The short answer

San Francisco International has one hotel on the airport itself, the Grand Hyatt at SFO, connected to every terminal by the free AirTrain, which runs 24 hours a day. Every other airport hotel sits in Millbrae, Burlingame, or South San Francisco, one to four miles out, and almost none runs a true 24-hour shuttle. The earliest verified first shuttle is 4:00 AM. Official long-term parking is $27 a day, and off-airport lots start at $20.95 a day, so park sleep fly math at SFO is tighter than at most big airports.

Quick answer box

Prices checked November 2026.

Need	Pick	Why	Price seen
Closest hotel to the terminals	Grand Hyatt at SFO, 55 South McDonnell Road	The only on-airport hotel at SFO, with its own AirTrain station. No road shuttle at all: the free AirTrain runs 24 hours a day to all terminals	Nightly rate not published on the hotel’s official page
Earliest free shuttle	Aloft San Francisco Airport, Millbrae	Free shuttle every 15 minutes from 4:00 AM to 12:30 AM, with on-call runs between 1:00 AM and 3:30 AM if you phone the hotel	Free with a stay
Best park sleep fly option	Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame	Sells its own Park, Stay ‘n’ Fly package on its official offers page. Package price and included parking days are not published, so quote your dates before assuming it beats the lots below	Package price not published; a ParkSleepFly listing for La Quinta Inn SFO Airport North shows packages at $265 to $314
Cheapest parking	Park SFO (off-airport) / SFO Long-Term Parking (official)	Park SFO publishes $20.95 a day with a free 24-hour shuttle. The airport’s own Long-Term Parking is $27 a day with the AirTrain to the terminals	$20.95 a day off-airport; $27 a day official
Sunday morning flight	Grand Hyatt at SFO, or a 4 AM shuttle hotel	BART’s first Sunday departure from SFO is 8:08 AM, far too late for the first bank of flights. On Sundays your hotel choice is the whole plan	See the early flight traps below

If you only read one line: at SFO, check the first shuttle of the day, not the shuttle icon. Only the Grand Hyatt removes the shuttle from the equation entirely.

Hotels near SFO compared

Distances are the figures the hotels publish about themselves. Nightly rates are not shown because none of these hotels publishes a rate on its official page; the prices that are published, parking and pet fees, are in the table and notes.

Hotel	Distance to SFO	Shuttle	On-site parking (published)	Pets (published)
Grand Hyatt at SFO	On the airport, own AirTrain station	None needed. AirTrain, free, 24 hours	Valet only, $75 daily maximum; no self-parking	Dogs only, $100 for 1 to 6 nights
Aloft San Francisco Airport, Millbrae	About 1.0 mile	Free, 4:00 AM to 12:30 AM every 15 minutes; on-call 1:00 AM to 3:30 AM by phone	Self-parking $54.70 a day	$50 a night, up to 2 pets, 40 lbs each
The Westin San Francisco Airport, Millbrae	About 1.0 mile	Free, 4:05 AM to 12:35 AM every 15 minutes; on-call 1:05 AM to 3:35 AM by phone	Self-parking $50 to $54.70 a day (Marriott publishes both figures)	$10 a night, up to 2 pets, 40 lbs each
San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront, Burlingame	About 1.0 mile	Free; hours and frequency not published	Self-parking $55 a day	$75 to $100 a stay (Marriott publishes both figures)
La Quinta Inn & Suites SFO Airport North, South San Francisco	About 1 mile	Free; the hotel’s ParkSleepFly listing says 4:30 AM to 12:30 AM, every 45 minutes	Not published	Not published
The Dylan Hotel at SFO, Millbrae	About 1 mile	No shuttle stated; steps from Millbrae BART and Caltrain	Not published	Not published
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame	About 2 miles	Shuttle offered; hours, frequency and price not published on hyatt.com	Self-parking listed, price not published	Dogs, $100 for up to 6 nights
Holiday Inn Express San Francisco-Airport South, Burlingame	2.19 miles	Free, 5:00 AM to 12:30 AM	$30 a day	Pets not allowed
Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport, Burlingame	About 3 miles (IHG also says 2)	Free, from 4:52 AM to 12:52 AM in split blocks with gaps	Self-parking $24 a day	Dogs only, $50 cleaning fee plus $100 deposit
Hampton Inn & Suites Burlingame-Airport South	1 mile	Free, split hours only: 4:55 to 9:25 AM and 5:15 to 10:30 PM	Self-parking $35 a day	$75 for 1 to 4 nights, $125 for 5 or more
Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront, Burlingame	4 miles (the figure Hilton publishes)	Free; hours and frequency not published	Self-parking $40 a day, EV charging, covered available	$75, up to 75 lbs

Grand Hyatt at SFO

Aloft San Francisco Airport, Millbrae

The Westin San Francisco Airport, Millbrae

San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront, Burlingame

La Quinta Inn & Suites SFO Airport North, South San Francisco

The Dylan Hotel at SFO, Millbrae

Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Burlingame

Holiday Inn Express San Francisco-Airport South, Burlingame

Crowne Plaza San Francisco Airport, Burlingame

Hampton Inn & Suites Burlingame-Airport South

Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront, Burlingame

Three patterns matter more than the brand names. First, SFO has no cluster of true 24-hour hotel shuttles the way LAX’s Century Boulevard does: in this set, only the Grand Hyatt’s AirTrain connection runs all night, and the Aloft and Westin bridge their overnight gap with on-call runs you have to phone for. Second, the two Marriott properties in Millbrae (Aloft and Westin) run the earliest and most frequent shuttles we could verify, every 15 minutes from about 4 AM. Third, several big names (Marriott Waterfront, Hilton Bayfront, Hyatt Regency) confirm a free shuttle but do not publish its hours anywhere on their official pages, so for a dawn departure, call and ask for the first run before you book.

Hotel details that matter

Verified from the hotels’ official pages, checked November 2026. Where a hotel does not publish a field, it is marked not published rather than guessed.

