San Francisco

San Francisco is a city of cable cars, a toll bridge and Alcatraz, an island inside Golden Gate National Recreation Area that one authorised ferry serves. That park counted 15,748,676 recreation visits in 2025, the second-highest of all National Park Service sites.

The sights below are grouped by area, with the prices and hours their own sites print; the state around them is on our page about California.

We checked the figures on 30 October 2026 on the pages of the National Park Service, SFMTA, the Golden Gate Bridge district and the SFO and Oakland airports. We also read the state tax office, NOAA and the sights' own sites. The websites of BART, the city government and the de Young Museum blocked our reads. So this page gives no BART fare, no hotel tax rate and nothing on the de Young.

How long is BART from SFO to Union Square and the Embarcadero?

BART from San Francisco International Airport reaches Powell Street, the Union Square stop, in 29 minutes, by the airport's own list of journey times. Civic Center takes 28 minutes, Embarcadero and Montgomery 30 to 33, and 16th or 24th Street in the Mission 25. For Chinatown, change at Powell Street to the T Third line for Chinatown-Rose Pak Station, 30 minutes in all.

The BART station is inside the International Terminal. From the other terminals, the AirTrain runs to its Garage G/BART stop, and the airport says there is no charge to board it. You pay at the BART gate by tapping a contactless bank card or phone, which BART calls Tap and Ride, or with a Clipper card. BART's own site blocked every read, so we cannot give the fare.

Taxis wait at the centre islands outside Arrivals, and rideshare cars pick up on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage. By road, SFO to the Powell Street station is about 13.7 miles and 19 minutes on our own routing.

Oakland's airport, which now calls itself Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, has a BART station across the street from its terminals. The train to Coliseum station takes 8 minutes and leaves every 6 minutes during most hours, the airport says. At Coliseum you change trains for the city, and OAK prints no time or fare for the whole trip. Bus line 73 also runs to Coliseum every 15 minutes between 4:56 a.m. and 12:06 a.m.

Is a Visitor Passport cheaper than paying for each cable car ride?

A Visitor Passport pays for itself on any day with two cable car rides: a single ride costs $9.00 and the one-day passport $15.00, on SFMTA's fare pages. The passport also covers Muni buses, Muni Metro trains and the historic streetcars, all without limit.

Passports are not valid on BART, on other transit systems, on tour buses, or for the trip to or from SFO. They expire at 11:59 p.m. on the first, third or seventh day of use. Children aged 4 and under ride the cable cars free, and anyone 18 and under rides the rest of Muni free.

A single Muni ride can be paid by tapping a chip-enabled credit or debit card, and Clipper says such a card is charged the adult fare. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover all work. MuniMobile, SFMTA's app, stopped selling single-ride passes on 1 September 2026.

Three cable car lines run. The Powell/Hyde and Powell/Mason lines both start at Powell and Market and end near Fisherman's Wharf, and the California line runs along California Street to Van Ness. At three terminal stops, Powell and Market, Bay and Taylor, and Hyde and Beach, you must buy the fare before boarding during the day.

SFMTA's two pages disagree on those prepay hours, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on one and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the other, so pay in the app or on Clipper first. Bicycles are not allowed aboard, and the cars have no accessible boarding.

Which areas does a first visit cover, from Pier 39 to Chinatown?

A first visit falls into four areas joined by the transit lines. They are the northern waterfront from Pier 33 to Fisherman's Wharf, Powell Street and Chinatown downtown, the bridge and the Presidio, and Golden Gate Park. No official page we read suggests how many days to spend. The day tour of Alcatraz alone needs 2.5 to 3 hours, by its operator's estimate, and Muir Woods is about 35 minutes away by car.

The historic F-line streetcars run along the Embarcadero past Pier 33, where the Alcatraz ferry leaves, to Pier 39. Pier 39's shops open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and its full-service restaurants from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sea lions began hauling out on Pier 39's K-Dock shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake of October 1989, the pier says, and had taken it over by January 1990. The count peaked at over 2,100 in May and June 2024. The pier warns that sea lions may bite if provoked.

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park needs no entrance pass. Its Hyde Street Pier is closed for renovation, the Park Service says, and the historic ships have moved to Mare Island, where visitors are not allowed aboard. The $15 fee for the ships is suspended.

Downtown, the two Powell cable car lines start at Powell and Market, and BART's Powell Street station serves Union Square. Chinatown-Rose Pak Station, on the T Third subway line, has served Chinatown since 7 January 2023.

No official page we read ranks neighbourhoods for a stay, and we name no hotels. On the transport facts alone, Powell Street is where BART from SFO, two cable car lines and the T Third subway meet.

When does Alcatraz reopen, and what does the Pier 33 ferry include?

Alcatraz Island has been closed since 26 October 2026 for repairs to its ferry dock, and the National Park Service expects the work to be finished by 18 November 2026. The Park Service calls that an expectation and says weather or other factors may move the date: on 5 November no reopening notice had appeared.

