Where to find the best overnight parking in San Francisco (2024)

FAQs

Where to park car in SF overnight? ›

Overnight parking is also available at SFMTA's Kezar Lot (825 Stanyan St), Pierce Street Lot, Vallejo Street Garage, North Beach Garage, and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center Parking Garage. You can also park your car overnight at BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station lots on weekends.

Home improvement stores such as Home Depot, Lowe's and Menards are generally welcoming to those travelers looking for overnight parking. Most stores' overnight parking allowance is determined by local store managers, though. Be sure to call ahead to make sure.

However, San Francisco has an ongoing car break-in problem. So, we wouldn't recommend parking on the street if you are unsure about the neighborhood's safety. Your other option is 24-hour public parking facilities like the Union Square Garage and Sutter-Stockton Garage downtown.

Yes, you can sleep in hotel parking lots. But if you're caught, you'll be kicked off the property–trust me, it's happened to me! Hotel parking lots are one of the most convenient places to stealth camp in a van. I've had a range of experiences with sleeping in hotel parking lots.

Sleep with your head toward the front of the car. This allows for more upper-body space and your sleeping bag won't slide into the trunk as easily. Find shade, if possible. Cars quickly turn into air fryers, and sleeping hot is the worst.

Parking rates at San Francisco Airport vary. The Domestic Garage rates are $36 per 24 hours and $2 per 15 minutes. International Garages A and G are $36 per 24 hours and $2 per 15 minutes. Long-Term Garages are $18 per 24 hours and $2 per 15 minutes.

How can I avoid car theft in San Francisco? ›

Give parking attendant only your car key. Keep your other keys with you. 6 Garage Door Opener: When parking outside your home, never leave your garage door opener in your vehicle. Cars are less likely to be broken into when they appear empty - never leave valuables in your vehicle.

Free parking spots can be located in various locations around where you want to park: in a small nearby residential street, on loading zones or on spots dedicated to commercial vehicles on specific days and times to name a few situations.

Yes, you can park at Costco overnight. Generally, Costco stores want you to park furthest away from the store so that shoppers can park closer. But not all cities and not all Costco's allow overnight parking.

Walmart as a corporation does not have any official rules governing the etiquette of sleeping in their parking lots. Overnight camping rules are determined by individual store locations, and as we discussed above, some stores ban the practice completely.

The policy of Walmart welcomes RVers to spend a night in their parking lot, as long as you have the individual location's permission. In some places, city zoning laws or ordinances will prohibit overnight stays in parking lots. Typically, larger cities are most likely to have these types of restrictions in place.

However, petty robbery of the stuff inside a car is not. Sadly, as a result, car break-ins continue to happen every day in San Francisco, even in broad daylight. If you take nothing else away from this experience, at least consider that you are not alone. Going forward, do not leave anything in your car, ever.

Cheap street parking in San Francisco

The real-time updates on the official app will help you find cheaper metered parking spaces near your destination. Parking a couple of blocks away will usually get you a better deal. Look for multi-space parking pay stations in the city, which use the pay-by-plate technology.

Nob Hill is considered one of the safest places in San Francisco due to its low crime rate. Marina District is another great neighborhood that is generally safe during the day and night, with a clean environment and easy parking.

Also, there is no limit to the number of parking days and overnight stays you can purchase.

Embarcadero Center Monthly Parking

$435/month for an unreserved space with 24/7 access.

Can you park overnight at Pen y Fan? ›

Park at The Storey Arms. It's free and apparently there are cars there day and night, so you don't need to worry about causing a search rescue. There are also lots of lay-bys around where you can park.

It is generally safe to sleep in your car overnight, providing the engine is turned off and you're parked in a secure location. Cars are not airtight, meaning oxygen can enter the vehicle during the night to allow comfortable breathing, even when the windows and doors are closed.

Most car thefts occur at street-level parking places that allow for quick getaways. Multi-level parking garages with pay booths offer better security. Valet parking lots are safest. Carry all purchased items to your car at the same time, even if you are shopping at several stores.

NO overnight parking allowed.

Is it illegal to sleep in your car in California? According to the California State Department of Transportation, it is legal to sleep in your car in rest stops for up to eight hours.

Sprinters, Ford Transits, & conversion vans are going to be the most practical when it comes to stealth camping. They are always street parked and nobody looks twice. It's the more unique vehicles like school buses, ambulances, sprinters, or RV-style conversions that will make stealth camping difficult.

Stealth camping is when you park in a place not necessarily meant for overnight parking. This can be on a city street, residential area or a marina parking lot (we've done all three).

Invest in a comfortable bed

So, you can splurge on heavier, cushier mats, pillows and blankets. You can go for a compact camping pillow or just bring a full-size pillow. Don't forget that cars can get just as cold as tents at night, so pack an insulated blanket like a Rumpl or a temperature-rated sleeping bag.