Hotel	Breakfast	24-hour front desk	Business center / printing	Day rooms
Grand Hyatt at SFO	Start time not published	Not stated on hyatt.com	Business services listed; printing not published	Not published
Aloft San Francisco Airport	No free breakfast	Yes	Business center on site; printing not published	Not published
The Westin San Francisco Airport	Start time not published	Yes	Not published	Not published
SF Airport Marriott Waterfront	Start time not published	Yes	Business center on site; printing not published	Not published
Hilton SF Airport Bayfront	Buffet, for a fee; start time not published	Not published	Business center listed; printing not published	Not published
Hyatt Regency SF Airport	Start time not published	Not stated on hyatt.com	Business services listed; printing not published	Not published
Crowne Plaza SFO	Start time not published	Not published	24-hour business center, and printing is listed among its business services	Not published
Hampton Inn & Suites Burlingame-Airport South	Free hot breakfast; start time not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
Holiday Inn Express SF-Airport South	Free breakfast; start time not published	Not published	24-hour business centre with printing listed	Not published
La Quinta SFO Airport North	Free breakfast; start time not published	Not published	Not published	Not published
The Dylan Hotel at SFO	Start time not published	Not published	Not published	Not published

If printing a boarding pass or a document matters, the two IHG properties (Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express) are the ones that publish a 24-hour business center with printing. For an in-terminal alternative, see the showers and services section below: the Airport Travel Agency in the International Terminal handles baggage storage and related services.

Park sleep fly at SFO, with the math

Park sleep fly means you book one hotel night bundled with parking at the hotel for the length of your trip, and ride the hotel shuttle both ways. At SFO the comparison starts with the airport’s own parking, which is cheaper than at most coastal hubs.

Official SFO parking rates, from the airport’s own parking pages, checked November 2026:

SFO parking option	Rate	Seven days
Long-Term Parking (Garages 1 and 2 plus surface lot)	$27 daily maximum	$189
International Garages A and G	$37 daily maximum	$259
Domestic Garage	$41 daily maximum	$287
ParkFAST (reserved premium, inside the Domestic Garage)	$70 daily maximum, 8-hour minimum stay	$490
Park SFO (off-airport, 195 N Access Road)	$20.95 a day indoor or roof self-park; $30.95 valet	$146.65 self-park

Off-airport alternatives: Anza Parking in Burlingame runs free valet and a shuttle every 10 minutes, 24/7, but does not publish a standard daily rate on its site (its $14.50 a day coupon expired November 1, 2026, so do not count on it). Burlingame Airport Parking runs a free shuttle from 4:00 AM to 12:30 AM every 30 minutes and publishes no daily rate. Park ‘N Fly by The Parking Spot in South San Francisco is uncovered self-parking with shuttle pickup at your car; its daily rate and shuttle hours are not published on its location page.

Now the package side. SFO’s park sleep fly supply is thinner than LAX’s. The Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport sells its own Park, Stay ‘n’ Fly package on the official offers page, but package price and included parking are not published. A ParkSleepFly listing for the La Quinta Inn SFO Airport North shows a $265 package with 7 days of parking; the daily room rate for the same week was not visible in the listing.

The honest math, for a seven-day trip:

1. Against official Long-Term Parking at $189 for a week, a $265 La Quinta package costs $76 more and includes the room and the shuttle. If you need the room anyway, that is a fair trade.
2. Against Park SFO at $146.65 for a week, the same package costs about $118 more. The room has to be worth that to you.
3. If you do not need a hotel night, no SFO package we found beats the lots. SFO’s long-term parking is priced low enough that park sleep fly here is a convenience buy, not the automatic win it is at LAX.
4. Hotel self-parking is not a loophole: published overnight parking at the airport hotels runs $24 to $55 a day, at or above the airport’s own long-term rate.

Our full explainer on how these packages work is at Park Sleep Fly.

Layover and day room options at SFO

SFO’s best day-use option is inside the airport. Freshen Up!, in the International Terminal Main Hall on the G side (pre-security), is open 24 hours a day per its operator, and sells showers and nap rooms: a 30-minute deluxe shower is $30, and a small nap room suite runs $150 for 3 hours, $195 for 4 hours, or $245 for 5 hours during the day (6 AM to 7 PM), and $275 overnight (7 PM to 7 AM), with a shower added to a suite for $25. Those are the operator’s published prices, checked November 2026.

For a real bed, the Grand Hyatt at SFO is the only hotel you can reach without a road vehicle: AirTrain from any terminal, 24 hours a day. Whether it sells day-use rooms is not published on its official page. Dayuse lists SFO-area hotels, but we could not verify an exact day-room listing and price for a specific airport hotel from an official or Dayuse listing page in this check, so no hotel day-room prices are quoted here. Our rule of thumb stands: on a layover of six hours or more, a nap room or day room pays for itself; under that, stay in the terminal. SFO also has two free post-security yoga rooms, in Terminal 2 and Terminal 3, if what you need is to lie flat and stretch rather than sleep. For more on how day rooms work, see Airport Day Rooms.

Early flight traps at SFO

• The Sunday BART trap. BART’s first departure from SFO is 4:58 AM on weekdays and 5:47 AM on Saturdays, but 8:08 AM on Sundays. A Sunday 7 AM flight cannot be reached by BART at all, and the hotels’ first shuttles become the whole plan. Book the Grand Hyatt or a 4 AM shuttle hotel for Sunday dawn departures.
• Split-hour shuttles. The Hampton Inn & Suites Burlingame-Airport South runs its free shuttle only from 4:55 to 9:25 AM and 5:15 to 10:30 PM. Arrive at SFO at noon or 11 PM and there is no shuttle. The Crowne Plaza’s published schedule also runs in blocks (first run 4:52 AM) with midday and evening gaps.
• Unpublished shuttle hours. The Marriott Waterfront, Hilton Bayfront, and Hyatt Regency all promise a free shuttle and publish no hours. For a flight before 8 AM, treat an unpublished schedule as no schedule until the hotel confirms the first run by phone.
• Finding the shuttle at the airport. Per SFO, hotel courtesy shuttles pick up on the center island of the Departures Level at the domestic terminals, and on the center island of the Arrivals Level at the International Terminal (the International pickup moved to Arrivals, outside Door 2, in September). Head to departures for a domestic terminal, arrivals for international.
• BART fare surprise. BART does not publish a static SFO fare; the SFO to Powell Street fare comes out of its online fare calculator and includes the airport surcharge built into SFO station fares. Check the calculator for your exact trip rather than trusting a fare quoted on a third-party site. The ride itself is 30 minutes to downtown.

