City Information                       Boka hyrbilar hela världen online     Queensway Travel
Airport  
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is 23 km south-east of the city. There are 36,600 flights in and out of SFO per month or 1,260 a day, making it one of the busiest gateways in the world. A new international terminal opened at SFO in late 2000 and construction is still underway on a consolidated Rental Car Center and an underground railway stop, both set to open in the near future. Upon completion, a trip to the airport from downtown SF will take but a speedy 29 mins. Oakland Airport (OAK) has two terminals and is mainly for internal flights, but also serves Canada, Mexico and several other Pacific countries, notably New Zealand and Hong Kong.
Airport to City Centre
Taxis wait outside all SFO terminals and charge around $35 for the trip downtown. Super Shuttle is the most reliable airport van service which provides door-to-door service and operates a large fleet of vans. Service can be booked in advance online, Website: www.supershuttle.com. The cost is $17 each way. Alternatively, the American Airporter operates vans that depart from stops identified by a red sign, costing $14 one way; and the SFO Airporter operates ‘roomy coaches’ that leave the airport every 20 mins and charge $12 to downtown. If you are coming from OAK, an excellent way for small delegations or teams to make longer trips is provided by the Bayporter Express which runs a fleet of seven-seater vans to neighbouring counties. 
Orientation
San Francisco is quite a compact city, measuring about 120 sq km, whose population tallied at exactly 776,733 in the 2000 census. Like most cities in the US it is made up of a patchwork of cultural districts each with its own flavour and special atmosphere. The key tourist attractions and cultural sites are mainly in five districts: Fisherman’s Wharf; North Beach; SoMa; Nob Hill and Union Sq. Fisherman’s Wharf has sadly deteriorated in the past ten years into a noisy and rather tacky tourist trap. Some people love it, others loathe it, but it ranks consistently as one of the most frequently visited attractions of San Francisco. The Financial District is the major commercial zone, crowded with office workers and their high-rises and yuppie bars. North Beach is the city’s Italian district, with a wonderful collection of Italo-inspired shops, coffee houses and restaurants. SoMa’s fortunes have improved immensely in recent years thanks to the dot-com boom, with many small multi-media companies setting up shop here and a profusion of hip live/work spaces and interesting dining and clubbing options adding to the scene. The current dot-com slowdown may dim things a bit, but it appears this area of town is destined to remain cutting edge and a hang-out for the artsy smart set. Nob Hill is still charming and old-fashioned, though if you are staying on the top be prepared for a long climb in summer fog or winter drizzle. Always pack a jacket, heeding Mark Twain’s observation: “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”. Union Sq is the shopping district, where all the big-name boutiques and department stores are clustered. The roads are based on a grid system, running north-south and east-west. California St and Van Ness Ave are the city’s jugulars, connecting downtown and the Civic Center with the smart residential areas to the north and west of the city. Market St links the rest of the city with Union Sq and downtown and is frequently used as a point of reference. 
Excursions
Visitors to San Francisco can easily indulge in a number of local day trips if the city’s hills become too much to bear. Among the choices for a quick hop are the Carmel/Monterey peninsula, Yosemite National Park and the Mendocino coast. Surely tops on any savvy traveller’s list, however, is the Napa Valley, a mere 90-min drive from the city centre. Known worldwide as the premier wine-producing region in the US, the Napa Valley boasts dozens of large and small wineries, award-winning restaurants, soothing spas and welcoming hotels should the visitor choose to spend the night. Many of the local vintners offer tours and tastings – consider a stop at Swanson Vineyards, Frog’s Leap, Chateau Montelena or Turnbull Wine Cellars for a taste of the local grape. Lunch should be at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon, while Bistro Jeanty is where Chef Philippe Jeanty practises his brand of French country cookery. Unwinding at the new, luxury spa at the Silverado Resort could be a dangerous proposition – you may never want to leave, which is why the rooms are conveniently located right across the street. 
Getting Around
Taxis can be hailed in the street, picked up at ranks near the major hotels and termini, or ordered by phone. The fare is a standard $2.50 when you enter the cab, $2 per mile thereafter.
MUNI – the city’s municipal bus and streetcar network – provides affordable and efficient public transport throughout the city. For bus information. The adult fare is $1, buses running daily from 0500 to 0030. Underground streetcars run from 0530 to 0050 daily; transfers are valid for two additional rides within 90 mins of issue of your ticket. 
