San Francisco Travel Forum

I have to stay in San Franciso for one-day by the mistake of my travel agent,they booked a wrong ticket. Which is nice,after a business trip to Dallas finally I could have one-day trip in San Francisco and I am really looking forward to it.

I will arrive on 14th Jun about 8 am and leave on 15th Jun 11 am.

I wonder if anyone could advise about where to stay and visit, I only have 200 budget.

If there is anyone have similar situation, It will be nice if we could travel together.

All the best

Not sure about where to stay as I'm not sure if your agent is absorbing the costs ... but the good part is that San Francisco is easy to get around and has great public transportation.

Just check the San Francisco VT pages for those activities *you* prefer ... then you can use Google maps and the SF Muni page to get around:
http://www.sfmta.com/cms/home/sfmta.php

I would stay near the airport (maybe Hilton Garden Inn around Burlingame - with free airport shuttle) - and just take the shuttle to the airport and public transportation to the center of town.

Thank you for your post and the web you gave me. You are really fast.

My agent doesn't want to pay for it.

and I didn't insist to do that because I think it is a beautiful mistake

Give me a chance to take a good look at San Francisco.

I just looked at Priceline.com and they had some amazing deals for San Francisco. I think they had a room at the St Francis for $119. That would put you in Union Square, the ideal neighborhood for a day in SF. You will be able to walk to MOMA and Chinatown. If you're a good walker, you can walk to the Embarcadero (really good food at the Ferry Building), walk up to Fisherman's wharf along the bay, and walk back through North Beach and Chinatown. Or, since you only have one day, you could take one of those on-off bus tours - http://www.inetours.com/Tours/City_Loop.html.

Well we stayed down town the first time and near the Fishermans Wharf on our return and I would suggest Holiday Inn near The Wharf. Lots of other places looked OK in the area but I only saw from outside.
Holiday Inn has 2 sections and the better is the original building on the corner as it has the nicer eating place and some computers upstairs for guests.


Holiday Inn
SAN FRANCISCO-
FISHERMAN'S WHARF

1300 COLUMBUS AVENUE
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133
UNITED STATES
Tel: 1-800-942-7348
Fax: 1-415-771-7006

Lowest internet rate guarantee.
marg

Take the BART train from the airport into the city and find a nice hotel in the Union Square or Fisherman's warf area. The train is easy and inexpensive, there is a station attached to the airport terminal.

DG

Thanks for all the great idea！ I am coming San Francisco！

If you can get the St Francis like the person mentioned above, go for it - it's a beautiful hotel in a great location.

As far as activities go, if you stay in the Union Square area, you could easily visit either the Wharf/Waterfront, or the Golden Gate Park. Golden Gate Park has several museums, the Botanical Garden, The Conservatory of Flowers, a Japanese Tea Garden, and the new California Academy of Sciences: (www.calacademy.org), which has penguins, and an indoor rain forest among other exhibits. If you wish to be outside a bit more, there are numerous walking trails. You might wish to look at the web site for the San Francisco Culture Bus: (www.sfculturebus.org), which provides transport between downtown and the park, with a few additional stops in between. I need to go for a bit, but will have some additional information for you later, if you wish. Gary

Thanks a lot
Gary would like to have your informaiton.

As was mentioned by several of the earlier posters there are different areas of The City you might wish to stay in. The airport area will probably be the most time-effective for catching your departing flight. The hotels sometimes will offer airport shuttles. Sometimes you have early check-ins at the airport, and trying to navigate through the morning rush hour can be a bit daunting, even on public transit. The Union Square area would be most central, and is close to a BART station. It likely will be the most costly area for lodging. The Wharf/Marina/North Beach areas will get you nearest the bay, and it's attractions, but could entail the most complicated trip back to the airport. The sfmta web site includes a trip planner, which can be useful. You may also wish to visit the web site for BART: (www.bart.gov). Visiting the San Francisco airport web site would also help familiarize you with the layout and travel options there. Gary

How much luggage will you have with you ? When dealing with public transit, that will be a factor. You also don't want to be physically dragging your bags down the street to and from your hotel. There are shuttles from and to the airport to your hotels, but these can be a bit costly, and a time-consuming way to travel, as they likely will make several stops en route. Gary

Getting back to the lodging/things to do aspect of your trip: As I mentioned earlier the Union Square area offers good transit options to and from the airport, and also the Golden Gate Park. It also has pretty good options to the Wharf. As mentioned, you will pass through Chinatown and the North Beach areas on the way to the Wharf. You already have some restaurant suggestions in these areas. As for the Wharf area itself, there are the resident sea lions, and shopping options at Pier 39. There are short bay cruises you can board in the area. You can also rent a bicycle: (www.blazingsaddles.com) at several locations. You can the head westward, along the waterfront to, or even onto, or across, the Golden Gate Bridge. In between, you could visit the Maritime Museum, and the Hyde Street Pier, which has an historic ship display. It is also the northern terminus of one of the cable car lines. Further west, you will pass the Jeremiah O'Brien, a World War II Liberty Ship, and can tour a submarine, the USS Pampanito. There are often events or exhibits or events at Ft. Mason, which you come to next. You pass the Marina Green which is a good place for a picnic. You'll then reach the Presidio, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Point, which sits beneath the bridge, may also be of interest. Gary

One quick note, I think you will want to have your lodging reserved before you get to San Francisco. This is a part of the tourist season. Before you finalize the reservation, though, I would ask for feedback on the hotel's location. There are a few areas that might be a bit uncomfortable. Gary

If you decide you'd like to visit the Ferry Building: (www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com), you may also decide you'd wish to do a bay cruise: (www.goldengate.org), from there. These are the commuter ferries, so they'll likely be cheaper, faster, and actually travel somewhere. For guided neighborhood tours, (free, but you can donate): (www.sfcityguides.org). Gary

Another, rather unique option for your visit: The San Francisco Giants baseball team play their cross bay rivals, the Oakland Athletics. on June 14th, at 1:05 in the afternoon, in San Francisco. For information: (http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com). Gary

I know of two very low-cost hotels in North Beach, close to Chinatown. They are surrounded by many restaurants, bars, & shops.

Golden Eagle - 402 Broadway (& Montgomery) - (415)781-6859

Europa - 310 Columbus (& Broadway) - (415)391-5779

Their rates were under $50 last time I was there. Give them a call for details.