Lounges at SFO

SFO has 18 lounges on the airport’s own list. Hours below are as published by the airport or the lounge’s own network, checked November 2026. A note on honesty: flysfo.com publishes conflicting hours for a handful of lounges (flagged below), and no lounge at SFO publishes a walk-up day-pass price on the airport’s pages, so the only day-pass prices quoted are the ones the airlines publish themselves.

Lounge	Terminal	Hours (published)	Who can enter
The Club SFO	Terminal 1, Level 3, before Gate B4	4:30 AM to 11:30 PM daily	Priority Pass and LoungeKey; one visit covers up to 2.5 hours per the Priority Pass listing, showers $25
Alaska Lounge	Terminal 1, Level 2, across from Gate B6	5:00 AM to 12:00 AM daily	Alaska Lounge members; Alaska or Hawaiian First Class on a flight of 2,000+ miles that day; Priority Pass with a $15 per-person surcharge and an Alaska or partner boarding pass
American Airlines Admirals Club	Terminal 1, near Gate B13	4:30 AM to 11:30 PM daily	Admirals Club members, Citi / AAdvantage Executive cardholders, qualifying oneworld status; one-day pass $79 (aa.com)
Delta Sky Club	Terminal 1, near Gate C3	From 4:30 AM; closes 10:30 PM Sun and Mon, 12:00 AM Tue to Fri, 10:30 PM Sat	Delta Sky Club members and eligible cardholders flying Delta or partners; entry up to 3 hours before departure
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge	Terminal 2, Level 3	5:30 AM to 7:15 PM daily	Air Canada eligible passengers and Star Alliance premium travellers
American Express Centurion Lounge	Terminal 2, Concourse D (temporary location while the permanent Terminal 3 lounge is rebuilt, reopening expected 2027)	5:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily	Amex Platinum and Centurion members; Delta SkyMiles Reserve cardholders. No memberships sold. Entry within 3 hours of departure
United Club	Terminal 3, F Gates rotunda near Gate F11	5:00 AM to 12:00 AM daily	United Club members, one-time pass holders, eligible premium cabin and Star Alliance Gold travellers
United Club	Terminal 3, near Gate E4	5:30 AM to 11:00 PM daily per the airport directory	Same as above
United Club	International G, between Gates G6 and G9	7:00 AM to 1:15 AM daily	Same as above; the latest-closing lounge at SFO

Lounge	Terminal	Hours (published)	Who can enter
United Polaris Lounge	International G, near Gate G1	5:00 AM to 12:00 AM daily	United Polaris business class and Star Alliance long-haul premium cabin passengers only. Memberships, cards and one-time passes do not get in
Air France-KLM Lounge	International A, near Gate A1, Level 3	Published hours conflict on flysfo.com; check the live page before relying on them	Air France, KLM and SkyTeam premium passengers (EVA Air and Korean Air also use it)
Air India Maharaja Lounge	International A, near Gate A1, Level 4	6:00 AM to 11:55 PM daily	Air India and Star Alliance premium passengers; joined Priority Pass in October 2026
British Airways Lounge	International A, between Gates A5 and A9	Split hours: 5:00 to 11:30 AM and 1:30 to 6:45 PM daily	British Airways and oneworld premium passengers
Cathay Pacific Lounge	International A, near Gate A1, Level 4	Split morning and evening windows tied to flight times; published hours conflict on flysfo.com	Cathay Pacific premium passengers and oneworld status holders
China Airlines Lounge	International A, near Gate A1, Level 4	8:00 AM to 8:30 PM per Priority Pass	China Airlines and SkyTeam passengers; Priority Pass access inside those hours, maximum stay 3 hours
Emirates Lounge	International A, between Gates A2 and A6, Level 3	12:45 to 4:45 PM daily	Emirates premium passengers
Golden Gate Lounge	International A, Level 4	7:00 AM to 8:00 PM for Priority Pass visits (the airport lists longer hours for its contract airlines)	Contract lounge for Air France, KLM, Aeromexico, Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways and SAS premium passengers; Priority Pass
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse	International A, near Gate A1, Level 5	9:00 AM to 10:30 PM daily	Virgin Upper Class and Flying Club Gold, plus SkyTeam Elite Plus. Priority Pass only in set windows, currently 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM and 6:00 to 11:30 PM, maximum stay 3 hours

Cards that unlock these lounges

Only the networks physically present at SFO, verified against each network’s own locator pages:

• American Express Platinum / Centurion: the Centurion Lounge in Terminal 2, plus the Priority Pass lounges below through the card’s Priority Pass enrolment, plus Delta Sky Club access when flying Delta (Delta SkyMiles Reserve also opens the Centurion Lounge).
• Priority Pass (direct, or through Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X, or Amex Platinum enrolment): The Club SFO, the Alaska Lounge ($15 per person surcharge, Alaska or partner boarding pass required), the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in its published windows, the China Airlines Lounge, the Golden Gate Lounge, and the Air India Maharajah Lounge, plus $28 of food credit per visit entitlement at three restaurants: the San Francisco Giants Clubhouse (Terminal 3, near Gate F13), Lark Creek Grill (Terminal 2), and Mustards Bar & Grill (International G, near Gate G3).
• Chase Sapphire Reserve: no Sapphire Lounge exists at SFO. The card’s lounge route at SFO is its Priority Pass Select membership.
• Capital One Venture X: no Capital One Lounge or Landing exists at SFO (the network is at DFW, DEN, LAS, JFK and IAD). Venture X works at SFO through Priority Pass enrolment.
• United Club membership / United Club card: the three United Clubs, never the Polaris Lounge.
• Citi / AAdvantage Executive: the Admirals Club; everyone else can buy American’s one-day pass for $79.
• Alaska Lounge membership: the Alaska Lounge, with discounted $40 single-entry passes for shorter First Class trips and extra companions.

