Where to Park in San Francisco

A Guide to Parking in San Francisco: How to Find Cheap and Free Parking

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First, I would advise you not to use the car during your stay in San Francisco. As we have explained several times (for example in our guide on how to get around San Francisco) visiting the city by car means having to deal with traffic and struggle to find parking (and if you do, it is usually expensive). Moreover, it is easy to get around and visit San Francisco without a car whereas in the majority of cases using a car results in a rather useless complication.

That said, if for special reasons you have decided not only to rent a car in San Francisco but also to use it to visit the city, let’s see how best to answer questions you may have, such as where can you park your car? Is there free parking in San Francisco? Where to leave your car when you go visit the main attractions?

Hotels with Parking in San Francisco

parking in san franciscoUsually, parking your car at one of San Francisco’s major hotels can cost you a lot of money. Hotels in downtown San Francisco, such as those in Union Square, can charge you more than $50 a night. I suggest you also check with private garages. These are not cheap either, but if you look hard enough, you can get better rates (even around $30 per night).

You may be more likely to find more affordable prices by heading to more peripheral and residential areas. By clicking on the button below, you can access a website that shows you all the parking spaces available in the city, filtering them by area, price, and proximity to an area of interest, with the possibility to book the parking space directly online.

Parking spaces available in San Francisco

The alternative is to fall back on the motels that include free parking. There are not many and are mostly concentrated in the Marina District and Cow Hollow, two neighborhoods east of the Presidio. We have already talked about this in our guide on how to find accommodations in San Francisco, so I recommend you read the relevant section of the article.

Parking Rules in San Francisco

Parking Rules in San FranciscoThe edges of San Francisco’s sidewalks are marked by various colors that indicate whether or not you can park and under what conditions. The signs will give you more valuable information, but here are some tips to avoid getting a fine:

  • Red indicates that you can’t park. It is usually located near bus stops and fire stations.
  • White indicates that there is a 5-minute parking limit. They are basically designed to pick up or drop off passengers and are usually located in front of hospitals, schools, and restaurants.
  • Green means that there is a 10-minute parking limit.
  • Yellow parking spots are reserved exclusively for commercial vehicles.
  • Blue parking spaces are designated for people with disabilities and there is no time limit.
  • The only time that these restrictions on parking do not apply is when the sidewalk is unpainted (and there are not many). If you find a parking spot, you should still check if there is a sign and what it says.
  • If you park on a slope (which is very likely in San Francisco) make sure that the car is parked in the opposite direction.

How to Pay for Parking with or without a Parking Meter

san francisco parking ratesYou can pay directly at the parking meters with coins, a credit card, and on your phone (with the PayByPhone app). Many parking areas are equipped with pay-by-plate technology, connecting directly to the license plate of the vehicle. An alternative is to use prepaid cards that you can buy in various shops in the city (usually sold with a credit of $20 or $50).

Parking when Visiting the Main Attractions

san francisco paid parking spots

To visit the city by car, you will obviously need to look for parking near the main attractions. Below I will suggest some strategic places to park when you make a short stop, but I suggest you also check the links indicated for each area as prices and conditions may change depending on the season and the day of the week.

Please also note that the hourly rate can also vary within the same day (e.g. depending on whether it is the morning or the afternoon), so it is rather difficult to specify a price per hour. As I said, I recommend you check the links below.

Parking near the Golden Gate Bridge

Not many people know this, but you can park for free right next to the Golden Gate Bridge. The parking lot is called Langdon Court Lot; it is not very well known and is not mentioned on the official website, so to reach it enter this location in the GPS. This is a much better solution than the official parking lot (Welcome Center Visitors Parking Lot), which is often congested and only available for a limited time (maximum 2 hours at a cost of $2).

Parking in and around Union Square

If you’re looking for parking in downtown San Francisco, some of the cheapest parking lots are the Union Square Garage (333 Post Street) and the Sutter-Stockton Garage (444 Stockton Street), which you can also use as a base to visit Chinatown. For all other possibilities, click on the button below:

All parking spaces in the Union Square area

Parking near Pier 39

In this area, it’s not really easy to find cheap parking. Just to give you an idea (at the moment), the rate of the official garage on Pier 39 is $10 per hour on working days and $12 per hour on weekends, although there is the possibility to earn 1 hour of free parking if you validate the receipt from one of the restaurants on the pier (here the complete list). If you want to save money and you don’t have problems walking, I suggest you also consider parking in North Beach, which I’m talking about below.

Parking near Pier 39

Parking in the North Beach area

Not far from the famous City Lights Bookstore, there are Vallejo Street Garage and North Beach Garage, two non prohibitively priced parking lots (from $4 to $5 per hour) that can also be used as a base to visit other areas of the city, such as Embarcadero, Pier 39, and Fisherman’s Wharf (about a 15-minute walk away) whose parking is usually more expensive. Another option is the Portsmouth Square Plaza Garage (733 Kearny St, $4 per hour), which is towards Chinatown but it is still a good place to park while exploring North Beach and the surrounding area.

Parking in the North Beach area

Golden Gate Park parking lots

This large park in San Francisco bordering the exciting Haight-Ashbury offers paid parking within the park. Read more in our Golden Gate Park guide.


Our Tip:
Looking for accommodations for your trip from California to other parts of the Southwest? Read our guide that contains reviews of hotels and strategic tips for finding accommodations near major attractions: Where to Stay: Our Tips for the SouthWest Area

Warning: Operating hours can change and closures for extraordinary events can occur, so we strongly suggest to check the venues official websites.

lorenzo puliti
lorenzo puliti

I am fascinated by the wonders of the world I never tire of going in search of them.

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