San Francisco is a stunning destination, in which many people find their vocation and inspiration. It’s full of beautiful points of interest, including iconic historical sights, mighty bridge structures, as well as numerous entertainment venues. Many travelers who decide to visit the city and use the car to move around it, face the complication of parking in San Francisco. The fact is that finding free parking in San Francisco often turns into a challenge.
Fortunately, each rule has an exception, and it’s still possible to get an affordable San Francisco parking space in almost any city area.
According to San Francisco parking regulations, you can choose between the following 2 ways of leaving your car:
- Street parking;
- Parking garages.
Both street and garage parking are payable at parking meters. In addition to coins, you’ll be able to pay with a credit card, by using phone or pre-paid parking meter cards, which can be purchased at numerous locations throughout San Francisco.
Each San Francisco parking permit section has its own price per hour, but the general rule is the farther from the city center, the cheaper the price. This also applies to park garages. The actual rates including overnight and monthly parking in San Francisco are provided at the city website.
Remember that in the case of improper parking, you risk getting a parking ticket and being towed. The average parking ticket fee in San Francisco is $97.50.
Street parking San Francisco. What is important to know?
It is a classy solution to find a cheap place for your car. A distinctive feature of parking along roads is that parking meters are installed on the sidewalk near each parking space. That is, you simply drop the coins in the cell and go about your business. The display shows the time remaining until the end of the parking period. The full San Francisco street parking map is the key to find the desired spot for your car and check out its cost.
Parking meters usually operate Monday-Saturday from 9 am till 6 pm and don’t operate on New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, and Thanksgiving Day. Most devices feature 2-hour limit, while about ¼ of parking meters have 4-hour restriction or exclude the limit at all.
The cost of street parking in San Francisco depends on several factors:
- location, and the degree of its distance from the center;
- time of day.
The average parking price for 1 hour is between $1 and $7.
A lot of areas of San Francisco have certain parking restrictions allowing locals to park longer than visitors. If you travel by a rental car, you will need to carefully follow the time specified on the road sign.
Top cheap parking in San Francisco
Although parking options in San Francisco is often a headache for travelers, there’s still good news. If you use your smartphone, some online resources will help you find affordable or even free parking.
Virtually, the most popular urban parking spots in San Francisco can be divided into 3 districts – Union Square, Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf. With SpotAgels, choosing cheap parking in San Francisco turns into an easy and hassle-free process. By clicking on the following links, you’ll be provided with a comprehensive list of San Francisco parking areas:
Speaking of cheap monthly parking options in San Francisco, the average price ranges between $200-$325/month.
The most popular and money-saving garages are situated at:
- 8 Locksley Ave – $200/month;
- 2000 Post St. – $232/month;
- 3 Bayside Village Place – $240/month;
- 800 Indiana St. – $275/month;
- 388 Beale – $280/month;
- 1285 Sutter St. – $300/month;
- 383 King St. – $325/month.
San Francisco hotels with free parking
High parking prices make travelers look for alternatives. Thus, hotels in San Francisco with parking for free are another way of finding a suitable option both for staying and parking.
This is especially convenient because you don’t need to go anywhere to pick up your car — it’s always at hand. Plus, you will be calm because there’s no risk of being fined or towed, which can significantly destroy your vacation in San Francisco.
When answering the question ‘where to stay in San Francisco with no cost parking’, we can rely on auto travelers’ reviews. According to numerous recommendations, among the best San Francisco hotels with parking are:
- Marina Motel, 2576 Lombard St – from $189/night;
- Cow Hollow Inn and Suites, 2190 Lombard St – $171/night;
- Beck’s Motor Lodge, 2222 Market St – $259/night;
- Seaside Inn, 1750 Lombard St – $210/night;
- Phoenix Hotel SF, 601 Eddy St – $229/night.
Many local hotels provide parking in the city, but it’s not included in the rate and can be reserved at an additional cost. In general, the price per night varies from $50 to $80 per day, depending on the class of the hotel.
Top airport parking in San Francisco
If you are planning a business or tourist trip from San Francisco by plane, but don’t want to hire a taxi, then you have the opportunity to get to the airport by a private or rental car, leaving it in a guarded parking lot.
For this reason, parking at San Francisco Airport will greatly simplify your transportation process to and from the airport.
Generally, there are 3 options available for parking at San Francisco Airport:
- Shuttle parking;
- Hotel parking;
- Valet parking.
The cost of parking may range according to the length of the whole parking period. On average, you’ll have to pay about $10-25 per day.
Sometimes, travelers need for their San Francisco Airport car rental long term parking, which in terms of 1-day price is even more profitable. For easy search and comparison of parking spaces at SFO Airport, you can use Spothero web-resource – it only requires the desired start and end parking dates.
Parking downtown San Francisco
The major aim of all car drivers is to find cheap parking in the downtown, which includes Union Square, Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf areas. The fact is that these destinations are the most appropriate for parking, as they provide easy getting to all important city locations.
Parking garages for car rental in downtown San Francisco are the most reasonable solution to park your car – they are usually not, and the price is even lower. You’ll have to pay between $1 and $8 an hour depending on the daytime.
The list of currently-available locations for parking here including street spots and garages, as well as their pricing, are introduced on the city website.
Now you know all about parking in San Francisco, so it is time to explore the city in a full measure and never be worried about spending too much on parking your rental car!