Getting Around

San Francisco is a rare American city where you don't need a car to see everything. In fact, given the chronic shortage of parking downtown, horrible traffic and zealous meter maids who love to give expensive parking tickets, going carless makes sense. The public transportation system, MUNI , though much maligned by locals for its unpredictable schedule, covers every neighborhood inexpensively via its system of cable cars, buses and trolleys. Bikes are a good option, as marked bike routes - with lanes - direct riders to all major points of interest. Walking the compact metropolis is the best bet, with each turn revealing surprises. Often these are in the form of stunning homes and bustling marketplaces, but on killer hills, some angled at 30 degrees and all punishment on the legs. Wear comfortable shoes.

Useful bus routes
#5 From the Transbay Terminal, west alongside Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park to the ocean.

#7 From the Ferry Terminal (Market St) to the end of Haight St and to Golden Gate Park.

#15 From Third St (SoMa) to Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, via the Financial District and North Beach.

#20 (Golden Gate Transit) From corner of Mission and First streets to the Golden Gate Bridge ($1.75).

#22 From the Marina up Pacific Heights and north on Fillmore.

#28 and #29 From the Marina through the Presidio, north through Golden Gate Park, the Richmond and the Sunset.

#30 From the Caltrain depot on Third Street, north to Ghirardelli Square, via Chinatown and North Beach, and out to Chestnut Street in the Marina district.

#38 From Geary St via Civic Center, west to the ocean along Geary Blvd through Japantown and the Richmond, ending at Cliff House.

Muni train lines

Muni F-MARKET LINE Restored vintage trolleys from other cities run downtown from the Transbay Terminal and Fisherman's Wharf, up Market Street and into the heart of the Castro.

Muni J-CHURCH LINE From downtown to the edge of the Castro and on to the Mission and Noe Valley.

Muni K-INGLESIDE LINE From downtown through the Castro to Balboa Park.

Muni L-TARAVAL LINE From downtown west through the Sunset to the zoo and Ocean Beach.

Muni M-OCEAN VIEW From downtown west by the Stonestown Galleria shopping center and San Francisco State University.

Muni N-JUDAH LINE From downtown west through the Inner Sunset and to Ocean Beach, via the outer Haight.
From the Muni N-Judah line or buses #5 and #38, you can connect to bus #44 that goes by the De Young Museum, Japanese Tea Garden, California Academy of Sciences and Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate Park. A Muni transfer will get you discounts at these places.

The city's public transportation is run by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni (tel 415/673-6864). A comprehensive network of buses, trolleybuses and cable cars run up and over the city's hills, while the underground trains become streetcars when they emerge from the downtown metro system to split off and serve the suburbs. On buses and trains the flat fare (correct change only) is $1; with each ticket you buy, ask for a free transfer - good for another two rides on a train or bus, and a fifty-percent reduction on cable cars if used within ninety minutes. Local groceries have begun to vend single-ride tokens (80¢), which save money and take care of the annoyance of not having correct change. Cable cars cost $2 one-way (no transfers). Most of the streetcar lines (J, K, L, M and N) require proof-of-payment (meaning they can check your ticket), so hold on to a valid ticket, pass or transfer (they often do check) or you may be subject to a steep fine.

If you're staying a few days, the Muni Passport is available in one-day, three-day and seven-day denominations ($6, $10, $15) and is valid for unlimited travel on the Muni system and BART stations within the city limits. A Fast Pass costs $35 for a full calendar month. Muni trains run throughout the night on a limited service, except those on the M-Ocean View line, which stop around 1am. Buses run all night, but services are greatly reduced after midnight. For more information, pick up the handy Muni map from the Visitor Information Center or bookstores.

Bikes are allowed on MUNI buses equipped with bicycle racks (on the front of the bus) and on Bay Area Rapid Transit, BART, except during peak commute hours.

Various other public transportation networks serve San Francisco and the Bay Area. Along Market Street downtown, Muni shares the station concourses with BART, which runs to the East Bay - including downtown Oakland and Berkeley - and outer suburbs. The Caltrain commuter railway (depot at Fourth and King, South of Market) links San Francisco along the peninsula south to San Jose. Golden Gate Ferry boats (tel 415/923-2000) leave from the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero, crossing the bay past Alcatraz to Sausalito and Larkspur in Marin County. Blue & Gold Fleet (tel 415/773-1188) sails to Sausalito and Tiburon from Pier 41 at Fisherman's Wharf. The Alameda-Oakland ferry (tel 510/522-3300) sails between Oakland's Jack London Square, the Ferry Building, Fisherman's Wharf and Pac Bell Park ($5 one-way) and, in summer, to Angel Island ($12 round-trip; daily late May-Oct).
Taxis ply the streets, and you can flag one down (especially downtown), but finding one can be a pain. Phoning around, try De Soto (tel 415/970-1300) or Yellow Cab (tel 415/626-2345). Fares (within the city) are roughly $1.70 for the first mile and $1.80 per mile thereafter.

If you fancy cycling , Avenue Cyclery, 640 and 756 Stanyan St (tel 415/387-3155) in the Haight, near Golden Gate Park, rents mountain or city bikes for $5 per hour, $25 per day. Downtown, for Golden Gate Bridge rides, try New World Sports, 1365 Columbus Ave, near Fisherman's Wharf (tel 415/776-7801), and Blazing Saddles, on Fisherman's Wharf on Pier 41 and at 1095 Columbus Ave in North Beach (tel 415/202-8888); both rent bikes for $5 per hour, $25-28 per day.

One way to orient yourself is an organized tour . Gray Line Tours (tel 415/558-9400), for example, take you around the city in four fairly tedious hours for around $37 a head. Considerably more exciting are the 60-minute bay cruises operated by the Blue & Gold Fleet ($17; tel 415/705-8203) from pier 39 and pier 41 - though be warned that everything may be shrouded in fog. Excruciatingly expensive aerial tours of the city and Bay Area in light aircraft or helicopters are available from several operators, such as San Francisco Helicopter Tours (tel 1-800/400-2404, ), which offers spectacular flights over the Bay Area for $95 per passenger.

The best of the walking tours include City Guides, sponsored daily by the San Francisco Public Library (free; tel 415/557-4266); Cruisin' the Castro ($40; tel 415/550-8110), an absorbing and witty tour of the gay community; Footnotes (tel 925/672-5908), a rigorous walk and storytelling centered around the city's Barbary Coast days; and All About Chinatown ($25; tel 415/982-8839), an insider's cultural perspective on this lively quarter (optional dim sum lunch, $12 extra). Three Babes and a Bus ($35, which includes all cover charges; tel 415/552-CLUB) takes a luxury coachload of people looking for a good time to different nightclubs around the city. There are also special mural tours of the Mission by Precita Eyes taking in the district's distinctive street art.