CITY
San Francisco
STATE
California
COUNTRY
United States of America
CONTINENT
North America
LANGUAGE
English
CURRENCY
US Dollar
BEST TIME TO VISIT
September to November
NEAREST RAILWAY STATION
Amtrak serves the entire Bay Area with intercity as well as long-distance trains. There are multiple routes (California Zephyr, Coast Starlight, Capitol Corridor, San Joaquins) that connect the city with Chicago, Seattle, Loa Angeles, Portland, Emeryville, Bakersfield, etc. There are regional trains that operate in the area providing frequent services to most of the East Bay and Contra Costa County.
NEAREST AIRPORT
The San Francisco Bay Area is served by three airports. San Francisco International(SFO) is the major international airport in the area and one of the largest in the world. Oakland International (OAK) provides service to destinations across United States, Mexico and Scandinavia. Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International airport(SJC) in an hour from San Francisco so is used by residents of the Bay Area who are closer to it.
EMERGENCY HELPLINE NUMBER
911
INTERNET ACCESS
Cybercafés typically charge $6 to $18 per hour for online access. With branches in major cities and towns, FedEx offers internet access at self-service computer workstations (30¢ to 40¢ per minute) and sometimes free wi-fi, plus digital-photo printing and CD-burning stations. Free or fee-based wi-fi hot spots can be found at major airports, many hotels, motels and coffee shops and some tourist information centers, campgrounds (eg KOA), stores (eg Apple), bars and restaurants (including fast-food chains such as McDonald’s). Free public wi-fi is proliferating and even some of California’s state parks are now wi-fi–enabled (get details at www.parks.ca.gov). Public libraries have internet terminals (online time may be limited, advance sign-up required and a nominal fee charged for out-of-network visitors) and, increasingly, free wi-fi.
VISA
Visitors from Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and many EU countries don’t need visas for stays of less than 90 days. Citizens of other nations should check http://travel.state.gov.
Entering the USA
Everyone arriving in the US needs to fill out the US customs declaration. US and Canadian citizens, along with eligible foreign nationals participating in the Visa Waiver Program, can complete this procedure electronically at an APC (Automated Passport Control) kiosk upon disembarking. All others must fill out a paper customs declaration, which is usually handed out on the plane. Have it completed before you approach the immigration desk. For the question, ‘US Street Address,’ give the address where you will spend the first night (a hotel address is fine).
No matter what your visa says, US immigration officers have an absolute authority to refuse admission to the country, or to impose conditions on admission. They may ask about your plans and whether you have sufficient funds; it’s a good idea to list an itinerary, produce an onward or round-trip ticket and have at least one major credit card.
The Department of Homeland Security’s registration program, called Office of Biometric Identity Management, includes every port of entry and nearly every foreign visitor to the USA. For most visitors (excluding, for now, most Canadian and some Mexican citizens), registration consists of having a digital photo and electronic (inkless) fingerprints taken; the process takes less than a minute.
Grounds for Exclusion & Deportation
If on your visa application form you admit to being a subversive, smuggler, prostitute, drug addict, terrorist or an ex-Nazi, you may be excluded. You can also be refused a visa or entry to the USA if you have a ‘communicable disease of public health significance’ or a criminal record, or if you’ve ever made a false statement in connection with a US visa application. However, if any of these last three apply, you’re still able to request an exemption; many people are granted them and then given visas.
Communicable diseases include tuberculosis, the Ebola virus, gonorrhea, syphilis, infectious leprosy and any disease deemed subject to quarantine by Presidential Executive Order. US immigration doesn’t test people for disease, but officials at the point of entry may question anyone about his or her health. They can exclude anyone whom they believe has a communicable disease, perhaps because they are carrying medical documents, prescriptions or medicine. Being an IV drug user is also grounds for exclusion. Visitors may be deported if US immigration finds out they have HIV but did not declare it. Being HIV-positive is no longer grounds for deportation, but failing to provide accurate information on the visa application is.
The US immigration department has a very broad definition of a criminal record. If you’ve ever been arrested or charged with an offense, that’s a criminal record, even if you were acquitted or discharged without conviction. Don’t attempt to enter through the VWP if you have a criminal record of any kind; assume US authorities will find out about it.
Often United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will grant an exemption (a ‘waiver of ineligibility’) to a person who would normally be subject to exclusion, but this requires referral to a regional immigration office and can take some time (allow at least two months). If you’re tempted to conceal something, remember that US immigration is strictest of all about false statements. It will often view favorably an applicant who admits to an old criminal charge or a communicable disease, but it is extremely harsh on anyone who has ever attempted to mislead it, even on minor points. After you’re admitted to the USA, any evidence of a false statement to US immigration is grounds for deportation.
Prospective visitors to whom grounds of exclusion may apply should consider their options before applying for a visa.
More Information
Be warned that all visa information is highly subject to change. US entry requirements keep evolving as national security regulations change. All travelers should double-check current visa and passport regulations before coming to the USA.
The US State Department (www.travel.state.gov) maintains the most comprehensive visa information, providing downloadable forms, lists of US consulates abroad and even visa wait times calculated by country.
Short-term Departures & Re-entry
It’s temptingly easy to make trips across the border to Canada or Mexico, but on return to the USA, non-Americans will be subject to the full immigration procedure.
Always take your passport when you cross the border.
If your immigration card still has plenty of time on it, you will probably be able to re-enter using the same one, but if it has nearly expired, you will have to apply for a new card, and border control may want to see your onward air ticket, sufficient funds and so on.
Traditionally, a quick trip across the border has been a way to extend your stay in the USA without applying for an extension at a USCIS office. Don’t assume this still works. First, make sure you hand in your old immigration card to the immigration authorities when you leave the USA, and when you return make sure you have all the necessary application documentation from when you first entered the country. US immigration will be very suspicious of anyone who leaves for a few days and returns immediately hoping for a new six-month stay; expect to be questioned closely.