A fan near a window that is slightly open will pull in cool air from the outside and circulate it through the vehicle. If you have windows cracked open on both sides this can allow hot air to escape and cooler air to enter.

Choose a safe position

A good position for sleeping in a moving car is to tilt the seat back slightly and sit upright. Lean to one side and use a neck pillow or item of clothing to support your head. If you are able to move your seat back so that you can stretch out your legs, this helps too.

What is the best place to park for SFO? ›

SFO Parking Options

Domestic/Hourly ($2 per 15 minutes; $36 daily max) International/Hourly ($2 per 15 minutes; $36 daily max) Long Term ($2 per 20 minutes; $25 daily max) ParkFast ($2 per 20 minutes; $36 per day for members and $45 per daily max)

Best SFO Long Term Parking

Parking Rates at the Domestic Parking Garage and SFO Airport International Parking Garage are $36 for a day. The long term parking garage's parking rates are $18 for a day.

More specific statewide data from the California Highway Patrol says Honda Civics and Honda Accords made between 1992-2000 have the highest rates of theft in California in 2021. The NICB says these were these were the mostly commonly stolen vehicles across the U.S. in 2021: Chevrolet pickup (full size)

Bakersfield, CA, tops the list for the third year in a row, with the highest automobile theft rate in the U.S., according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau 2021 Hot Spots Report. The theft rate in Bakersfield in 2021 was 1023.68 vehicles stolen per 100,000 residents, a 13 percent increase over 2020.

Street parking is one of the cheapest ways to park in San Francisco, and luckily the city has provided a comprehensive map of all the meters in the city. Keep in mind that red and yellow meters are loading zones.

The city is notorious for having one of the worst traffic in the country, and there is no such thing as easy parking in SF. However, there are plenty of street parking spaces and even more parking garages spread out across the city, that you will eventually always be able to find SF parking.

California Parking - Parking Process

You are able to reserve at the lot as well but if you are worried about guaranteeing a spot in a parking garage in San Francisco, it's best to reserve online. Once you have made your reservation, drive to the parking lot that is closest to the location you are trying to get to.

Overnight parking is allowed at most Cabela's locations. Although there is no published corporate policy on the topic, most Cabela's stores allow overnight RV parking for FREE.

Does Costco have overnight stockers? ›

The estimated total pay for a Night Stocker at Costco Wholesale is $18 per hour. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $17 per hour.

When you visit a Costco warehouse, you'll discover all the valuable savings we have to offer. As a nonmember, you may still purchase prescriptions from a Costco pharmacy with cash, debit, Costco Shop Cards or a Visa® card. However, you must be a paid member to enter the warehouse and purchase any other items.

The best 24-hour safe places to park and sleep in your car are parking garages. You can buy monthly parking passes which can save you money, and many of these places have bathrooms that you can use in the morning. There are many parking garages around you, so finding one is easy.

Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, wanted RVers to have a safe space to park for the night when traveling. He knew that, when given a free place to stay, the RVers would also patronize the store. It was a win-win situation, and still is to this day.

There is NO camping allowed at Walmarts anywhere. What IS allowed at SOME Walmarts is a space to park your rig and get some rest before leaving the following morning to continue on your journey.

You will not run out of oxygen sleeping in a car with the windows closed and the engine turned off. This is because cars are not airtight. Research has also shown that air refreshes naturally in a car every 1-3 hours. A car would have to be full of around 8-9 people before oxygen levels could become compromised.

Is it illegal to sleep in your car in San Francisco? It is currently illegal to sleep in one's car in San Francisco. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., it is prohibited for persons to stay inside automobiles, and offenders may be fined $1,000 or imprisoned for six months.

Is parking difficult in San Francisco? ›

The city is notorious for having one of the worst traffic in the country, and there is no such thing as easy parking in SF. However, there are plenty of street parking spaces and even more parking garages spread out across the city, that you will eventually always be able to find SF parking.

The data also suggests that if you're parking after 6pm in these neighborhoods, the safest place for your car is a parking garage. (To save some money, use SpotHero to find the lowest rates on SF parking garages.) Those who frequent the parking meters in Crocker Amazon and Diamond Heights, however, can breathe easy.

No, camping in the city of San Francisco is prohibited, and there is no overnight parking allowed inside of Golden Gate Park.

The Presidio is free and open 24 hours a day. There is a charge for parking at most places in the Presidio.

Bookings must be made a minimum of 2 hours in advance to quality. To book parking at SFO, visit parking.flysfo.com.

As California Vehicle Code 22651(k) states, a vehicle is only allowed to park in the same spot on a public street for up to 72 hours. Vehicles parked beyond this time may be issued a warning, cited and/or towed, even if they have a residential parking permit for that area.

Sleeping in San Francisco Airport

Overnight campers generally have no problems but will have to search for comfortable seating. Terminals 2 and 3 each have a couple decent sleep spots, both landside and airside. There are padded benched in Terminal 2 near Baggage Claim #4 (post-security in arrivals).