Exploring San Francisco, California with no car; just a $5 Bus Ticket
This is actually an impromptu video as I was out Downtown just to return an item at the Apple store at Union Square. The process was unexpectedly quick so I decided to just meander around and purchase a muni day pass (we call our bus/subway system here in San Francisco Muni, by the way)
Driving a car when visiting San Francisco can be a nightmare. I always take public transit here in SF. I’ve traveled to several countries and cities; I must say that San Francisco has one of the most efficient and reliable public transports.
Whenever I’m in San Francisco, I’d almost always purchase a day pass because I never get tired of exploring the city even though I’ve been living here for a decade now. Also, $5 ticket is cheap for unlimited muni & subway rides. Just the rides alone would suffice to see the gorgeous views of the city.
Like I said, this is an unplanned exploration of the city. This is not perfect. If I pre-planned this, I could have gone to more places. But heck, this is a good itinerary and if you’re only here in San Francisco for 6-7 hours, you’ll see what you need to see.
I recommend that you can copy this and just do some tweaks for flexibility.
Main takeaways:
Visit to San Francisco without a car is doable. Driving or renting a car while in San Francisco will even slow down your pace particularly if you’re a tourist. Also, finding and paying for parking is a huge hassle. If you really want to avoid public transports, driverless cars are available 24/7
The video was recorded on August 24, 2024 Saturday. Typically, August sees a decrease in number of tourists as school is back for most students. Streets and public transits are busiest during peak season (although all my bus rides in this video are packed)
this video recorded on an unusually weird weather (light rain the entire morning and scattered rain showers in the afternoon). My walks and bus trips could have been more efficient if it wasn’t raining
$5 muni day pass doesn’t include cable car rides or BART rides (day pass with cable car is $13 which is still a good deal)
I started my exploration midday at past 11:00 AM. Would have gone to more tourist spots if I started earlier
I spent 7 hours exploring all in all including lunch break and shopping. It didn’t feel that I needed to rush. I had time to be mindful & soak up the environment (the ocean, Golden Gate Bridge, wait for the bus, etc.).
Bring a jacket regardless what the weather forecast says. Weather can go from warm to cold really fast
I might make another video that includes cable car rides and more tourist attractions. I have to reiterate though that you don’t need a car to visit and explore most of San Francisco.
