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Travel Guide: San Francisco, CA
How to Get a Cheap San Francisco Hotel:
Picking the Best Location
This site features tips on getting great deals on name brand hotels like the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental, the Renaissance Stanford Court, or the Union Square Crowne Plaza Hotel.
You learn pros & cons of each neighborhood, with an emphasis on safety and convenience.
Picking the right area to stay in the San Francisco Bay Area makes the difference between a safe and enjoyable visit and one that is not. Whether you want a cheap hotel or a luxury hotel in San Francisco Bay Area, the information found here helps you make the right choice.The areas we discuss correlate to the ones used on priceline.com and are similar to the ones utilized by Hotwire.com
Clicking Priceline.com Hotels
To learn how to get the best prices using priceline bids,
go to our hotels section.
Your hotel choices within San Francisco:
Your choices near San Francisco:
- San Francisco Airport (SFO) & Oakland International (OAK)
- San Rafael & Larkspur (Marin County)
- Pacifica
- Emeryville
- Berkeley
Save up to 75% on 4-star San Francisco hotels!
Neighborhoods within San Francisco:
1. Union Square East
Powell Street divides Union Square East from Union Square West. Much of Union Square East is more upscale than Union Square West, but both have excellent hotels.
Union Square East and the Embaradero include San Francisco's best shopping and its financial district. This area also includes most of the South of Market (SOMA) high-tech area and the Moscone convention center complex.
The most well-known hotels here are the Hyatt Regency, Parc Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, and the Marriott San Francisco Downtown at the convention center.
Less expensive places include the Holiday Inn Select Downtown and Spa (adjacent to Chinatown), Harbor Court, Courtyard by Marriott, and the "budget" Powell Hotel.
This link guides you to typical Priceline savings over Expedia, Hotels.com, and Travelocity in Union Square East:
Priceline 10 most requested neighborhoods!
Of course, you may need to bid more during large conventions or special events.
Union Square East provides an extremely convenient neighborhood to stay in. Like Union Square West, public transportation is excellent, and you have fast BART trains from SFO airport to the Powell, Montgomery, and Embaradero stations along Market Street.
You can walk or take short taxi rides to Chinatown, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the convention center, Amtrak and Greyhound stations, and Golden Gate Ferry terminal.
From the foot of Market Street, Golden Gate Ferry boats to Sausalito let you enjoy beautiful views of the San Francisco skyline and Golden Gate Bridge. These commuter ferries provide a nice alternative to more expensive harbor cruises.
In this area, you find very limited and expensive parking, especially on weekdays. Cheaper parking tends to be in less safe areas, especially at night.
2. Union Square West
Many of San Francisco's most famous hotels are in Union Square West.
These include the Westin St. Francis, San Francisco Hilton, and Parc 55, as well as the Renaissance Stanford Court and Mark Hopkins "Top of the Mark" Intercontinental on Nob Hill.
You'll usually have a greater chance of getting a bargain on a top 4-star hotel in this area than when bidding for similar hotels in Union Square East.
You'll also find more lower priced 2-star hotels in this area than in Union Square East.
There's an easy way to find out the average Priceline discount in this neighborhood for top hotels. Check out—
Save up to $100 per night on Hotels!
This lets you compare average bids to prices on Expedia, Hotels.com and Travelocity. However, if Hotels.com or a similar site shows few hotels available, you'll need to bid more. You'll know there's a large convention or special event going on.
Safe parking is very expensive anywhere in downtown San Francisco, but you do not need a car.
San Francisco's public transportantion hub is at the corner of Powell and Market, near most hotels. This includes fast BART trains from San Francisco International Airport.
In Union Square West, you are usually within walking distance of the city's most famous stores, Chinatown, and the Moscone Convention Center.
In general, the Union Square area is safe for walking, but avoid walking to the southwest of Union Square at night. This means do not walk more than a block west of Powell or south of Geary at night. No major hotels are beyond this boundary. (The San Francisco Hilton sits right on it—use its north entrance.)
In fact, try to avoid the southwest part of this area altogether. This is the heart of San Francisco's horrific skid road, which extends west through the civic center.
In addition, you may be happier walking down steep Nob Hill than up it. However, the views from its hotels can be fantastic! Other than Nob Nill, the Union Square area is nearly flat.