Car rentals at SFO

Pickup model. SFO consolidates every major rental company into one Rental Car Center at 780 N. McDonnell Road. From any terminal, ride the free AirTrain Blue Line (the Red Line does not stop there). The AirTrain runs 24 hours a day, so the center works for late arrivals and dawn returns alike; the counters keep their own hours, below.

Company	Counter	Phone	Counter hours (published by SFO)
Alamo	4th floor	650-616-3000	6:00 AM to 12:30 AM
Avis	4th floor	650-877-6780	24 hours
Budget	4th floor	650-877-0998	24 hours
Dollar	4th floor	650-244-4131	6:30 AM to 11:00 PM; returns 24 hours
Enterprise	4th floor	650-238-5337	6:00 AM to 12:30 AM
Hertz	1st floor	650-624-6600	24 hours
National	4th floor	650-616-3000	6:00 AM to 12:30 AM
Sixt	4th floor	888-749-8227	6:00 AM to 1:00 AM; returns 24 hours
Thrifty	4th floor	650-624-6600	6:30 AM to 11:00 PM; returns 24 hours

Fox Rent A Car is the one off-airport agency SFO names: no counter in the center, a free shuttle from the Rental Car Center’s south curb on request, phone 415-917-2713, hours 5:00 AM to 12:30 AM. Prices by car class are not published on SFO’s pages or in a form we could cite, so no rental prices are quoted here; the same goes for minimum-age and deposit norms, which vary by company and are not published on the airport’s page.

Tolls, the SFO renter’s trap. The Golden Gate Bridge is all-electronic tolling, southbound into San Francisco only. The toll for a two-axle car (rates effective July 1, 2026) is $10.25 with FasTrak, $10.50 by license plate account or one-time payment, and $11.25 by toll invoice. If your rental crosses and nothing is set up, the invoice goes to the rental company as the registered owner and you get billed the toll plus the company’s own fees, which vary and are rarely the cheap option. The fix is free: within 48 hours after a southbound crossing (or up to 30 days before), pay it yourself through a one-time payment or short-term license plate account on goldengate.org, or ask at the counter exactly what the company’s toll program charges before you accept it.

Returns and the early-flight buffer. Returns feed back into the same Rental Car Center; from there the Blue Line AirTrain reaches the terminals. Build the return like this: fuel stop (no official source lists the nearest gas stations to the center, so fuel up in South San Francisco or Millbrae before you are on airport roads), return inspection, AirTrain ride, then check-in. For a morning departure, put the car back at least 45 minutes before you would have wanted to arrive at the terminal, and remember that only Avis, Budget and Hertz counters are staffed around the clock, though Dollar, Sixt and Thrifty take returns 24 hours.

Do you need one? For San Francisco itself, no: BART runs from the International Terminal to downtown in 30 minutes, and parking a rental downtown will cost more than the car saves. Rent if your trip is really to the Peninsula, Silicon Valley, Marin, or the coast, or if you are travelling as a group with luggage BART handles badly.

Car services and airport transfers at SFO

• Wingz: an SFO-born, pre-scheduled ride service. You book ahead (up to two months out), see a fixed fare up front, and can re-book favourite drivers. Wingz publishes its fixed-rate model but no SFO to downtown dollar price, so quote your trip in the app. Note its pickup points differ from Uber and Lyft: arrivals level doors (Terminal 1 Doors 7 and 8, Terminal 2 Doors 4 and 5, Terminal 3 by the United blue signs 8 to 10). Contact: ask@wingz.me, 888-982-9716.
• Blacklane: pre-booked chauffeur service with all-inclusive flat rates confirmed at booking, flight tracking, and a one-hour grace period at the airport. No published route price list; the fare is generated per booking.
• GO Airport Shuttle: shared-ride service survives at SFO in limited form since the SuperShuttle era ended, serving select destinations including downtown San Francisco, Fisherman’s Wharf, Berkeley and San Mateo, with upfront pricing and no surge fees quoted through its reservation system. Private sedan, SUV and van service runs to any destination. Drive time to downtown is quoted at 25 to 40 minutes.
• Marin Airporter: the standout fixed price at SFO. $31 flat to all Marin stops, children 12 and under free with a paying adult (two per adult), no reservations needed. First bus leaves Novato at 3:40 AM and reaches SFO around 5:05 AM; the last bus leaves SFO at about 10:35 PM, same schedule every day. Phone 415-461-4222.
• Groome Transportation serves Monterey and Sonoma County from SFO per the airport; its fares were not verified on its official page in this check.
• Taxis: pickup zones sit on the center islands of the arrivals level at every terminal, with uniformed coordinators from 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM. There is no flat rate to downtown: metered rates apply to all destinations, and every meter fare for a ride starting at SFO includes a $6.00 airport exit surcharge. Up to five people share for the price of one.
• Uber and Lyft: domestic pickups are on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage (Terminal 1 zones A/B and B, Terminal 2 C and D, Terminal 3 E, F and F/G); International Terminal pickups are on the departures level center island, zones 12 to 17. Black car products (Uber Black, Lyft Black) pick up at the arrivals doors instead. SFO publishes no typical rideshare fare to downtown, and neither do we.
• Limousines and charters (Bauer’s and Pure Luxury are SFO’s listed charter operators) must be pre-arranged with the operator; the airport publishes no prices for them.
• SuperShuttle and ExecuCar no longer appear on SFO’s ground transportation pages. If an old itinerary tells you to meet one, rebook.

Honest summary: no car service at SFO publishes a fixed downtown price online. The only published fixed transfer price at this airport is the Marin Airporter’s $31, and it goes to Marin.

