By Public Transportation
The San Francisco Municipal Railway, 949 Presidio Ave., better known as "Muni" (tel. 415/673-6864; www.sfmuni.com), operates the city's cable cars, buses, and streetcars. Together, these three services crisscross the entire city. Fares for buses and streetcars are $1 for adults, 35¢ for seniors over 65 and children 5 to 17. Cable cars, which run from 6:30am to 1:30am, cost a whopping $2 for all people over 5 ($1 for seniors 6:30-7am and 9pm-midnight). Needless to say, they're packed primarily with tourists. Exact change is required on all vehicles except cable cars. Fares are subject to change.
For detailed route information, phone Muni or consult the bus map at the front of the San Francisco Yellow Pages. If you plan to use public transportation extensively, you might want to invest in a comprehensive transit and city map ($2), sold at the San Francisco Visitor Information Center , Powell/Market cable car booth, and many downtown retail outlets.
Muni Discounts--Muni discount passes, called Passports, entitle holders to unlimited rides on buses, streetcars, and cable cars. A Passport costs $6 for 1 day, $10 for 3 days, and $10 or $15 for 3 or 7 consecutive days. Muni's City Pass, which costs $33 for adults, $26 for seniors 65 and older, and $24 for kids 5 to 17, entitles you to unlimited rides for 7 days, plus admission to the California Academy of Sciences, Museum of Modern Art, Exploratorium, and Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise for 9 days. You can buy a Passport or City Pass at the San Francisco Visitor Information Center, Powell/Market cable car booth, Holiday Inn Civic Center, and TIX Bay Area booth at Union Square, among other outlets. But to include the Blue & Gold Fleet tour, you must purchase tickets through them by calling Blue & Gold Fleet at tel. 415/705-5555. A $2.25 fee applies when you get your tickets through this phone service.
Cable Car -- San Francisco's cable cars might not be the most practical means of transport, but the rolling historic landmarks are a fun ride. The three lines are concentrated in the downtown area. The most scenic, and exciting, is the Powell-Hyde line, which follows a zigzag route from the corner of Powell and Market streets, over both Nob Hill and Russian Hill, to a turntable at gaslit Victorian Square in front of Aquatic Park. The Powell-Mason line starts at the same intersection and climbs Nob Hill before descending to Bay Street, just 3 blocks from Fisherman's Wharf. The least scenic is the California Street line, which begins at the foot of Market Street and runs a straight course through Chinatown and over Nob Hill to Van Ness Avenue. All riders must exit at the last stop and wait in line for the return trip. The cable car system operates from approximately 6:30am to 1:30am, and each ride costs $2.
Bus -- Buses reach almost every corner of San Francisco and beyond -- they even travel over the bridges to Marin County and Oakland. Overhead electric cables power some buses; others use conventional gas engines. All are numbered and display their destinations on the front. Signs, curb markings, and yellow bands on adjacent utility poles designate stops, and most bus shelters exhibit Muni's transportation map and schedule. Many buses travel along Market Street or pass near Union Square and run from about 6am to midnight. After midnight, there is infrequent all-night "Owl" service. For safety, avoid taking buses late at night.
Popular tourist routes include bus nos. 5, 7, and 71, all of which run to Golden Gate Park; 41 and 45, which travel along Union Street; and 30, which runs between Union Square and Ghirardelli Square. A bus ride costs $1 for adults and 35¢ for seniors over 65 and children 5 to 17.
Streetcar -- Five of Muni's six streetcar lines, designated J, K, L, M, and N, run underground downtown and on the streets in the outer neighborhoods. The sleek rail cars make the same stops as BART along Market Street, including Embarcadero Station (in the Financial District), Montgomery and Powell streets (both near Union Sq.), and the Civic Center (near City Hall). Past the Civic Center, the routes branch off: The J line takes you to Mission Dolores; the K, L, and M lines run to Castro Street; and the N line parallels Golden Gate Park and extends all the way to the Embarcadero. Streetcars run about every 15 minutes, more frequently during rush hours. They operate Monday through Friday from 5am to 12:45am, Saturday from 6am to 12:45am, and Sunday from 8am to 12:20am. The L and N lines operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but late at night, regular buses trace the L and N routes, which are normally underground, from atop the city streets. Because the operation is part of Muni, the fares are the same as for buses, and passes are accepted.
The most recent addition to this system is not a newcomer at all, but is, in fact, San Francisco's beloved rejuvenated 1930s streetcar. The beautiful multicolored F-Market line runs from 17th and Castro streets to Beach and Jones streets; every other streetcar continues to Jones and Beach streets in Fisherman's Wharf. This is a quick and charming way to get up- and downtown without any hassle.
Bart -- BART, an acronym for Bay Area Rapid Transit (tel. 415/989-2278; www.bart.gov), is a futuristic-looking, high-speed rail network that connects San Francisco with the East Bay -- Oakland, Richmond, Concord, and Fremont. Four stations are on Market Street (see "Streetcar," above). Fares range from $1.15 to $4.30, depending on how far you go. Machines in the stations dispense tickets that are magnetically encoded with a dollar amount. Computerized exits automatically deduct the correct fare. Children 4 and under ride free. Trains run every 15 to 20 minutes, Monday through Friday from 4am to midnight, Saturday from 6am to midnight, and Sunday from 8am to midnight.
The 33-mile BART extension, which extends all the way to San Francisco International Airport, opened in June of 2003.
