ness-Market-Embarcadero
M Ocean View: San Jose-Geneva-Stonestown-Market-Embarcadero
N Judah: Ocean Beach-Judah-UCSF-Market-Embarcadero-4th & King
T Third Street: Chinatown-Market St/Union Square-Moscone Center-4th & King-Mission Bay-Sunnydale
Automatic ticket dispensers are on each underground station and surface station platform. Be prepared to present a ticket when asked by Muni attendants who check the trains.
Muni Metro shares four underground stations (Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic Center) with BART but the Muni Metro platform is one level above BART. Excluding Muni Metro segments when trains run underground, they often share streetcar lanes with autos and stop every 2-3 blocks for a slow average speed. Fortunately, San Francisco is not a big city.
Muni Metro and BART passengers can transfer at Market St/Union Square Station for journeys to/from Chinatown, Moscone Convention Center, Chase Center Arena/UCSF, Dogpatch, and Bayview-Sunnydale. Muni Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line runs on Lombard Street and connects with Muni Metro at Market & Van Ness Station.
Streetcars
Muni Vintage Streetcars are fully restored and imported from Europe, Japan, and a dozen domestic cities. These hand-crafted conveyances travel at 9-10 mph, which is perfect for casually observing attractions along the way. The price is $2.50 per ride with free transfers that last 90 minutes from purchase.
Vintage streetcar on Market Street headed to Fisherman’s Wharf; (c) Soul Of America
F Line: AT&T Baseball Park-South Beach-Ferry Building-Exploratorium-Cruise Terminal-Pier 39-Fisherman’s Wharf
E Line: Castro District-Market Street-Ferry Building-Exploratorium-Cruise Terminal-Pier 39-Fisherman’s Wharf
Muni Vintage Streetcar patronage has become as popular as Muni Cable Cars. We recommend taking the Muni E Line Streetcar runs from anywhere on Market Street to the Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf, where it circles back.
Cable Cars
Opened in 1873, Muni Cable Cars are one of the few moving National Historic Landmarks in America. Even at $5 per ride, these treasured relics are worth it for exhilarating views of steep San Francisco hills. When you board, watch drivers get a workout applying the heavy grip on the underground cable moving at 9 mph.
Before you exit the vehicle, wait until the driver ungrips the cable, sets the brake to a full stop, and rings the bell. Watch for autos and only use the designated crosswalk at street intersections. The Green X sidewalk signal is “Go” for cable cars, not pedestrians.
Cable Car climbing the hill on California Street; (c) Mauro Lma-UN
The Cable Car Museum at 1201 Mason Street, shows the powerful cable gears at work. Though not indicated on the Cable Car Map, all three routes provide awesome vistas, and entertaining bell-ringers and stop within 1-3 blocks of the Cable Car Museum:
• Powell–Hyde: Powell & Market, Union Square, Nob Hill, Fishermans Wharf
• Powell–Mason: Powell & Market, Union Square, North Beach, Fishermans Wharf
• California Street: Market & Embarcadero Center, Financial District, Chinatown, Nob Hill, Van Ness
The combination of BART, Muni Metro, Vintage Streetcars, Cable Cars, and BRT travels within 3 blocks of most city attractions. Also, the Clipper Card is a reloadable smart card for electronic transit fare payment on all San Francisco Bay Area modes of transit, including ferries.
Cruise Ports
Commuter Ferries
San Francisco Ferry Building on the Embarcadero faces Market Street. Ferries provide breathtaking views of the bay while traveling between San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Larkspur, Vallejo, Richmond, AT&T Baseball Park, and South San Francisco. Some commuters have it so lucky.
San Francisco Bay Ferry headed to Oakland; (c) Soul Of America
Their daily routes are frequent during Rush Hours. Check the website for fare prices. Frequent ferry riders purchase a discounted Clipper Card for savings and transfer convenience.
Tourism Ferries
Red & White Ferries is San Francisco’s oldest tourism ferry company. Their ships depart from Fisherman’s Wharf with audio tour headsets and three unforgettable San Francisco Bay cruise routes that are worth every penny:
• Golden Gate Bay Cruise, 1 hour under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz, is San Francisco’s only bay cruise in 12 languages, and departs 8–14 times daily; we recommend this cruise for views that you’ll remember for a lifetime.
• SF Explorer Cruise, the 90-minute cruise that offers spectacular views and narratives on Natural History, Architecture, and Native American Culture; departs May-Sept
• California Sunset Cruise, a 2-hour twilight sail with hearty appetizers and guitar music, April-October
Major Cruises
Upgraded with passenger amenities for large cruise ships, Pier 27 is San Francisco’s principal port for major cruise ships docked at the Embarcadero.
Also on the Embarcadero, Pier 35 is a supplemental port to dock large ships simultaneously with ships docked at Pier 27.
Venus Sea Princess (right) docked at Pier 35; credit John Davey/Wiki Commons
Today, those ports host about 80 cruises annually. The Port does not manage cruise reservations. San Francisco is a Port of Call for cruise routes to Alaska, Vancouver, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Mexico Riviera. Contact the cruise lines for their respective ship & reservation details.
Nearby City Park garage at 80 Francisco Street and Ace Parking at 55 Francisco Street & The Anchorage Center. If only sightseeing big ships, consider taking the Muni Streetcar F-Line to Embarcadero & Greenwich Street Stop.
Freeways & Bridges
San Francisco Freeway Network is well developed in terms of traffic status signs, carpool lanes, and metered entrance ramps. Traveling westbound on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (locally called “Bay Bridge”) remains crowded during commuter hours.
When traveling westbound on the Bay Bridge, you pay a toll. Traveling eastbound is FREE. Avoid traffic tickets, DO NOT USE Bay Bridge Fastrak lanes without a pre-paid toll transponder on your vehicle. Some car rental agencies include them for a fee.