There are multiple choices for getting around San Francisco by public transportation. Muni is San Francisco’s bus and metro system that runs throughout the city, operating buses, trains, cable cars, and the F-line streetcar which runs on Market Street from Castro Street to Fisherman’s Wharf. The Muni Metro consists of 24 surface stations, 9 underground stations, and 87 surface stops. Individual rides on bus and rail cost about $2.50, cable car rides are about $7, and there are discounts available for children and senior citizens. Purchasing a Muni Passport offers unlimited rides for one-, three-, or seven-day periods if you plan to ride a lot.

The “F Market and Wharves” historic streetcar, runs along the Embarcadero, which is a popular tourist route, it also stops at Fisherman’s Wharf (Embarcadero and Stockton), the Ferry Building (at Market and 4th Street), and for Oracle Park at Done Chee Way, and Steuart Street. There is a downloadable map of the F-line and E-line streetcar routes available on the Market Street Railway site.

BART which stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit provides a high-speed rail service system that connects San Francisco with the East Bay and San Jose through the underwater Transbay Tube. It also provides service to the surrounding areas and the San Francisco airport. This is a fast, inexpensive, and dependable way to travel around the city with fares based on the total distance traveled; the greater the distance the higher the fare.

Cable cars in San Francisco are an icon and are the last manually operated cable car system in the world. These moving national historic landmarks (named in 1964) are a tramway system whose cars are pulled along by cables embedded in the street. The experience begins at the cable car turnarounds located at Powell, California, and Market Streets, or along the routes, where passengers wait for the cable cars to approach. Listen for the iconic bell ringing, then hop on the cable car, and either find a seat or hold on to the handles and hang on for the ride. A ticket costs around $8 a ride and can be bought at cable car ticket kiosks or on board from the conductor. Cable Cars operate from 7 am until 10 pm Monday through Sunday.

There are plenty of public transportation options available in San Francisco and renting a car is not necessary. If you want to explore destinations beyond the city then you can rent a car at the airport or other locations in the city. San Francisco is one of the better cities in the U.S. for getting around without a car. The city is notorious for lousy traffic, and next to impossible parking, so driving is definitely not the best way to get around.

If you do rent a car the city has a myriad of parking options, including metered parking. Parking in the city can be costly and tricky, especially in Downtown. Hotels charge anywhere from $30-$60 a day to park your car, which is about equal to the price for public parking lots and garages. SpotHero is a site that visitors can use to reserve parking ahead of time. Visit SF Park for real-time details on how to find parking, and how to pay for your parking meter by app.

The Tube has color coded routes, clear signage and many connections. Trains travel out into the suburbs, and all stations are marked with the London Underground circular symbol. (Do not be confused by similar signs reading ‘subway’. In Britain, the word subway means pedestrian underpass). Exact times for first and final trains are posted in each station (using the 24 hour clock), but they usually operate from 5 a.m. (0500) to just after midnight (0000), and Sundays 7 a.m. (0700) to 11:30 p.m. (2330). Some lines start on weekdays at 4:30 a.m. (0430). Trains on the Piccadilly, Victoria, Central, and Jubilee lines and on the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line run 24 hours a day on weekends (from Friday morning to Sunday night). Still, if you plan to take the train after midnight, always check the schedule beforehand. Some lines have multiple branches (Central, District, Northern, Metropolitan, and Piccadilly) so be sure to note which branch is needed for your particular destination. Also, London is divided into six concentric zones (maps and booklets with ticket options are available at Underground stations). Be sure to buy a ticket for the correct zone or you may be required to pay a fine of £40 on the spot.

If you’re planning several trips in one day you may want to consider buying an Oyster card (£5) as it offers cheaper rates than regular tickets. The plastic card can be reloaded as often as you want and your £5 will be reimbursed when you hand the card back. IMPORTANT – you need to have your ticket (Oyster card pass or regular ticket) handy in order to exit the turnstiles of the Tube system, not just enter them. And as long as they’re accompanied by an adult, children under 10 travel free on just about everything public, including Tube, Overground, DLR, bus, and regular rail services.

A 24-hour information service is available at tel. 0343/222-1234. The best resource is the TfL Journey Planner, online at tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey. For specific journey information using a mobile, you can text your start-point and end-point as full postcodes (but who knows those?), or station or stop names, in the format ‘A to B’ – to tel. 60835. TfL will send a reply text with the quickest route and scheduled times. The best resource is the free app Citymapper, which tells you which Tube, bus, or train to use, how long it takes, and includes mapped walking directions to the nearest stop. Search the London Underground’s website (www.tfl.gov.uk) for the ‘Tube and Rail Services map.’ It’s a more accurate picture than the Tube map alone because it shows all the places Oyster will take you by rail. The site also has terrific simplified bus maps that show you routes from any neighborhood. Just enter your hotel’s address before you go, access Citymapper via WiFi, and you’ll be set.

