park car to use public transportation?

We are driving from Oregon and staying in downtown San Fran. Where can we park our car for ';free'; or at least inexpensively and safely and take public transportation to our hotel? It%26#39;s by Union Square and China Town

park car to use public transportation?

The Sutter Stockton garage is $31 for 24 hours. You%26#39;ll likely find something somewhat cheaper than that (along Bush St. there are a variety of smaller garages) but it won%26#39;t be much.

For truly ';free parking'; you%26#39;d need to be staying in a motor lodge. They exist, but not downtown.

park car to use public transportation?

SFO long term parking perhaps. It is a minor hassle but at least one of you can drop off the car there and come back by BART.

$5 - $6 a day longterm parking at most BART parking garages. Though the closest would be in Colma, about a 30 minute BART ride into downtown SF.

http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/index.aspx

What days of the week will you be here? Do you plan on arriving from US 101 or I-80 (via I-5)? Where are you going afterward?

Parking at BART probably is your best bet. You can park for free on weekends. Most stations charge a parking fee during the week.

If you are arriving on a Friday and staying the weekend, you can purchase a parking pass for $1-2 for Friday and not worry about picking it up until Sunday night. If you plan on parking overnight any other day of the week, you will need to purchase a long-term parking permit ($5/day).

See http://www.bart.gov/guide/parking/index.aspx for details. Please check back in with us and we can recommend the best station to meet your needs. (Colma, which was mentioned above, is not necessarily your best option.)

Thank you very much. You were right about what the closest parking area would be. Bart web site was very helpful! Long term reservations can be made there for $6 a day, so that is probably what we will do. Less $ for parking=more $ for food!

Powell Street station is closest to our hotel, and I think we would do the long term parking. It looked like Colma would be the closest offering that kind of parking, though I didn%26#39;t look at lines going west.....hmmm.

Do you plan on crossing the Golden Gate Bridge or Bay Bridge on your way into town? Also, will you be returning to Oregon or continuing south along the coast? There is a big difference between using stations such as Daly City and Colma vs. one in the East Bay such as El Cerrito del Norte or Pleasant Hill.

We are coming from Redding into San Fran. I think that means we come over the Bay bridge? We will be driving in mid-to-late evening, though we may do the garage just over night as it is $7 if we get it out by 7:00am. We will not travel south, but will visit Muir Woods at some point. Then we will head back north to home. Thanks for you help!

Okay, thanks for the info. So, Colma isn%26#39;t really convenient for you. Especially considering your arrival time, you may get stuck in commute traffic.

Based on your arrival time and direction, I suggest one of two options:

First, consider taking the Benicia Bridge into the Bay Area. You would take I-5 south to I-505 south to I-80 west to I-680 south from Redding. Park at either the Pleasant Hill or Walnut Creek BART Station. Overnight parking is $5 Sunday-Thursday nights and free Friday-Saturday nights.

Second, consider taking the Carquinez Bridge into the Bay Area. You would stay on I-80 west rather than switching onto I-680 south. Park at or near the North Berkeley BART Station. Overnight parking fees are the same at this station, but if you are willing, you can park on the street 2 blocks away for free and leave your car up to 3 days for no cost whatsoever. Just be sure not to park in the residential permit parking areas.

Regarding Muir Woods, weekend public transit service is available May-September only. Outside of these months, you will have to drive there yourself or take a tour. Assuming you are visiting prior to May, you should use your car to get there.

The ';easiest'; way to do this would be to park your car at the El Cerrito Plaza (or North Berkeley) BART Station. You can spend your leisure time in San Francisco, then on your last day, pick up your car and drive directly across the Richmond Bridge to Marin County. The drive from El Cerrito Plaza or North Berkeley to Muir Woods takes about 30 minutes. The Richmond Bridge is not congested, so you will find this drive much easier than dealing with traffic in San Francisco and across the Bay Bridge.