Airport
San Francisco International Airport
IATA Code: SFOLocation: The airport is situated 14 miles (23km) south of San Francisco.
Time: GMT ?8 (GMT ?7 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November).
Contacts: Tel: +1 800 435 9736.
Transfer between terminals: AirTrain light rail service operates on two lines. The Red Line connects all terminals, garages and the BART Station; and the Blue Line, which also connects to the Rental Car Centre. AirTrain does not provide service to SFO's Long Term Parking Lot.
Transfer to the city: The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Rapid Rail service connects the airport to the city centre, and provides a connection to the Caltrain commuter rail service at Milbrae Station, from where trains leave regularly to San Francisco downtown, costing about $2 and to San Jose. SamTrans Service, bus 292, leaves every 30 minutes for the city centre and suburbs costing US$1.75. There are also shared vans, which provide a door-to-door service and are cheaper than taxis. Reservations are sometimes needed for service after 11pm. Taxis cost about US$35 for an hour's ride to the city centre, very dependant on traffic. Airport employs are available at the taxi pick up area, outside all terminals, to help passengers.
Taxis: A taxi to the city centre takes about half an hour and generally costs around $40. Taxi drivers will expect a tip of $3 to $5.
Car rental: The AirTrain links the terminals to the rental car centre. Car rental companies include Alamo, Avis, Budget, National, Thrifty and Hertz.
Facilities: There are banks, bureaux de change and ATMs available. Facilities for the disabled are very good. Other facilities include baggage storage, medical clinic, bars and restaurants, duty-free, shops, childcare and baby changing facilities, post office, wireless Internet, tourist information and hotel reservations. There is also a museum, library, art gallery and an aviation history museum within the terminal.
Parking: A long-term car park is situated two miles (3km) north of the airport and is linked by a free shuttle bus service. Short-term parking is available at the airport.
Departure tax:
Website: www.flysfo.com
Oakland International Airport
IATA Code: OAKLocation: The airport is situated 12 miles (19km) from Oakland.
Time: GMT ?8 (GMT ?7 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November).
Contacts: Tel: +1 510 563 3300.
Transfer to the city: The BART subway network links the airport to Oakland and San Francisco from the Coliseum/Oakland International Airport Station. The AirBART shuttle links the station to the airport every 10 minutes. AC Transit bus line 50 connects the airport with BART, line N connects to downtown Oakland and downtown San Francisco as well as to east Oakland, and bus line 58 connects to the Amtrak railway station at Jack London Square. From Jack London Square it is possible to link to the Alameda/Oakland ferry, which provides services to San Francisco's ferry terminal and Pier 39.
Taxis: Taxis and a shuttle service are available from outside the airport. Taxi services are provided by Friendly Cab (phone: +1 510 536 3000) and Veteran's Cab (phone: +1 510 533 1900). The taxi fare to the city centre is about US$50.
Car rental: The Rental Car Center is open 24 hours and has all rental companies in one location, including Avis, Budget, Hertz and National. A Rental Car Shuttle bus ferries passengers between the terminals and Rental Car Centre every 10 minutes.
Facilities: ATMs, restaurants and bars are available in both terminals. Duty-free shopping, a business centre and left luggage services can be found in Terminal 1. Passengers with disabilities are well catered for, but those requiring wheelchairs should contact their airline in advance.
Parking: Hourly, daily and economy parking lots are open 24 hours and are linked to the two terminals by a free shuttle bus service every 10 minutes.
Departure tax:
Website: www.oaklandairport.com
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San Francisco
The most attractive of American cities and regularly voted the best city in the USA, San Francisco is adored because of its colourful history, dramatic setting and its laissez-faire atmosphere, a quality missing from synthetic Los Angeles. It is a regular trendsetter in everything alternative, from flower-power to 'free love' and gay liberation; it prides itself on being individualistic, down-to-earth and cultured.
Streets rollercoaster up and down the hills, and when not swathed in the city's trademark fog, there are superb vistas of San Francisco Bay, spanned by one of the world's most famous sights, the Golden Gate Bridge. Surrounded by hills and urban development, traversed by bridges, dotted with sails and 14 small islands, including the notorious Alcatraz, the bay is the largest inlet on the Californian Coast. Fisherman's Wharf at the edge of the bay is a popular place to eat, stroll and shop, with its resident seals a favourite photographic subject.
Within the surprisingly compact city are distinct neighbourhoods that reflect the cultural background of diverse communities that were attracted to San Francisco by the discovery of gold in 1848, and the promise of a new life for those desperate to escape their harsh circumstances. Most of San Francisco's residents were born outside the city and this mix of cultures is reflected in the dragon-studded temples of colourful Chinatown and Japantown, the characteristic bohemian flavour of the Italian pasta restaurants and cappuccino cafes in North Beach, the old Spanish-speaking Mission District that blends with the nightlife of SoMa, the modern Financial District, the gay centre of Castro and The Haight, characterised by the memory of the hippie movement of the 1960s.
