San Francisco

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Location

The airport is situated 14 miles (23km) south of San Francisco.

Getting 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 downtown San Francisco and San Jose. SamTrans Service, bus 292, leaves every 30 minutes for the city centre and suburbs. 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. Ride-hailing services, like Uber, are also available.

Time

GMT –8 (GMT –7 from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November).

Car rental

The AirTrain links the terminals to the rental car centre. Car rental companies include Alamo, Avis, Budget, National, Thrifty and Hertz.

Airport Taxis

Taxis cost from about $47 to $67 for a half hour ride to the city centre, although these rates are very dependant on traffic. Airport employees are available at the taxi pick up area, outside all terminals, to help passengers. Taxi drivers will expect a tip.

Facilities

There are banks, bureaux de change and ATMs available. Facilities for the disabled are very good. Other facilities include baggage storage, a medical clinic, bars and restaurants, duty-free, shops, childcare and baby changing facilities, mailboxes, wifi, tourist information and hotel reservations. There is also a museum, library, art gallery and an aviation history museum within the terminal.

Parking

Rates for short-term parking start at $2 per 15 minutes and increase to $36 per 24 hours. Other daily rates available range from $36 per day in the international parking area to $25 per day in the long-term lot.

Website www.flysfo.com

The AirTrain light rail service operates on two lines: the Red Line connects all terminals, garages and the BART Station; and the Blue Line connects to the rental car centre. However, the AirTrain does not provide service to the airport's long-term parking lot.