SFO essentials

• First and last trains. BART from the International Terminal (G side, departures level): first departure 4:58 AM weekdays, 5:47 AM Saturdays, 8:08 AM Sundays; service runs to about midnight; 30 minutes to Powell Street downtown. The exact last departure minute and the first morning arrival time at SFO are not published as static figures by BART; check its trip planner for your date. Fares are distance-based and come from BART’s fare calculator; tap a contactless card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Clipper, paper tickets are gone.
• Overnight buses. SamTrans Route 292 links SFO with downtown San Francisco and Hillsdale in San Mateo County in the daytime and evening, stopping at Terminal 2 (Courtyard 2), Terminal 3 (Courtyard 4) and the International Terminal (Courtyards A and G). It is not the night route: overnight, SamTrans runs limited service on the ECR Owl and Route 397, north to San Francisco and Daly City and south to Palo Alto.
• Caltrain. No station at the airport. Ride BART one stop pattern to Millbrae and change to Caltrain for San Francisco or San Jose.
• Late-night food and coffee. No in-terminal outlet at SFO is verified as open 24 hours. The latest verified coffee is Modern Bay Brew in International A near Gate A4, 5:00 AM to 12:00 AM daily; Farley’s Café in Terminal 3 runs 5:00 AM to 11:30 PM. Several outlets carry the airport’s “open past 10 PM” tag, including Napa Farms Market (Terminal 2) and Klein’s Deli and Coffee Bar (Terminal 3). Coffee before 5 AM inside the terminals: none verified. The Grand Hyatt’s AirTrain-side position makes it the fallback for a hot drink before the first bank.
• Showers. Freshen Up!, International Terminal Main Hall (G side, pre-security): 24 hours, 30-minute deluxe shower $30, nap rooms from $150 for 3 hours. Details in the day rooms section.
• Luggage storage. The Airport Travel Agency, International Terminal departures level near the G gates entrance, is the airport’s only baggage storage: daily 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM, no reservation needed, bags are x-rayed first, and pricing is per 24-hour period by size. The actual per-size prices are not published on the airport’s page.
• Pet relief. Available 24 hours. Outdoor areas at Terminal 1 Courtyard 2 and Terminal 3 Courtyard 4 (arrivals level); indoor post-security areas in International A and G, Terminal 1 B and C gates, Terminal 2 D gates, and Terminal 3 F gates.
• Nursing and family. Nursery rooms and Mamava pods are listed in all terminals: Harvey Milk Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, and both sides of the International Terminal. The Airport Travel Agency stocks diapers, formula and infant medicine if you land short.
• Free extras. Two free yoga rooms (Terminals 2 and 3, post-security, mats provided). Remote Bag Check at Long-Term Parking, Level 5, daily 4:00 AM to 8:00 PM, free for Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue and United domestic flights (airline bag fees still apply), so long-term parkers can skip the check-in desk. The free cell phone waiting lot sits next to Long-Term Parking, about five minutes from the terminals, maximum 60 minutes, and closes from 1:00 to 5:00 AM.
• EV charging. Free in SFO’s public garages (you pay for parking, not the charge), Level 1 and Level 2 stalls, first come. The Domestic Garage has 60 stalls on Level 1; Long-Term Garage 2 has the deepest supply.

Flying on to Los Angeles on the same trip? Compare the setup in our LAX Airport Hotels guide. The shuttle picture there is stronger and the parking math is worse.

FAQ

Is there a hotel inside SFO?

Yes, one. The Grand Hyatt at SFO sits on airport grounds at 55 South McDonnell Road and has its own AirTrain station, so you step off the free AirTrain into the lobby. The AirTrain runs 24 hours a day, which makes it the only SFO hotel with a true round-the-clock terminal connection.

Which SFO hotel has the earliest shuttle?

The Aloft San Francisco Airport in Millbrae starts its free shuttle at 4:00 AM, running every 15 minutes until 12:30 AM, with on-call runs between 1:00 and 3:30 AM if you phone ahead. The Westin next door starts at 4:05 AM on the same pattern. No other hotel in our set publishes an earlier first run.

Do hotels near SFO have free shuttles?

Most do, but the hours are the catch. The Aloft, Westin, Crowne Plaza, Hampton, Holiday Inn Express and La Quinta all run free shuttles on published schedules, none of them for a full 24 hours. The Marriott Waterfront, Hilton Bayfront and Hyatt Regency confirm a free shuttle but publish no hours.

How much is parking at SFO for a week?

At the airport’s published daily maximums, a week costs $189 in Long-Term Parking ($27 a day), $259 in the International Garages ($37), and $287 in the Domestic Garage ($41). Off-airport, Park SFO publishes $20.95 a day, $146.65 for a week, with a free 24-hour shuttle.

Is park sleep fly worth it at SFO?

Less often than at other airports. SFO’s long-term parking is cheap for a coastal hub, so a package has to price the room at close to the parking cost to win. A ParkSleepFly listing for the La Quinta SFO Airport North at $265 to $314 costs $76 to $167 more than a week of parking alone. If you need the room for an early flight anyway, it can still make sense; if you only need parking, use the lots.

Can I take BART to a 6 AM flight from SFO?

On a weekday, barely: the first BART departure from SFO is 4:58 AM, which serves flights from about 7 AM onward once you add the ride in from downtown. On Sunday, no: the first departure is 8:08 AM. For the first bank of flights, sleep near the airport the night before.

Where do I catch a hotel shuttle at SFO?

At the domestic terminals, on the center island of the Departures Level. At the International Terminal, on the center island of the Arrivals Level, outside Door 2. That international pickup moved downstairs in September, so older guides that send you to departures are out of date there.

Can I shower or nap at SFO without a hotel?

Yes. Freshen Up! in the International Terminal Main Hall is open 24 hours: a 30-minute shower is $30, and nap room suites run $150 for 3 hours up to $275 overnight. The airport also has two free yoga rooms in Terminals 2 and 3 for stretching out between flights.

How much is a taxi or Uber from SFO to downtown San Francisco?

Neither the airport nor we publish a typical figure, because there isn’t an official one: taxis are metered to every destination (with a $6.00 airport exit surcharge built into SFO pickups), and rideshare prices surge. The published fixed prices at SFO are BART (fare from its online calculator, 30 minutes to Powell Street) and the Marin Airporter’s $31 flat fare to Marin.

What rental car companies are at SFO?

Nine counters in the Rental Car Center, reached by the AirTrain Blue Line: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Sixt and Thrifty, plus Fox off-airport with a shuttle from the center. Avis, Budget and Hertz are staffed 24 hours.

