Parking is San Francisco is very difficult and expensive. Most hotels charge extra for parking. Street parking is as easy to find as winning the lottery. The city owns a few very high tech lots near busy areas such as Union Square which are not too bad. Before renting a car for your trip, you should strongly consider investing your $40/day in taxicabs. Taxi's don't have to park and save you a lot of stress.

Basically, the only good thing about having a car in S.F. is travel to outlying areas such as Napa and Monterey. Within the city, it is highly counterproductive. At San Francisco International Airport - there are many airport parking lots for you to safely park your car on an out-of-town trip.

When parking in residential areas of San Francisco - if you take the time to circle to the further areas from restaurants and shops, you can find free parking but walk a bit (good exercise!).

In commercial areas (Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf) - the same sort of rules apply. You need to explore parking areas that are further from the central destination to find the lower priced lots. We've listed some of the most convenient parking lots below for the major San Francisco tourist attractions.

Best Parking Lots By Popular Areas:

• Pier 39's garage is open 24x7. Restaurant customers who eat at one of Pier 39's full-service restaurants receive one hour free validated parking at lunch and two hours after 6 pm for dinner. The PIER 39 parking garage clearance is 6 ft. 8 inches high for your truck.
• Fifth and Mission Garage - Enter at 833 Mission - Cheap with 2,585 parking spaces, but a little walking.
• Union Square Underground Garage - Very convenient to Union Square with 985 parking spaces - Enter at 333 Post.
• Jesse Square Garage - Enter at 223 Stevenson. Open until 11pm