San Francisco’s Downtown and Civic Center area is served by Muni rail, buses, cable cars and BART, so you can choose between local journeys and trips across the city. For a cable car ride, check which line serves your route and how its one-way ticket rules work before setting off.
- Nearby rail: Civic Center station is about a 5-minute walk from Bay Hotel; Powell Street station is about a 7-minute walk from the hotel.
- Cable cars: California, Powell / Hyde and Powell / Mason serve Downtown / Civic Center.
- Fares: SFMTA gives an adult cable car single-ride fare of $9.00; Muni single rides and day passes have separate fare rules.
Find nearby rail and bus stops
Civic Center/UN Plaza connects BART with Muni and Golden Gate Transit. Civic Center station is at United Nations Plaza and Market Street, and the station has no parking.
The F Market & Wharves, J Church, K Ingleside, L Taraval, M Ocean View, N Judah and T Third Street are among the Muni services serving Downtown / Civic Center. Routes and connections vary, so match the service to your destination.
If you’re arriving by air before using local transit, the airport routes to the Bay Hotel area cover the airport journey.
Use cable cars for selected journeys
San Francisco cable cars serve selected corridors rather than every cross-city trip. The California, Powell / Hyde and Powell / Mason lines serve Downtown / Civic Center.
The Powell / Hyde line runs from Hyde and Beach via Hyde, Washington and Powell to Market on inbound trips. Outbound, it travels via Powell, Jackson and Hyde to Beach. The line appears as PH on the Official Muni Map, and stop-level arrival predictions are available on its route page.
Powell / Mason schedule stops include Powell St & Market St, Mason St & Jackson St / Cable Car Museum, Jackson St & Mason St / Cable Car Museum, and Taylor St & Bay St. Check the stop and direction before boarding, as the line’s route differs by direction.
Cable car tickets are for one-way trips and cannot be used to transfer between cable car lines. For a different nearby destination, getting to Union Square San Francisco from Civic Center is a separate local trip to plan.
When walking makes sense
Walking can connect you to nearby transit stops without adding a vehicle transfer. From Bay Hotel, Union Square/Market Street station is about a 10-minute walk, while San Francisco city centre is about a 12-minute walk.
For a day that combines several city stops, the one-day San Francisco itinerary starts from the Bay Hotel area.
Plan cross-city trips
For cross-city journeys, use Muni routes or BART according to where you’re going, then check the service and station details for your trip. Civic Center/UN Plaza is served by Muni and Golden Gate Transit as well as BART.
For the Powell / Hyde cable car, the route runs between Hyde and Beach and Market via the streets listed above. Stop-level real-time arrival predictions are available for individual stops on the route page, which can help you check timing before you board.
Check fares, accessibility and service changes
Fares and payment rules differ between cable cars and regular Muni service. Muni single rides cost $2.85 with MuniMobile, Clipper or credit/debit payment, or $3.00 with cash or a Metro Ticket Machine; that fare is good for 120 minutes of travel.
The one-day Muni Day Pass is $5.70, while a one-day Visitor Passport covering Muni, Muni Metro, historic streetcars and cable cars is $15.00.
Cable car single rides cost $9.00 for adults. Seniors, disabled riders and Medicare cardholders pay $4.00 before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m.; children age 4 and under ride free. Youth age 18 and under ride free on regular Muni service, but cable cars are an exception.
At Powell & Market, Bay & Taylor, and Hyde & Beach, cable car fares must be purchased in advance between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. At other non-terminal stops, or outside terminal kiosk hours, you can pay the operator with exact cash.
MuniMobile accepts credit or debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay; Muni fares can also be paid with Clipper, the Clipper app or cash where accepted.
BART provides information about elevator-outage options at Civic Center/UN Plaza, including Clipper card processing at the elevator faregate enclosure on the train platform.
Check the official site before you go for current fares, schedules, accessibility details and service changes; BART publishes alerts and advisories online and shows cancellations through its website, app, station departures, schedules, Trip Planner and station displays.
For a final location check, Civic Center station is about a 5-minute walk from a two-star hotel in San Francisco, while Powell Street station is about a 7-minute walk from the hotel.
FAQs
Which cable car lines serve Downtown and Civic Center?
The California, Powell / Hyde and Powell / Mason cable cars serve Downtown / Civic Center.
Can you transfer between cable car lines with one ticket?
No. Cable car tickets are for one-way trips and cannot be used to transfer between cable car lines.
Does Civic Center/UN Plaza station have parking?
No. Civic Center station has no parking.
How can you check cable car arrivals?
Stop-level real-time arrival predictions are available on the Powell / Hyde route page.