Active Transportation
The best way by far to get to North Beach is on foot or by bicycle, because there’s so much to see along the way – and no traffic or parking hassles to spoil your fun. Whether that’s the northwestern approach via the Golden Gate Bridge, The Presidio, Crissy Field and Fort Mason, The Palace of Fine Arts, Aquatic Park and Fishermans’ Wharf; the southeastern approach from the Ferry Building, The Embarcadero, and Barbary Coast; or the northern route from Market Street, through Union Square, and into Chinatown before crossing Broadway and arriving in the heart of North Beach, active transportation is a feast for the eyes and makes stopping along the way to shop or pick up refreshments a breeze.
Want a guide for your walk? Check out one of our local walking tour guides:
Blandina Farley’s Fabulous Tours
SF Native Tours
Bay Wheels is a 24-hour, on-street bike rental network operated by Lyft, which offers traditional and electric bikes. It’s great for rides under an hour, but unless you have a membership, extended use can cost a lot of money. You can find stations all over the city, and in North Beach there are stations at Broadway & Columbus, Powell & Columbus, Lombard & Columbus, Mason & Bay, and Francisco & Columbus.
Bicycle rentals and tours are best for longer touring, and North Beach has a number of great shops that will outfit you and your group with the right bike for the ride and the rider.
Columbus Cyclery, 2011 Mason @ Columbus
Dylan’s Famous Tour’s, 782 Greenwich @ Columbus
Blazing Saddles, 2715 Hyde @ Bay
Public & Private Transportation
If you can’t walk or bike, North Beach is rich with public & private transportation options.
MUNI, short for the San Francisco Municipal Railway, is one of the nation’s premier transit operators, one of the first publicly-owned systems, providing a plethora of modern and historic modes. You can ride the Powell & Mason line of San Francisco’s famous Cable Cars, which starts on Market and Powell Streets in Union Square and scales Nob Hill before dropping down into North Beach and terminating at Fisherman’s Wharf. The MUNI bus lines nos. 30, 8, and 45 all pass through the center of North Beach, while the Historic F-Line Streetcar runs along the Embarcadero and Beach Street – you can get off at Powell, Mason, or Taylor and make your way south into the heart of the neighborhood. The new Van Ness Avenue Bus Rapid Transit whisks riders from Civic Center to Aquatic Park in mere minutes – you can wave to the cars stuck in traffic as you zoom past in your protected lane with priority signaling.
Taxi service is still a viable option in this part of the city. But rather than standing on a street corner and hoping for a free cab to pass by, try using the YoTaxi or Flywheel apps to summon a local company.
Parking
There are numerous public and private parking garages in and around North Beach. Here are a few of the most convenient:
Public:
North Beach Garage, 735 Vallejo @ Powell
Vallejo Garage, 766 Vallejo @ Powell
Plymouth Square Garage, 733 Kearney @ Clay
Private:
721 Filbert Garage @ Columbus
1626 Powell Garage @ Union
535 Green Street Lot @ Columbus
770 Broadway Lot @ Powell
530 Broadway Lot @ Columbus
470 Broadway Lot @ Montgomery
NorthPoint Centre Garage, 350 Bay @ Mason