San Francisco Transportation Tips by MDH

'Mode': TO
Category: Airplane
Getting TO/AROUND: San Francisco is served by three international airports. The largest of the three is San Francisco International, or SFO for short. The airport is located around five miles down from the city center in the suburb of South San Francisco. Virtually all international flights come into here, as well as a great deal of domestic as well. SFO has gone under some major reconstruction over the last ten years. There's now a huge and spectacular international terminal that greets people flying from overseas. At the moment, they're completing a BART terminal here, which finally links the airport with the city's metro network. So if you see some contruction cranes nearby, you'll understand why.

Further away and across the bay is Oakland International, which serves some international flights and a great deal of domestic. It's known to be one of the cheaper airports to come in and out of in the Bay Area.

Finally the furthest of all is San Jose International 40 miles south, which serves the Silicon Valley.

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Phone: (650) 821-8211
Website: http://www.flysfo.com/
Other Contact: http://www.flyoakland.com

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) is the city's mass transportation system, operating the above and underground metro, cable cars, and bus services. San Francisco is thankfully one of the few cities in the United States that you don't really need to drive in order to get around, as it can be a total nightmare (please, take it from me). Fares are usually cheap, and the system is very safe to ride in.

If you're driving up to San Francisco but don't feel like driving around it, here's some advice: park your car near San Francisco State University, in one of the residential neighborhoods. There's two MUNI metro stops nearby. Hop aboard and it'll take you directly into downtown in less than 15 minutes.

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Phone: 415-673-6864
Website: http://www.sfmuni.com

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The Bay Area Rapid Transit (or BART) is yet another one of San Francisco's mass trans systems operated independently from MUNI. However unlike MUNI, BART operates for much of a good portion of the Bay Area. BART begins in Fremont, travels north through Oakland (where tributary lines that go out to the regions east of the Bay Area connect), dives underneath the San Francisco Bay, goes underneath San Francisco, and ends near San Bruno. There are plans at this time to extend BART even further to San Jose and Milbrae and eventually create a kind of loop around the Bay Area.

BART is a little more expensive than MUNI as it goes out farther, but if you're in the East Bay or in the city and want to travel a little more, it's a great, quick way to get around.

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Phone: 510 834-2100
Website: http://www.bart.gov

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: Yes, yet another mass trans way to get to San Francisco is CalTrain, the main rail network that connects San Jose to San Francisco, going up through the western portion of the Bay Area. More expensive than MUNI and BART (sometimes around $7), CalTrain provides a good leisurely 90 minute journey between the two metropolises with various stops along the way. CalTrains also connects with BART, MUNI, and SamTrans, the mass trans network of neighboring San Mateo County.

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Phone: 800) 660-4287
Website: http://www.caltrain.com/

'Mode': TO
Category: Subway/Metro
Getting TO/AROUND: The cable cars are one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. Back in the 19th century, cable car lines criss-crossed the entire city. But after the car came, as well as the coming of modern MUNI lines, they were slowly phased out. However, two cable car lines exist today, the California St. Line, and the Powell/Mason Line. San Francisco is the last city in the United States, as well as in the entire world, to still have old-fashioned cable cars still in operation and part of the mass-trans system, dipping through hills, going through busy commercial and silent residential areas, giving you a great look at the inner heart of the city.

Although they're a reliable (and sometimes slow) way to get around from point to point in th city, if you really want to say that you had a San Francisco experience, then this is it.

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Phone: 415-923-6373
Website: http://www.sfmuni.com
Other Contact: http://www.sfcablecar.com/