San Francisco's charms sans the expense

You can leave your heart in San Francisco, but you don't have to leave a lot of cash.

Here's a rundown on discounts and free events in the city this summer.

Hotel deals

Room rates have tumbled about 20 percent since last year, says Angela Jackson of the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, and some hotels are offering a third night free (if booked with an American Express credit card) through Sept. 30. See www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/escape

Also check directly with the hotel and ask about AAA, AARP, corporate, military or federal/state government rates.

Some upscale hotels offer substantial discounts for prepaid, nonrefundable bookings, including the San Francisco Hilton with rooms for $99 a night in August. The best unrestricted rate is about $159 a night, www.hilton.com.

But beware of parking fees at the Hilton ($52 a night) and almost all San Francisco hotels.

For an ultra-budget stay, a dorm bed at the San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf Hostel, in a waterfront parklike setting, is about $28 a night.

It includes free breakfast, free parking and free Wi-Fi. www.hihostels.com

Getting there, getting around

Flights: It's often cheaper to fly to Oakland than San Francisco (and both airports have easy access to downtown.) Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines have $99 one-way fares on Seattle-Oakland flights in August.

Public transit: You don't need a rental car. Walking is one of the best ways to explore and public transportation is excellent. It includes BART (light rail, including from the airports, www.bart.gov) and Muni, which runs city buses, trams and cable cars.

A single ride on a cable car is $5; the bus is $2.

A Muni Passport, for one, three or seven days ($11, $18, $24 respectively), can be economical; it gives unlimited rides on cable cars, buses and streetcars, www.sfmuni.org The city's CultureBus connects major museums in downtown and Golden Gate Park. It's $7 a day for unlimited rides (with discounts for seniors, youths and Muni pass-holders). www.sfculturebus.org

Museum exhibits, free days

New exhibits this summer include Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams: Natural Affinities at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (until Sept. 7, www.sfmoma.org). "Lords of the Samurai" at the Asian Art Museum showcases Japanese artifacts (until Sept. 20, www.asianart.org). The blockbuster Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is at the de Young Museum (runs until March, www.famsf.org/deyoung).

Free admission: Avoid the general-admission charges by going on the monthly free day each museum offers. (There still are fees for special exhibits such as the Tutankhamun.)

The first Tuesday of the month is free at the de Young and Museum of Modern Art. The Asian Art Museum is free on the first Sunday, and the Exploratorium interactive science museum is free the first Wednesday of every month (www.exploratorium.org).

The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park has free admission on the third Wednesday — a big savings since adult admission is $24.95 (www.calacademy.org).

CityPass: This discount booklet includes tickets for five sites, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and California Academy of Sciences, plus a seven-day Muni pass.

It cuts roughly 50 percent off standard rates if you go to all the attractions. $59 for adults, $39 for kids, www.citypass.com

Free tours

Free daily walking tours are offered by San Francisco City Guides, volunteers who love the city's sights and history. www.sfcityguides.org/Fort Point National Historic Site, at the base of Golden Gate Bridge, has free admission and guided tours of the 19th-century fort. www.nps.gov/fopo.

The San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park offers free admission and daily walking tours in the lush 55-acre horticultural haven. www.sfbotanicalgarden.org

Free concerts

Summer brings many free musical performances.

The Golden Gate Park Band gives concerts every Sunday at 1 p.m. in Golden Gate Park through Oct. 12 (except for Sept. 13), from classic band music to Schubert. www.goldengateparkband.org.

The Stern Grove Festival brings top performers to an outdoor amphitheater Sunday afternoons The concerts, all free, range from hip-hop to Bollywood and opera. www.sterngrove.org

Or see opera for free at the AT&T ballpark when San Francisco Opera offers a simulcast of Verdi's "Il Trovatore" on Sept. 19. About 27,000 people attended a ballpark simulcast of "Tosca" in June.

Advance registration required: www.sfopera.com (click on calendar).

For dozens of outdoor summertime performances, head to the Yerba Buena Gardens art center.

A family-friendly festival offers short concerts and performances through July, and there are free lunchtime world music/jazz concerts on Thursdays. www.ybgf.org.

At Union Square, Jewels in the Square offers free concerts, from jazz to classical, plus tango and salsa performances/dance lessons most Sundays and Wednesdays through August, www.unionsquarepark.us

Free movies

At the historic Cannery complex of restaurants and shops, movies linked to San Francisco are shown free on Sundays in August.

"Vertigo" is Aug. 2; "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," Aug. 9; "The Rock," Aug. 16; and "The Graduate, " Aug. 23. Seating in the courtyard opens at 7.30 p.m.; www.thecannery.com

Film Night in the Park will screen "Pretty in Pink" at Dolores Park (Aug. 1) and "On the Waterfront" at Union Square (Aug. 22). www.sfneighborhoodtheater.org

Free plays

The San Francisco Theater Festival is a one-day extravaganza July 26 with more than 100 performances on stages around Yerba Buena Gardens and nearby.www.sftheaterfestival.org

Shakespeare in the Park performs "A Comedy of Errors" free at the Presidio on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons from Aug. 29 to Sept. 20. www.sfshakes.org.

The all-female Shakespeare company Woman's Will performs "The Taming of the Shrew" in August in several San Francisco parks, www.womanswill.org.

Kristin Jackson: kjackson@seattletimes.com