Sources

All sources read in November 2026.

• SFO parking rates, garages, ParkFAST, cell phone lot, EV charging, Remote Bag Check: https://www.flysfo.com/passengers/parking, https://www.flysfo.com/to-from/parking/international-hourly, http://www.flysfo.com/passengers/parking/long-term, http://www.flysfo.com/passengers/parking/plugin-electric-car
• Park SFO rates and shuttle: https://www.parksfo.com/
• Anza Parking shuttle and coupon: http://www.anzaparking.com/ and https://www.anzaparking.com/print-coupon/
• Burlingame Airport Parking shuttle hours: http://www.parkbap.com/
• Park ‘N Fly / The Parking Spot SFO: https://www.theparkingspot.com/locations/san-francisco
• Grand Hyatt at SFO (on-airport, AirTrain station, valet rates, pet policy): https://www.grandhyattatsfo.com/ and /policies on the same property path; fact sheet: https://assets.hyatt.com/content/dam/hyatt/hyattdam/documents/2019/09/13/1508/Grand-Hyatt-at-SFO-Fact-Sheet-English.pdf
• AirTrain 24-hour service, Red and Blue Lines: https://www.flysfo.com/ko/node/15669 and SFO’s published airport guide PDF
• Aloft and Westin shuttle schedules, parking, pets, 24-hour desk: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sfoal-aloft-san-francisco-airport/overview/ and https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sfowi-the-westin-san-francisco-airport/overview/
• SF Airport Marriott Waterfront shuttle, parking, pets: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sfobg-san-francisco-airport-marriott-waterfront/overview/
• Hilton Bayfront and Hampton Burlingame-Airport South (shuttle hours, parking, pets): https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/sfoaphf-hilton-san-francisco-airport-bayfront/hotel-info/ and https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/sfohshx-hampton-suites-san-francisco-burlingame-airport-south/hotel-info/
• Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport and its Park, Stay ‘n’ Fly package: https://sanfranciscoairport.regency.hyatt.com and its offers page
• Crowne Plaza SFO shuttle schedule, parking, pets, 24-hour business center with printing: https://ihg.com/crowneplaza/hotels/us/en/burlingame/urlca/hoteldetail/amenities
• Holiday Inn Express SF-Airport South shuttle hours, parking, Park & Fly note, business centre: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/burlingame/urlbh/hoteldetail/amenities
• La Quinta SFO Airport North shuttle and package listing: https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/laquinta/s-san-francisco-california/la-quinta-san-francisco-airport-north/overview and https://parksleepfly.com/hotel-la-quinta-inn-san-francisco-airport-sfo
• The Dylan Hotel at SFO, transportation credit: http://www.dylansfo.com/

• Lounges, airport directory and airline pages: https://www.flysfo.com/passengers/shop-dine-relax (lounge directory) and the per-airline pages on flysfo.com; The Club SFO: https://theclubairportlounges.com/lounges/sfo-the-club-terminal-1
• Priority Pass SFO lounges, restrictions and restaurant credits: https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/united-states-of-america/san-francisco-international and its per-lounge pages
• Centurion Lounge location and access: https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/travel/lounges/the-platinum-card/SFO/ and https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/travel/lounges/centurion-network/
• United Club and Polaris locations and access: https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/airport/united-club-and-lounges/locations.html
• Admirals Club access and $79 one-day pass: https://www.aa.com/web/i18n/travel-info/clubs/admirals-club-membership.html; SFO location: https://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2026/Touch-down-in-San-Francisco-American-Airlines-welcomes-football-fans-at-SFO-MKG-LNGE-02/default.aspx
• Alaska Lounge hours, membership, First Class and $40 pass rules: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/airport-lounge/location-and-hours and https://www.alaskaair.com/content/airport-lounge/policies-and-rules
• Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse access: https://www.virginatlantic.com/en-US/experience/upper-class/clubhouse-airport-lounges
• Capital One lounge list (no SFO): https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/more-than-money/capital-one-lounges-arriving-in-airports/
• Chase Sapphire Lounge list (no SFO): https://www.chase.com/sapphire-cards/lounges
• Delta Sky Club at SFO: https://news.delta.com/delta-gears-big-game-new-travel-options-las-vegas
• Freshen Up! showers and nap room prices: https://www.airporttravelagency.org/freshen-up/; location per https://www.flysfo.com/cn/passengers/shop-dine-relax/freshen
• Pet relief, nursing, yoga rooms, luggage storage: flysfo.com services pages, including https://www.FLYSFO.com/fr/node/10038 (pet relief) and https://www.flysfo.com/passengers/services/airport-travel-agency-0 (storage)
• Rental Car Center, company counters, phones and hours, Fox: https://www.flysfo.com/passengers/ground-transportation/rental-cars
• Golden Gate Bridge toll rates and renter billing: https://www.goldengate.org/golden-gate-bridge-toll-rates-increase-july-1-2026/ and https://www.goldengate.org/faq/
• BART airport service, first trains, 30-minute downtown ride, fare calculator policy: https://www.bart.gov/guide/airport/inbound_sfo, https://www.bart.gov/schedules, https://www.bart.gov/tickets
• SamTrans 292, ECR Owl and 397, Caltrain via Millbrae, airporters: https://www.flysfo.com/passengers/ground-transportation/public-transit and https://www.samtrans.com/schedulesmaps
• Marin Airporter $31 fare and schedule: https://marinairporter.com/faqs/
• Taxis (metered, $6 surcharge, zones), rideshare and Wingz pickup zones: https://www.flysfo.com/passengers/ground-transportation/taxis and https://www.flysfo.com/passengers/ground-transportation/lyft-uber-rides
• Hotel shuttle pickup zones: https://www.flysfo.com/zh-hant/node/15055
• Wingz model and contact: https://www.wingz.me/about/
• Blacklane SFO service: https://www.blacklane.com/en/countries/us/san-francisco/car-service/
• GO Airport Shuttle shared ride at SFO: https://gowithus.com/airports/san-francisco-international-airport-sfo/

Related reading

Seattle (SEA) airport hotels with shuttles and real prices

Restaurants at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

San Francisco International has one of the best airport dining scenes in the country, with 183 places to eat, drink, and shop, and the lineup is almost entirely local. Burlingame, about 10 minutes away, adds historic restaurants and a brand-new French-California opening.

