Weekend trip to San Francisco - Car rental?

Is a rental car a definite need if making a weekend trip to San Fran? I've never been so I have no idea if it is easy and cheap enough to get around without or if having a car would be a pain.





Also, what are some recommendations for things to do while in town for a 3-day weekend with my wife for our anniversary?Weekend trip to San Francisco - Car rental?
If you are in SF for a weekend you are better off WITHOUT a rental car. Hotel parking is very expensive [$25 and up], street parking is a pain, and the hills and many one way streets can make driving hell for out of towners.





Public transportation is good. You can purchase a 3 day pass that is good for all transport in SF, cable cars, trollys, buses and light rail.


http://www.sfmuni.org





Make sure you get out on the bay [ferry to sausalito, angel island or alcatraz] or one of the bay cruises. Great views of The City and the bridges. Also quite romantic. Be sure to bring a jacket it is always cold on the bay.





Congratulations on your anniversary.Weekend trip to San Francisco - Car rental?
a car is definitely convenient, but not necessary. San Francisco has a great public transportation system with tons of street buses, underground subway, and etc... you can buy day passes to ride the muni or it costs $1.50 for a ride and you can get off and on as many times as you want for i believe 90 minutes. then you have to pay again.





Some fun things to do in San Francisco include Fishermans warf, Lombard st., Coit tower, Ghirardelli square. these are all within the same area.





Golden Gate bridge, alcatraz, Union Square and the list goes on.
I recently visited San Francisco.. found it was fairly easy to get around, trolleys, cabs.. that sort of thing. I think it depends on what kind of things you were looking to do.


I would rent a car next time, only for the fact that I would like to do a little more exploring outside city limits!!





Definately take a ride on the trolley, althought the line is usually HUGE, even in the mornings, China town is great as well, tons of funky foods to try and also the fortune cookie factory!
It really depends what you want to do. If you're staying in the city and doing touristy things, public transportation would be fine.





If you want to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and visit the northern area, you'll definitely want a rental.
The public transportation is great in San Francisco. They have daily passes, and most buses, cable cars, and trolleys go to all the tourist spots. Avoid taxis, they can run into some $$$$.
The car would be a pain because of parking space and cost.. It is more romantic to use the BART and Trolley...