North America > United States > San Francisco (SFO)
The city by city Car or no Car advice for San Francisco can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in San Francisco ; is it worth it (based on costs), and ultimately - should you rent one? (a balance of the two).🚆 🚌⛴️ Do we need to rent a car in San Francisco ?
These scores are based on the quality of public transport and other travel options. If these are good enough to see the main points of interest, then you don’t need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in San Francisco?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.
San Francisco without a car 🚋
To begin with, public transport in San Francisco is genuinely usable for visitors. BART connects San Francisco International Airport (SFO) directly with downtown, the Mission District, and the East Bay. Meanwhile, MUNI handles most local travel, combining buses, trams, metro lines, and the famous cable cars. As a result, getting around the city itself is straightforward, even if it can feel a little slow at times.
Crucially, San Francisco is also compact and walkable, at least in the flatter neighbourhoods. Many of the city’s major sights — Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Embarcadero — sit close together. In addition, ferries across the bay provide scenic, traffic-free connections to places like Sausalito, Oakland, and Alameda, which makes water transport part of the experience rather than just a utility.
Why driving in the city is a hassle 🚗🚫
That said, driving within San Francisco is rarely pleasant. Streets are narrow, hills are steep, parking is expensive, and break-ins are a well-known problem. Even short trips can take longer by car than by public transport. For most visitors, a rental car inside the city becomes more of a burden than a benefit.
When a rental car becomes useful 🌲🌊
However, the moment you look beyond the city, renting a car starts to make sense. Iconic destinations such as Muir Woods, Big Sur, Napa Valley, Yosemite, and even the 17 Mile Drive and stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway are difficult or time-consuming to reach without a car. While tours do exist, they rarely offer the flexibility or pace that many travellers want.
Conclusion: should you rent a car in San Francisco? 🤔
In the end, San Francisco itself strongly favours no car at all. Instead, the smart strategy is often to enjoy the city car-free, then rent a car later — either from the airport or just before leaving town — if you plan to explore California beyond the Bay Area.
