San Francisco is a rare American city where you don't need a car to
see everything. In fact, given the chronic shortage of parking downtown,
horrible traffic and zealous meter maids who love to give expensive
parking tickets, going carless makes sense. The public transportation
system, MUNI , though much maligned by locals for its unpredictable
schedule, covers every neighborhood inexpensively via its system of
cable cars, buses and trolleys. Bikes are a good option, as marked bike
routes - with lanes - direct riders to all major points of interest.
Walking the compact metropolis is the best bet, with each turn revealing
surprises. Often these are in the form of stunning homes and bustling
marketplaces, but on killer hills, some angled at 30 degrees and all
punishment on the legs. Wear comfortable shoes.
San Francisco public transport
Useful bus routes
#5 From the Transbay Terminal, west alongside Haight-Ashbury and Golden
Gate Park to the ocean.
#7 From the Ferry Terminal (Market St) to the end of Haight St and to
Golden Gate Park.
#15 From Third St (SoMa) to Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, via the
Financial District and North Beach.
#20 (Golden Gate Transit) From corner of Mission and First streets to
the Golden Gate Bridge ($1.75).
#22 From the Marina up Pacific Heights and north on Fillmore.
#28 and #29 From the Marina through the Presidio, north through Golden
Gate Park, the Richmond and the Sunset.
#30 From the Caltrain depot on Third Street, north to Ghirardelli Square,
via Chinatown and North Beach, and out to Chestnut Street in the Marina
district.
#38 From Geary St via Civic Center, west to the ocean along Geary Blvd
through Japantown and the Richmond, ending at Cliff House.
Muni train lines
Muni F-MARKET LINE Restored vintage trolleys from other cities run
downtown from the Transbay Terminal and Fisherman's Wharf, up Market
Street and into the heart of the Castro.
Muni J-CHURCH LINE From downtown to the edge of the Castro and on to the
Mission and Noe Valley.
Muni K-INGLESIDE LINE From downtown through the Castro to Balboa Park.
Muni L-TARAVAL LINE From downtown west through the Sunset to the zoo and
Ocean Beach.
Muni M-OCEAN VIEW From downtown west by the Stonestown Galleria shopping
center and San Francisco State University.
Muni N-JUDAH LINE From downtown west through the Inner Sunset and to
Ocean Beach, via the outer Haight.
From the Muni N-Judah line or buses #5 and #38, you can connect to bus
#44 that goes by the De Young Museum, Japanese Tea Garden, California
Academy of Sciences and Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park. A Muni
transfer will get you discounts at these places.
Muni
The city's public transportation is run by the San Francisco Municipal
Railway , or Muni (tel 415/673-6864). A comprehensive network of buses,
trolleybuses and cable cars run up and over the city's hills, while the
underground trains become streetcars when they emerge from the downtown
metro system to split off and serve the suburbs. On buses and trains the
flat fare (correct change only) is $1; with each ticket you buy, ask for
a free transfer - good for another two rides on a train or bus, and a
fifty-percent reduction on cable cars if used within ninety minutes.
Local groceries have begun to vend single-ride tokens (80¢), which save
money and take care of the annoyance of not having correct change. Cable
cars cost $2 one-way (no transfers). Most of the streetcar lines (J, K,
L, M and N) require proof-of-payment (meaning they can check your
ticket), so hold on to a valid ticket, pass or transfer (they often do
check) or you may be subject to a steep fine.
If you're staying a few days, the Muni Passport is available in one-day,
three-day and seven-day denominations ($6, $10, $15) and is valid for
unlimited travel on the Muni system and BART stations within the city
limits. A Fast Pass costs $35 for a full calendar month. Muni trains run
throughout the night on a limited service, except those on the M-Ocean
View line, which stop around 1am. Buses run all night, but services are
greatly reduced after midnight. For more information , pick up the handy
Muni map from the Visitor Information Center or bookstores.
Bikes are allowed on MUNI buses equipped with bicycle racks (on the
front of the bus) and on Bay Area Rapid Transit, BART , except during
peak commute hours.
Other transportation services
Various other public transportation networks serve San Francisco and the
Bay Area. Along Market Street downtown, Muni shares the station
concourses with BART, which runs to the East Bay - including downtown
Oakland and Berkeley - and outer suburbs. The Caltrain commuter railway
(depot at Fourth and King, South of Market) links San Francisco along
the peninsula south to San Jose. Golden Gate Ferry boats (tel
415/923-2000) leave from the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero, crossing
the bay past Alcatraz to Sausalito and Larkspur in Marin County. Blue &
Gold Fleet (tel 415/773-1188) sails to Sausalito and Tiburon from Pier
41 at Fisherman's Wharf. The Alameda-Oakland ferry (tel 510/522-3300)
sails between Oakland's Jack London Square, the Ferry Building,
Fisherman's Wharf and Pac Bell Park ($5 one-way) and, in summer, to
Angel Island ($12 round-trip; daily late May-Oct).
Taxis ply the streets, and you can flag one down (especially downtown),
but finding one can be a pain. Phoning around, try De Soto (tel
415/970-1300) or Yellow Cab (tel 415/626-2345). Fares (within the city)
are roughly $1.70 for the first mile and $1.80 per mile thereafter.
If you fancy cycling , Avenue Cyclery, 640 and 756 Stanyan St (tel
415/387-3155) in the Haight, near Golden Gate Park, rents mountain or
city bikes for $5 per hour, $25 per day. Downtown, for Golden Gate
Bridge rides, try New World Sports, 1365 Columbus Ave, near Fisherman's
Wharf (tel 415/776-7801), and Blazing Saddles, on Fisherman's Wharf on
Pier 41 and at 1095 Columbus Ave in North Beach (tel 415/202-8888); both
rent bikes for $5 per hour, $25-28 per day.
Organized tours
One way to orient yourself is an organized tour . Gray Line Tours (tel
415/558-9400), for example, take you around the city in four fairly
tedious hours for around $37 a head. Considerably more exciting are the
60-minute bay cruises operated by the Blue & Gold Fleet ($17; tel
415/705-8203) from pier 39 and pier 41 - though be warned that
everything may be shrouded in fog. Excruciatingly expensive aerial tours
of the city and Bay Area in light aircraft or helicopters are available
from several operators, such as San Francisco Helicopter Tours (tel
1-800/400-2404, ), which offers spectacular flights over the Bay Area
for $95 per passenger.
The best of the walking tours include City Guides, sponsored daily by
the San Francisco Public Library (free; tel 415/557-4266); Cruisin' the
Castro ($40; tel 415/550-8110, ), an absorbing and witty tour of the gay
community; Footnotes (tel 925/672-5908, ), a rigorous walk and
storytelling centered around the city's Barbary Coast days; and All
About Chinatown ($25; tel 415/982-8839), an insider's cultural
perspective on this lively quarter (optional dim sum lunch, $12 extra).
Three Babes and a Bus ($35, which includes all cover charges; tel
415/552-CLUB, ) takes a luxury coachload of people looking for a good
time to different nightclubs around the city. There are also special
mural tours of the Mission by Precita Eyes taking in the district's
distinctive street art.
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