3. Fisherman's Wharf
Throngs of visitors jam the Fisherman's Wharf area throughout the day and into the evening, which makes it one of the safer areas of San Francisco.Fisherman's Wharf offers
- An uplifting and fun environment
- Remarkable views of San Francisco Bay toward the Golden Gate Bridge
- A good selection of mid-range, first class, and deluxe hotels and motor inns (but no real budget ones)
- A more car friendly setting than downtown
- Excellent access to all of San Francisco by public transportation (which can be more convenient than trying to drive and park)
From Fisherman’s Wharf, two cable car lines converge on Union Square in the center city. However, you may find the parallel San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) number 15 electric trolley considerably less crowded.
The cable car line that starts in Aquatic Park at Bay and Hyde streets is less crowded than the other, especially past rush hour in the morning. It's also more scenic.
Both the trolley and cable cars pass by Chinatown and connect to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains and MUNI streetcar lines along (and under) Market Street.
To avoid driving, you can also take the MUNI "F" streetcar line along the Embarcadero (waterfront) to the Ferry Building, Financial District, and Market Street. This line uses restored historic cars, including some from Italy.
Amtrak offers coach transfers from its stations across the bay to Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf, which saves you a taxi ride.
For great views, take MUNI line 39 from the Waterfront Park area at Pier 39 to Colt Tower on top of Telegraph Hill and then (during the day) walk back via Washington Square in the picturesque North Beach Area. From the square, you can continue on to Chinatown along Columbus Avenue and then Grant Street.
South of Fisherman’s Wharf, the North Beach neighborhood and Union Street offer some of the city's best moderate cost restaurants. Locals eat at these much more than they do at Fisherman’s Wharf. (By the way, landfills long ago isolated North Beach from San Francisco Bay. Only the name remains.)
The downside? The popularity of this area may not allow you to get as large a discount on your accommodation, even when bidding, as you might find elsewhere.
4. Civic Center
With its less expensive accommodation, the Civic Center area beckons budget travelers.However, do NOT heed this call. The Civic Center is not safe, not appealing, and not recommended.
Much of this area comprises San Francisco's burgeoning skid road. Even before government workers head home in the evening, you may feel very uncomfortable walking in this area.
Either pay more to stay elsewhere or get an excellent deal by bidding on a hotel located elsewhere. Otherwise, night or day, stay on busy streets in this area or take taxis.
The convenient Market Street public transportation artery does run through the Civic Center, and San Francisco's famed opera company performs here.
5. Cathedral Hill
If you want to be near downtown, yet have less expensive accommodation convenient for motorists, Cathedral Hill may be for you.There are no tourist attractions here and the area is not exactly charming, but you are close to the sights of downtown and Fisherman’s Wharf, as well as Golden Gate Park.
Although better than the Civic Center area, Cathedral Hill still does not offer a completely safe environment. On the other hand, most accommodation is along or within a block of very busy U.S. Highway 101 (Van Ness Avenue), a more comfortable situation.
Stay on busy streets, such as Highway 101, night or day. Do not walk directly between Cathedral Hill and downtown at any time. At night, drive or use public transportation instead of walking in most of this area. Taxis are not expensive in San Francisco. Use them.
From just north of Cathedral Hill, you can take cable cars east along California Street (from its junction with Van Ness) to Chinatown, the Ferry Building area, and to connections (at Powell) with other cable cars to Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf. The California Street route lacks the marked changes in elevation and tight turns that make other cable car routes so thrilling, but provides convenient access to popular tourist attractions.
Outside of San Francisco neighborhoods:
1. San Francisco Airport & Oakland International
You find the usual selection of airport-type hotels near both Oakland International Airport (OAK) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Staying at the airport is nearly always much cheaper than in downtown San Francisco.
BidonTravel offers special hotel bidding suggestions for the SFO airport area. These can help you get an amazingly low price for the best hotels there.
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains provide service from San Francisco International Airport to downtown San Francisco. See www.bart.gov for schedules. A goodly variety of other ground transportation into San Francisco and surrounding communities is available. See www.transitinfo.org for more information.
South San Francisco, a town near San Francisco airport, also has accommodation, but staying there complicates your transfers unless you have a car.
