Getting there

If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure you know where to catch your planes, trains, ferries or cable cars…

Planes

San Francisco International Airport (www.flysfo.com) lies 13 miles south of the city. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both operate daily flights from London. Other options are Oakland International Airport | 25 miles away | or San Jose | 60 miles to the south.

Boats

It ain’t known as the Bay Area for nothing. Various ferry companies run services from Ferry Building to several drop-offs around the bay, or to Sausalito and Marin County. See www.transitinfo.org for details.

Trains

Amtrak’s wonderfully scenic Coast Starlight train route (www.amtrak.com) connects San Francisco to LA and Seattle via Oakland; there’s a bus connection from the Ferry Building in San Francisco. The BART metro system connects the city with the East Bay and the airport’s domestic and international terminals; visit www.bart.gov for details. The journey from the airport takes around half an hour; get off at Montgomery Station for the Financial District. For short hops around town, the Muni system’s trams, cable cars and buses are handy; ring +1 415 673 6864 for route information.

Automobiles

Grab a taxi from the designated zone in Arrivals; it’ll cost about $40 to get downtown from the airport. There are plenty of car-hire companies if you want to head on to the wine region for a few days; be warned though | parking in San Francisco can be a headache | and the cost is almost as steep as the streets. By law | you must point your wheels at the curb when you park to prevent runaway disasters.