San Francisco is a famous metropolis, a tourist center par excellence in Northern California. It has always welcomed people of all backgrounds and ages with a spirit of aggregation and lively fun, creating a cosmopolitan atmosphere that tourists love.
Famous for its pyramid skyscraper (Transamerica Building), for the Golden Gate Bridge, for the “zigzag” road of Lombard Street, for the Victorian Houses and for ethnic neighborhoods such as Chinatown … it is easily reachable thanks to excellent connections. With two international airports and dozens of train stations, San Francisco knows how to give a vibrant “welcome” to everyone.
AIRPORTS
San Francisco Airport (SFO)
San Francisco International Airport is set 20 km away from downtown San Francisco, yet inside the main urban area. It is very well connected to the rest of the region through highways and state streets. Built in the 1920s, it worked for a long time as local airport, welcoming its first international flight in 1946; it was enlarged and modernized in the 1980s. San Francisco Airport has 4 runways and 4 terminals, for a total of 7 concourses and 115 gates. Over 20 million passenger are served by this airport every year.
Inside the terminals you can find all services a traveler needs: restaurants, shops, banks, police points, info points, hotels, car rentals, lounges, free wi-fi. The airport is well connected to the city by taxis, buses, trains, private transfers. The main airport also hosts a museum: created in 1980 as a collaboration with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, it was the first museum ever planned inside an international airport. People waiting for their flight can visit the galleries, which contains both permanent artwork and temporary exhibitions.
San Francisco Oakland Airport (OAK)
Set in the town of Oakland, 18 km away from downtown San Francisco, this airport is the second serving the main city and its region’s area. San Francisco Oakland International Airport operates with 4 runways and 2 terminals managing the largest part of domestic flights. Here also land airplanes from/to Mexico and Azores Islands, plus cargo flights from/to China and Japan.
The terminals are well equipped with all services a traveler needs including wi-fi and lounges for relaxing while waiting for the flight. The airport is well connected to the city center by a direct road (Interstate 880 – Nimitz Freeway) and by Hegenberger Road both departing from the main Airport Road. Trains of BART rapid transit service also serve this airport while the urban buses have their direct lines with Line 21, Line 73 and Line 805.
STATIONS
4th and King Street station
This is the most famous railway station in San Francisco. Built in 1914 and restored in the 1970s, it is located at the crossroad of the 4th Street and King Street in the South Market (SO.MA) quarter, the heart of the city’s “nightlife”.
It operates with 10 platforms and 13 tracks, offering the best services for travelers who choose trains and metro for reaching San Francisco. The plan for the future is to enlarge more and more the station so to welcome also regional trains and tourist trains.
Greyhound Bus Stations
San Francisco hosts Greyhound Bus stations as well. It is located at Folsom Street, a very central street not far from the Golden Gate Bridge (30 minutes drive) and the city’s downtown area (20 minutes drive).