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San
Francisco: Insider Tips, FAQs & Links |
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The
full name of the San Francisco Airport is "San Francisco International Airport."
It is the 5th busiest airport in the USA - over 50 scheduled carriers
serve San Francisco. Here are just a few major domestic airlines: American Airlines
, Continental Airlines
, Delta Air Lines,
United Airlines
Transportation from the airport to the
city is available through bus, shuttle and taxi. The shuttle is very
inexpensive and convenient - and it take you right to your door. Just
claim your luggage on the lower level. Proceed to the upper level and
outside to the outer curb. Follow the blue SuperShuttle signs to
our uniformed Airport Guest Coordinators in blue jackets. They will
arrange SuperShuttle transportation to your destination. It's that easy!
The fares to hotels downtown is $11.50 per person (additional riders are
$8). Reservations are not required if you are coming in from the
airport. Visit their website for more information at
www.supershuttle.com/
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Intercity Public
Transportation |
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San
Francisco operates on of the best public transportation systems in the
country - it is better known as Muni. Muni operates the city's
cable cars, buses, and Metro streetcars. Buses and Metro streetcars:
Adults $1.00; Seniors (over 65) & Children (5 to 17) 35¢
Cable cars run 6:30am to 12:30am
Adults & Children (over 5) $2.00
Exact change is required. Fares are subject to change. For detailed
route information, call Muni at (415) 673 6864 weekdays 7am to 5pm,
weekends 9am to 5pm. At other times, recorded information is available.
Or get a phone book yellow pages, you will find a bus map. Or purchase a
route map for $2.00 at the San Francisco Visitor Information Center or many
stores throughout the city.
*Rates are subject to change.
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Ferries
depart from Fisherman's Wharf Pier 41 and Pier 43 1/2. The Ferry
Building , where you can purchase tickets, is on the Embarcadero at the
foot of Market Street an Pacific Bell Park.
For ferry schedules, call (415) 546-2896.
Blue & Gold Fleet
(Children 5 & Under ride Free)
CLICK HERE FOR COUPON
Alcatraz (round trip) Adult $12.25; Child $7.00; Seniors $10.50 -
Audiocassette rental inc)
Angel Island (round trip) Adult $11.00; Child $6.00; Seniors $11.00
Oakland / Alameda (one way) Adult $4.50; Child $1.75; Seniors $2.75
Sausalito / Tiberon (one way) Adult $6.00; Child $3.00; Seniors $6.00
Vallejo (one way) Adult $7.50; Child $3.75; Seniors $3.75
Golden Gate Ferries
Sausalito (one way) Adult $4.80; Child $3.60; Seniors $2.40
Vallejo (one way) Adult $7.50; Child $3.75; Seniors $3.75
* Rates are subject to change.
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San
Francisco-bound Amtrak trains leave from New York and cross the
country via Chicago. The journey takes about 31/2 days and seats sell
quickly.
For more information call Toll Free 1 800 872 7245 or 800 USA-RAIL,
or visit their website at
www.amtrak.com
CalTrain operates train service between San Francisco and the towns of the
peninsula. The city depot is at 700 Fourth St., at Townsend Street.
For more information call Toll Free 1 800 660 4287 or (415) 546 4461.
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San
Francisco: 415; Oakland, Berkeley, and the East Bay: 510; the Peninsula:
650
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San
Francisco enjoys a temperate marine climate and mild weather all
year-round. Temperatures seldom rise above 70F (21C) and (40F)
Morning and evening fogs roll in during the summer. Visitors are usually
comfortable wearing a light jacket or coat. Summer clothes are seldom
practical.
Average
temperatures:
January is between 46F (C) and 56F (C).
July is between 64F (16C) and 53F (C).
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San
Francisco is at sea level.
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The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau's
Visitor
Information Center
has multilingual staff and literature available
to you when you arrive in San Francisco. They are located at Banjamin
Swig Pavilion on the lower level of Hallidie Plaza at Market &
Powell Streets. Open Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm and Sat & Sun 9am to 3pm. We speak German, French,
Spanish, Italian, Japanese and, of course, English. Or you may call any
of our five information hotlines and listen to current events in these
languages:
English (415) 391 2001; Deutch (415) 391 2004; Francais (415)
391 2003; Espanol (415) 391 2122; Japanese (415) 391 2101.
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San Francisco Vacation Planning Guide
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In
San Francisco you
can change money in the airport or at the Bank of America, 345
Montgomery Street. (415) 622 2451, open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm.
