San Francisco
Driving
Parking
Strategies
The San Francisco
parking enemy lurks...
Parking is San Francisco is very
difficult and expensive. Most hotels charge extra for parking. Street
parking is as easy to find as winning the lottery. The city owns a few
very high tech lots near busy areas such as Union Square which are not
too bad. Before renting a car for your trip, you should strongly consider
investing your $40/day in taxicabs. Taxi's don't have to park and save you
a lot of stress.
Basically, the only good thing about
having a car in S.F. is travel to outlying areas such as Napa and
Monterey. Within the city, it is highly counterproductive. At
San Francisco International Airport - there are many SFO parking lots for you to
safely park your car on an out-of-town trip.
When parking in
residential areas of San Francisco - if you take the time to circle to the
further areas from restaurants and shops, you can find free parking but
walk a bit (good exercise!).
In commercial
areas (Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf) -
the same sort of rules apply. You need to explore parking
areas that are further from the central destination to find the lower
priced lots. We've listed some of the most convenient
parking lots below for the major San Francisco tourist
attractions.
Best
Parking Lots By (Popular!) Area:
SFO Parking / San Francisco Airport
Parking: 
Skypark - $16 outdoor / $19
indoor covered - Recommended. Free coffee, donuts, bagels, and
newspapers. Auto service and cleaning available if requested
during your trip. (650) 875-6655
Parking Corporation of
America - $12 per day with tax - self park, uncovered.
(650) 877-0250 / South San Francisco
Park 'N Fly - $13 per day
with tax - Self park, uncovered. South San Francisco (650)
877-0304
Detailed SFO parking 2008
comparison pricing and service
guide available.
Fisherman's Wharf (Near Pier
39):
Pier
39 Garage - Enter at 2550 Powell Street
Pier 39's garage is open 24x7.
Restaurant customers who eat at one of Pier 39's full-service
restaurants receive one hour free validated parking at lunch and two
hours after 6 pm for dinner. The PIER 39 parking garage clearance
is 6 ft. 8 inches high for your truck. Prices shown in the photo above (live!) as of
2006.
Academy of Art
College - Enter at 2350 Stockton
Radisson
Fisherman's Wharf - Enter at 250 Beach
Union Square
Fifth and Mission
Garage - Enter at 833 Mission - Cheap with (wow!) 2,585 parking
spaces, but a little walking. Phone for details - (415)
982-8522 Rates as of April 2006:
| 0-1 Hours |
$2 |
| 1-2 Hours |
$5 |
| 2-3 Hours |
$7 |
| 3-4 Hours |
$9 |
| 4-5 Hours |
$11 |
| 5-6 Hours |
$14 |
Union Square Underground Garage - Very convenient
to Union Square with 985 parking spaces - Enter at 333 Post. Phone
for details - (415) 397-0631
| 0-1 Hours |
$2 |
| 1-2 Hours |
$5 |
| 2-3 Hours |
$8 |
| 3-4 Hours |
$12 |
| 4-5 Hours |
$16 |
Jesse Square
Garage - Enter at
223 Stevenson. Open until 11pm - Phone for details
415-978-9634
| 1-2 Hours |
$4 |
| 2-3 Hours |
$6 |
| Daily Max |
$19 |
| In by 10am Daily |
$14 |
SeaTac
Parking - Seattle Airport |