Citizens of most Western countries will not need a visa to visit Canada, so it’s really not a problem at all to cross to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, detour up to Québec, or pass through on the way to Alaska.
Travelers entering the USA by bus from Canada may be closely scrutinized. A round-trip ticket that takes you back to Canada will most likely make US immigration feel less suspicious.
Mexico has a visa-free zone along most of its border with the USA, including the Baja Peninsula and border towns such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez. As of 2017, residents of the US, Canada, the UK, Japan, and Schengen countries (Europe) no longer need a tourist visa anywhere in Mexico. Others may need a Mexican visa or tourist card to travel beyond the border zone.
Visa Applications
Apart from most Canadian citizens and those entering under the Visa Waiver Program, all foreign visitors will need to obtain a visa from a US consulate or embassy abroad. Most applicants must schedule a personal interview, to which you must bring all your documentation and proof of fee payment. Wait times for interviews vary, but afterward, barring problems, visa issuance takes from a few days to a few weeks.
Your passport must be valid for the entirety of your intended stay in the USA, and sometimes six months longer, depending on your country of citizenship. You’ll need a recent photo (2in by 2in) and you must pay a non-refundable $160 processing fee, plus in a few cases an additional visa-issuance reciprocity fee. You’ll also need to fill out the online DS-160 non-immigrant visa electronic application.
Visa applicants are required to show documents of financial stability (or evidence that a US resident will provide financial support), a round-trip or onward ticket and ‘binding obligations’ that will ensure their return home, such as family ties, a home or a job. Because of these requirements, those planning to travel through other countries before arriving in the USA are generally better off applying for a US visa while they’re still in their home country, rather than while on the road.
The most common visa is a non-immigrant visitor’s visa: type B-1 for business purposes, B-2 for tourism or visiting friends and relatives. A visitor’s visa is good for multiple entries over one or five years, and specifically prohibits the visitor from taking paid employment in the USA. The validity period depends on what country you are from. The actual length of time you’ll be allowed to stay in the USA is determined by US immigration at the port of entry.
If you’re coming to the USA to work or study, you will need a different type of visa, and the company or institution to which you are going should make the arrangements.
Other categories of nonimmigrant visas include an F-1 visa for students attending a course at a recognized institution; an H-1, H-2 or H-3 visa for temporary employment; and a J-1 visa for exchange visitors in approved programs.
Visa Waiver Program
Currently under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), citizens of the following countries may enter the USA without a visa for stays of 90 days or less: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK.
If you are a citizen of a VWP country, you do not need a visa only if you have a passport that meets current US standards and you have received approval from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in advance. Register online with the Department of Homeland Security at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta at least 72 hours before arrival; once travel authorization is approved, your registration is valid for two years. The fee, payable online, is $14.
Visitors from VWP countries must still produce at the port of entry all the same evidence as for a non-immigrant visa application. They must demonstrate that their trip is for 90 days or less, and that they have a round-trip or onward ticket, adequate funds to cover the trip and binding obligations abroad.
In addition, the same ‘grounds for exclusion and deportation’ apply, except that you will have no opportunity to appeal or apply for an exemption. If you are denied under the VWP at a US point of entry, you will have to use your onward or return ticket on the next available flight.
HOTEL
Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the bay, San Francisco is surprisingly small for its sophistication. This picturesque city of only seven square miles boasts 43 hills that are vantage points for the breath-taking views pictured in movies and guidebooks. Glossy tourist brochures showcase these iconic images but rarely mention the practical considerations of staying in the city, such as urban grit, congestion, difficult parking, and pedestrian routes that are not for the faint of heart. Choosing the right place to stay can alleviate these challenges.
There are two main areas of tourist accommodations: downtown and the Marina. Without a car, downtown is best because so many attractions are within walking distance: Union Square shopping, North Beach (Little Italy), Chinatown, and scenic Nob Hill. Although getting around is a workout, awe-inspiring panoramas reward the effort. For those with a car, the residential Marina district offers a pleasant escape from the urban bustle. This waterfront neighborhood includes top attractions such as Ghirardelli Square, the world-famous Fisherman’s Wharf, and the Marina Green with its lovely outlook onto the Golden Gate Bridge.
LUXURY
Fairmont San Francisco
The Ritz-Carlton
Palace Hotel
The St. Regis San Francisco
Argonaut
MID-RANGE
Hilton San Francisco Financial District
The Marker San Francisco
Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel
BUDGET
Post Hotel
Travel Lodge Presidio
Super 8 San Francisco
Greenwich Inn
COST OF LIVING
Certainly one of the most beloved tourist cities in the world, everyone should try to visit San Francisco at least once in their life. Parts of the city feel almost like an amusement park, but there’s more to it than that. San Francisco is one of the US’s most expensive cities for visitors, probably behind only New York City. Hotels actually come in almost all price ranges, but cheaper ones will inevitably be in an inconvenient or sometimes even run-down location. The public transportation system is good, but still getting around for tourists can be challenging.
San Francisco hotels have their high season during summer, or more realistically from April through October, though June through August are the busiest months. The city also has many special events and conventions, and if one of those is in town the room prices can double or worse. The low season is from December through March, except for the holidays, and good deals can be found at many of the nicer places then. The most famous attractions in the city tend to be expensive, but there are nearly limitless cheap and free things to do in San Francisco, so even those on a backpacker budget can have a great time. With an extra day or two you can do a cheap wine-tasting day trip to the Napa Valley area.
Food and drinks can be expensive as well, though if you get off the tourist trail and go to locals’ neighborhoods prices can be very reasonable indeed.
