San Francisco Cheap Hotels
Staying at cheap hotels in San Francisco can be one of the more important things you do. When planning your trip, you need to consider that there are so many things to do in San Francisco and most of them require some cash outlay. So if money is at least somewhat of a concern, then San Francisco cheap hotels are the right way to go.
There are inexpensive hotels all over the San Francisco bay area, so you can easily find one in any of the neighborhoods you plan on visiting. San Francisco is a city, unlike Los Angeles, that does not require the visitor to have access to a car. There is a great public transportation system that can get you anywhere you wish to go within the city limits. You can also take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to and from the airport. And you’ll want to take at least one cable car ride!
One of the most popular tourist destinations in San Francisco is Fisherman’s Wharf. When people refer to Fisherman’s Wharf they usually mean Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, and Ghiradelli Square. This attraction covers about half a mile of the waterfront area downtown. It’s a great are for dining and shopping. You’ll also want to visit the Ghiradelli chocolate factory and take a tour. There are often street performers in the area. And if you like the stuff, one of the “must do” activities for most people is to have a bowl of clam chowder in a sourdough bowl on Pier 39 looking over at the Golden Gate Bridge. This is the most popular tourist area in all of San Francisco, and no visit there would be complete without at least an afternoon spent in the area. There are San Francisco cheap hotels all throughout this section of the city.
If you are planning on taking the ferry over to Alcatraz or Sausalito it is a good idea to get a San Francisco cheap hotel in the Fisherman’s Wharf area and make that your base for a few days. Sausalito is a beautiful little town full of art galleries and outdoor eating establishments which take advantage of the fantastic view they have of downtown San Francisco. You may also want to take a cab from Sausalito back to the Golden Gate bridge so you can walk across. It’s another one of the must do tourist activities.
San Francisco is known for its cable cars that run throughout the city. If you are staying at a San Francisco cheap hotel the hotel staff will be able to direct you to a current cable car schedule. You’ll also want to stop off at the Cable Car Barn Museum to see the motors which spin the cable cars up and down the hills. The museum also has exhibits of antique cable cars, and historical photos.
Don’t forget to visit Golden Gate Park. It’s one of the nicest urban parks in the country. It is safe and clean and there is so much to do there. You can rent boats and paddle the lake. You can rent bicycles or rollerblades. Then there is the Japanese Tea Garden which is very peaceful and worth a visit.
Golden Gate Park also houses The Strybing Arboreteum which has many examples of plants from around the globe. You can also find the Conservatory of Flowers which is a rather beautiful greenhouse. And if you still haven’t had your fill of flowers you need to visit the Tulip Gardens. The staff at your San Francisco cheap hotel will be able to advise you when the tulips are in full bloom, and the park hours.
Wait, there’s still more to do at Golden Gate Park. There are some world class museums within the parks borders. You will want to visit the California Academy of Sciences. The museum emphasizes natural history and features fish and dolphins, gemstones. It also has an earthquake exhibit, something you will want to try if you’re not a California native. The de Young Museum of Art is also in Golden Gate Park. There are still more things to do and see in Golden Gate Park and your San Francisco cheap hotels staff will be able to help you decide what you simply cannot miss.
After you’ve finished with the park, it’s just a short stroll over to Haight-Ashbury, where the hippie movement of the 1960’s got its start.
If you haven’t had your fill of museums yet, there are many more within the city limits. There is the Cartoon Arts Museum, the Asian Art Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Jewish Museum, The San Francisco Maritime Museum, and the Wells Fargo history Museum, plus many others. You may be able to find coupons for discount admissions to some of these museums at the front desk of your San Francisco cheap hotel. You and your friends could just stay home in Tennessee, and get rent some cheap Gatlinburg cabin rentals, but why when there’s so much to do in San Francisco?!
Another popular tourist attraction is Chinatown. If you’ve rented a car, leave it at your San Francisco cheap hotel and catch a cable car here. Parking is very difficult, and that’s putting it mildly. The staff at your San Francisco cheap hotel can provide you with a schedule and the route you’ll need to take to get to Chinatown. Have some dumplings and stroll around a bit. It can be a very pleasant afternoon. Most stores in Chinatown tend to close up at nightfall.
Another “must see” attraction is the “crookedest” street, also known as Lombard. You can either drive down it yourself, or take a cable car and walk down. The walk will grant you access to interesting architecture and the ability to take some great photographs, and it give you another excuse to ride the cable cars. Once again, the staff at your San Francisco cheap hotel will be able to help you with cable car schedules.
After you’ve finished at Lombard, you will want to head over to Coit Tower at Telegraph Hill. There are some great examples of depression-era public work in the lobby of Coit Tower. If for no other reason, a trip to the top of telegraph is worth the views. Coit Tower was built in the thirties and has a lot of the glitz and glamor of Hollywood architecture that you’d expect from that era.
There are also many guided tours of the city. Work with your San Francisco cheap hotels staff to determine which might best suit your needs.
Whatever you plan to do in San Francisco, you can find San Francisco cheap hotels nearby.