In the terminal

Every terminal has full-service restaurants and quick options. Terminal 3’s west end has been under construction since November 2025, with work running to about 2027, but F-gate access and dining are unaffected.

• Lark Creek Grill. Terminal 2, near Gate D1, sit-down. California cuisine from the Lark Creek restaurant group, a calm full-service meal before a flight.
• Gott’s Roadside. International Terminal A, sit-down. Napa-born burger spot with ahi poke tacos, fries, and shakes.
• Boudin Bakery. International Terminal A. San Francisco sourdough, clam chowder bread bowls, and bakery goods.
• 1300 on Fillmore. International Terminal G, near Gate G11, sit-down. Soul food from the Fillmore District, fried chicken, gumbo, and Southern sides. Open daily 7 AM to 11 PM.
• Mustards Bar & Grill. International Terminal G, near Gate G3, sit-down. The Napa Valley classic, grilled meats, salads, and local wines.
• Mama Go’s Filipino Cuisine. Terminal 1, near Gate B18. Filipino cooking, adobo, lumpia, and pancit. Open daily 3:30 AM to 11:30 PM, one of the earliest kitchens in the airport.
• Starbird. Terminal 1, near Gate B13. Crispy chicken sandwiches and tenders from a Bay Area chain. Open daily 4 AM to 11 PM.
• Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. Terminal 1, SF Eats Food Hall. Neapolitan pizza from the North Beach legend, Tony Gemignani. Open daily 6 AM to 11 PM.
• Cat Cora’s Kitchen. Terminal 2, sit-down. Mediterranean cooking from the Iron Chef, small plates and a full bar.
• Napa Farms Market. Terminal 2, plus International Terminal G and Terminal 1. Bay Area foods to eat on the spot or take home, sandwiches, cheese, and local snacks. The Terminal 2 location is open 4:30 AM to 11 PM.
• Tomokazu. International Terminal G, near Gate G7. Sushi and sashimi, the best raw fish in the airport. Open daily 8 AM to midnight.

For coffee: Ritual Coffee and Equator Coffees in Terminal 1, and Modern Bay Brew in International Terminal A near Gate A4, open 5 AM to midnight. For a late drink, Valencia Street Station in International Terminal A keeps its bar open to midnight.

Near the airport

• Quail + Crane. Grand Hyatt at SFO, 55 S McDonnell Rd, on airport property, reached by AirTrain. Contemporary Asian cooking with Northern California influences, runway views from the third-floor dining room, miso black cod, house smoked ahi tuna poke, and grass-fed ribeye. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.
• The Old Post Office. 222 Park Rd, Burlingame, about 10 minutes. French-influenced California cuisine in a restored 1941 post office, a landmark building moved on steel beams during renovation. Opened October 1, 2026. Three-course prix-fixe dinners, a la carte at the Postmaster’s Bar, and weekend brunch.

  

• Cafe Figaro. 1318 Broadway, Burlingame, about 10 minutes. Wine-focused Italian, family-run since 1989, with a 23-page wine list and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Rigatoni alla vodka, lasagna alla Figaro, and linguine cioppino. Lunch Tuesday to Friday, dinner Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays.

  

• Rocca Ristorante. 1205 Broadway, Burlingame, about 10 minutes. Northern Italian with California influences, house-made pastas, signature Osso Bucco, and fettuccine alla Rocca, served under copper and bronze ceilings with a Venetian-style balcony. Open seven days, lunch Monday to Saturday, dinner nightly from 4:30 PM.

  

• Kincaid’s Fish, Chop & Steakhouse. 60 Bay View Pl, Burlingame, about 10 minutes. Waterfront steakhouse with bay views and planes landing at SFO overhead, serving prime rib, crab and shrimp fettuccine, and seafood towers since 1986. Open daily 3 to 9 PM, happy hour Monday to Thursday 3 to 5:30 PM. Prime rib from $49.50.
• Royal Feast. Millbrae, about 10 minutes. Modern Chinese restaurant and community cornerstone, Peking duck three ways, beef noodle soup, and Mongolian beef.

Shopping at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

SFO’s shopping runs from duty-free luxury in the International Terminal to Bay Area food gifts in every terminal. Burlingame Avenue, about 10 minutes away, is the closest walkable shopping street.

In the terminal

• DFS Duty Free Galleria. International Terminal A and G. Duty-free liquor, perfume, cosmetics, and confectionery.
• Luxury row. International Terminal. Gucci, Hermes, Burberry, Coach, and Saint Laurent, plus APM Monaco and Swarovski in Terminal A. Jo Malone and Tom Ford sit in Terminal 3.
• SFMOMA Museum Store. International Terminal Main Hall, pre-security. Art books, prints, and design gifts from San Francisco’s modern art museum. Open daily 9 AM to 6 PM.
• Ghirardelli and See’s Candies. Terminal 3, post-security. Two San Francisco chocolate institutions, Ghirardelli near Gate 80 and See’s near Gates 68 and 82.
• Napa Farms Market. Terminal 2, plus International Terminal G and Terminal 1. Bay Area food gifts, cheese, chocolate, and local pantry goods.
• Compass Books, Green Apple Books, and Books Inc.. Terminals 3, 1, and 2. Three independent-leaning bookshops, a book for every flight.
• San Franpsycho. Terminal 1. Local San Francisco apparel and gifts.
• iStore and InMotion. Terminals 1, 2, 3, and International Terminal G. Apple gear, headphones, and travel tech.

Also in the terminals: the Exploratorium gift shop (Terminal 3), DepARTures museum store (Terminal 1), and The Chocolate Market (Terminals 2 and 3 and International Terminal G).

