Known for beautiful locales as much as tight streets and winding hills, it can be stressful trying to figure out where to park your charter bus in San Francisco while seeing the sights. Not to worry–CharterUP is here to simplify all aspects of your group transportation experience, including the parking! Your San Francisco bus rental includes the services of a licensed, professional charter bus driver who will know where to go, but it’s always helpful to know where your vehicle can and can’t go before climbing aboard. Continue reading below for our guide on where to find “tour bus parking near me” in San Francisco!

Tour Bus Parking Restrictions and Regulations in San Francisco

Before getting into the specifics of where to park at individual destinations like Fisherman’s Wharf or Oracle Park, it’s important to know the city’s regulations around where and how to park a charter bus in San Francisco, as these greatly influence our recommendations.

Staging, Loading, and Unloading a San Francisco Charter Bus

San Francisco has a network of tour bus-only loading and parking zones near major tourist attractions, making it easy to pick a good spot for pick-ups and drop-offs at each destination. Subject to any posted regulations, tour buses in San Francisco are allowed to park in:

  • Tour bus-only loading zones (listed on this map)
  • Regular white passenger loading zones and yellow commercial loading zones
  • Metered parking spots, provided they pay at the meter for each space they are occupying
  • Any other available curb space

Tour Buses in San Francisco are never allowed to:

  • Double-park
  • Idle for more than five minutes (except in The Presidio, where idling for any length of time is prohibited)
  • Stop in red zones (including Muni bus stops)
  • Stop in commuter shuttle-only white zones during their posted hours

Though not specifically prohibited, tour bus operators are strongly discouraged from travelling, loading, or parking on residential, non-arterial streets. Many loading and unloading zones also have restrictions on how long your bus can remain there, so make sure you’re ready to de-board once stopped!

Overnight Charter Bus Parking in San Francisco

For overnight charter bus parking in San Francisco, we highly recommend first talking with your hotel if they have options on-site (most will charge an oversized-vehicle parking fee). If your lodging does not have on-site parking options, the Mission Rock parking lot near AT&T Park has dedicated tour bus parking available for a daily fee, though keep in mind they cannot be reserved in advance.

There are also a limited number of metered parking spaces for overnight parking available near Fisherman’s Wharf on North Point and Jones Streets. Make sure to read any posted signs before leaving the bus, as it is prohibited to park in certain areas during street cleaning days.

Restricted Streets

Many of San Francisco’s residential, historic, and high pedestrian-traffic areas are off-limits to charter buses and other tourist traffic. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has created this map of restricted streets to help visualize where your vehicle cannot access while visiting. The three types of street restrictions are:

  • Vehicles with capacity for 8 or more passengers
  • Gross vehicle weight of over 3 tons
  • Gross vehicle weight of over 9 tons

We’ll help plan your route to avoid these restricted areas so no one has to worry about potential citations or fines.

Why Does San Francisco Have So Many Restrictions On Charter Bus Parking?

The SFMTA has a strong commitment to Vision Zero, a strategy that aims to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. It’s already been successful in cities across Europe and is now being implemented in cities across the United States. Passenger safety is a top priority at CharterUP, and we love to see programs like Vision Zero taking hold across the country. While this can provide complications for tour bus parking, we believe it is a worthy exchange to keep our passengers safe on and off their San Francisco charter bus rental.

Where to Park at Popular Tourist Destinations in San Francisco

Now that we’ve gone over the important stuff, let’s talk about where to park at some of the top spots in San Francisco! Your professional charter bus driver will be familiar with where to go and how to get there, but it’s always a good idea to know where you’ll be headed. Keep in mind parking specifics for each location are subject to change at any time, and we highly recommend checking out each destination’s website before visiting for the most up-to-date parking information.

Fisherman’s Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf is a vast hub of memorable spots and experiences for visitors of all ages, including Ghirardelli Square, PIER 39, the USS Pampanito, as well as the departure point for ferry tours and cruises around The Bay. There are a number of areas to park, load, and unload a charter bus at Fisherman’s Wharf, including:

  • The east side of Powell Street, north of Beach Street (adjacent to Pier 39 garage)
  • The north side of Beach Street at Mason Street (adjacent to Hotel Zephyr)
  • The north side of North Point Street at Columbus Avenue (adjacent to next Hotel Caza)
  • The south side of Beach Street at Hyde Street (adjacent to 655 Beach Street) tour buses are only allowed to park from 6 am to 9:30 am
  • The north side of Bay Street, between Taylor and Jones streets

If you’re headed to Fisherman’s Wharf for a ferry to Alcatraz Island, your charter bus will drop you off at the departure point on PIER 33.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Count on Charter UP for reliable airport shuttle services at San Francisco International Airport. There are designated pick-up and drop-off courtyards at the baggage-claim/arrival area of each terminal. To see which courtyard corresponds to your flight, check out SFO’s map of charter bus courtyards from their website.

Oracle Park

Reserve a Charter bus for San Francisco sports fans and provide easy transportation to and from Oracle Park. Oversized vehicle parking is available in Lot A, and must be reserved ahead of time. Informal tailgating is allowed in Lot A, but must not interfere with other parking spaces or drive aisles.

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park has two designated loading zones for charter buses. Both can be found near the Conservatory of Flowers:

  • The first is east of the entrance on South JFK Drive
  • The second is west of the entrance on North JFK Drive

Golden Gate Park also offers easily accessible daytime parking for charter buses behind the Bandshell of Music Concourse on Concourse Drive.

Reserve Your San Francisco Charter Bus Rental Today

When you’re ready to get started, use the CharterUP online quote builder to explore our online marketplace with hundreds of San Francisco charter bus rental options. You can also check out our complete guide to charter bus rentals for more information on how a charter bus can help simplify your group transportation for any occasion. A San Francisco charter bus rental is a great way to tour the city with a group without worrying about how you’ll get from A to B, B to C, or A to C to B! We can’t wait to help connect your group with streamlined, personalized group transportation in San Francisco.