Car hire San Francisco

Introduction

San Francisco is a city in California, on the west coast of the United States. The city attracts many tourists: it is located on hills that provide a breathtaking view over San Francisco Bay, the city has a beautiful mixture of old (Victorian) and modern architecture, and a very cosy and multicultural nightlife, and there are interesting museums. The symbol of the city is the Golden Gate Bridge, and most visitors also take a ride on the city's famous cable tram.

Some people may be disappointed with the weather: because the city is surrounded by water on three sides, it is often fogged in. The summers in San Francisco are relatively cool compared to, for example, Los Angeles.

Population

The city has 750,000 inhabitants on a relatively small surface. It is the most densely populated city of the US, except for New York. The entire area surrounding San Francisco Bay is heavily urbanised, with large cities like Oakland, Fremont and San Jose. In all, some 8 million people live around the bay. The people of San Francisco are know for their tolerance towards other cultures.

Location

San Francisco is located on a peninsula, with the Pacific Ocean to its west and San Francisco Bay to its east. The famous Golden Gate Bridge connects the tip of this land tongue to Marin Peninsula. To the east of the bridge lies the infamous Alcatraz Island, which used to be a heavily guarded prison. San Francisco is built on hilly terrain. There are over 40 hills in the city. Los Angeles is located over 600 kilometres to the south-east of San Francisco.

Economy

Tourism is the city's most important economic pillar. The city is visited by 15 million people every year, not all of whom are tourists, incidentally; San Francisco is also popular among organisers of conferences and other events. In addition, the financial sector is represented well: Montgomery Street is sometimes called the "Wall Street of the American West".
There were many so-called venture capitalists in San Francisco, who during the 'Internet boom' invested their money above all in Silicon Valley, the IT centre of the US. The downturn in the IT sector hit San Francisco hard; the city recovered from it only slowly.
San Francisco now focuses more on companies in biotechnology.

Airports

The city's most important airports are San Francisco International Airport, 20 kilometres to the south of the city, and Oakland International Airport, on the other side of San Francisco Bay. Both airports are connected to the city centre by the trains of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).
San Jose International Airport is located 70 kilometres to the south of the city. Commuter trains by Caltrain connect the airport to San Francisco.

Public Transport

San Francisco has an excellent and very extensive public transport network, which is used a lot, compared to other American cities: over a third of the people of San Francisco use it every day. There are buses, trolleybuses, light rail trains, trams and cable trams. In addition, there are interregional train connections provided by BART and Caltrain.

Traffic and Parking

Driving in San Francisco takes some getting used to. First of all, the hills can be pretty steep. Also, there are many one-way streets, and it can at times be very busy in and around the city. Especially around the Bay Bridge and the main roads to the south of the city traffic is often clogged up. Generally speaking, Americans drive fairly quietly, and they will always help you to find your way.

Finding a place to park in the city is not easy, and it is also very expensive. Relatively cheap car parks are Sutter-Stockton, Ellis-O'Farrell and Mission. San Francisco has very strict parking rules. In some streets you are not allowed to park during rush hour, whereas in other streets there is a maximum time limit. There are many traffic wardens that hand out fines for any violation, and may even have your car towed away. Mind the position of your tyres when you park on a slope: aim them at the curb if it is a downward slope, towards the lane if it is an upward slope.

Hotels

The city is a top destination for tourists, business travelers and conference people. This means that the hotels are often fully booked, so we recommend booking your hotel room in advance. Most hotels are situated in the shopping and entertainment area around Union Square in downtown San Francisco. The most luxurious hotels are located in the fancy Nob Hill area, a little to the north of Union Square. As the name indicates, this area is built on a hill, which means that most hotel rooms have a beautiful view.

External Sources

For more information about San Francisco, we recommend Google, and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, San Francisco
• San Francisco City & County (several languages)
• Official Visitors Site for San Francisco (English)