Visiting San Francisco (aka, SF. San Fran is for out of towners)

Getting Around

Arrival

Most people generally to fly into the Bay Area via San Francisco International Airport (SFO). There's the Oakland Airport as well, but I haven't been there before.  From either airport, public transportation is very accessible.  There is the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) that serves as the train in the Bay Area.  The route from SFO to SF is easy peasy while OAK to SF is a bit more hassle.  Renting a car is also an option.  The advantage of car rental is that getting around is easier, but parking in SF will be more of a hassle and most likely cost more, rental and parking fees vs. public transportation.  Since you have kids, I'm guessing everything is easier with a car, but I'll still lay it all out for you to decide.

Information

A smart phone is a god send in the land near Silicon Valley.  Google Maps and Yelp are your friends, as most everything is pretty on point (directions, restaurant reviews).

Public Transportation

Within the city of San Francisco, there is the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (Muni for short).  There are visitor passes available, but make sure to read all the rules and follow them to the dot.  The system run here is designed to extract money out of everyone; instead of preventing people on public transportation, everyone is free to get on and payment is "on the honor system".  However, there will be ticket inspectors to check tickets, and a violation will result in 100x citation cost compared to the fare cost.  Yes, not paying a $2 ride results in a $200 dollar citation.  Long story short, read the rules and follow them.  If there's ambiguities, error on the side of caution.

So as a list, from smallest area to largest area coverage, the major players are the Muni (within SF, like CTA), BART (most of the Bay Area), Cal Train (commuter, like Metra in Chicago to suburbs).  Also for tourists, there are the cable cars within SF that have separate fees even though the cable cars are run by Muni.  Each of the players collect different fares, even if using the same card or pass.  That's the important thing to know, so you can plan travel costs as needed.

Car Rental

Not much to say except that parking is hard to find in the popular areas.  San Francisco is a small city, so generally, parking a couple blocks away and walking is fine.  Try to find street parking and avoid parking in lots to save a ton of money.  Bring a lot of change... some parking meters here take credit card also.

Things to do and see

The Seven-by-seven (7x7)

San Francisco is basically a seven by seven mile square.  Here's a list of things to see and do, in no particular order [google map].  The north east side is more bustling and more touristy as that is closer to the heart of the city.  But don't forget to come visit the Pacific Ocean since you're out here.  Sutro Baths/Lands End/Cliff house are always good choices.  It may be harder to get out here w/o a car, but doable.  Lombard St. and Coit tower are fun places to see.  Crissy Fields is perfect for taking pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge.