Travel and transport agencies San Francisco & Bay Area

The famous little car, climbing up and down the hills, is one of San Francisco's greatest pleasures and one of its best-known icons. Three cable car lines serve Downtown's most interesting neighborhoods. The California runs along the street of the same name, from the Embarcadero to Van Ness, passing through the Financial District and the top of Nob Hill. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines both depart from Powell Station. This is where you'll find all the other transport you need: streetcars, buses and, underground, the subway and BART.

Located in San Francisco, California, Hertz Car Rental - San Francisco - Mason Street HLE offers a wide selection of economy, luxury and SUV vehicles. Competitive rental rates let you explore the city with ease. Additional services are also available, such as Gold counter, Prestige service, hand controls for the mobility-impaired, baby seats, child seats and booster seats.

This motorhome rental company has locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. They offer any style of motorhome or station wagon with unlimited mileage and for any budget. The motorhomes have a refrigerator, gas stove, microwave oven, sink and a solar panel that provides electricity. The station wagon, a bit like a mini-van, allows you to sleep two inside or to leave with five on a small budget by renting your tent and other equipment on site.

For more than 40 years, Blue & Gold Fleet has been offering shuttles to Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island... and fabulous cruises: a one-hour tour around San Francisco Bay, a 1.5-hour"Escape from the rock cruise" onpassing by Alcatraz, and even a sunset package (depending on the season). Enjoy the most beautiful landscapes of the bay, the fascinating skyline of the city and watch out for the sea lions: they are close by! The audioguide available in 9 languages will guide you through the many monuments and history of the city.

The Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry Company is a private ferry service, which connects the Tiburon Ferry Terminal to the Ayala Cove Ferry Terminal on Angel Island. The ferry runs every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. It takes 12 minutes to get there. There are two to four rotations per day depending on the day and the season. For the record, the company has been owned and operated by the same family since 1959. Originally, founder Samuel McDonogh made his living hunting ducks and geese on McDonogh Island in Petaluma.

San José is located in California, USA. For those wishing to explore the city and surrounding area, car rental is available from San José International Airport. Avis offers a wide range of rental vehicles, from economy cars to luxury cars and prestige SUVs. Supplements such as car rental products, car rental services, protection and coverage are also available. For those wishing to explore other destinations in the USA, Avis also offers car rentals in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Orlando and Miami, among others.

The San Francisco Bay Ferry is a public passenger transportation system, allowing travel on large ferries to more than 12 terminals in San Francisco and its Bay Area: Alameda, Oakland, Mare Island, Richmond, South San Francisco, Vallejo, among others. Cheap and convenient, the shuttle boats have a capacity of 220 to 450 passengers and offer free wifi access. Prepare your tour in advance, go to Pier 41, pay your ticket, get on board... and enjoy! More details on the website.

From San Francisco, board these large ferries to the destination of your choice: Larkspur, Sausalito, Tiburon or Angel Island. Inside or outside these comfortable boats, enjoy the full view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz or the San Francisco skyline. Ferries operate every day of the year, with departures ranging from 15 to 120 minutes depending on the day of the week and the season. Bicycles and pets are welcome. For detailed information, visit the website.

Greyhound buses are the cheapest way to cross California and even go beyond. About ten buses a day connect Los Angeles to San Francisco (between 9 and 11 hours of driving). They also serve the cities of Sacramento, San José, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and even Seattle... The buses are functional and comfortable: wifi on board, electrical outlets, reclining seats, toilets... With their engine equipped with the latest technology, they leave a low carbon footprint: it's the green solution to travel!

With a good quality-price ratio, Alamo has more than 290 rental agencies in the United States, including several in San Francisco (airport, downtown, south of the city...). They offer all-inclusive packages: unlimited mileage, insurance and taxes included, with the choice between several ranges of vehicles: cars, SUVs, vans, trucks, and the possibility to add extras as you wish (repatriation assistance, child seat, GPS...). Reservations can be made at the agency or directly on the website. Little extra: the discount if you pay immediately.

When crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, there are no payment terminals. Remember to pay the mandatory tolls: before crossing the bridge (maximum 30 days) or up to 48 hours after. The payment is done on their website, click on"make a one-time payment". Indicate your date and time of crossing and your license plate number. You can also pay by internet in the form of an invoice. To pay the toll in cash, go to one of the affiliated sales points (list available on the website).

Established in 1954, California Parking operates over 30 public parking lots and garages in the city of San Francisco at reasonable prices. These parking lots are located near many tourist places, such as Union Square, China Town, Fisherman's Wharf, Mission District, North Beach... You will find an interactive map showing all the locations on their website, with opening hours and prices for each parking lot. You can even make an online reservation for your parking space ( Reservations section).

In addition to the metro, Muni also manages San Francisco's 71 city bus lines. There are 54 bus lines and 17 trolley lines. This is certainly the best way to enjoy the city's scenery. The buses, which run on diesel, are generally used on routes where the topography is fairly even, in order to limit pollution. It's easy to find your way around and get organized: visit nextbus.com, where you'll find the next departures according to stop.

Official yellow cabs operate throughout the city. To order a Yellow Cab, download the YoTaxi smartphone app. Originally a subsidiary of Westgate, San Francisco's Yellow Cabs launched as a cooperative in November 1977 after the company filed for bankruptcy the previous year and a group of drivers, mechanics and investors managed to convince the federal bankruptcy court to buy the business. Another VTC app: Uber, and its slightly cheaper competitor Lyft, also on app.

This store rents normal and electric bikes, as well as tandems. They also offer three-hour guided tours. You can bike over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and back by ferry! It's also easy to pedal the new National Park bike path from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge. You'll cross the bridge on the sidewalk, then ride down to Sausalito for dinner by the sea before taking the ferry back to Pier 39. And if you prefer to save your efforts, try an electric bike!

The Alliance Française de Berkeley is a language school located in Berkeley, California. It offers French courses for all levels, as well as private and corporate courses. The school is easily accessible from all parts of the Bay Area via BART, A/C Transit and bus #18. There is also free street parking. Please call ahead to make an appointment.

There are many streetcars, all inherited from friendly cities. For example, the old orange streetcars are the old Milan streetcars, the cream green streetcars are the St. Louis trams, the lemon yellow and orange streetcars are the Los Angeles trams, and the cream and maroon streetcars are the Philadelphia trams. It was during the 1915 World's Fair, otherwise known as the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, that streetcars first appeared in the city. They were such a hit that San Francisco wanted to keep them by adapting them to the city's rails.

Muni, San Francisco's subway company, operates the subway and San Francisco's 71 bus and trolley lines. The subway is not used much by tourists, as it serves the city's main street, Market Street, at the same stations as BART, but can be used to get to the Mission District. Several lines run south to Daly City and west to the ocean. On the other hand, the buses (easy to find with live itineraries on Google Maps) are convenient for getting from one neighborhood to another, and very frequent.