Useful Information
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the Bay Area’s airport of choice. Home to more than 50 airlines with nonstop service to more 125 destinations, SFO connects the city of San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Northern California to the world.
The airport offers guests a unique mix of shops, restaurants and amenities. Shopping options range from local retailers to global luxury brands like Gucci and Hermes. SFO’s dining program, focused on bringing local eateries to the airport, brings a taste of San Francisco to the terminals. Amenities designed to help guests relax and refresh include spas, nap rooms and a California favorite, yoga rooms.
SFO is also home to the world’s only accredited museum at an airport, which features world-class exhibits throughout the terminals, a video viewing room and an Aviation Museum and Library. Additionally, more than 65 permanent works by noted local, national and international artists are featured for guest to enjoy.
A Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station, located in the International Terminal, links the airport to points in San Francisco and the East Bay.
ATMs are widely available all across San Francisco and accept most foreign bank cards or credit cards including American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa.
Be sure to check with your card issuer for current surcharge rates imposed for use of the card outside your home country.
Visitors should check with their bank if their cards can be used abroad. Also check regarding fees charged on withdrawals from international ATMs (fees may be charged on each transaction).
Average temperatures: 11 - 20 degrees Celsius.
Appropriate clothing: Jeans and light layers, comfy shoes for walking.
Electric current in the USA is 110 to 115 volts, 60Hz AC. Outlets may be suited for flat two-prong or three-prong plugs.
As with any overseas travel, it is advised that travellers remain cautious and pay close attention to your personal security and be aware of the media issuing any safety or security risks. Travellers should always possess an awareness of the country’s laws and have respect for local religions and customs.
Police / Ambulance / Fire Department: 911
Remember to advise staff of any pre-existing health conditions, injuries, or if you are (or think you may be) pregnant at your earliest convenience. This ensures that the appropriate arrangements can be made for your safety.
All items charged back to your room for incidental purchases in the hotel including mini-bar, room service, food & beverage purchases at the hotel’s bars or restaurants, spa, laundry, telephone or business services are your own responsibility and must be settled prior to leaving the hotel
San Francisco is a tech city. Free WiFi in San Francisco is everywhere around. San Francisco City Hall made an agreement to provide free WiFi on 30 parks and many squares of the city. So you can easily get free WiFi.
San Francisco's city/area code is 415. To place an international call, dial 011 + country code + city code + number (make sure to drop the 0 that precedes foreign city codes or your call won't go through).
When dialing from a landline, you must precede any area code by 1 for direct dialing, 0 for collect calls and operator assistance; from cell phones, dial only the area code and number. As of 2015, when calling local numbers in San Francisco you must dial the area code; thus, all local numbers now begin with 1-415.
If you intend to use your phone overseas, every call to/from your phone will be charged at higher international rates. Your mobile phone provider will have a preferred partner in San Francisco. Please check with your provider prior to your departure.
You are encouraged you to consider purchasing a travel pack should you need to make/receive calls whilst overseas.
Ensure you turn OFF your data roaming facility on your Smartphone upon leaving Australia so you are not being charged. Turn ON data roaming ONLY when you need to use it and you can’t access a complimentary wireless hotspot.
Data roaming charges continue to mount up even when you are not using your phone as it will continue to pick up various mobile signals.A traveller requiring medicines that contain potentially addictive drugs or narcotics (e.g. some cough medicines, tranquillisers, sleeping pills, antidepressants, or stimulants) should:
Public transportation in San Francisco is plentiful, covers a vast area and is mostly user friendly. The most storied part of the system is the San Francisco Cable Car, which is the last manually operated cable car in the world. You’ll see long lines of people waiting to board it at the foot of Powell Street; a better idea is to hop on the California line at California Street and Van Ness Avenue.
The San Francisco Muni is a system of light rail, buses and heritage streetcars that mostly operate above ground, 24 hours a day. Popular places to take Muni include along the Embarcadero and over to the baseball stadium. Things have gotten better lately, but Muni retains a reputation for running off-schedule at times, so it may not be the best choice if you’re in a big hurry.
You will definitely want to use Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), a system of speedy trains that runs throughout the city, as well as across the Bay to Oakland and Walnut Creek, and down the peninsula to San Jose. BART is also the best way to get to the airport in San Francisco or Oakland — as long as you don’t have too much luggage. Use the BART trip planner to plan your trip https://www.bart.gov/planner and fee calculator https://www.bart.gov/tickets/calculator to calculate your fare.
Taxis / Cabs can be found outside all major hotels, popular bars, restaurants and clubs or taxi rank. If you require a taxi, please ask Hotel Concierge for their assistance.
Uber and Lyft have an extensive and widely used network in San Francisco and offers multiple vehicle options at reduced rates (as compared to taxis or chauffeured cars)
Regardless of what cab company you select, rates are set for all companies by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). Click here for a quick guide https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/taxi/top-6-reasons-take-taxi. You can also click here to calculate taxi fare https://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=SF
Not all of the San Francisco taxis have credit card machines, so it's best to have cash available to pay for your ride. If you don't have cash and need to use a credit card, confirm with the driver before you get in that they have a credit card machine and that it's working. Most have machines, but some of them do not have working machines.
Major San Francisco taxi companies include:
Australian Eastern Standard Time is 18 hours ahead of San Francisco, CA, USA. San Francisco observes Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) between 10 March 2019 – 3 November 2019.
The average restaurant tip is 15–18 percent of the total check and is not included in the check. The average taxi tip is 15 percent of the fare. And airport and hotel baggage handlers should receive $1 per bag.
All travellers to the USA must carry a machine-readable passport valid for at least six months beyond the date of departure from Australia. All travellers to the USA are required to obtain the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) prior to travel, see here https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/esta for more details. Travel advice is available from the Australian Government at smartraveller.gov.au
REMINDER: Apply for ESTA no later than 72 hours before departing for the United States. Real-time approvals will no longer be available and arriving at the airport without a previously approved ESTA will likely result in being denied boarding.
Duty Free Concessions (allowances)
Click here for further information: https://www.cbp.gov/
Prohibited Goods (not allowed)
Click here to view what you can and can’t bring
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