San Francisco Hotels - Find The Perfect Hotel Location

• By: MFoley
• On: 30/Mar/2010
• In: San Francisco Travel Tips

Downtown San Francisco

Downtown San Francisco is where it all happens – shopping galore, hip restaurants, trendy bars and lots of attractions can be found here. Most visitors stay in the downtown area as it has a real laid back San Franciscan feel to it, as opposed to the more touristy area of Fisherman's Wharf.

The prime located in San Francisco city centre is without doubt Union Square. It is home to a lot of upscale hotels, but you can also find some budget hotels a few blocks away. The main attraction with Union Square is shopping. It's a shopper's paradise with lots of big names like Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Saks and Nordstrom located here. There's also excellent shopping malls like the San Francisco Shopping Mall and the Embarcadero Centre.

Union Square is also home to some of the city's top restaurants and some of the finest art galleries in the city. The city's Financial District can be found closeby and you'll recognise it by its impressive skyscrapers. It's the headquarters of many multinational giants and corporations and boasts some historic buildings (the Bank of America, the Russ Building), which survived the massive earthquake of 1906.

Top attractions to see around Union-Square and the Financial District include; the historic Ferry Building, the Fraenkel Gallery, the Pacific Heritage Museum, the San Francisco Railway Museum and the iconic Transamerican Pyramid.

Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf is the touristy waterfront area of the city. It is a must visit destination in the city and receives upto 12 million visitors a year! The highlight of this district is Jefferson Street where you can explore attractions like Pier 39 (a huge shopping centre with aquarium), the marina, and the famous sea lions at K-Dock on Pier 39. The Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe It Or Not are also located on Jefferson Street.

Want to watch the fishermen hauling in their catch? Then go to 'Fish Alley' just off Jefferson Street. At Pier 45, visitors can explore the famous USS Pampanito Submarine (WWII submarine) and the SS Jeremiah O Brien (WWII ship). The Amusing America Exhibit, Musee Mecanique and the Fishermen's Chapel are also located on Pier 45.

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park can also be found here and features a visitor centre, a fleet of historic vessels, a maritime museum building and an aquatic park.

Lots of cruises depart from Fisherman's Wharf. If you want to get to Angel Island, Alcatraz or take a boat trip of the bay, then this is the where you'll get them from.

Fisherman's Wharf has also lots of shopping opportunities with the Pier 39 Shopping Centre, the Anchorage Shopping Centre and North Point Shopping Centre located here. The area is particularly well known for its plethora of seafood restaurants.

San Francisco Airport

San Francisco International Airport is located about 16km south of the city centre. It is one of the largest airports in the world and is well connected to downtown San Fran with the Bay Area Rapid Transport System (BART). There's plenty of San Francisco hotels closeby which are the ideal option if you're in the city for a short while.

There's a wide range of San Francisco hotels on offer. Most are concentrated in the north east of San Francisco around Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square and the Financial District.

You can pay top dollar for hotels in Fisherman's Wharf, so if you're watching the pennies choose a hotel closer to North Beach or close to the Marina which are just about a 10 minute walk from Fisherman's Wharf.

San Francisco has lots of beautiful neighbourhoods where you can find a gem of a hotel and really make a significant saving on accommodation. If you do choose to stay outside of the city centre make sure you are close to public transport.

They say the best time to visit San Fran is either in April or October when the weather is warm and mild. During the summer months the city centre can be overcrowded and the evening fog can make the temperatures drop. Winter can be a good time to visit as crowds are low and hotel prices fall but it is also the city's rainy season so bring a brolly! If you are price conscious make sure to avoid major events in the city like a convention as these can hike up the hotel prices.

Hotels in San Francisco range from 1 star to 5 star. In general the lower the star rating the lower the room rate, so if you're looking for cheap hotels in San Francisco choose a 1 or 2 star hotel.

Hope this helps you find the perfect San Francisco hotel for your stay. View our San Francisco hotels page now where you can enter you dates and browse our latest availability and prices.

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