Plan Your Lodging and Travel

We proudly partner with a variety of hotels in San Francisco to make race weekend planning easy.

Race Morning BART Busing

• Buses transport runners from the Walnut Creek, El Cerrito Plaza, MacArthur, Bay Fair, Daly City, and Millbrae BART stations on Race Morning and arrive by 4:30 am at the Main Start Line on the Embarcadero.
• Bus drivers will have a list of names for those who have purchased and will check them in on race morning – you do not need a physical ticket with you to board the bus.
• Bus Schedule Options: Bay Fair (San Leandro) at 3:50 am; Daly City at 4:05 am; El Cerrito Plaza at 4:05 am; MacArthur at 4:05am; Millbrae at 4:05am; Walnut Creek at 3:55am. Buses are to arrive by 4:30 am at the Embarcadeo. These times may be updated, we will notify all runners who purchased a BART ticket well before the event if need be.
• Plenty of free parking is available at each BART location.

Purchase a Bart Bus Ticket

• BART Bus FAQs
  • Do I need anything to get on the bus?
    All you need is your ID. Bus drivers will have a list of names for those who have purchased and will check them in on race morning. You do not need a physical ticket with you to board the bus.
  • What is the parking situation like?
    Plenty of free parking is available at each location.
  • How will I know where to go once I’ve parked?
    It’s going to be dark, and BART won’t be running yet, so you should be able to easily locate the bus in the parking lot (it will have its lights on and park in an easy-to-spot location).
  • Is this the ticket to get to the start line for the second half, or to the finish line festival for the first half?
    No, those shuttles are complimentary. See pickup locations for complimentary runner shuttles for the 1st Half and 2nd Half Marathons.
  • Will my BART bus ticket get me home after the race?
    No, this is a one-way ticket to the event. You may purchase a BART ticket at the station.

Reserved Parking with SpotHero

We recommend booking convenient and affordable parking in advance through SpotHero, the nation’s leading parking reservations app.

To reserve your parking spot, visit the San Francisco Marathon SpotHero Parking Page and book a spot with rates up to 50% off drive-up.

Public Transportation

We encourage all runners to drive or carpool, have a friend or family member drop them off, or taxi in to make it to the start on time.

Alternatively, expand the tabs below to learn more about your public transportation options or plan your trip here. Click Muni below to learn more.

• MUNI • Travel in and to San Francisco
  Plan your trip with The San Francisco Trip Planner – an easy to use site that allows you to put in your starting point and destination and then gives you the easiest option to arrive at your destination using public transportation. 
• AC Transit • Travel between the East Bay and San Francisco
  AC Transit operates service between San Francisco and the East Bay along the Richmond and Fremont BART lines.
  From the East Bay: Route 800 West, AC Transit, runs from Richmond BART Station to Market and Van Ness in San Francisco, making stops along the way in Berkeley and Oakland. Transfers from Routes 801, 802, 805, 820, 840, and 851 to Route 800 can be made at 14th Street and Broadway. View the Sunday/Holiday timetable for Route 800 West.
• BART • Travel between San Francisco and the East Bay
  Plan your trip with the BART Trip Planner by inputing your start and end destination. Important: BART does not operate early enough to get you to the Start Line on time on Race Day. We recommend using our BART Buses instead. See our Race Morning BART Busing section above to learn more. 
• SamTrans • Travel between the Peninsula and San Francisco
  From the Peninsula: SamTrans 397 North OWL services the South Bay to San Francisco, beginning at the Palo Alto CalTrain Station and ending at Mission and Transbay in San Francisco, making stops in Redwood City, San Carlos, Belmont, San Mateo, Burlingame, South San Francisco, and San Francisco International Airport. View a Sunday timetable.

Bike Parking

We encourage locals to bike to the Expo and to the Start Line on Race Day and use our complimentary bike parking area. On Race Day, self-serve bike parking will be available by the main start line in the Embarcadero from 4:30 am to 1:00 pm on Sunday, July 27. Please note that all participants will be responsible for locking and securing their own bikes. Any bikes left after 1:00 pm will be removed and transported to the vendor’s office at the owner’s expense and risk. The San Francisco Marathon is not liable for any lost, stolen, or damaged property.