I grew up in San Francisco, and I come home every year for at least a month. When I do, these are the things I include in my trip to San Francisco, and where I take my out-of-town visitors. Let’s plan your best trip to San Francisco!
I know the hardest part is figuring out how to fit in all of these exciting ideas, so I’ve also created 3 day, 5 day, and 8 day itineraries just for you- with a bonus day in the 5 and 8 day itineraries in case you have more time! The 3 day includes all the must-see spots in San Francisco, while the 8 day itinerary takes you throughout Northern California and includes all of my top 17 highlights!
Skip to…
When to go on your trip to San Francisco
Okay, first you need to decide when to book your trip. WARNING: July and August are definitely NOT what you’re imagining when you think of California or summer. They are the foggiest, coldest summers you will ever experience! Of course, most of the northern hemisphere is uncomfortably hot then, so it’s a great place to escape heat waves. Just please please please bring warm clothes. You will have days when it is in the 50s (10°C), windy, and foggy. Great weather for walking around all day- if you’re prepared!
In July/August, if you have a clear day, that is when you need to head out immediately to see the Golden Gate Bridge- walk Lands’ End, Crissy Field, or take the ferry to Angel Island or Alcatraz!
So if you’re prepared with the right clothes, then you can enjoy San Francisco all year round. Here’s what to expect:
- Different seasons for planning your trip to San Francisco:
- March/April: Springtime! The cherry blossoms start blooming as early as February, and the rainy season (if it rains this year…it’s been a drought most of the last decade) should end sometime around March/April. You can get a lot of beautiful 70° (20°C) days and bright blue skies.
- September/October: The rains normally don’t start until late October/November, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Blue Angels (Air Force stunt pilots), and hopefully baseball playoffs are all happening in late September/early October, and the fog is gone. With any luck, more blue skies and 70° (20°C) days.
- Summer: Can be foggy and cold, but you won’t have to worry about it being too hot to enjoy sightseeing! Ideal if you’re avoiding extreme heat back home. Just bring a sweater!
- Winter: Could be rainy, but if it’s not, it’s never that cold (50s F/10s C) and bright clear skies. It can be a cheaper, quieter time when everything is still open but less crowded- and warmer than most parts of the Northern Hemisphere! A very mild winter and often with lovely blue skies. Just bring an umbrella and go to museums if it is raining.
Top 17 picks for your trip to San Francisco
Ok, this is my hometown! All of these places I have gone to dozens of times. These are where I always take my out-of-town visitors:
- Walk around Crissy Field – It’s a walk with perfect views of the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown. You can also walk along the Tunnel Tops with an excellent children’s playground and more views of the bridge. I’d go straight here if it’s not too foggy or windy! You can rent bikes from Blazing Saddles or the Sports Basement around here and bike across the Golden Gate Bridge and around Marin from here for some beautiful views (with serious hills…either electric or if you’re quite fit!).
- Walk around Land’s End – Another lovely walk, this time on the Pacific Ocean side, with beautiful ocean and Golden Gate Bridge views. This is another one that depends on the weather, as the ocean side is the most foggy and windy part of the city.
- Go to Nightlife at the Academy of Sciences (Thursday nights)- the cheapest way to see this wonderful museum’s live animals, rainforests, kelp forests, and coral reefs, just for 18+. Of course if you’re with children, go during the day, it’s wonderful then as well.
- Do science experiments at After Dark at the Exploratorium (Thursday nights)- the cheapest way to see this interactive science museum, just for 18+. If you have children, going during the day will keep them happily engaged for hours. Both of these museums are excellent rainy or foggy/windy activities!
- Walk or bike around Golden Gate Park: There are SO many fun things to do in this enormous park! You can rent a boat and paddle around Stow Lake, walk to the top of Strawberry Hill, wander around the flowers of the botanical gardens, Conservatory of Flowers, or Japanese Tea Garden, go to the Academy of Sciences for animals or the de Young museum for art, rent bikes and bike all over, bike to the Dutch windmill by the ocean (pictured below), take an art class, play tennis or pickleball, and so much more! There are even bison you can see in one of the giant meadows!
- Walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge -Of course if you plan a trip to San Francisco, you need to walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Just do yourself a favor and dress very warmly, as it is almost always windy and often foggy because it is the narrowest point between Marin and San Francisco, which creates quite a wind tunnel. It’s also the official break between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay.
- San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market: On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and most especially Saturdays, this is the top quality farmer’s market in San Francisco. It has an enormous amount of samples, food stalls and restaurants, as well as produce for sale. It’s not the cheapest farmer’s market, but for a delicious San Franciscan meal, I’d walk leisurely around here and try everything! When it was built, it was the tallest building in San Francisco. It survived the 1906 earthquake, and is a major landmark looking down Market Street. It’s also a working ferry building, so I’d highly recommend taking the ferry to Angel Island on a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday when you can pack a fantastic picnic here first!
