USEFUL Information
Local time
Distance
Climate of San Francisco
San Francisco's climate is characteristic of California’s Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters and dry summers. Since it is surrounded on three sides by water, San Francisco's climate is strongly influenced by the cool currents of the Pacific Ocean which tends to moderate temperature swings and produce a remarkably mild climate with little seasonal temperature variation. The dry period of May to October is mild to warm. The rainy period of November to April is cool with high temperatures. On average, temperatures exceed 75°F (24°C) 28 days a year.
Tourism Office of San Francisco
San Francisco Visitors Information Center
900 Market Street
94102 San Francisco, CA
Etats-Unis
telephone : (+1) 415-391-2000
Telecopie : (+1) 415-362-7323
Get in San Francisco
By plane :
- San Francisco International (IATA: SFO) located about 10 min, south of the city
- Oakland International (IATA: OAK) in the East Bay.
- Mineta San Jose International (IATA: SJC) in Silicon Valley, about 1 hour south of San Francisco.
Oakland and San Jose tend to offer more discount airline flights, while San Francisco Airport attracts more international flights and can bemore convenient for those staying in the city.
Public Airport Transportation
San Francisco and Oakland Airportsare connected to downtown SF by the Bay Area Rapid Transit(BART) system. (every 15 or 20 minutes depending on the timeof day)
Passengers arriving in SFO can walk (5 minutes from United's terminal) or take a free airport shuttle(AirTrain) to the BART station (which is next to international terminal G). From Oakland Airport, BART operates a regular shuttle to the nearest station. It takes 10-15 minutes. Trains from there run directly to San Francisco. BART trains head directly to downtown San Francisco and the Mission District, from where the MUNI can take travelers anywhere in the city.
The San Jose airport is served by a free shuttle to both VTA Light Rail and Caltrain. Passengers arriving in San Jose can use Caltrain to reach San Francisco directly. Caltrain also links with the BART system at the Millbrae intermodal station. Be aware that public transportation within the South Bay is not as developed as around San Francisco. Also, when riding Caltrain, be sure to buy your ticket at the automated station kiosks before boarding, as they are not sold on the trains.
By train :
Amtrak serves the Bay Area with long-distance and intercity trains. San Francisco’s long distance station is across the bay, outside city limits. Passengers arrive in Emeryville or Oakland's Jack London Square Station in the East Bay and may take an Amtrak California Thruwaybus over the Bay Bridge to San Francisco's Amtrak stop at 101 The Embarcadero (near the Ferry Building) and usually several other downtown destinations. (Note that Amtrak passengers are not subjected to any extra charge for the bus.) Travelers on some shorter distance Amtrak routes can also transfer to BART trains at the Richmond or Oakland Coliseum stations. Alternatively, riders approaching the Bay Area from the south may transfer to Caltrain at San Jose's Diridon Station for a direct ride to Fourth and King Streets in San Francisco.
Amtrak routes serving the Bay Area are:
- The California Zephyr runs daily between Chicago and Emeryville with connections to/from the eastcoast.
- The Coast Starlight runs daily between Seattle, Portland, Emeryville, and Los Angeles. To reach San Francisco, either transfer to Caltrain in San Jose or to the Amtrak bus in Emeryville.
- The Capitol Corridor runs between Sacramento and Emeryville.
- The San Joaquins runs between Bakersfield, Stockton and Emeryville. Travelers on the San Joaquins can continue on to San Francisco via the Amtrak bus at Emeryville or by transferring to the BART at the Richmond station.
- Caltrain operates a regional rail service from San Jose to its San Francisco terminal at Fourth and King. Bay Area Rapid Transit.
By bus :
Goto Bus sells tickets to and from Los Angeles for a variety of bus companies.
Greyhound has frequent intercity service from San Francisco’s beautiful but decaying Transbay Terminal at First and Mission streets.
Xe Do Hoang offers service between Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
Several regional bus systems serve San Francisco from the immediate suburbs:
By boat :
San Francisco and Alcatraz from a Sausalito ferryIn many ways a boat is the ideal way to approach San Francisco. The city's spectacular skyline is best appreciated from the water, and from the deck of a boat the bay and its bridges and islands can be viewed as a whole. Cruise ships and private yachts are regular visitors to San Francisco, and passenger ferries regularly link other Bay Area cities to San Francisco.
Ferries run to San Francisco from Larkspur, Sausalito and Tiburon in Marin County, from Vallejo in Solano County and from Alameda and Oakland in the East Bay. In San Francisco, the ferries dock at one or both of the city’s two piers at Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building, the later of which is a veryshort walk from the Amtrak San Francisco bus stop as well as Embarcadero Station, where the BART and Muni trains stop, and the stop for the historic streetcars that run above ground, down Market Street.
By car :
There are four major highway approaches to San Francisco. US 101 comes up the eastern side of the SF peninsula and is the most direct route from the south, although it often backs up with traffic. Interstate 280 is a more scenic route into the city from the same direction, but with poorer connections than 101. Interstate 80 approaches the city from the east over the San Francisco Bay Bridge. From the north, US 101 takes you over the Golden Gate Bridge.
