Car rental in San Francisco

Vibrant and cosmopolitan, the city of San Francisco is famed for its cable cars, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. The fourth largest city in California, its surrounding area is great for fly drive holidays.

We recommend you start your car rental adventure with a tour of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, in the heart of the Californian wine-producing region. If Napa is the more commercial of the two areas, then the Sonoma Valley is the more rustic, but both will present the car rental tourist with a range of restaurants and quality hotels. You will also come across many individual growers selling their own wines from picturesque vineyards.

The nearby resort town of Calistoga is also a good car rental destination. Renowned for its mineral springs and mud baths, the town is also home to the world famous geyser, 'Old Faithful' - which spurts boiling water 60 metres into the air every 40 seconds.

Car rental will also take you over the awe-inspiring Golden Gate Bridge into neighbouring Marin County. The first town you reach there will be Sausalito, a relaxed conurbation popular with artists and bohemians. It has plenty of shops, art galleries and boutiques to offer the car rental traveller.

Perhaps the best car rental driving in the San Francisco region, however, is north along the scenic coastal road of Highway 1. Along this picturesque route you can visit the coastal areas of Laguna Point in MacKerricher State Park - great for seal watching - and Salt Point State Park with its unique coastal habitat of Gerstle Cove Marine Reserve. Further on, the Sonoma Coast State Beach of Shell Beach is a fine way to complete your car rental tour.

An alternative car rental itinerary is driving south to the picturesque coastal towns of Monterey and Carmel, or, perhaps to enjoy the breathtaking sight of Lake Tahoe.

Our car rental is Fully Inclusive and your rental price includes all coverage and taxes required for car rental in North America. Or upgrade to Alamo Gold, which includes everything Fully Inclusive car rental does, but you'll also receive a tank of petrol and up to three additional drivers are covered.

• See all our car rentals for San Francisco