Crews are replacing the pilings that hold the dock to the island, and the ferry concessioner pays for the work. The timing is set by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, which restricts work in the water after 30 November. The dock already closed the island for nine days from 14 January 2026, after a piling failed, and for six days in April 2026.

Ticket holders for the closure are refunded, the Park Service's release says, and are offered another date or a Bay Discovery Cruise instead. On 30 October 2026 the operator's ticket page carried the banner "Alcatraz is temporarily closed" and offered a bay cruise. Part of the cell house stays closed until about 2028 for preservation work, even when the island is open.

Alcatraz charges no entrance fee: the ticket for the ferry from Alcatraz City Cruises, the only ferry the Park Service authorises, is the fee. The ticket includes the crossing, the cellhouse audio tour in 11 languages and the federal recreation fee.

Prices include taxes and fees, and booking on the operator's own site adds no booking fee. Children aged 4 and under go free. Visitors from abroad pay no extra charge, the operator says, and Alcatraz is not on the 2026 list of parks that add $100 for non-residents. America the Beautiful passes give no discount on the ferry.

Sales open up to 90 days ahead, by the Park Service's fees page. How early tours sell out depends on whose page you read. The operator says tours frequently sell out a week or more ahead, and the Park Service's hours page says as much as a month or more in summer and near holidays. Tickets sold by people who approach visitors are often marked up and illegal, the operator warns.

Ferries leave Alcatraz Landing at Pier 33, at the foot of Bay Street on the Embarcadero, about every half hour from 8:45 a.m. The crossing takes 12 to 15 minutes. Arrive half an hour early with photo ID; Pier 33 has no parking, and the island sells no food.

The night and behind-the-scenes tours do not run on Sundays or Mondays, and the island closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. A ticket can be refunded or changed up to 72 hours before departure.

What does the Golden Gate Bridge toll cost a rental car?

The Golden Gate Bridge toll is charged only southbound, into the city, and the bridge collects no cash. A two-axle car pays one of three rates from 1 July 2026, by the bridge district's own page.

A visitor with a foreign plate can make a one-time payment up to 30 days before crossing or within 48 hours after. From outside the USA, the district takes that payment by phone on 415-486-8655. A rental car goes through the rental company's own tolling programme, and most rental agencies charge convenience fees to use it, the district says.

An invoice left unpaid becomes a toll violation with a $25 penalty. Our guide to renting a car in the USA covers the rest of the paperwork.

Parking at the bridge is extremely limited, its district says, and its lots close to cars from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Golden Gate Transit routes 101, 130 and 150 run to the south end from Salesforce Transit Center and Mission Street.

Theft from parked cars is the warning both the district and the Park Service give. The Park Service says the Bay Area, its recreation area included, has high levels of property theft from vehicles. It handled more than 3,969 cases in its units between 2015 and September 2021. Take passports, keys and electronics with you, and leave nothing in sight. Report suspicious activity to the Bridge Patrol on 415-923-2220, or call 911 in an emergency.

When does the Golden Gate Bridge's east sidewalk close to walkers?

The east sidewalk, the side facing the city, is the only one open to people on foot, and its hours shortened when the clocks went back on Sunday 1 November 2026. From then to early March it opens from 5 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the rest of the year from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

On some weeknights in daylight time a sidewalk closes an hour early, at 8 p.m., for construction. The toll is a vehicle toll, and walking across costs nothing: the district ended the pedestrian toll in December 1970. Cyclists may use both sidewalks toll-free 24 hours a day, but the bridge has no bicycle rental. E-scooters, skateboards and dogs other than service animals are banned from the sidewalks.

The bridge's Welcome Center opens daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. San Francisco City Guides run free walking tours at the bridge on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

On Sunday 1 November 2026 a half marathon crosses the bridge. From 2 a.m. to 10 a.m. that morning the Park Service expects delays and closes Mason Street, Long Avenue, Marine Drive, Lincoln Avenue, Vista Point and lower Conzelman Road. Five car parks by the bridge close too.

Fort Point National Historic Site stands directly under the south end of the bridge and counted 1,010,870 visits in 2025. It opens from Thursday to Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with roof access until 4:30 p.m., and the Park Service says those days change with the season. The Presidio Visitor Center opens every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free Presidio GO Shuttle runs from downtown to the Presidio Transit Center, where a second route loops round the park. Golden Gate National Recreation Area charges no entrance fee anywhere except at Muir Woods.

Which Golden Gate Park gardens and museums charge admission?

The California Academy of Sciences charges an adult $49, or $55 at peak times, in Golden Gate Park at 55 Music Concourse Drive. Peak pricing covers spring break, the summer months, holiday weekends and the November and December holiday periods. A child aged 3 to 12 pays $39 or $45.

