Driving tips from Sacramento to San Francisco

My husband and I will be visiting Sacramento and San Francisco for the first time. I am in dire need of traffic/commute tips, for driving from Sacramento to San Francisco. Then from San Francisco to Reno. I'm not a city person and could use all the help I can get. (Canceling the trip is not an option) I haven't been able to find a recent post online and thought I'd turn to my fellow shoppers. I'll be taking I-80 for both trips. Would love to know more about traffic and toll booths/prices...etc... We don't have those where were from.
I'm also open to any recommendations about where to eat and what to see. Thank you in advance.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2016 10:07AM by TravelGuru.

Create an Account or Log In

Membership is free. Simply choose your username, type in your email address, and choose a password. You immediately get full access to the forum.

Interesting you should post this. A couple of years ago I drove a friend (and her 3 cats) cross country from New York state to the San Francisco bay area. It was definitely an adventure.

I stayed on the I-80 all the way from Cleveland Ohio to San Francisco. I found the 80 to be smooth going with just a couple of slow downs during peak traffic time as I got to about an hour outside of San Leandro.Once that eased up I was able to pass easily to my destination. If you do happen to stop in San Leandro as I did, be certain as to which exit to get off, there are two there and you might know I got off the wrong one.

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain

I don't travel the I-80 stretch, my regular route is the the 580, but general advice: avoid rush hour: 4AM-9AM and 3PM-7PM. There will be a bridge toll into SF $4-6 depending on the time of day you go and if you qualify as a carpool. You'll need cash, they do make change. I believe there is also a toll on the way back at Carquinez Bridge in Vallejo. You can also check Caltrans (http://www.dot.ca.gov/) for road conditions, construction and exit closures. Watch the weather when you're heading to Reno. You'll go from about sea level over an 8,000 ft pass so if its snowing expect to have chain controls in effect and/or the road closed.
You might also check trip advisor for info.

That was a long trip. How many days dud it take you to get from NY to SF? I'm tempted to drive that route, one day in the future.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2016 02:58AM by TravelGuru.

I paced myself, I was the only driver and it took 6 days. I didn't want to overdo it because I still had to help her get the house ready once we arrived on site. (She's disabled and would need extra help) I enjoyed the trip, I got to see parts of the country I hadn't seen before and by driving you could take your time and experience more of it. We made the trip one August so at least there wasn't the weather issues to deal with. She'd rented a cherry red Ford Explorer fully loaded and I had a ball driving that.

Her Serene Majesty, Cettie - Goat Queen of Zoltar, Sublime Empress of Her Caprine Domain

Why San Francisco specifically? If you're not tied to that, Monterey and Santa Cruz are worth the extra drive. San Jose is even more interesting. SF is a pit and driving in SF is worse than driving in LA -- because people walk out in the streets, almost as if they're trying to get hit (wouldn't put it past many). I used to work in SF and would never think of driving there. You're better off parking outside the city and taking the BART in if it's just for the day (or long-term parking at Oakland airport if it's for more than a day).

If you have time, the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento is well worth it. It's stunning and has great displays.

On your way, stop in Fairfield for a tour of the Jelly Belly factory. Free samples and "seconds" for very cheap. Right down the street is the Budweiser bottling plant (also free samples). That was really, really interesting (and free). You can do both in the same day (allow about 2 hrs each).

ETA: If you do go to SF, eat in Chinatown. Their kitchens are the cleanest and you won't have people spitting in your food.

Now scheduling travel shops for the day after Christmas through mid-January.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2016 04:50AM by PasswordNotFound.

Don't be too afraid of SF... it's not so bad and if you've never been there before, there are plenty of one-of-a-kind opportunities to see famous stuff. Go during the middle of the day. Remember that the traffic generally goes into the city in the morning and out of it at the end of the work day, so try to travel against traffic when you can. That's the general rule of thumb.
I agree with posters who said to consider BART (and the cable cars!) if you don't have to drive in the city. But it's not terrible, just go slowly, be on the lookout for pedestrians, and don't get flustered by the locals: they're always impatient and grumpy. Just ignore them, you'll never see them again!

Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge. The toll is only $5 or so, or, you could even park at Golden Gate and just take a picture of it. But it's a great drive and the coast is beautiful once you get across. You can park somewhere in the city (it's expensive, plan ahead) and take one of those tourist bus tours. Let someone else drive, see all the major stuff (Lombard street, China Town, Golden Gate, Fisherman's Wharf, Castro Street, the Painted Ladies). Take a ferry ride (Alcatraz is the big one, but you can get one that just tools around).

Shopper in California's Bay Area

TravelGuru, would you like some company??

I have been to northern California and Oregon coast. It was gorgeous!!!

The Golden Gate is cheaper during non commute times, as well as faster. I think going in, the rate goes down at 10am. The traffic between SF and Sacramento can be brutal during commute times, so avoid morning commute time on the westbound trip and the evening commute time on the eastbound trip. When going to Reno, if possible avoid Friday evening and Saturday morning as the snowboarders will have traffic in knots on the 80.

Mega bus goes from downtown Sac to SF and can be really inexpensive if you wanted to take that route.

I forgot about Megabus. You can mystery shop it and it would be free :-D. The reports are only about 20 minutes long.

Now scheduling travel shops for the day after Christmas through mid-January.

Thank you for all of the tips and suggestions. I'm still tweeking our busy schedule and still have some time before my itinerary is finalized. Just curious, have any of you taken the I-50 down from Tahoe? I just saw that it's a faster route than I-80, to get to Sacramento. Wondering if one is less troublesome than the other.

Hi Lucky7! If we didn't have a busy schedule, I would've taken you up on that offer.

If you're coming from Reno, then I-80 is the ticket. It's an Interstate, while 50 is a state highway. 80 is a wider, 4 lanes, straighter shot from Reno. 50 is a two lane, curvy highway from Lake Tahoe. If you're returning on a weekend, you'll have ski traffic, especially this year since we finally have snow.

@TravelGuru wrote:

Hi Lucky7! If we didn't have a busy schedule, I would've taken you up on that offer.

I was just kidding.I was there in the 70's when there was gas rationing. I know you will have a great trip!! ~ Are you camera ready?!

US 50 is a beautiful scenic road from the pre-Interstate Highway days. If you have time to stop and take photos (scenario, beautiful bridges, etc.), I strongly recommend it. I can't imagine that it is faster than I-80 (unless something happens on I-80, of course).

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login

Driving tips from Sacramento to San Francisco

Create an Account or Log In

Official List of Mystery Shopping Companies

Mystery Shopper Magazine