Three cable-car lines cross the city north-south and east-west, running from downtown over both Nob Hill and Russian Hill, into Fisherman’s Wharf and the Bay area, and from the Financial District west over Nob Hill and towards Pacific Heights. A single trip costs $2. MUNI Passports are available for one day ($6), three days ($10) and seven days ($15) for travel on all MUNI systems.If you’ve got the time, a great way to see downtown is via the wonderful F Line streetcars which rumble along Market St. These vintage charabancs come from all over the world and have been impeccably restored to their original states. The expansion of F Streetcar line along Embarcadero to the Wharf is completed and is a sheer delight. The Embarcadero section, however, does not also go south to Pacific Bell Park, new home of baseball team the San Francisco Giants.

What to see
Alcatraz Island: This notorious island penitentiary closed in 1963, since when it has become a major tourist attraction. Al Capone and Robert Stroud were incarcerated here among some of the US’s most unhinged criminal minds. Audio tours, narrated by former guards and prisoners, show you around the old cell-house where you can even be locked inside a solitary confinement cell for a few minutes! Blue and Gold ferries take visitors from Pier 41 at Fisherman’s Wharf to the island. Average tours last about 2 hrs 30 mins and depart every 30 mins daily until 1630. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Cable Cars: Originally designed by Scotsman Andrew Hallidie in 1873 as a way to navigate the city’s steep hills, the cable cars today are America’s only ‘moving’ National Historic Landmark, and offer an open-air ride with fantastic views, along with a slice of history. Not streetcars per se, as they operate via a continuously-moving underground cable, the cable cars traverse the city centre, either east-west through Nob Hill and the Financial District, or north-south from Fisherman’s Wharf to Union Square.
Bank of America: Visitors interested in a towering view might want to stop in at the 52nd floor of the Bank of America Building. From 1500 to 1800, a small cocktail lounge with the preferred north view is open to the public. There’s a one-drink minimum but you can get away with a soda, making the view nearly free.
Chinatown: The largest Chinese community in the Western US and home for San Francisco’s Asian community, Chinatown is also the city’s first proper ‘neighbourhood’, dating back to the Gold Rush era. Little has changed since that time, since this is where you’ll still find multi-generational families practising the art of tai chi or settling in for tea at one of the area’s many dim sum houses. Grant Ave is the main artery and it teems with attractions, among them fortune cookie factories, calligraphy studios and tea salons. A block over on Stockton are many herbalists and fresh produce stands, well worth checking out. Bargaining is encouraged in all establishments and is half the fun of being there. 
Golden Gate Bridge: Opened in 1937 and over 2 km long, this span of gold (some would call it orange) is synonymous with San Francisco and its bay. It also links San Francisco with Marin County to the north. It costs $3 to drive across, but walking its length, armed with a sweater or sturdy windbreaker, is the best way to experience the stunning views of the Bay, city and the nearby islands of Angel and Alcatraz. Cyclists can use the bridge’s western sidewalk for a quicker jaunt. 
Golden Gate Park: Stretching for over three miles and across 1,000 acres, from the Panhandle (Haight-Ashbury) to the Pacific, the park is SF’s main nature reserve and cultural centre. On Sun cars are banned, so you can stroll around in blissful quietude. Among the chief attractions are the California Academy of Sciences, Dutch Windmill, Japanese Tea Garden, MH de Young Museum, Shakespeare Garden and the Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. For precise opening hours, consult a copy of Where or ask at any tourist information booth. 
Mission District: The city’s Latin Quarter and a perpetually sunny neighbourhood (the nearby Twin Peaks keep the fog at bay), the Mission has the best Mexican food in town and the liveliest Latin music to go with it. Stroll this friendly district to admire the many colourful murals, Victorian terraced houses and palm trees. The adobe chapel, next to Mission Dolores, is the city’s oldest building, dating from the late 18c. 
Coit Tower/Telegraph Hill: Telegraph Hill is dominated by Coit Tower, a 212ft monument built in 1933 in memory of the socialite Lillie Hitchcock Coit, who bequeathed $125,000 to the city to be used for beautification. A lift goes to the top, from where the views over the Bay Area are quite sublime. From Fisherman’s Wharf, take the 39-Coit bus up to the summit of Telegraph Hill Blvd.
Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): Located south of Market, it contains the largest collection of 20c American art on the West Coast, including Jackson Pollock, Clyfford Still and Wayne Thiebaud, plus a permanent exhibition of photography. There’s also a bookshop and a café. 
