medic-again, rjque

Thank you both for the speedy reply, very grateful. The advice on get the ticket for the Rock was especially useful! Thank you very much to you both.

Good advice thus far. I would also condition details on when you were planning to do this. There are foreign inbound visitors who plan their entire holiday in the states around a visit to Alcatraz which they will reserve well in advance, as rjque has already stated.

Depending on where you're staying near the airport, you may be reasonably close to the Millbrae BART station (I've stayed at both the Westin and Marriott and walk over). In those cases, if I won't need or have a car, I'll often ride BART into The City, usually to Powell Street Station. That gives me access to Moscone Center, Union Square, the Apple Store, Cable Cars to Chinatown/Nob Hill/Fisherman's Wharf, et al. Or I might stay on BART until Embarcadero Station and catch a ferry (boat) to Sausalito, then back to Fisherman's Wharf, etc. Lot's of possibilities!

Thanks KarlJ, another very useful tip regarding hotel choices. I hope to do this without using a car, with all the problems parking and driving. So it seems by BART is very doable. Will try to book the Rock as soon as I decide on a firm date.

Many thanks again to you all.

I wouldn't build my visit solely around BART. You would be limiting yourself.

BART is a regional rail system. There are local transit systems as well, such as Muni/SFMTA in San Francisco, AC Transit in the East Bay, SamTrans on the northern Peninsula, etc.; plus CalTrain and ferries. The point being that depending on where you are going, you may end up using more than one transit system.

All the info you need is readily available on the Web. For example:

www.transit.511.org

Or better yet, use Google Maps! I'm not sure, but the transit info might even work on cell phone versions.

Thanks again for all the replies and helpful tips. As I will only have the day there, I will try not to be too ambitious Just to get an idea of the public transport system, and limit my visit just to a few places. I will be mostly walking, go to Chinatown to have a look, may be possible to have lunch or dinner there, to the Fisherman's, as I must try the soft-shell crab (if I ever find out how to eat it! ) to the Rock, as it is a must, then may be take one of my meals in the Crab House at Pier 39. That should take care of my day. Almost forgot, will ride the cable car whenever I can, and as many times I can in a day!

FYI, soft shell crab is NOT a San Francisco dish. The dungeness crab is the local crab (and even when it isn't season here, it is available from further up the coast). These crabs are a lot of work for the amount of meat in them, but the meat is delicious.

Thanks for the information, I will enjoy work my way through one or more of them!

I'm staying at The Westin San Francisco Market Street and am planning to take the 4:40am BART train from Montgomery Place to SFO airport for a 7:30am flight.

Is it fairly safe to take the BART at this time or should I take a cab instead?
Any ideas roughly how much a cab would cost?

Thanks

MaxFlyer, absolutely safe in early a.m.; but if you're flying domestic, and SFO is only about a 29 min. ride from Montgomery St. station (make sure you take a train as to which the platform signs say, "SFO Airport"), you should be fine with a train leaving 0:45 mins. later. Cabs would be about $30-35 for the ride.

Yes I will be flying domestic (LAX).

Thanks for the info Ocn Vw 1K

I stayed here last month and took a hotel car back to the airport. It was a Lincoln Towncar and only cost $45. Far better experience than the BART or 90mph taxi ride. Just ask at the door, I only had to wait 2 minutes.

Did that $45 include tip? If so, that's pretty close to what I pay for a taxi from home. Not a bad deal.

I have take bart many times from dublin to SF..it has always been on time and have never run into any snags..the longest i have had to wait for bart is 15 min..