Parking in San Francisco is generally a nightmare. It’s the worst part of driving in San Francisco, and that’s saying a lot.
Unless maybe you have incredible parking karma, at some point, you’ll probably have to pay for parking if you drive in San Francisco, either at a metered spot or in a garage.
North Beach and Chinatown are some of the worst neighborhoods to find parking (after Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square). Chinatown and most of North Beach are close enough to BART to walk, and decently connected to other forms of public transportation, so I highly recommend taking advantage of these options whenever possible. If you can’t avoid driving, you can choose to try your luck with street parking (best for short visits under 2 hours) or find a garage.
North Beach Garage is centrally located between Chinatown and North Beach, right across from the Central Police Station. Despite its name, North Beach Garage is really more in Chinatown (it’s mostly surrounded by Chinese businesses), but it does provide quick access to the southern end of North Beach.
After driving around for way too long on a Sunday morning, I finally got tired of hunting for a spot and pulled into North Beach Garage. I figured the large police presence on the street outside might help keep my car safe while it was parked, and it was close enough to all the businesses on Columbus.
There’s an attendant on duty during the day, but machines for when there isn’t. Bring your ticket with you and pay before you return to your car.
There are just over 200 parking spots available at North Beach Garage, located on a few levels above ground. There are some decent views of San Francisco from the uncovered top level. The spaces and turns are tight and the ramps are narrow, but I found a spot very quickly.
There’s really not much that sets a parking garage apart, aside from prices and size, but North Beach Garage does have something extra. True to form, this Chinatown parking garage features fortunes on every spot. I’m not all that superstitious, but mine sure was fitting:
Thanks, North Beach Garage, I needed that.
And another with a beautiful Fiat 500, the perfect North Beach/Chinatown combination:
Parking Rates as of September 2015:
- $3 per hour, including partial hours.
- $30 daily maximum.
- $6 motorcycles.
- $16 early bird rate, enter weekdays between 4-10 am, exiting before 7pm).
Accepts Clipper Payment
Address: 735 Vallejo Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone: (415) 399-9564
24 hours
Nearby Restaurants– Stella Pastry and Café , Mama’s – Restaurant, Rose Pistola Restaurant, Café Madeleine Restaurant, Nick’s Crispy Tacos Restaurant, Golden Gate Bakery
Nearby Tourist attractions– Ferry building, Magowan’s Infinite mirror maze, The San Francisco Dungeon, Exploratorium, Octagon House, Alcatraz Island