San Francisco
Getting There/Around
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Getting There
By Air
San Francisco International Airport ( SFO ) ( +1 650 821 8211/ http://www.flysfo.com/ ). Oakland International Airport ( OAK ) ( +1 510 563 3300/ http://www.flyoakland.com ) is also a major airport in the San Francisco Bay area. With a terminal entirely devoted to Southwest, they carry many additional flights to those listed at SFO.
The following are some of the major airlines at SFO:
Air Canada ( +1 800 776 3000/ http://www.aircanada.ca )
Air China ( +1 800 986 1985/ http://www.airchina.com.cn/en/index.jsp )
Air France ( +1 800 871 1366/ http://www.airfrance.com )
AirTran Airways ( +1 800 247 8726/ http://www.airtran.com )
Alaska Airlines ( +1 800 426 0333/ http://www.alaskaair.com )
American Airline ( +1 800 433 7300/ http://www.aa.com )
British Airways ( +1 800 247 9297/ http://www.british-airways.com )
Continental ( +1 800 525 0280/ http://www.continental.com )
Delta ( +1 800 221 1212/ http://www.delta.com )
Frontier Airlines ( +1 1 800 432 1359/ http://www.frontierairlines.com )
Hawaiian Airlines ( +1 800 367 5320/ http://www.hawaiianair.com )
Japan Airlines ( +1 800 525 3663/ http://www.japanair.com )
Korean Air ( +1 800 438 5000/ http://www.koreanair.com )
Mexicana ( +1 800 531 7921/ http://www.mexicana.com )
Southwest ( +1 800 435 9792/ http://www.southwest.com )
Northwest ( +1 800 225 2525/ http://www.nwa.com )
United ( +1 800 241 6522/ http://www.ual.com )
US Airways ( +1 800 428 4322/ http://www.usairways.com )
Virgin America ( +1 877 359 8474/ http://www.virginamerica.com )
Virgin Atlantic ( +1 800 862 8621/ http://www.virgin-atlantic.com )
AirTrain shuttle will take you from your terminal to the rental car center 24 hours a day. It also services the parking garages and the BART station connection at the airport.
PCA ( Park 'N Fly ) ( +1 800 763 6895/ http://www.pnfnetwork.com )
Rental Car Companies
Alamo ( +1 800 327 9633/ http://www.alamo.com )
Avis ( +1 800 831 2847/ http://www.avis.com )
Budget ( +1 800 527 0700/ http://www.budget.com )
Dollar ( +1 800 4000/ http://www.dollar.com )
Enterprise ( +1 800 325 8007/ http://www.enterprise.com )
Hertz ( +1 800 654 3131/ http://www.hertz.com
National ( +1 800227 7368/ http://www.nationalcar.com )
Payless ( +1 800 729 5377/ http://www.paylesscarrental.com )
Thrifty ( +1 800 367 2277/ http://www.thrifty.com )
BLS Limousine Service ( +1 800 843 5752/ http://www.blslimo.com )
Other attractive ground transportation options are Zipcar, Flexcar, and City CarShare, which operate in certain cities in Canada and the U.S. This new breed of rental car allows you to rent on an hourly basis rather than a daily basis. Be sure to register online with each company before your trip.
Zipcar ( +1 866 404 7227/ http://www.zipcar.com )
Flexcar ( +1 415 282 3539/ http://www.flexcar.com )
City CarShare ( +1 415 995 8588/ http://www.citycarshare.org )
Airport Shuttles
Airport Express ( +1 415 775 5121/ http://www.airportexpresssf.com/ ) USD 14-USD 17.
Bay Shuttle ( +1 415 564 3400/ http://www.bayshuttle.com/ ) $14 adult, $8 child, and $65 per van.
Public Transportation
BART Rapid Rail to northern San Mateo County, San Francisco and the East Bay from the airport. The SFO BART station is located on the Departures/Ticketing Level ( Level 3 ) of the International Terminal, on the Boarding Area G side of the terminal near the Berman Reflection Room. ( http://www.bart.gov )
Caltrain rail service between San Francisco and San Jose, with weekday commute-hour service to Gilroy. BART connects SFO to the Caltrain rail system at the Millbrae Station. ( http://www.caltrain.com/ )
Samtrans 24-hour service connecting SFO to San Mateo County and parts of San Francisco and Palo Alto. SamsTrans buses stop at Terminal 1, 2, and International. ( http://www.samtrans.org/ )
Useful Products: PocketBay - A convenient and useful credit-card sized map of San Francisco and its public transportation that fits in a wallet so that users can access the essential information on the city at all times. ( http://www.pocketbaymaps.com )
If you're internet savvy, check out http://www.hopstop.com for the quick and easy route, via public transportation, to get you where you want to go.
By Train
Amtrak services two San Francisco stops daily from nationwide locations ( +1 800 872 7245/ http://www.amtrak.com ).
By Bus
Greyhound ( +1 800 231 2222; +1 512 458 4463/ http://www.greyhound.com ) accesses San Francisco daily.
By Car
San Francisco can be reached via I-80, I-280, and I-101.
Getting Around
When you have a transportation query, you can pick up a phone and dial 511, or visit 511.org. Whether you're driving, taking public transportation, or looking into carpool options, 511 has all the information you need. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The Muni Buses service the entire city ( http://www.sfmuni.com ) and is San Francisco's main transportation system.
Bart rapid transit services downtown San Francisco as well as Oakland, Pittsburg, Fremont, and other Bay areas. ( http://www.bart.gov/ )
For ferries to Alcatraz Island, use Alcatraz Cruises, departing from Pier 33. ( +1 415 981 7625 / http://www.alcatrazcruises.com )
Taxi Companies
Bayshore Cab ( +1 415 648 4444 )
Luxor Cab ( +1 415 282 4141 )
Yellow Cab Cooperative ( +1 415 282 3737 )
Green Cab ( +1 415 626 4733 )
Trip Planner
511 is a Bay Area Transportation Hotline which creates custom itineraries for public transportation in the Bay Area ( dial 511 in the Bay Area; +1 510 817 1717; http://www.511.org ).
Traffic Information
To find out city traffic information go to http://www.traffic.com
If traveling overseas, take the safety precaution of registering your trip at https://travelregistration.state.gov and for helpful, practical advice about traveling technicalities and safety standards check out http://travel.state.gov/ .
