Explore San Francisco
Plan Your Trip to San Francisco: Best of San Francisco Tourism
Essential San Francisco
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San Francisco Is Great For
Day trips around the Bay Area and Wine Country
Digging into incredible Asian eats
Urban hikes you won’t find anywhere else
Letting Your Pride Flag Fly
Travelers' pro tips for experiencing San Francisco



In the words of those who've been there before ...



What is the best way to get there?
Flying
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the city’s primary airport with more than 50 airlines and nonstop service to more than 125 cities. Another option is Oakland International Airport (OAK) across the bay.
Train
Amtrak’s California Zephyr train runs between Chicago and the Bay Area, with stops in Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City and Reno. It also offers three train lines within California.
Bus
Greyhound buses to San Francisco are available to/from many U.S. cities, while Megabus is available to/from a few select cities in California.
For more info on getting to San Francisco, visit here.
Do I need a visa?
If you are a non-U.S. citizen, you may need a visa to visit San Francisco, unless your country is part of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The program allows citizens of certain countries to visit the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa.
For more info on visas and the VWP, visit here.
When is the best time to visit?
Summer sees the biggest concentration of festivals — including San Francisco Pride and Outside Lands music festival — but also cooler temperatures, whereas fall offers warmer, sunny weather. Average daily temperatures in summer are highs of 19°C and lows of 15°C, while winter highs can hit 15°C and lows of 7°C.
Whenever you choose to visit, come prepared with layers, as the fog usually burns off by mid-morning and returns in the early evening, bringing with it huge swings in temperature.
Trains
San Francisco Municipal Railway, aka Muni, operates a light rail and Muni Metro subway. Bay Area Rapid Transit, aka BART, connects San Fran to the East Bay. Caltrain is a commuter rail that runs to San Jose.
For info on Muni fares, routes and schedules, visit here.
For info on BART fares, routes and schedules, visit here.
For info on Caltrain fares, routes and schedules, visit here.
Streetcar
Muni also operates San Francisco’s historic and iconic streetcar on Market Street from Fisherman’s Wharf to Castro Street.
For more info, visit here.
Cable cars
Muni also runs the three lines of San Fran’s equally famous cable cars, two of which run from Powell and Market to Fisherman’s Wharf with the third runs between Market and Van Ness. To grab one, look for its brown and white sign.
For info on fares, routes and schedules, visit here.
Buses
There are plenty of muni bus routes to get you across San Francisco. To find the nearest stop, look for yellow street poles, white paint on streets or small bus shelters.
For info on fares, routes and schedules, visit here.
Ferries
The San Francisco Bay Ferry runs from the Ferry Building and Pier 39 to six Bay Area cities while the Golden Gate Ferry connects to Marin County.
Taxis
There are plenty of taxi companies operating in San Francisco that can get you to/from airports and around town.
Bikes
Bay Wheels, operated by Lyft and available on its app, is the primary bikeshare in San Francisco.
For fares and locations, visit here.
Rideshares
Uber and Lyft are available in San Francisco via their apps on your smartphone.
Are there local customs I should know?
- We recommend staying at one of the most popular hotels in San Francisco, which include:
- Some of the most popular restaurants in San Francisco include:
- San Francisco is known for some of its popular attractions, which include:
- We recommend checking out these popular tours when looking for something to do in San Francisco:
- If you're a more budget-conscious traveler, then you may want to consider traveling to San Francisco between March and May, when hotel prices are generally the lowest. Peak hotel prices generally start between September and November.