Hills, fog, cable cars, sea lions, Alcatraz. All things synonymous with San Francisco.
The Californian city found its way onto the run sheet for our recent stateside month-long holiday. But, before Jude and I jetted off to America, I naturally spent oodles of hours researching the best things to do in San Francisco. This included harassing some poor girls in New Orleans and having them write their tips on a bar napkin.
The result was a quite comprehensive three-day itinerary:
Where to stay in San Francisco
Choosing where to stay in San Francisco depends on what kind of experience you’re after, with each area having its pros and cons. The Mission District: great for cool cat hipsters who like salted caramel ice cream. Union Square: perfect for those intent on a serious shopping burn. North Beach: ideal for those in-need of pizza, pasta, gelato and all things Italian.
In the end, the husband and I decided to be right tourists and stay in Fisherman’s Wharf. Being close to the water, near the sea lions and the promise of fresh seafood had me sold. We spent three nights at Pier 2620 Hotel Fisherman’s Wharf and would do it again. The four-star hotel is a bit cute with its industrial-nautical theme and compulsory buffet breakfast.
Pier 2620 Hotel is right at home in Fisherman’s Wharf
How to get around in San Francisco
To be honest… I don’t really feel like I hacked traversing San Francisco as a tourist, so you might want to skip this paragraph…
With some seriously steep hills to contend with, you can’t necessarily walk – unless you have an abseil rope. Hiring a bike or electric scooter can be a more palatable option.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Visitor Passport, which gives you unlimited rides on the public transport network, historic streetcars and cable cars, is quite expensive if you don’t intend on riding the cable car 56 times in a day, which we didn’t. A pass will set you back $21pp for one day, $32pp for three days or $42pp for seven days.
Day 1: Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge
Stroll Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is a bustling beehive of street performers, kiddie carnivale, tourist merch shops and people boarding bay cruises. A stroll along the pier-front is definitely not dull.
The absolute best bit though is Pier 39, where a harem of honking sea lions have hung a ‘home’ sign. I honestly could watch them for hours – they’re more entertaining than anything on Netflix. Arf, arf, arf, arf!
WAIT! You can’t leave the Fisherman’s Wharf area without having clam chowder in a bread bowl. Preferably that bowl being some hollowed out sourdough from local hero Boudin Bakery.
It’s pronounced “chowder”
Bike the Golden Gate Bridge
The foreshore is riddled with places to hire a bike – and, if you want to get close to the Golden Gate Bridge, you’d be silly not to. Says, someone who needs to be coaxed onto a bike with the promise of treats. But, it’s undisputedly the best way to drink in the bay and Golden Gate Bridge, with a relatively flat, bike phob-friendly cycling trail all the way from The Embarcadero to Golden Gate Park and then over the bridge.
Don’t forget to slip, slop, slap. I got ridiculously sun fried.
Orange on blue, no fog. We got damn lucky with the weather.
Tick off Coit Tower and Lombard Street
More tourist icons to tick off. Firstly, it’s a squiz at the zig-zaggy Lombard Street. Then a not-for-the-faint-hearted hike up to Coit Tower. Here you can catch your breath in the elevator up to the viewing platform, before it will be snatched away again by some gorgeously panoramic views of the city. Finally, take the leafy Filbert Street Steps for a pretty descent back down to The Embarcadero waterfront.
With San Francisco’s tourist attractions done, it’s time for wine – at nearby wine bar Winery Collective. Or rum, at the not-so-nearby pirate-themed tiki bar Smuggler’s Cove.
Day 2: Alcatraz, Napa Valley or Sausalito
Time for some big decisions to be made. San Francisco is the doorway to a number of different day trips but you can’t do them all – well not if you’ve only got three days in SF. I was tossing up between three options:
1. Alcatraz
Reimagine prison life on a tour to this notoriously cold and unforgiving island. There hasn’t been a prisoner here since 1963 but you can learn all about Alcatraz’s notorious history and ill-fated prison escapes with an audio guide. You need to book your ferry trip well in advance for this one, and wear warm clothes. Finish the day with a sunset cruise of the San Francisco bay with Red and White Fleet.
2. Napa Valley and Sonoma wine tour
Of course, this is what I did, the wine hussy that I am. Why not when San Francisco is only an hour south of Napa Valley and Sonoma – an area home to near-800 wineries. I’ve transcribed our Napa Valley winery crawl here.
3. Muir Woods and Sausalito
If we had a fourth day in San Francisco, this is definitely how we would have spent it. An amble through towering redwood trees along the forest trails of Muir Woods National Monument, before stopping for lunch in the colourful seaside village of Sausalito. If you’re wondering how the heck you’d transport yourself here and back (as I did), Expedia has a tour.
All the colours over Sausalito
Day 3: Downtown, SoMa, Mission District and Chinatown
Explore the Ferry Building marketplace
A visit to this epicurean emporium in the city’s baby-blue old clock tower building will most certainly leave you well-fed. My advice: don’t eat breakfast beforehand. Pork bun sliders, almond croissants, oysters and bubbly at 11am – heck why not. There’s also a tri-weekly farmers market – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Visit the Mission District
A visit to the eclectic, hipster, oddly-sunny Mission District involves admiring street art in Clarion Alley, getting some sun in Dolores Park, scouring bookstores and eating some kind of Mexican food. The nightlife in this neighbourhood is also the shiz. My napkin-penning friends recommend the two-story bar/club Elbo Room.
Everything else!
Get ready to cram in everything left on the list.
- Shopping in Union Square – home to the big name brands and the epicentre of San Francisco shopping.
- Ride a cable car – public transport doesn’t get more poetic than jumping aboard the Powell-Mason or Powell-Hyde cable car.
- A visit to Chinatown – walk through the Dragon Gate and you’ll find the world’s largest chinatown outside of China, as well as some bloody good dim sum.
Next American city on the US tour: Los Angeles.
