renting a car in sfo????

[daybreakbds]

Need some help. We have 6 people flying into sfo on oct 7 and leaving on the 9th. Then heading to lax (or san pedro) to jump on the star on the 10th. I am trying to figure out if renting a car in sfo is worth it. My thought is, can we get around and see the sights by bus? You know all the typical stuff we tourists do, and trying to do as much as we can in 1 1/2 days. We do not have a hotel yet. In san pedro I am thinking the crown plaza. Also wondering if we can navigate around that city with no car. Getting there on friday afternoon and leaving saturday. I am really thinking we don’t need a car. Any ideas and help will be greatly appreciated! brandy

[kenish]

Public transit within the central city is excellent. There are a lot of city buses, BART, taxis, and tourist shuttles. SFO airport is 14 miles from downtown and you can take a bus to a central depot, a shuttle van, or BART. (Since BART is mainly for commuters I don't recommend it during peak rush hour with a lot of luggage).

 

A car within the city is a liability. You will pay a fortune for parking; street parking borders on a joke and they even have an annual "parking contest".

 

If you want to visit places away from the city (Marin Headlands, Napa Valley, etc) a car makes more sense. In that case I would get a hotel outside the city (the airport, Burlingame, Sausalito) and take public transit when you want to go downtown. Those areas have more suburban-style traffic and parking...but you will miss out on being right in the middle of things.

 

HTH!