totti

Hi there,

We will be staying south of San Francisco (close to Butano State Park) in mid August and we need to be in downtown SF on a Tuesday noon/afternoon for approximately 4 hours. We thought of driving somewhere close to the city and then taking public transport/BART to get into the city so that we have no hassle with parking etc.

Is this a feasible option?

What would be a good place to park our car and switch to BART or public transport?

Are there any better alternatives for us to get to downtown SF and back?

Comments and suggestions are highly appreciated.

Cheers,
totti

rjque

Bart probably fits the bill, but if this were me, I'd personally drive and just pay for parking in an SF garage. Some of the city garages are not terribly expensive for four hours (probably in the $20 range) and that would eliminate the hassle of dealing with Bart. But I'm a person who likes driving in cities, which I recognize is not everyone.

If you do go with Bart, I know the Milbrae Bart station has parking (paid, perhaps) for just this purpose. Take a look at the Bart website to see which stations have parking and for how long.

Eastbay1K

Note that BART parking lots generally fill up very early, and the "reserved lot" paid parking (you can buy a space in advance) requires that you park by 10 AM. Where around downtown will you be going? (This determines if there is a good and easy parking lot to guide you to. If you don't need to cross Market St. in a car, especially for the ride back, this could save you considerable time.)

totti

Thanks for your quick replies. It seems a bit more complicated than expected.

I will meet close to Hilton Union Square. Being at a BART station before 10 am is a bit early but certainly doable and we could use the time to go for a walk in the city.

totti

To follow-up: What station would you recommend if we opt for single day reserved? Shall we rather park at Millbrae or a station closer to the city center?

squeakr

Single Day Reserved Permit Parking

BART offers Single Day Reserved Permit Parking at many stations. This permit allows riders to purchase a reserved permit for single days and park in the "Permit" Reserved area. Your reservation is for arrival before 10 am.

You will be required to printout a single day permit for each day of your reservation and display the permit through the front windshield of the vehicle with the permit facing outward and clearly displaying the permit number. Failure to display a valid permit may result in a citation. The cost of single day reserved parking varies by station and you can make a reservation as late as just before you need to use it. Buy your Single Day Reserved Permit online now at Select-a-Spot.

Daly City is another station with single day reserved.

dhuey

I like squeakr's Daly City plan.

dhuey

BTW, if you go with the Daly City plan, you'll need to get a ticket with $6.30 of value for the roundtrip. You can use your credit card at a machine in Daly City. On your return in Daly City, the turnstile will keep your $0 value ticket -- just walk through the gate.

If you look confused at one of the downtown stations, there's a good chance someone will offer to help you. Have your guard up -- good chance it's a scammer.

totti

Thank you very much for your feedback.

Best wishes,
Torsten

returnoftheyeti

Park in Glen Park. The parking lot is $2. You can only park there for 5 hours. It's a great little neighborhood ( I live there). The station is smaller than Daly City. Way less walking. It's directly off I280 with easy on and off freeway access. You can see some of the "real city".

From Glen Park BART it's less than 10 minutes to Union Square.
http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2013/news20130826a

http://www.bart.gov/stations/glen

squeakr

I was going to suggest Glepn Park till I saw his notes.