2. San Rafael & Larkspur (Marin County)
San Rafael and Larkspur in Marin County make ideal stops if you are driving in from the north or east and you do not wish to stay in San Francisco.Marin County is a destination in itself. Some say it has the highest quality of life in the U.S. We then to agree.
Marin certainly offers great parks and green belts within a small area.
These include:
—Mount Tamalpais State Park (drive to the top for great views),
—Muir Woods National Monument (walk away from the tour bus parking area to best experience this beautiful preserve),
—Samuel Taylor State Park,
—Point Reyes National Seashore, and
—Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
You could explore and hike for weeks in these.
Communities of special interest here include
—Sausalito (explore its waterfront on foot),
—Mill Valley (To get a feel for Marin County life, visit Mill Valley’s village-like shopping area near Redwood Park and then walk around the residential area near the park),
—Bolinas (where Prince Charles recently visited),
—Inverness, (sample local cheeses and produce),
—Tiburon, and
—Stinson Beach (a picturesque beach town with a fine beach in warmer weather).
Redwoods surround the homes in the western half of Mill Valley. For years, homeowners haven't been allowed to cut anything down. Their driveways and in many cases their homes are built around these wonderful trees (some growing through living rooms), giving the area a fairy tale-like setting.
Marin also offers easy access to the vineyards of Sonoma County to its north, as well as to nearby Napa Valley.
Located along U.S. Highway 101, north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Larkspar and San Rafael offer quick access to San Francisco via public transportation, including Golden Gate Ferry from Larkspur and Sausalito to the Financial District. Crossing stunning San Francisco Bay in this way is a tour in itself.
On the other hand, try to avoid rush hour if driving or taking a bus to San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge or to Berkeley and Oakland via Interstate 580.
»Reaching Larkspar and San Rafael: If driving in from the north via beautiful Highway One, turn north when you reach Highway 101. If coming from the east on Interstate 80, exit west on Highway 37 at Vallejo, and then go south on 101.
If good accommodation in Larkspur and San Rafael is sold out, use Novato as an alternative. However, this town is less convenient to San Francisco.
3. Pacifica
If driving to San Francisco from the south, especially along highways 1 or I-280, Pacifica offers an alternative if you want to save on both accommodation and parking, and don’t mind being away from the action.
Access to downtown San Francisco comes via BART from adjacent Daly City, or via the slower MUNI “L” streetcar line from the San Francisco Zoo, north of the Pacifica city limits. You reach the Golden Gate Park, Cliff House, Twin Peaks, Richmond Chinese business district, and even Marin County easily by car. You trade the headaches of driving and parking downtown for public transportation.
There aren't many hotels here.
4. Emeryville
Amtrak passengers coming from the east or north detrain in Emeryville to cross the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge by bus.Just south of Berkeley, this largely commercial Eastbay city has attracted LeapFrog educational toys and other corporate headquarters.
From Emeryville, you access downtown San Francisco and Berkeley within a few minutes by fast BART train.
On the other hand, once most people go home from work, walking along now nearly deserted Emeryville streets may not be advisable. Moreover, there’s not much to see or do there.
5. Berkeley
The war against authority, traditional mores, and the Vietnam War that raged in Berkeley throughout the 1960’s and into the 70’s has ebbed, but Berkeley remains as colorful and as interesting as ever.
Although you are just across the bay from San Francisco, Berkeley is warmer during the summer.
In good weather, be sure to visit the University of California Botanical Garden, which is overlooked by most travelers. Especially impressive are the California native plants. (The steep University of California campus must foster one of the fittest student bodies around, but you can use UCB buses to reach the garden above the main university grounds.)
Accommodation and good restaurants are spread throughout Berkeley, but public transportation is good. Use care while walking at night. Berkeley may be New Age, but it is still a large city.
A short ride on BART takes you from near UCB in Berkeley to downtown San Francisco.
A word about priceline.com
You CAN stay in the best neighborhoods and in quality hotels. There is an easy way to reduce the cost of good accommodation and that is priceline.com.
Currently, your savings average more than 40 percent off what you would pay using expedia.com or hotels.com.
At Priceline.com Hotels, you bid on a star-quality range in a neighborhood. This feature works well since most people want particular amenities, price, and neighborhood, rather than a specific hotel.
Learn more about bidding on priceline.com.
Have a great time in San Francisco, America's favorite city!