Near the airport

• Burlingame Avenue. Downtown Burlingame, about 10 minutes. A walkable shopping street with boutiques, an Apple store, and cafes. Metered street parking and a garage on Highland Avenue.
• Hillsdale Shopping Center. 60 31st Ave, San Mateo, about 10 to 15 minutes south on US-101. A 120-store mall with Nordstrom and Macy’s, Apple, lululemon, a LEGO Store, and Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas. Free parking in five garages, Caltrain Hillsdale station next door. Open Monday to Saturday 10 AM to 9 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 7 PM.
• The Shops at Tanforan. 1150 El Camino Real, San Bruno, about 5 minutes. Be honest about this one: the mall is in decline, JCPenney and Barnes & Noble have closed, and most inline stores are gone. Target and Century Theatres remain, with Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Bath & Body Works still operating. Worth it for Target or a movie, not for a shopping trip.
• Downtown San Mateo, B Street. About 15 minutes. Pedestrian-friendly shops and restaurants along B Street and Third Avenue.

Sources: SFO official Shop, Dine, Relax directory (183 listings); Infatuation SFO guide, updated November 10, 2026; official restaurant and mall websites. Checked November 2026.

Sleep Score: 6.4/10, Tolerable

Can you sleep in the terminal at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)? Our Sleep Score rates the airport for overnighting, using six published factors. SFO scores 6.4 out of 10.

Factor	Score
Seating	8/10
Noise	5/10
24-hour areas	8/10
Quiet zones	4/10
Security re-entry	5/10
Overnight amenities	7/10

Best spot: International Terminal padded benches, landside and airside. Terminal 1 near Gate B10 has long cushioned benches without armrests.

Watch out: The terminals run cold overnight. Bring warm layers even if you only plan a short nap.

See the full rubric, the factor breakdowns for all 16 airports, and every source at Airport Sleep Scores. Scores researched November 2026.

San Francisco (SFO) Layover Plans: 3 Hours, 6 Hours, and Overnight

San Francisco International Airport sits about 13 miles south of the city, and BART runs from a station in the terminal complex to downtown in about 30 minutes. That is fast enough for a long layover, but the AirTrain transfer plus security makes a 3-hour trip too thin.

Every plan below uses the same planning allowances. Allow 15 to 30 minutes to deplane and reach transit or the terminal exit. Allow 60 minutes to clear security and reach your gate before a domestic departure, and 90 minutes before an international departure. These are planning allowances, not airport guarantees. If you have checked bags to collect and recheck, add at least 30 minutes each way and treat every plan below as one step tighter.

Plan	Verdict	Time in the city
3-hour layover	Stay in the airport	None, the margin is too thin for 3 hours
6-hour layover	Leave, for downtown San Francisco	About 3 hours downtown
Overnight layover	Stay near the airport	Full evening and night

The 3-hour layover: stay airside, the BART trip leaves no margin

Verdict: do not leave the airport. BART takes about 30 minutes each way to downtown, so the round trip is an hour. But from a domestic terminal you first take the free AirTrain to the Garage G/BART Station, and trains run every 15 to 20 minutes, so waiting and transfers eat into the layover. Add deplaning and security, and a 3-hour layover leaves 30 to 40 minutes downtown at best, with no margin for a missed train.

Stay airside instead. SFO has four terminals connected by the AirTrain and by walkways airside in parts, so there is plenty of terminal to walk. Eat a real meal and rest at your gate.

If your layover stretches past 4 hours, the math changes and the 6-hour plan below starts to apply.

The 6-hour layover: downtown San Francisco by BART

Verdict: leave, for downtown San Francisco. The BART round trip is about an hour. After deplaning, the AirTrain to the BART station, and the security buffer, a 6-hour layover leaves about 3 hours downtown.

Take the free AirTrain to the Garage G/BART Station, or walk if you are in the International Terminal, then ride a Yellow Line or Red Line train to Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell Street, or Civic Center. Walk to the Ferry Building and the Embarcadero waterfront, or to Union Square from Powell Street, and eat lunch downtown.

BART does not run overnight. The first train from SFO leaves at 5 a.m. on weekdays, 5:48 a.m. on Saturday, and 7:48 a.m. on Sunday, and the last trains run around midnight. Be back on an airport-bound train with at least two hours left before departure.

The overnight layover: sleep near the airport, not downtown

Verdict: stay near the airport. A downtown hotel adds a 30-minute BART ride at each end, and BART stops around midnight, so a late arrival or early departure needs a taxi or rideshare instead.

Our SFO airport hotels guide covers the hotels near San Francisco International, with shuttle details and prices checked in November 2026.

If your overnight gap is long and you arrive in the afternoon, ride BART downtown for dinner and return to an airport hotel for the night.

Sources

• BART, about 30 minutes to downtown San Francisco, per bart.gov, Project SF (checked against bart.gov October 27, 2026)
• BART, about 30 minutes to Embarcadero, Montgomery, Powell St, and Civic Center, Info for SF (accessed November 12, 2026)
• BART, 28 to 40 minutes to downtown, Tripuck (accessed November 12, 2026)

Transport times were checked in November 2026 against the sources above. Schedules and fares change, so confirm the current timetable with the transit operator before you travel.

Airport Accommodation, cheapest month data

Cheapest months to stay near San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Airport area rates

Cheapest: December at $115 a night.

Priciest: September at $152 a night.

Yearly average: $133 a night.

Staying in December instead of September saves about $37 a night.

San Francisco airport hotel rates move in a narrow band. December is cheapest at $115 a night, and September is priciest at $152. November and December are the value months, both at $120 or less.

Average nightly rate by check-in month.

Month	Avg. nightly rate	Relative rate
January	$132
February	$125
March	$131
April	$129
May	$132
June	$139
July	$137
August	$140
September Priciest	$152
October	$147
November	$120
December Cheapest	$115

What other sources say

• Engine 50-market study, San Francisco citywide (Retrieved 2026-11-12, data May 2024 to April 2026). December cheapest at $129 a night.

Source

Priceline, hotels near San Francisco International Airport. Retrieved 2026-11-12.

Average nightly rate actually paid by Priceline customers, grouped by check-in month, fitted to the rates in the page's current search.

Rates are averages, not quotes. Your dates, hotel class, and how far ahead you book all change the price you pay. Figures are in US dollars per night.

Part of the San Francisco airport hotels guide on airport-accommodation.com.