The Academy opens from Monday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its NightLife evenings, for over-21s only, run from 6 to 10 p.m. on most Thursdays. Last entry is at 4 p.m., Anytime Admission costs $59, and it closes on Wednesday 2 December for a private event. Its page gives no separate price for visitors from abroad, and it does not say which November days count as peak.

The Japanese Tea Garden, which its operator calls the oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America, takes its last visitors at 4:30 p.m. from November to February. From March to October the last entry is at 5:30 p.m. The Botanical Garden's last entry is 4 p.m. from the first Sunday in November to January.

The gardens' ticket prices load in a booking widget we could not read. Their tickets page says entry is free to city residents, veterans and some other groups, so a visitor from abroad pays. A free park shuttle runs on weekdays from noon to 6 p.m., stopping at the Music Concourse and Stow Lake. The de Young Museum's site blocked every read, so we give nothing for it.

Do you need a reservation for Muir Woods, north of the bridge?

Muir Woods National Monument needs a parking or shuttle reservation on top of its entrance fee of $15 for anyone aged 16 and over. Parking for a standard car costs $10 and the shuttle $4 for an adult round trip, with children 15 and under free. Both are booked on gomuirwoods.com, the site the Park Service names.

Reservations open up to 90 days ahead, at 9 a.m. Pacific time, and a limited number are released three days ahead. Visitors who arrive on foot, by bicycle or on a tour bus need no reservation. The parking or shuttle fee still applies on the national fee-free days, which in 2026 are for US residents only.

The shuttle runs from Larkspur Ferry Terminal on Fridays to Sundays and federal holidays from early spring through September, and on Saturdays and Sundays in October. The reservation site says the shuttle is not in service until spring 2027. Marin Transit's route 61 stops 1.3 miles from the park, down a trail.

Muir Woods counted 756,573 recreation visits in 2025. Its 6 miles of trails include loops of 30 minutes, an hour and an hour and a half. The monument has no phone signal or WiFi, and pets are not permitted. It is not on the 2026 list of parks with the $100 surcharge for visitors from abroad. City Hall to the visitor centre is about 16.2 miles by car on our own routing; the Park Service prints no distance.

What does the 8.625% sales tax add to a bill in San Francisco?

The sales tax in San Francisco is 8.625% from 1 October 2026, by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, against a statewide base of 7.25%. Nearby rates are higher: 10.75% in Oakland, 10.5% in Emeryville and 9.25% in Sausalito.

A $20.00 meal therefore comes to $21.73 before the tip, by our arithmetic. Shelf and menu prices leave the tax out, as our guide to sales tax in the USA explains, and the tip is covered in tipping in the USA.

The hotel tax is set by the city and added to the room rate. We could not confirm its rate: the city's treasurer, government and controller pages returned empty answers to every read, and the municipal code site refused us.

Why is September warmer than July downtown?

September is the warmest month at the city's downtown weather station, with an average high of 70°F against 66°F in July, on NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals. NOAA's page on the marine layer says a summer drive over the Golden Gate Bridge "will commonly encounter fog", with temperatures in the upper 50s to lower 60s.

The figures are for the downtown station. The airport station, SFO, reads warmer in summer: 73°F in July and 75°F in September, about 6°F above downtown in July. Downtown gets 22.89 inches of rain a year, almost all from November to March, with December the wettest month at 4.76 inches. It averages 3.3 days a year at 90°F or more, and NOAA prints no snow normal for either station.

The Park Service's Alcatraz page warns that cold, foggy mornings may give way to sunny afternoons. It also says ozone and wildfire smoke can degrade the air in summer and autumn.

The city is on Pacific time. Clocks went back an hour on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 2 a.m., from UTC−7 to UTC−8. From that day the bridge's east sidewalk closes at 6:30 p.m.

How far are Yosemite, Pinnacles and Redwood by car?

Yosemite Valley is 195 miles and 4 to 5 hours from the Bay Area, by the park's own figures. It is the only one of these three parks on the 2026 surcharge list. Pinnacles is the nearest of the three national parks, and Redwood the furthest.

Yosemite charges $35 for a private vehicle for seven days. Visitors from abroad aged 16 and over add $100 each unless they hold an annual pass, and the park takes no cash. It will not use timed-entry reservations in 2026. At 4 to 5 hours each way, a day trip means 8 to 10 hours at the wheel; the same NPS page's table gives four hours.

Pinnacles charges $30 for a private vehicle for one to seven days. The Park Service prints no distance from the city, only a route through Gilroy and Hollister. Redwood is about 325 miles north, "a six-hour drive" on its directions page and seven hours in its FAQ.

The annual pass for non-residents costs $250 and covers the whole vehicle. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors explains where the surcharge applies.

Amtrak's trains do not reach the city. The California Zephyr runs daily from Chicago to Emeryville in 51 hours 20 minutes. An Amtrak Connection bus carries passengers on to downtown, to a curbside stop with no shelter at 401 Mission Street. Emeryville station to the Ferry Building is about 9.1 miles by road on our own routing, and Amtrak prints no time for the bus.