Do we really need a car rental in san francisco?

i'm travelling with 2 of my girl friends to san francisco this august and i was just wondering if it is necessary for us to rent a car?



were only in the city for 2 days but we want to accomplish a lot of things such as the golden gate bridge, fishermans wharf, lombard street, and all the good and famous stuffs in the city, and especially shopping.



please help!Do we really need a car rental in san francisco?
Renting a car for such a short trip is not necessary and really not advisable. As others have mentioned driving in The City can be confusing [lots of one way streets, big hills] stressful [parking, traffic] and expensive [almost no free parking, very expensive hotel parking].



All the places you want to visit are accessible by public transportation. Union Square [the shopping district] is very centrally located and if you stay in that area you will absolutely not need a car.



Even using cabs will cost you less than renting a car which can cost as much as $100 a day when you factor in parking and rental fees.Do we really need a car rental in san francisco?
You should seriously think through renting a car in San Francisco before you do it. Finding a parking spot anywhere in the city is horrible, you will spend about 15-30 minutes alone on this, as well as spending money just to pay for the parking on an hourly basis.



On the other hand, driving in SF is a once in a lifetime experience definitely. But, the things you are wanting to do in SF are also all easily accessible by public transportation.



I say not to rent a car, and just use the subways, cable cars, light rail, taxi's, buses, and trains to get around.



Good luck!
Let me show you just how expensive that rental car is and why you don't need It.



The biggest problem you'll have with a rental car in San Francisco (besides all the one way streets and hills) is trying to find a parking spot- honestly, it's a NIGHTMARE!



Jay Gross said it best. "If all the planets are properly aligned, if you're holding your mouth right and if you avoided walking under that ladder, you might, just might, be able to find a parking space in San Francisco".



Parking in a public parking lot will run you a $20 to $25 a day. Parking at your hotel will run you $45 to $50 a day and most hotels don't own their parking lots.

Plus the street meters are $.25 for 10 minutes and there is no overnight parking on city streets unless you are a permanent resident of San Francisco and have a parking permit sticker. (None of this is in your rental contract by the way- trust me- not even in the fine print.)



But there is a great alternative! San Francisco has one the best public transportation systems in the United States! Really! There isn't any place in San Francisco that is more than just a few blocks away from one of the many modes of public transportation offered by the city.Do we really need a car rental in san francisco?
If you and your friends are young and strong don't mind being seen in good walking shoes,San Francisco is an ideal town for pedestrian tourists. It is NOT a large city, geographically, being only about seven miles across at it's widest point, and has an excelent trasportation system, covering most of the city, and reasonably good taxi service to get you to where public transport won't.



If you are going two full days, (three nights) you CAN catch most of the best sights, but you will be spending LONG days doing it. The biggest issue with renting a car is that parking is difficult and expensive. But the car WILL get to to wherever you want to go, quickly and give you more time to relax and enjoy your San Francisco experience. What you may want to do is plan your trip carefully, do a lot of online research, load yourself up with good city and tourist maps and do a combination of car rental and public trans. For example, if you stay downtown, or anywhere near Union Square, you really won't need the car to get to the shopping areas, Chinatown, the cable cars and trollies, the Embarcadero or even Fisherman's Wharf.



But if you want to go across the Golden Gate, tour Golden Gate Park, visit the Haight, the Zoo, or see the beach, busses and trollies will get you there, but you might want do drive to some of those locations.



Be careful and have fun.
If you are a good driver or your friends are then you may rent a car for 2 days on line.

I would not as busses, cabs, trams etc are everywhere.



SF is a hilly city. Also if you stay in the City parking is very expensive.



There are many modes of transpo and a good one to see the bridge is take the Sausalito ferry over for lunch.

Google or Bing for good info.Do we really need a car rental in san francisco?
It is possible...but on a time line, not too practical. There are buses and the trolley cars. But you have to be on their schedule. If you choose your hotel wisely, you could make it work. Try checking out the bus schedules online.



Driving in San Fran is quite the experience, so make sure to get any additional coverage the rental company offers. Have fun!
It would be better to rent a car if you're going to be doing a lot of things. The public transportation is good, but if your going all over the place it'd probably be better to have your own car.. beware of bicyclists..
no because most you probably want to see are very close to each other and there are always cabs waiting. besides, parking in those mentioned spots is a nightmare; especially on weekends.
You would be better off without a car.
*_~ So glad that you're considering SF for a travel !



I grow up here, always wanted to leave Bay Area However after my travel for the last 7 years to Seattle, LA, San Diego, LAs VEgas, Florida, New Orlean, HK, China, Japan, Hawaii, Thailand and Europe.. I can tell you that there's no place like the Bay Area!!



I just love the weather and the diverse culture here!! Traffic can be hectic but still bearable. Public transport is great! You can always take Bart, ferries, bus, taxi or cable car etc. However, if you don鈥檛 have much time or want to travel beyond the city 鈥?I think a car would help a lot. Yes, you have to pay for parking, but save you time to go more places faster..



Embarcadero is wicked nice, and it's not THAT far, so you could really just walk down it to the Ferry Building. On Saturdays they do a nice farmer's market and you can get lots of good stuff. Walk down to Pier 39.



Ferry Building

Pier 39

Alcatraz or Angel Island

Japan town

Lombard Street

Chinatown

Coit Tower

Fishermen's Wharf

Union Square for Shopping

Golden Gate Park 鈥?Walk across the bridge

Academy of Science

Union Street

Ocean Beach

Segates are great way to travel around the city.







*_~ Unique places in San Francisco

http://www.supperclub.com/

Beach Blanket Babylon

Asia SF

Academy of Science during the night time- $10 buy ticket in advance.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-garden-san-f鈥?/a> - Try the pho challenge

http://sf.backpage.com/community/classif鈥?/a>