There are plenty of taxi companies to choose from in San Francisco, visitors can hail a taxi directly from the street or find them at major attractions as well as the airport. Taxi fares begin around $4.15 and run at about $3.25 per mile, plus a tip. For the quickest service in teh city download the Flywheel app which dispatches the nearest taxi.

Uber and Lyft are both based in San Francisco and are ubiquitous. Arrange your ride via the app, enter your pick up and drop off, and pay in the app.

There are some great opportunities to get out on the Bay in San Francisco. Taking a ferry ride on teh bay is a fun way to travel. The San Francisco Bay Ferry can take passengers to Alameda, Oakland, Richmond, Treasure Island, and Vallejo to the east. They operate out of three gates south of teh Ferry Building and Pier 39. There are several ways to pay for a ferry ride; either by using your Clipper Card, paper tickets, at the ferry ticket office, or onboard with cash or credit card.

Caltrain provides rail service and connects San Francisco, along the San Francisco Peninsula to San Jose and major points in between, it heads as far south as Gilroy. There are express trains that operate during the weekday commute hours. The service operates 7 days a week.

Amtrack offers a comfortable, and enjoyable way to get to San Francisco. The city is served via Amtrak Thruway bus connections which runs a shuttle bus from three locations in San Francisco to its stations across the bay in Emeryville, Oakland, and Richmond. Passengers can ride with the convenience of amenities and picturesque scenery right outside their window. The Capitol Corridor, which is also operated by Amtrack, serves 18 stops between Sacramento and Silicon Valley. The California Zephyr train runs between Chicago and the Bay Area, with stops in Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno.

Yes, San Francisco is regularly rated as one of the most walkable cities in the U.S. Many of the city’s major sights are easily accessible on foot, and walking is one of the best ways to explore the many exciting neighborhoods. Major roads such as John F Kennedy Dr in Golden Gate Park are permanently closed to vehicular traffic providing walkers with a great place for a stroll. Other areas of the city that are easily walkable include the downtown area, North Beach, and Fisherman’s Wharf. The city of San Francisco is made up of 49 square miles of long boulevards, curvy streets, hidden alleyways, and plenty of hills to explore on foot. There are over 220 parks in the city of San Francisco, it is the first city in the U.S. to have a park within a 10-minute walk of every resident. The largest and best-known park in the city is Golden Gate Park, which stretches from the center of the city west to the Pacific Ocean. This massive park is rich with natural and cultural attractions such as the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Gardens, and San Franciso’s Botanical Gardens. The city offers a plethora of places that visitors can walk to including attractions along the beautiful Bay, beaches like Ocean Beach which runs along the Pacific Ocean shoreline, and a variety of parks, lakes, and islands.

Yes, San Francisco is a bike-friendly city with an extensive bike network covering 448 miles making most sights reachable on two wheels. Cycling is a popular mode of transportation in the city, which has installed better cycling infrastructure over the years such as protected bike lanes, and parking racks. The city offers its visitors and residents a bike-sharing program named Bay Wheels, which was launched in 2013 and is operated by Lyft. It is a popular program offering over 700 traditional bikes and e-bikes that can be hired from stations throughout the city. There are 550 stations scattered throughout downtown San Francisco, and major intersections as well as from East Bay to San Jose. Popular areas to cycle include Ocean Beach, the Marina, the waterfront, and even over the Golden Gate Bridge. Bikes can be rented and found under the Lyft app.

LimeOpens and SpinOpens offer over 5,500 scooters for rent in the city, simply download their app to your phone and search for available motorized scooters nearby.

Caltrain provides rail service and connects San Francisco, along the San Francisco Peninsula to San Jose and major points in between, it heads as far south as Gilroy. There are express trains that operate during the weekday commute hours. The service operates 7 days a week. 

Amtrack offers a comfortable, and enjoyable way to get to San Francisco. The city is served via Amtrak Thruway bus connections which runs a shuttle bus from three locations in San Francisco to its stations across the bay in Emeryville, Oakland, and Richmond. Passengers can ride with the convenience of amenities and picturesque scenery right outside their window. The Capitol Corridor, which is also operated by Amtrack, serves 18 stops between Sacramento and Silicon Valley. The California Zephyr train runs between Chicago and the Bay Area, with stops in Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno.