The best unique sights and experiences that San Francisco has to offer.

By plane, train or car, all you need to know about getting to San Francisco.

Out of 1,000's of possible choices here are our top ones for tourists.

Don't skip this section - it is filled with important tips for a smooth trip.

San Francisco can be a kid-friendly place if you know where to go .

This section is a guide for making sense of SF's entertainment options.

Hotel rooms are not cheap. Here is how to be sure you don't overpay.

Here is a guide to SF's main boutique shopping and dinning districts .

Once in the city, you will need to get around. Here is how.

 

By Bus

 

Greyhound Bus Line is the only major intercity bus company in the US. Despite the fact that intercity bus travel is often the lowest priced travel option, it is not very popular in the US. Bus stations often resemble homeless shelters and people who have used buses often use metaphors such as “zoo”, “mental ward” and “prison yard” to communicate their opinion of their fellow travelers. And for long distances, flying is much quicker and, at certain times, less expensive. Yet with that said, if you are reading this section you most likely are considering going to San Francisco via bus. Or you have already booked a trip.  So rather than dissuading you from the idea, let me just tell you that Greyhound has only one station in San Francisco and that is in the South Of Market district near downtown. From there, you can easily pick up the city’s public transportation to your hostel.

 

So you really are thinking about taking a bus? Well, I guess travel is supposed to be an adventure. Right?

 

Of course, there are charter tourist buses operating out of San Francisco. These bear no resemblances to intercity common carriers (Greyhound) and then you will be in the good hands of the operators whose advice on the matter will exceed anything we can provide on these pages. 

 

Greyhound Bus Station
Neighborhood: SOMA
425 Mission Street
Suite 3
(between 1st St & Fremont St)
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 495-1555 / Greyhound.com

 

 

Amtrak is a government owned company that operates the nation’s (money losing) interstate passenger rail service. Though it does not have a rail station in San Francisco, it does offer service there via a shuttle bus that carries passengers between the rail stations in the East Bay and pick-up and drop-off points in San Francisco.  The East Bay stations are in Emeryville and Oakland.

There are four Amtrak routes that run out of the Bay Area:

 

• The California Zephyr, which connects Emeryville with Chicago. From there one can link up with the rest of the East Coast.
• The Coast Starlight runs between Los Angles and Seattle, with stops in Emeryville and Portland.
• The Capitol Corridor connects Sacramento with Emeryville, with some trains going on to San Jose. . It runs 16 times daily (11 on weekends and holidays).
• The San Joaquin runs four times daily between Emeryville and the San Joaquin Valley town of Bakersfield with stops in such valley towns as Fresno and Stockton.

 

The Amtrak shuttle bus drop-off and pick-up stops in San Francisco are:

 

Shopping Center Bus Stop
835 Market Street

Westfield San Francisco Center
San Francisco, CA 94103

 

Convention Center
747 Howard St.
4th & Howard Streets - Moscone Convention Ctr.
San Francisco, CA 94103

 

Civic Center
1139 Market Street
North side, between 7th and 8th Streets
San Francisco, CA 94102

 

Ferry Building
Station Building
101 The Embarcadero
at Mission St. and The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105

 

Howard and Beale Streets
Courtesy drop-only AM bus stop for commuters
San Francisco, CA 94105

 

Caltrain Station Bus Stop
700 4th St.
Fourth and Townsend Streets
San Francisco, CA 94107

 

Financial District Bus Stop
5 Embarcadero Center
Corner of California & Drumm Streets
San Francisco, CA 94111

 

Pier 39 - Fisherman's Wharf
Beach St. & The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94133

 

Details can be had at Amtrak.com

 

View Amtrak Shuttle Stops in a larger map