Trip to San Fran

jayu619

Hi All,

I am going to San Fran for 7 days (either Fri 13-20, Sat 14-21 or Sun 15-22 MAY; ideally wanting to go Friday so I have the whole weekend there to spend!)

I've found flights - cheapest being with WestJet connecting in Vancouver for £553. 2 questions with this:

1. I understand hold luggage is not included - is this correct? If so, how much will it cost to check a bag in (20kg or less)? And
2. flying to Canada and then US - do I require any particular VISA other than ESTA which I have and is valid until June 1st 2016.

Also, I have checked into accommodations, SF city is expensive. So most likely will do airBnB and I was looking at Berkeley and Oakland. Anyone recommend which of the 2 to stay in? or any cheap hotels there?

Thank you so much in advance.

Jay

John259

jayu619 wrote: »

I was looking at Berkeley and Oakland.... any cheap hotels there?

You might find something with Google Maps:
https://goo.gl/maps/CmYKAui9BPA2
Zoom in and pan round for detail. Go into StreetView mode to look at the outsides of the properties and their surroundings.

Check how you're going to get from your accommodation to San Francisco, which probably boils down to how far a hotel or motel is from a BART station.
https://www.bart.gov/stations

jayu619

Many thanks John.

The dates for my trip, as far as hotels or even the cheapest motels, seem to avg about £90. I was thinking about doing airBnB - is that something that you or anyone else have tried? It will be my first time using airBnB, so any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Jay

John259

No, sorry I've no knowledge of airBnB. I've always rented a car and done road trips staying in motels.

FWIW: when I visited San Francisco I stayed in Corte Madera (on US101 in Marin County north of the Golden Gate Bridge), drove to the passenger ferry terminal in Tiburon, and used that ferry to get to and from the city. That was a good solution for a one-day trip into the city, and I got a very nice (but cold) sightseeing boat trip across San Francisco Bay as a bonus, but it's probably not a good idea for a multi-day stay.

agrinnall

I'm presuming you mean to travel in May as you haven't given a month, just random dates.

I think the answers to both of your questions should be available online: WestJet must surely have information about cost of hold luggage; and the Canadian government website should tell you whether you need anything to transit in Vancouver (I believe there is a Canadian equivalent to the ESTA but I've no idea whether it would be needed for a transit).

richardw

airbnb was dreamed up in San Fran, so should be good there.

SW17

Fees for checked baggage with Westjet depend on the fare category booked. For the cheapest fares, called Econo, fees apply of CAD 25-30 each way for a checked bag up to 23kg. For the higher Flex and Plus fares, the first bag is included in the price.