How to visit San Francisco on a budget...

Budget ideas for where to stay in SF

Hotels in San Francisco tend to be expensive. Even hotels in iffy neighborhoods aren't cheap. I wouldn't recommend going too cheap on a hotel; there's probably a reason why most of those are less expensive! 

So what are the alternatives? 

• Hostels
• Inexpensive gems
• Home exchanges

Hostels

Before you recoil at the idea...no way I'm staying in a dormitory with a bunch of noisy kids in a bad neighborhood!..San Francisco actually has some nice hostels, some with private rooms, in decent areas. Not a lot, but here are some good choices:

1.  My favorite: the HI Fisherman's Wharf Hostel in Fort Mason, walking distance to Fisherman's Wharf, with amazing views of the bay, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge right behind it. Safe, quiet area, with free parking and wifi. Rated 8.3 (very good).

240 Fort Mason. See HI Fisherman's Wharf Hostel for info and booking.

Fisherman's Wharf Hostel

View behind the hostel

2. The ITH Pacific Tradewinds Hostel. It's one block from Chinatown in a decent area and has a lot of favorable reviews. Rated 8.8 (excellent). They have dormitory-style rooms, but it's inexpensive and has social activities like movie nights. Breakfast included.

680 Sacramento Street. See Pacific Tradewinds Hostel for info and booking.

Reasonable hotels, in safe areas

The San Remo Hotel in North Beach, our quaint, Italian neighborhood. The area is a safe one, with attractive surroundings, lots of great restaurants, and walking distance to Chinatown, Coit Tower, and even Fisherman's Wharf.

Why is it less expensive? Because many of the rooms don't have their own bathrooms. You just walk down the hall, like in many of the older, historic hotels in Europe.

2237 Mason Street. See San Remo Hotel for info and booking.

San Remo Hotel in North Beach

Home exchanges - stay free in San Francisco

How would you like to stay in a nice house or apartment in San Francisco for free? Even for extended periods of time, like several weeks or a month?

There are hundreds of home owners and renters in San Francisco who want to travel but have pets that they don't want to board for longer time periods, or would just like to have someone in their house so it's not empty.

I'm one on those folks. I've used a home exchange service and was able to travel for a month at a time with some super nice people taking care of my dog and cat and house while I was gone. Peace of mind for me, and my pets were suitably spoiled. And the sitters got a nice house to stay in for free in San Francisco for a month. Win win!

I did it several times and had a great experience with it each time.

How do you become a house sitter? Apply to the company; they do a background check and you can start doing house sits. Great for people who love to travel and are flexible on dates (and fond of animals). San Francisco is fairly competitive - lots of people are interested in house sitting here - but if you start out in less competitive locations and build up some good reviews, you have a good chance of getting a place in cities like SF.

The company I used is Trusted Housesitters LTD, a UK-based company that has been in business a long time. They have an annual membership plan; you can get 25% off by going through this link, TrustedHousesitters (I'm an affiliate).

How to save on transportation in SF

San Francisco streetcar (or trolley)

You can get around San Francisco pretty easily without a car, using public transportation, or private taxis, Uber, Lyft (local SF company like Uber), and driverless vehicles like Waymo. 

Taxis, Uber, Lyft and Waymo are not cheap, unless you have a group of people sharing them. Check what your taxi bill would be for various trips around SF.

Cable cars are not cheap ($8 every time you get on, no age discounts). If you want to do a lot of trips on them, you might consider one of the passes that give you unlimited rides.

Buses and streetcars are fairly cheap, and if you plan to do a lot of here-and-there with buses, bus passes can save you money.

Taking buses and streetcars (trolleys)

Use the MuniMobile app to save money

The standard fare for adults on San Francisco buses and streetcars is $3. You can pay cash (exact change only), or via the MuniMobile app or Clipper Cards.

If you are transferring to another bus, that $3 covers travel for the next two hours. If you paid cash, the driver will hand you a paper transfer. If you are using an app like MuniMobile, it will automatically include the transfer.

MuniMobile is a smartphone app that you can download from Google or Apple app stores. You get a small discount for using the app ($2.75 fee in stead of $3.00).

Good to know: buses and streetcars are free for anyone age 18 and below. Cable cars are free for little kids, 4 years and under.

For more details on taking public transportation in San Francisco, see getting around the city.

Bus passes. Are they worth it?

Buses: You can get a Day Pass for unlimited bus rides in San Francisco for $5.50 (vs $2.75 per trip individually). If you plan on more than a couple of trips each day, the pass could save you money.

Cable Cars: Note that the above Day Passes do not include cable cars. You can get a 1-Day Visitor Passport for $14 that gives you unlimited rides on the cable cars, as well as the buses and streetcars. So if you plan on more that one trip on the cable car in one day ($8 each trip), this pass could save you money.

There are also 3-Day and 7-Day Visitor Passports that include unlimited cable cars, buses and trolleys. $33 and $44.

How to get them? Download the MuniMobile app and purchase it via the app. Or get a Clipper Card. See all fare options for the city system.

Free and super-cheap things to do in SF

Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge

Free outdoor activities in San Francisco

Strawberry Hill at Stow Lake, in Golden Gate Park

San Francisco has tons of beautiful and interesting (and free) things to do outside, and the weather usually cooperates.

• Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Hike the Coastal Trail at gorgeous Lands End.
• Climb the Filbert Stairs to Coit Tower: great views and cool murals.
• Explore the beaches: Ocean Beach, Baker Beach, China Beach, and more beaches.
• Visit the ruins of the Sutro Baths.
• Head up to Twin Peaks, the best 360 degree view of San Francisco.
• The Japanese Tea Garden: entry is free between 9 and 10 am; M,W & F.
• Golden Gate Park is free to explore; walk around Stow Lake (now Blue Heron Lake).
• Go down the Seward Street slides: super steep and fun!
• Visit the sea lions that hang out at Pier 39.
• Explore some fun neighborhoods: Chinatown, North Beach, Noe Valley, the Mission District, the Castro.

Lands End Coastal Trail

Free indoor activities in San Francisco

San Francisco has lots of museums, some free and others with free days and times.

Free San Francisco Museums

• Cable Car Museum: see the underground cables that pull all the cars.
• Fort Point Museum: Civil War fort at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Musée Mécanique: weird and cool vintage games.
• Randall Museum: fun kids' science & nature museum.

Cable Car Museum

Free Days for SF Museums

Most of San Francisco's paid museums have days that are free for everyone. 

Here's the current list of free museum days.

More Free Indoor Activities

• Boudin Bakery. You can watch the bakers at work in their bakery at Fisherman's Wharf.
• Dandelion Chocolate. Another cool factory; watch chocolate being made. They offer paid, guided tours, but you can also walk through it on your own. 2600 16th Street.

Dandelion Chocolate Factory

Boudin Sourdough Bakery

And of course, the original Chinese fortune cookie factory, in Chinatown.

Also free to watch (but 50 cents to take a photo). 56 Ross Alley.

Chinese fortune cookie factory

Where to eat in SF: great food, cheap prices

Best neighborhoods for cheap, tasty food:

Chinatown. You could overstuff yourself on delicious dim sum and still not spend $10. See eating in Chinatown for suggestions.

The Mission District. Known for its Hispanic vibe, there are lots of great, authentic Mexican and other Latin restaurants along Mission and Valencia Streets. Branch out to Salvadoran, Guatemalan and others.

Go for the so-called Mission burrito (huge and delicious) at El Farolito at 2779 Mission St. and 2950 24th St., or La Taqueria at 2889 Mission St. Cash only, better for take-out than dine in, open really late.

More ideas:

In-N-Out Burger: very popular nowadays. Get burger, fries and a soft drink combo for $10 or less. Fisherman's Wharf at 333 Jefferson St.

Food trucks: get cheap, fast eats from the food trucks in San Francisco. Where to find them and when, see food trucks in SF.

Save money on tours of SF

Free tours in San Francisco

San Francisco City Guides. Check out the tours given by a non-profit organization, with very professional, highly-trained guides. These tours are free; donations optional, but no pressure. They have about 70 tours available now, an amazing variety.

I've been on a number of these and have really enjoyed them. They give you a fascinating look at the history and architecture of many areas of SF (I've done the tours for Chinatown, Victorian San Francisco, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower Murals, & Haight Ashbury). Highly recommended! Here the list of City Guides tours.

Our City Guides tour guide for the Haight Ashbury tour

Some companies that offer "free" tours of SF:

• Free Tours By Foot
• Guru Walk

Technically they are free, but the guide works for tips, and you really should tip them if you enjoyed it, so I wouldn't really consider them free.

Save on Alcatraz tickets

Alcatraz is not cheap, but it's in the must-see category of San Francisco sights. Not only is the prison tour fascinating, but the ferry ride over to the island has great views of the city skyline, bay, and Golden Gate Bridge. 

There are no bargain tickets, but if you just want Alcatraz tickets, the cheapest way to get them, and with the best selection of days and times, is to book directly with the company that does the tours, City Experiences. There are ticket sellers online who sell Alcatraz tickets but they charge more than City Experiences does, for no extra services.

For more information on what the Alcatraz tours are like, and which ones to take, see my pages comparing the Alcatraz tours, or tips on visiting Alcatraz.

Alcatraz combination tours. If you plan on taking an Alcatraz tour plus another tour, like Muir Woods or a wine country tour, you can often (though not always) pay less for a combination tour vs. buying the tours individually.  Worth checking out. Here's a list of some Alcatraz combo tours from Viator.

Free parking in SF

Parking in a city can be a nightmare, and San Francisco is one of the most densely populated cities in America. However, there are lots of attractions and activities where you can park free in a parking lot; hard to believe, but true!

Here's a list of popular attractions in the city with free parking:

• Golden Gate Bridge
• Golden Gate Park
• Ocean Beach
• Twin Peaks
• Baker Beach
• Fort Funston
• Legion of Honor Art Museum
• San Francisco Zoo
• Stow Lake, aka Blue Heron Lake
• Lands End
• Palace of Fine Arts
• Coit Tower
• The Presidio
• Mount Sutro
• China Beach

For details about parking at all these places, see my page on free parking in San Francisco.

Cheap-er parking in San Francisco

If you need to park where you have to pay for parking, consider using the parking app Spot Hero, where you can look for deals on parking and reserve a spot in a garage or parking lot.

I use this app a lot and have generally been able to park for less using it. Sometimes the discounts are remarkable.

See Spot Hero to see what's available and the pricing.

Get the latest tips on visiting San Francisco.