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San
Francisco can be accessed by major highways: Interstate 5, from
the north, and U.S. 101, which cuts south-north through the
peninsula from San Jose and across the Golden Gate Bridge to points
north. If you drive from Los Angeles, you can take the longer coastal
route (437 miles and 11 hours) or the inland route (389 miles and 8
hours).
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For road conditions and road construction call (800) 427-7623 or (415)
817-1717
or visit -
www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/hi.htm
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San
Francisco is a large city where you should exercise caution. There are
many homeless people throughout the city with concentrations in and
around Union Square, the Theater District (3 blocks west of Union
Square), the Tenderloin, and Haight Street, so don't be alarmed if
you're approached for spare change. At night, be careful at the
Tenderloin, the Western Addition (south of Japantown), the Mission
District (especially around 16th and Mission streets), the lower
Fillmore area (also south of Japantown), around lower Haight Street, and
around the Civic Center. Use common sense.
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FAQ
Free
San Francisco Information
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"Where can I order a
free vacation "packet" of brochures on motels, hotels,
restaurants, tourist locations, maps, events, etc to
be mailed to me? Thank you" - Beverly
Dear Beverly, Several people have
asked for this - but none of us have been able to find anything free of
charge - except our website of course! We have searched high and low -
nothing. So, I can only suggest you go back to our website and just view
the online brochures for the hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions
and things to do. It's all free. No online booking. You make the
reservations directly with the hotels via phone, fax or e mail.
We have been told that you can get free information from the Visitor
Center, but we cannot figure it out. If you want to try, go to SFvisitor.org. You will find a page where you can order free
information. This is the link...
https://www.sfvisitor.org/cgi-bin/webc.exe/st_main.html?catid=3&sid=3cQD6S0H
Click on the link or just copy the link and past it in your browser
address. I hope this helps. If you have any questions, we are here to
help you.
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FAQ
Best & Cheapest Place to Park |
"We have a flight leaving SFO.
What are the Best rates for parking? and where?"
The best and most convenient parking service that I found in San
Francisco is ParkSFO. They have great prices and excellent service.
Their contact information is:
address: 195 North Access Road
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Phone: Toll Free 1-866-727-5736
E-mail: info@parksfo.com
website: www.parksfo.com
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FAQ
Are
there tours to the Wine Country?
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"Karen is
there a bus tour from San Francisco to Napa Valley?" - Jimmy
There are several opportunities for this.
Here are just a few:
Its not a bus, but check this one out. Beau Limousine tours
http://www.destinationcoupons.com/California/napa_valley/Beau/beau.html
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FAQ
How can I get to Napa Valley? |
"I will be visiting
San Francisco and I would love to visit the vineyards in Napa Valley? I
don't want to take a tour - so how can I get there?" - Lisa
You can either rent a car or go by bus. It's 61 miles from San
Francisco. Travel time is 1 hour 25 minutes by car, and approximately 2
hours by bus.
If you rent a car, we recommend
Dollar Rent A Car who offer our visitors a special discount.
If you decide on the bus, you will have to make a connection in Santa
Rosa.
Begin at the Golden Gate Transit, San Francisco to Santa Rosa (1st Bus).
Here is the bus schedule...
http://www.transitinfo.org/index.asp
Connect at Santa Rosa to Kendall Jackson (2nd bus).
Here is the bus schedule...
http://www.transitinfo.org/index.asp
I hope this helps. Let me know how it goes.
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FAQ
How
do I get to
Fisherman's Wharf?
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"How do we get to
Fisherman's Wharf?"
To get to Fisherman's Wharf from Union Square you can travel either by
cable car or bus.
Cable Car:
You may take either the Powell-Hyde or the Powell-Mason lines to reach
Fisherman's Wharf.
TRIP TIME: 20-25 minutes.
Bus:
If you do not wish to wait in line for a cable car, you may wish to
consider taking a Muni bus. You may board lines 15-Third or 30-Stockton
at the corner of Kearny and Market Streets. Lines 15 and 30 travel
through Chinatown and North Beach, two of San Francisco's most colorful
neighborhoods. Line 15 terminates at Bay and Kearny Streets near PIER
39; line 30 operates on North Point Street from Columbus Avenue west to
Van Ness Avenue and serves The Anchorage, The Cannery and Ghirardelli
Square. TRIP TIME: 25-30 minutes.
For more information, check out this link.
http://www.fishermanswharf.org/index.html
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FAQ
How
do I get to
Alcatraz?
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"How do we get to Alcatraz?"
