Planning a visit to San Francisco, a city with a fascinating mix of old and new influences? Here, iconic landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf exist nearby more modern amenities such as the Moscone Convention Center, making the city a tourist and financial capital in the West Coast of America. The city’s dynamic contrasts even extend to the diverse lifestyles of its residents, making this city a truly exciting destination.

However, before you can soak in the city’s numerous sights and sounds, it is important that you look for hotels in San Francisco that will afford you maximum convenience at a cost that fits your budget. I shall thus offer the following tips and advice to help you acquaint yourself with the accommodation that can be found in different downtown areas of San Francisco.

A diverse range of accommodation to choose from

In San Francisco, it is not unusual to observe a wide range of starkly-contrasting accommodation that provides guests with different levels of luxury and an eclectic mixture of experiences. For instance, you can choose from boutique hotels or budget lodgings with quaint Victorian architecture, or opt for more conventional contemporary hotels. When it comes to budget, you can also pick from small, independent hotel chains and guesthouses on one end of the spectrum, or 5-star hotels and beautifully-restored historical buildings on the other end.

The deluxe hotels offer the ultimate luxury experience with attractive inclusions such as spacious suites and in-room spa services, and are generally clustered near San Francisco’s city centre, which is where the cultural and business districts such as Union Square are located.

On the other hand, the Victorian-style lodges exhibit an old world charm but are found further from the city centre, such as in Golden Gate Park. A stay in any hotel will net you an additional room tax of 14% which you have to pay when checking out.

Some points to note when considering where to stay in San Francisco

So, which location should you pick for your hotel? Generally, for San Francisco, it is not a good idea to stay outside the city as you have to battle the traffic-congested roads on the way to the city and tussle for limited parking spaces once you reach there.

Hence, you should pick a centrally-located hotel in popular areas such as Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf so that you are within easy access to most of the popular tourist and business hotspots. Renting a car to drive within the city is also not advisable as other than difficulty in finding parking spaces on the street, you would have to pay high parking fees charged by the hotels.

After all, San Francisco’s main tourist attractions such as Chinatown, North Beach and Fisherman’s Wharf are located near each other, making it easier to walk to them or reach them via public transport instead. You can choose to take the train (subway or light rail), bus (including trolleybuses) or cable car, which is a unique form of transportation and popular with tourists. Let us briefly examine the different downtown areas of San Francisco where you can consider staying at.

Union Square

If you choose to stay at Union Square, you will not only be located at an accessible, central location which serves as a hub for public transport networks such as the BART trains, you would also be spoilt for choice by the countless shopping , food and entertainment choices available in this vicinity. Popular tourist spots such as Chinatown, the cable cars and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, as well as the Moscone Convention Center are just a stone’s throw away.

Do bear in mind that Union Square West has more affordable accommodation options in the form of reasonably-priced 2- to 4-star hotels, while Union Square East is a more upmarket area and boasts more luxury hotels.

Nob Hill

Those of you who are looking forward to indulge yourself in luxury during your stay in San Francisco need look no further than Nob Hill, one of the highest hills in the area. Here, you can find some of the most upscale hotels, from which you can admire sweeping vistas of the cityscape below.

Fisherman’s Wharf and the Waterfront

If you prefer to stay in a vibrant environment with plenty of buzz and activity, you might want to consider one of the many mid-range to deluxe hotels that can be found in Fisherman’s Wharf and the Waterfront. In this popular tourist haven, you can find many seafood restaurants, street performers and souvenir stores, while other major tourist attractions such as Chinatown are just a short walk away.

Cathedral Hill

This is an ideal location for travelers who would prefer to spend less on their accommodation yet still remain near the downtown area. While there is a lack of tourist attractions here, you can easily take the cable car from the north of Cathedral Hill to the main downtown districts of Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf, as well as to the popular tourist areas such as Chinatown.