Home

Airport Codes

Travel Warnings

Consolidated Airfares

Article by Cassandra Ingraham; Theme from About.com

I am partial because I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and visiting the city of San Francisco is one of my most favorite things to do.  I go there 2 to 3 times per week and I am still amazed at the beauty.

I was reading the About.Com article on San Francisco and I felt that this article more then any other article I have read about San Francisco would be the most helpful to visitors who are traveling on a budget.

Shop Around for Airfare: Check fares for all three area airports: San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC). Oakland is closer to the city than San Jose, but you can get transportation into San Francisco from either one.  It is actually cheaper to take Southwest into Oakland.  You can take the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Shuttle to the BART station and be in the heart of San Francisco in less then 30 minutes.  If you are flying in from outside of the US, use the Consolidated Airfare Online Quote to get a cheap Airfare.

Don't Rent a Car: San Francisco is a small city (49 square miles) and most of the tourist attractions are located in about a third of it. Parking is hard to find and driving in the city traffic can ruin the best of moods. To make matters worse, many of the centrally located hotels charge for parking. Use public transportation, walk and take taxis instead. If you want to go out of the city on a day trip, rent a car for a day at a car rental agency that has a city office. I agree totally with this tip, even though I drive to the city, I have special tricks to find limited parking.  A lot of people who live in San Francisco do not own cars.  Muni (the Bus system in San Francisco runs like clock work)

Hotels are Not Cheap in San Francisco so use the Travel Coupon Book to locate lodging in the San Francisco area.  Or stay at a hostel. 

Get a Discount Admission Card: The CityPass includes a seven-day Muni Pass for unlimited rides on cable cars, light rail and city buses. You also get admission to various attractions, and a San Francisco Bay Cruise. Be sure you're interested in enough of the attractions and activities to make it cost-effective. Or, if you enjoy historical attractions, walking tours and museums, try the Go San Francisco Card. (don't miss the San Francisco Bay Cruise -- this tour will give you a "real" picture of San Francisco)

Buy a Muni Passport: The Muni Passport is good for unlimited travel on cable cars, streetcars and buses, an offers discounts on many area attractions (usually $1 to $2 off).

Free Attractions: You can't get much cheaper than this. Some of the things you can see for free include Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Golden Gate Park (some of the park's attractions charge admission, but getting into the park is free). City Guides tours are always FREE.

Do A Huge (Late) Lunch -- Eat Snacks for Dinner: If you want to try an expensive restaurant, their lunch prices are often lower than dinner. Plus we all know if you don't eat after 6:00 PM, it is easier to loose weight! (The Warf is full of places (on the side walk) with affordable seafood snacks such as crab salads or shrimp cocktails)