Arriving by Air
You can choose from three major airports in the Bay Area:
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is 14 miles south of the city;
- Oakland International Airport (OAK) is 20 miles east (across the Bay);
- San Jose International Airport (SJC) is 47 miles south.
Getting From an Airport to the Parc 55
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) connects to Union Square. Get off at the Powell Street Station, which is right across the street from the Parc 55.
- From SFO, there is a direct train from the airport to the Powell Street Station;
- From OAK, a shuttle train connects to the Oakland Coliseum Station, where you change to a train that stops at the Powell Street Station.
- SJC does not have a BART connection, but there are connections via CalTrain.
Other options include ridesharing, shuttle vans, and limo services (see below).
Getting Around San Francisco
Public Transportation
Public transportation options in and around San Francisco include:
- BART, the light-rail system around the Bay;
- MUNI, the citywide system of buses, Metro trains, and the iconic cable cars.
See MUNI's pages on other local transportation options.
Commercial Services
The entire Bay Area has good coverage from the major ridesharing services and local taxi services, all hailable via app:
Commercial shuttle vans, limos, and taxi can be caught from the Departures/Ticketing Level at SFO; head to the roadway center island outside any terminal.
Arriving by Train
If you have the time, there are multiple scenic train routes that get you to San Francisco with beautiful scenery along the way and a relaxing ride.
The Amtrak Coast Starlight Line follows the entire U.S. Pacific coast and passes through Oakland, just across the San Francisco Bay. They run buses into San Francisco, arriving at the Ferry Building.
The California Zephyr runs from Chicago to Emeryville, just across the Bay from San Francisco, passing through Reno, Truckee (near Lake Tahoe), and Sacramento. It's an especially beautiful ride across the mountains in the winter.
The Pacific Surfliner goes from San Diego's Santa Fe Depot through Los Angeles and north in an approximately 16-hour scenic journey, passing through Oakland, where you can use the Amtrak connection into San Francisco.
You can also take the train from elsewhere in the Bay Area. From San Jose and the peninsula, take CalTrain. From Berkeley, Oakland or cities in the East Bay, use BART.
Arriving by Car
San Francisco is easily reachable by car, although depending on the time of day, traffic can be heavy (try to avoid commute hours). The most common approaches are I-80 West from Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, I-280 or US Hwy 101 North from San Jose, and US Hwy 101 South from Northern California.