Fisherman’s Wharf: Replete with fishing boats, seafood restaurants and shopping of every imaginable kind, Fisherman’s Wharf is still where the city’s fishermen unload their daily catch, much as they did in the 1870s. What time has wrought, however, is an entire tourist district centred around this venerable trade. Stop in at one of the many Italian fish ‘shacks’ for steaming clam chowder or fresh shrimp. The views at the Wharf are lovely, and the fresh salt air most refreshing, so do play tourist for a bit – it’s your duty as a visitor. 
Lombard St: The stretch at the top of Russian Hill is the scene of the famous car chase in the cult Steve McQueen movie, Bullitt. Eight brick switchbacks traverse the steep stretch between Hyde and Leavenworth Sts. Either take a cab or, better still, walk up the hill, admiring en route the beautiful flower beds and fine old houses. 
North Beach: The city’s Italian district, this colorful corner of town adjacent to Chinatown is where immigrants from the old country, and their descendants, live, work and play. The neighborhood is replete with cafés, delis, bakeries and restaurants, many dating back 100 years and all a feast for the senses. Italian is spoken at every turn, and the old gents still engage in a friendly game of bocce ball. 
Pacific Heights: Here’s where you’ll find the city’s grandest Victorian houses and most looking as fresh as a young bride. You can thank the moneyed residents of this neighborhood for keeping things in tip-top shape. Stroll along Pacific or Broadway west of Gough for a look at the best of the best. Both Lafayette Park and Alta Plaza Park, hilltop greenswards tucked between the manses, offer excellent views of the surrounding real estate. 
Shopping                  Affärsresor - Affärsresabyrå - lågprisflyg    Queensway Travel
San Francisco is a mix of areas with concentration of shops – for example, Union Sq, Union St in Cow Hollow, Chestnut St in the Marina, Fillmore St in Pacific Heights and Upper Grant Ave in North Beach. 
Union Sq: Elegant department stores, art galleries and designer boutiques centrally located within a four-block radius bounded by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton, but spreading out a block or two in all directions. It’s a must-stop for fashionistas, and others with discriminating taste are Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci and Chanel: take a wad of credit cards. 
San Francisco Centre: A true shopping mall at the downtown nexus of Powell and Market Sts and anchored by the splashy Nordstrom department store, San Francisco Centre boasts four levels of shopping heaven. Featuring the only circular escalators in the country, punters can ogle a vast selection of shops for men, women and children. If you don’t buy shoes while at Nordstrom you’re missing half the fun of being here. 
Where to walk
A good starting point is the Coit Tower. Take the lift up to the top for the view, then head down Lombard St looking at the beautiful facades of the town houses. At Russian Hill, the street narrows into a  winding descent with flowers either side and a great view over the Bay. At the bottom turn right into Hyde St and continue along to the dock of the bay. En route, stop in at The Cannery and the Museum of the City of San Francisco, and check out the street musicians and mime acts in the central courtyard. On leaving, head right onto Beach St, left down Taylor St and into Fisherman’s Wharf. Here you can wander through the open-air fish market and buy a selection of shellfish. Buy a loaf of sourdough bread from one of the local bakeries, get hold of a bottle of chilled white wine and enjoy a delicious picnic on one of the piers jutting out into the bay. Another great walk is from Columbus Ave and Bay St in Fisherman’s Wharf south to the Italian district of North Beach. You’re in the ‘old country’ once you cross Lombard so take the time to admire the neighbourhood’s quaint shops and lively cafés. At Broadway, veer right for perhaps a hundred feet and then turn left on Grant Ave. This will take you through the heart of Chinatown. The city’s oldest neighbourhood, Chinatown today would more accurately be described as ‘Asiatown’ thanks to the influx of Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian residents. Nonetheless, the charming architecture and fortune cookie factories of old still remain. Once you pass through the Chinatown Gate at Bush and Grant you’re in Union Sq, and can shop till you drop. 
San Francisco City Guides offer free walking tours from Jun-Sept around areas such as Chinatown, Coit Tower, Golden Gate Bridge, North Beach and Haight-Ashbury. Pavement markers in the historic Jackson Sq district show the Barbary Coast Trail; pick up a guide booklet ($9) at the Visitor Information Center and have a self-guided tour of Gold Rush era San Francisco. All About Chinatown and competitor Wok Wiz Chinatown Adventure Tours both offer excellent insider’s-view eating and walking tours; prices vary.