Daly City, CA Road Trips

Daly City is San Francisco's immediate neighbor to the south. It is known as the "Gateway to the Peninsula". This is possibly confusing to outsiders, but in local parlance, San Francisco is not "on the peninsula." The Peninsula instead refers to everything south of San Francisco, north of where the Bay runs out. While this way of using the term should make the Peninsula an isthmus, this technicality has been lost on the local dialect. Daly City has a mild climate, with wet, mild winters and dry summers. In most months, you can expect the maximum temperature to be in the 50s, 60s, or 70s degrees Fahrenheit (between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius). Evenings are usually in the 50s or 60s. Be prepared for cool humid weather, even in the summer (except September) when persistent fog often envelops the city. When it's not foggy, however, Daly City has a tendency to feel quite exposed, with low buildings, little shade, and long walking distances. Daly City has quite varied ethnic composition, with a proportionately large Asian population, and an especially large Filipino community. Westlake, Broadmoor, St. Francis, Serramonte, Original Daly City, Hillside, Crocker, Southern Hills, Bayshore

1 Mussel Rock Park. Daily 6AM-7PM. Look for parking lot at junction of Skyline and Westline Drives. A hilly expanse fronting the ocean where you can hike, seek out a beach, see whales, and take in a sense of nature in the midst of this densely packed city. Watch out for loose dogs though. Free.

Hiking on San Bruno Mountain 1 Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave. Indoor arena and events center built in 1941. Its biggest event is the Grand National Rodeo. It also hosts some concerts and other events. (updated Aug 2025)

Daly City has some of the best Filipino food in the United States. Almost every restaurant that serves Filipino food will be excellent. However, remember that many of the cheaper, counter-serve places will often sell out of popular dishes long before closing, with people often coming in to get to-go orders for families back home, so you may want to aim for one of the more sit-down places later in the day, provided you aren't price sensitive.

1 BridgePoint Inn, 3255 Geneva Ave, ☏ +1 415-467-5600. 2 Hampton Inn San Francisco-Daly City, 2700 Junipero Serra Blvd, ☏ +1 650-755-7500. A nice hotel with free breakfast, a gym, a business center, and a game room. (updated Jun 2025)

There are three airports in the San Francisco Bay Area: San Francisco International Airport (SFO IATA) located about 10 mi (16 km) south of the city. Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK IATA) in the East Bay. Mineta San Jose International (SJC IATA) in Silicon Valley, about 1 hour south of San Francisco. Oakland and San Jose tend to offer more discount airline flights, while San Francisco Airport attracts more international flights and can be more convenient for those staying in the city. 1 BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), ☏ +1-415-989-2278. Provides a regional frequent rail service connecting much of the East Bay with Daly City, San Francisco and the San Francisco Airport through the Transbay Tube, a tunnel underneath San Francisco Bay. BART operates five routes, of which four reach Daly City. BART also meets Caltrain at Millbrae. Bicycles are allowed on BART except between stations designated in the schedule brochure during commute hours. Fares vary depending with distance traveled, with payment either with a Clipper card or contactless/mobile payment. San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), ☏ +1-800-660-4287. The administrative body for the principal public transit and transportation programs in San Mateo County: SamTrans bus service, including Redi-Wheels paratransit service, Caltrain commuter rail and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. Caltrain and the TA have contracted with the District to serve as their managing agency, under the direction of their appointed boards. Two major freeways serving Daly City are U.S.

In general, a car is your best bet unless you're going to the movie theater next to the BART station. Waymo's self-driving taxi service has expanded to Daly City from San Francisco.