You have an option of three major airports when flying into the city: San Francisco International (SFO), Oakland International (OAK) and San Jose International (SJC). SFO, the main, international hub is 15 miles away from the city. Calling a cab? Expect to pay about $37 - $44.
With its many one-way streets and steep hills, driving is tough. Instead, rely on the city’s public transportation. The Muni lines are comfortable and reliable and consist of cable cars, streetcars and buses. Fares are $1.50. Visit 511.org to help navigate the lines.
If you do decide to rent a car and drive, be wary of the hills and choose an automatic rather than a stick shift. The hills can be super steep so be sure to curb your wheels when parking on a hill. Facing uphill on a street with a curb, turn your wheels to the left. When facing uphill on a street with no curb, turn your wheels to the right. Facing downhill, turn your wheels to the right.
Parking- it’s tough to find spots when you need to navigate the various colored curbs, which indicate when and who can park there. Green – From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday you’ve got 10 minutes. Yellow – Commercial only. Blue – handicapped only. White – Passenger loading (you’ll spot these most in front of public spots like hotels and restaurants).
Bridges– If you’re keeping business hours and driving around, try to avoid the bridge and freeway during peak hours. Carpooling is a good option or, work with your colleagues to plan your meetings to fall during off-peak hours—same goes for site-seeing. Expect to pay $5 to go southbound on the Golden Gate Bridge and $4 to go westbound on the Bay Bridge San Mateo, Dumbarton and San Rafael bridges.