The Night Before a San Francisco Cruise: Do You Need a Car at the Wharf?

The valet is the first problem, at $55 to $107 a night, and the pier is the second, because the Port says it has no parking. The third is the curb — the police tell you to clear even the trunk.

The Wharf hotels cluster between $55 and $75 — the two Nob Hill hotels are the outliers at $92 and $107.

None of these pages says the hotel will keep the car while you sail, and the Port lists no parking at the pier, so the car goes back before you board.

The police list is specific: phones, sunglasses, luggage and passports stay out of a parked car, and the trunk gets cleared as well.

Park Smart, the city’s campaign, puts the reason in seconds — all a thief needs.

The last official count we found is old — an average of 85 car break-ins a day in 2017. We couldn’t find a current one, so read it as the scale of the problem rather than this year’s rate.

That matters for a rental with a suitcase in the trunk, because luggage and passports are exactly what the police name. Carry it all inside.

The damage waiver covers the car, and belongings are a separate product. Enterprise prices its Personal Effects Coverage at $5.99 to $15.67 a day — and its page is silent on whether a theft from a locked car qualifies.

Most meters are enforced from 9 to 6, Monday through Saturday, and on Sundays only at Fisherman’s Wharf, the Embarcadero and a few lots.

Most carry a four-hour limit — we couldn’t find the hourly rate, so we won’t guess one.

Underneath that sit the rules that catch people. A street due for sweeping is off limits, the wheels have to be within 18 inches of the curb, and on a slope of 3% or more they turn into it. The 72-hour limit on one spot holds only when no other rule applies.

If it gets towed, SFMTA’s numbers are $317 for the tow and a $335 first-time administrative fee, then storage once four free hours run out. The yard at 450 7th Street is open around the clock — and a boot costs $495.

For a garage, SFMTA lists city ones near the waterfront (Golden Gateway at 250 Clay, St. Mary’s Square, Portsmouth Square and Sutter-Stockton) without rates. Embarcadero Center’s garages show a weekday early-bird of $20 to $24.

A Muni ride is $2.85 with Clipper or MuniMobile ($3 cash) and lasts 120 minutes. The $5.70 day pass leaves cable cars out.

Cable cars cost $9 one way with no transfers, prepaid at Powell and Market, Bay and Taylor, or Hyde and Beach from 8 AM to 8 PM — the cars themselves run 7 AM to 11 PM.

A Visitor Passport, cable cars included, is $15 for a day, $35 for three and $47 for seven, and it pays for itself the moment you ride a cable car twice.

The F line runs 7 AM to midnight every day, every 12 to 20 minutes. The E line showed as suspended on Sept 28.

It’s about 20 minutes on foot from the Embarcadero BART and Muni station to Pier 27. The nearest streetcar stop is The Embarcadero and Sansome, and for Pier 35 it’s The Embarcadero and Bay.

Lockers sit at the California Welcome Center on Pier 39, Level 2. We couldn’t read the BART fare from SFO, so we print none.

Alcatraz boats leave from Pier 33 on the Embarcadero near Bay Street, and the National Park Service recommends booking up to 90 days ahead.

The Sausalito and Vallejo ferries both go from the Ferry Building, and neither needs a car.

The Golden Gate Bridge is free to walk, on the east sidewalk only — though getting to it from the Wharf takes a ride.

One night with the car is about $160 on our numbers, and two nights about $287. The valet takes $70 of the first and $140 of the second.

Two days of Visitor Passports, cable cars included, run $30 a person — a per-head price, not a per-car one.

Swap in the Hyatt Centric’s $55 and see how far the total moves.

The Port says the cruise terminals offer neither temporary nor overnight parking.

None of these hotels’ pages says you can leave a car with them while you sail, so the rental goes back first.

Pick it up at SFO or a downtown desk, and check the return desk’s hours before you plan the last morning.