Cheap Car Hire at San Francisco Airport (SFO)

Car hire in San Francisco and California

San Francisco is a port city located on the Pacific coast of Northern California. Famed throughout the world for the massive earthquake and fire that almost levelled the city during the early years of the 20th century, San Francisco is best known today for attractions such as the California Academy of Sciences, which features a "living roof;" the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf.

San Francisco is typical of many Californian cities, in that cheap car hire is absolutely essential when visiting. Visitors from Europe may be used to cities with extensive underground systems, but in California, public transport tends to be sporadic, at best.

Indeed, most residents of the western states own a car because they need one in order to get around their cities, which are quite spread out, due to the wide-open nature of the land at the time it was settled.

San Francisco, lends itself well to driving, because one of the greatest attractions is the terrain. Tourists find it amusing to drive up and down the steep hills that characterise the area facing the waterfront. The most popular road of all among tourists is Lombard Street, which features several hairpin turns in rapid succession and is set on the side of a steep hill; there is little wonder it is known as the ‘twistiest’ street in the world.

Another essential holiday experience is a drive across one of the world's most iconic suspension bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge. Once across, many tourists take a drive along the winding roads that snake through the hills on the other side of the bay.

In contrast to San Francisco's heavy urbanisation, these hills remain protected from development. Day hikes are popular there, with most of them offering tourists panoramas of the vast Pacific Ocean, as well as stunning views of the San Francisco skyline.

San Francisco is frequently enveloped in fog, which can lead to chilly conditions, even during the height of summer. Indeed, it was the famous American author, Mark Twain, who once insisted that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.

Visitors touring the city in a hire car from Budget, however, can be confident that they will remain snug, no matter what the conditions outside, since all Budget cars are equipped with state of the art heating and climate control systems.

To make the most of exploring San Francisco, a hire car is advisable, but if you intend visiting some of the attractions further afield, access to a vehicle becomes essential.

For example, many tourists wish to see the geographical feature the San Andreas Fault, the major fault line that bisects much of California. Though quiet at the moment, it was responsible for the massive 1906 earthquake and many more less-damaging ones since.

To see the fault zone, tourists need to drive away from the city, towards the Palo Alto region, which is much further inland. The drive may take an hour or more, depending on traffic, but thankfully Budget's cheap car rental service in San Francisco includes a range of fuel-efficient vehicles that will allow you to get to your destination with a minimal outlay on fuel.

Once tourists have reached the Palo Alto area, they then have to drive quite some distance up into the hills above the city. Reaching the actual fault line requires a short and pleasant hike through a forest.

An hour's drive from Palo Alto will take tourists to a town known as Half Moon Bay, so called because of the distinct curved shape of the coastline. Visitors can enjoy watching the seals that frequently frolic in the water and then haul out to sunbathe on the beaches just beyond the town.