San Francisco Traffic Strategies

Avoiding Bay Area Traffic

Don't spend your San Francisco vacation in traffic...

Traffic is unfortunately a way of life in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The last place you want to spend your vacation though -- is in San Francisco traffic. Our editors have compiled a set of tips to avoid traffic in the City of San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. Our top-8 San Francisco traffic avoidance tips should help you to have fun on your vacation, not sit on highway 101...

Top-8 Ways to Avoid San Francisco's Traffic:

1. Use San Francisco's Muni bus and light rail system. Within the City of San Francisco, you can reach most all tourist destinations easily using public transit. Most of the light rail routes avoid all San Francisco traffic by using tunnels or dedicated lane rails. Check out our San Francisco public transit guide to smooth your ride.

2. Utilize San Francisco taxicabs strategically. Either combined with public transit or as a more convenient alternative to public transit, combine a taxi to get to a more specific destination such as favorite restaurants or hotels.

3. San Francisco's BART system (Bay Area Rapid Transit) can motor you long distances to the Bay area suburbs and San Francisco airport. While BART may not get you right to your destination, it will often get you very close -- and you can then combine a taxicab to your final point.

4. Enjoy a ferry ride across the Bay: Other than sailboats - there's very little traffic on the Bay. Ferry rides - especially to Marin County are a great way to truly enjoy the spectacular scenery of your ride, rather than a traffic-clogged Bay area freeway.

5. Getting to and from the airport is a critical time period. Use San Francisco's convenient airport van shuttles that know the "secret" routes outside of the major (clogged) highways.

6. For a "splurge" - try out a San Francisco limousine ride -- especially to and from San Francisco International airport - SFO. These drivers not only know the "secret routes" - they know how to keep you extremely comfortable.

7. When driving - set your trip to drive at unusual times - especially late night (after 8pm). For busier times (unfortunately most of the day...) - check our traffic monitor below for the real-time San Francisco traffic reports.

8. Utilize carpool High Occupancy Vehicle "HOV" lanes. San Francisco rewards drivers who combine passengers. If you're on a vacation, you hopefully (though not always) came with friends. Take full advantage of the diamond lanes to speed past most of the "worst" traffic. Make sure to note the times for HOV exclusive right to the special high-speed lanes on signs throughout Bay Area highways.

In the end - it's tough to stay long in San Francisco without a few "yuck's" at the traffic. However - by following our tips in the Top-8 guide to avoiding Bay area traffic -- you can have a better vacation, and maybe even help keep our earth a little greener...