Alcatraz Island, the notorious former federal prison in
the middle of the San Francisco Bay, is accessible to the public through
the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Blue and Gold Fleet. To
reach Alcatraz Island, you travel by ferry from Pier 41 at San
Francisco's famous Fisherman's Wharf. The ferry ride will take you
approximately 20 to 25 minutes. The ferry is easily reached from the
Union Square by bus (lines 15-Third or 30-Stockton) or by cable car
(Powell-Mason line).
Once you arrive at
Alcatraz Island you must walk up a steep hill. There are no elevators.
There is an accessible, interactive computer program of the island's
history available for those unable to make the walk uphill. For all
others, you may choose to either rent a self-guided audio tour of the
island or tour the island on your own.
To charge tickets
with a credit card by phone or to check the tour schedules, please call
(415)705 5555 or visit the ticket booth at Pier 41, Fisherman's Wharf.
The ticket booth is open Monday through Sunday, 8:30 am to 5 pm. Call
(415) 705 5555 for an update on extended summer hours. During
the summer and fall months, YOU SHOULD RESERVE AT LEAST ONE WEEK IN
ADVANCE.
Click here for
coupons for Alcatraz tours.
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FAQ
San Francisco Symphony |
"I am
trying to find out information on whether you offer the symphony
orchestra in San Francisco in December..." - Leslie
Here is the link for the Symphony's
December calendar:
http://www.sfsymphony.org/
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FAQ
Dinner Cruises on the Bay |
"I would like for my
wife and I to take a tour by van or car and a dinner cruise or superior
gourmet dinner at a SF restaurant. Who can help me arrange this
reasonably?" - Clay
I suggest you just do
it yourself. Take a taxi to Fisherman's Wharf have a light lunch, walk
around, see the sights then go on the cruise. Call and make a
reservation and they will give you all the info. Here is the website for
the best SF Bay cruise ...
http://www.destinationcoupons.com/California/sfo/Bay_Breeze/bay_breeze.html
For Dinner I suggest the Les Joulins Jazz
Bistro:
http://www.destinationcoupons.com/California/sfo/dine_les_joulins/jazz_bistro.asp
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FAQ
Jacuzzi Room with Bay view
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"We will be coming to
San Francisco to celebrate our Anniversary. I would like to stay in a hotel that has a jacuzzi in the room and overlooks the bay to San Francisco, like many of the restaurants do. Any suggestions are appreciated." - Jim
I am afraid I do not have very good news for you (unless you are a very rich man).I have searched around and I have only been able to find 2 hotels with rooms that meet your criteria. The
SFO Hilton has rooms w/Jacuzzi and bay views and the Renaissance Stanford Court's Presidential Suite has a Jacuzzi and a bay
view. But the price is $5000 a night (believe or not). We can get a better price for you if you are interested. There is no other hotel with Jacuzzi and Bay View. Sorry.
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FAQ
San
Francisco Area Theatre Productions |
"Hello, I will be
visiting San Francisco at the end of March for a couple of days, and was
wondering if any theater productions would be going on at that time.
Thanks!" -Jean
Broadway.com can give you all the productions
throughout the Bay Area. You can also purchase the ticket online from
them. Search on San Francisco. Pretty nifty. I hope you have a great time.
http://www.broadway.com
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FAQ
Visiting Muir Woods |
"I am staying in San
Francisco and want to go to Muir Woods and Sausalito. What is the least
expensive way to get there if I don't have a car." - Kevin
This is the deal. It is not too easy. If you would like to get there on
your own, you can take the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf then take the
ferry to Sausalito. Or you can take the bus to Sausalito. BUT, there is
no public transportation into Muir Woods from Sausalito. Finally, you
can take a Sausalito and Muir Woods tour with Red and White fleet.
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FAQ
Condos or Home Rentals? |
Hi, I would like to get discount coupons
for the Tent Cabins at Big Basin in Santa Cruz, California. I'm not sure
when we would be able to go though. Any info would be appreciated.
--Alan
Please refer to the webpage below:
http://www.destinationcoupons.com/California/sfo/activity_calparks/parks.asp
For Reservations & Information, Call: +(831) 338 8860
To Reserve a Tent Cabin, Call: 1 800 874 8368
To Reserve a Campground, Call: (800) 444 7275
or visit
http://www.destinationcoupons.com/California/Reserve_America/California.asp
Big Basin offers special rates on tent cabins through the California
State Parks.
Have a great time!
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For
More Tips About California - Click Here
San Francisco Sights, Places of
Interest and Do-It-Yourself Tours
Great Travel Tips
Our Favorite
Travel Links
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If you have any questions
or if you have comments you would like to add, we would be very happy to
share them with the world!
Send all the details to karen@destinationcoupons.com
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