San Francisco Information

The conference hotel is the Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf, 1300 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA, phone +1-415-771-9000.

To get our group discount on hotel reservations, please use the link from the conference registration page, or mention "TeX Users Group" when making the reservation.

A good map of San Francisco (PDF) you can download and print. More maps.

Bay Area Airports

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Distance: 19 MI / 31 KM
Taxi to Holiday Inn: $45
Local transit, BART/MUNI: $6
Local shuttles (e.g., SuperShuttle): $14
(SFO is the major airport in the the San Francisco area.)

Oakland International Airport (OAK)
Distance: 20 MI / 32 KM
Taxi to Holiday Inn: $55
Local transit, AirBART/BART/MUNI: $7
(OAK is a smaller airport, and is served by several budget airlines.)

BART is the intercity train system (Bay Area Rapid Transit).
MUNI is the San Francisco bus/streetcar system (SF Municipal Railway).

Travel Tips

Consider travelling to Oakland airport from within North America. Many of the lower-priced airlines use this airport.

Do not drive in San Francisco. Parking is expensive, and it's easy to walk or take a bus to nearby sights. If you are planning to stay after the conference to tour the area, rent a car then; otherwise you will spend $25/day just for parking.

For local transit, consider buying a MUNI Pass, 3-day ($15) or 7-day ($20). Another good buy is the CityPass ($36), which allows 7-day travel on MUNI and admission to several museums and attractions. Both may be purchased online, or at locations in the area. More info.

Trains and Local Transit

Peninsula Train:
CalTrain: King Street Exit
Distance 3 MI / 5 KM
Taxi to Holiday Inn: $10
Local transit, MUNI 30 Line: $1.25

Directions for local transit from SFO:
Board BART ($4.50) north to San Francisco
Get off at Montgomery or Embarcadero station
Take taxi, or MUNI F or (Montgomery only) 30 Line (see below).

Directions for local transit from OAK:
Board AirBART shuttle ($2) at the airport to connect to BART
Board BART ($3.40) to San Francisco
Get off at Montgomery or Embarcadero station
Take taxi, or MUNI F or 30 Line (see below).

Local Transit: BART, Embarcadero or Montgomery Station
Distance: 2 MI / 3 KM
Taxi to Holiday Inn: $7
MUNI Historic F-Line to Holiday Inn: $1.25

Local Transit: MUNI Historic F-Line
Ride in direction of: Fisherman's Wharf
Get off: Jones and Beach (end of the line)
Walk one block south to North Point
Walk one block west to Columbus

Local Transit: MUNI 30 Stockton Line
Get on at CalTrain or Kearny and Market Streets
Ride in direction of: North to Broderick or Van Ness
Get off: Columbus and North Point
Walk 1/2 block north on Columbus to hotel

Alternative Hotels

Here are some alternatives to the conference hotel for the student or budget-minded traveller. In the Fisherman's Wharf area:

• Columbus Motor Inn, $99, motel, 2 blocks from the Holiday Inn.
• San Remo Hotel, $55, European-style (bath down the hall), 4 blocks from the Holiday Inn.

Farther away:

• Green Tortoise, $19-22, Youth Hostel, 1 MI / 1.6 KM from the Holiday Inn.
• Grant Plaza Hotel, $65-85, in Chinatown, 1 MI / 1.6 KM from the Holiday Inn.

More Web Sites

Here are some additional sites for San Francisco hotel and visitor information (most have both):

• The KPIX TV page, which provides lots of San Francisco-related information. You might like to check out their live cam page for live pictures of the Bay Area.
• The City Insights page, which gives you information on the big tourist attractions in San Francisco, such as Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
• The Yahoo San Francisco Bay Area Guide lists many hotels (under Travel and Transportation > Lodging), as well as plenty of other sites.
• mistersf.com, with local haunts, notorious SF, movies filmed in SF, general local news and background.
• The San Francisco Reservations page.
• The San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau page.

These sites are some of the better ones we know about. If you find other sites or information that may be useful to conference attendees, please email us.