Sunrise Homes International
housing for international students in San Rafael & Santa Barbara
sunrise homes internationalSan Rafael
The location
Life at the home
Transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area
The location of the student home is excellent for travel around the San Francisco Bay Area. We operate a free shuttle bus to your school and anywhere in San Rafael. There is a bus stop next to the student home, and the San Rafael Transit Center (the bus terminal with buses to the airport and throughout the Bay Area) is nearby.
Our free shuttle bus service
Our free shuttle bus takes students to and from school as well as anywhere in the area.
ELS Students: it takes only about 5 minutes to get to ELS at Dominican University (the San Francisco North-Bay ELS Language Center). The shuttle bus brings you to school at about 8:00 in the morning, and picks you up at 3:30 and 5:30 in the afternoon. In addition, we offer free "go-anywhere" transportation - just tell the driver where you want to go.
College of Marin Students: it takes about 15 minutes to go to the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus. We may be able to arrange a shuttle bus service to school at 8:45 in the morning, and return trip at about 3:00 in the afternoon upon request. Check when making reservations.
Go-Anywhere Transportation: in the afternoons, we also offer a free shuttle service according to student requests (for example, to local stores, banks and downtown areas). Just tell the driver where you want to go!
Buy or rent a bicycle
Bicycles are ideal for quickly and easily getting to downtown, restaurants and shopping malls. There are many places to rent or buy an inexpensive bicycle.
Public bus transportation
Public bus transportation is excellent in San Rafael and Marin County.
Local bus: buses go very frequently from San Rafael to San Francisco and neighboring cities. There are two bus stops very near the student home: one has express connections directly to San Francisco; the other has frequent local buses throughout the day to the bus terminal (Transit Center) and to the neighborhood of Dominican University. From the Transit Center, you can take one of countless buses to any city in the area. The following buses stop near the student home: 38, 45, 49, 233, 259.
Marin Airporter: the Marin Airporter bus goes between the San Rafael Transit Center and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) every 30 minutes. The price is about $20.
Airport Express: the Airport Express bus goes between the San Rafael Transit Center and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) every hour, and between the San Rafael Transit Center and Oakland International Airport (OAK) every two hours.
Door to Door: the Door to Door shuttle van is a convenient way to get to and from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The Door to Door shuttle will go directly to/from the student home.
Greyhound: the famous Greyhound bus is a cheap way to travel long-distance. The Greyhound bus terminal is located in San Francisco (you can take the express bus from the student home to San Francisco). From here, you can travel throughout the USA.
Taking the ferry
The most beautiful and interesting way of going to San Francisco is by ferry! While riding on the boat, you can enjoy gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and San Francisco. The ride takes about 30 minutes from Larkspur (which can be easily reached by bus).
Traveling by taxi
Taxis are easily found at the bus terminal and in downtown San Rafael. You can also call a taxi to the student home or to any other location. Taxis in the USA are usually very large, so you can share one taxi between four or more friends.
North Bay Taxi: (415) 258-2800
Marin Happy Cab: (415) 457-8294
Buy or rent a car
It seems that almost everybody in the USA has a car, and driving is the most popular form of transportation. It's also easy and not expensive to rent a car. Often, you can get the cheapest price if you make a reservation through an agency in your own country because the price will usually include insurance (which is otherwise an expensive extra). Note that most car rental companies have a minimum age requirement of 21 or 25 years of age.
Riding the train
You can take the train along the California coast or to other destinations within the USA. A train ride is a nice way to see the USA. The train station is located in Richmond (about 20-30 minutes by taxi from the student home).
International airports
The easiest and most popular way of traveling long-distance in the USA is by airplane. There are two international airports nearby. Both can be easily reached by bus, shuttle bus or taxi within one hour.
SFO: the larger of the two international airports is San Francisco International Airport (SFO). You can take the Marin Airporter every 30 minutes, the Airport Express or the Door to Door shuttle to and from SFO (see the bus section for information).
OAK: the second international airport is Oakland International Airport (OAK). You can take the Airport Express every 2 hours to and from OAK (see the bus section for information).