- Explore the Mission District: My first stop when I come home is La Taqueria for what the New York Times declared “America’s best burrito” in their burrito bracket. It’s consistently perfect every single time- though they often close for vacations, so it’s worth double-checking their hours on Google Maps before heading out! The Mission is the Latin American neighborhood in San Francisco, and it’s just full of delicious food and colorful murals. You can go on an official mural tour, or wander around and find ones you like on your own. You can pick up freshly handmade tortillas and all the taco fixings at the Mexicatessen La Palma for a fantastic picnic. There’s dozens of excellent Mexican and Central American restaurants, as well as stylish food from the rest of the world, especially on Valencia St.
- Take the ferry to Angel Island: Taking a ferry on the Bay is a lovely thing to do anyway, if you have a clear day. You can get the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge from the water, whether it’s just from the ferry or from Angel Island or Alcatraz. Angel Island is important historically, as it was the Ellis Island for the West Coast. Most immigrants from Asia came through here. It’s a state park now, and there’s a gentle uphill hike up to the top of Angel Island, where picnic tables await. It’s a great day out to pack a picnic at the Ferry Building, take the ferry here, and picnic at the top of the island. You can also camp here. There’s no food for sale, so bring your own!
- Drive to Muir Woods: All of the others on this list you can do with public transportation if you’re staying in San Francisco, but for Muir Woods, you will need to rent a car or go with a group trip. It’s worth it though, as this national park is just a short 30 minute drive from the city, and you’ll see some of the tallest trees in the world! There’s a wheelchair accessible short loop around the biggest attractions that elderly and small children alike can enjoy, and there are dozens of longer hikes all around for all interests and abilities. NOTE: You need to reserve this in advance, as parking requires reservations and group tours will sell out. Once you know your dates, book this first! Normally 2-3 weeks ahead of time is enough. From March to October, there is a shuttle that leaves from Sausalito. So you could take the ferry from the Ferry Building to Sausalito (picking up delicious picnic provisions there first), and then take the shuttle there, and not need a car. Just be careful to time it all correctly using this guide.
- Go to a San Francisco Giants game: If it’s baseball season (April- September), the Giants ballpark is beautiful, with gorgeous views, delicious food, fun, and affordable if you go on a weekday. I’d recommend view reserve infield seats between home plate and first base for the best views of the game + Bay Bridge + cost- you can normally find those tickets for about $20-$30. If you’re able to buy tickets at the stadium itself, you’ll save on huge fees buying online. Weekend and day games are more expensive, so look at all the different options when you’re planning your trip to San Francisco.
- Eat Burmese food: When planning your trip to San Francisco, Burmese food might not have been the first thing that comes to mind. But the neighborhood I grew up in, the inner Richmond, has some of the best Burmese food in the country! If you like Thai, Indian, and Chinese food, you’ll like it- and yet it will also have completely new flavors and combinations. Mandalay and Burma Superstar are the ones who started it all and I’d still highly recommend.
- Walk around North Beach, the Italian neighborhood- see the murals for free at the bottom of Coit Tower and enjoy the city view, and then eat typical Italian and Italian-American food:
- Focaccia at Liguria Bakery
- Cannoli at Stella’s
- Coffee at Caffe Trieste, which started expressos in San Francisco
- Meatball sub at Mario’s
- Gelato at Lush
- Walk around Chinatown, the largest and oldest Chinatown in the U.S. and one of the most significant worldwide. I’d walk on Stockton street for the most authentic experience. You can wander around and end up at Portsmouth Square. For food, I personally haven’t explored enough here as my parents live in little Chinatown- where my favorite dim sum is Good Luck Dim Sum. But the San Francisco Chronicle regularly reviews the best Chinese food in the original Chinatown, and this is what they’d recommend: Best Chinatown Restaurants 2023. I’ll check them out next time I’m back! If you need to do any shopping around Union Square, you can walk from there to Chinatown, and then continue walking around North Beach for a full San Franciscan experience!
- Relax in wine country: You’ll need a car or to do a group tour, but just an hour north of San Francisco, you have world-class wine in Napa and Sonoma. There are countless adorable towns, fantastic restaurants with vineyard views, biking and hiking, and cute little bed-and-breakfasts. My favorite towns are Healdsburg and Sonoma to walk around in, and Forestville and Guerneville for beautiful vineyards, picnic areas, hiking and biking. My husband and I got married in Forestville, and we rented out a whole bed and breakfast called Raford Inn for our families to stay all together. In general, Sonoma has more affordable wineries, tastings, and towns, and Napa is more upscale and large scale. Picking up a fantastic sandwich in Healdsburg, like at the Oakville Grocery and picnicking and wine tasting at a beautiful winery like La Crema is a pretty perfect day out!
- Go find wild animals! If you rent a car, then you can go kayaking at nearby Tomales Bay in Marin, and look for sea otters, seals, seal lions, and bioluminescent algae there as an easy day trip from San Francisco. If you have more time, I’d spend 2-3 nights in Carmel, Carmel Valley, or Monterey. From there, you can go whale watching, kayaking in the Elkhorn Slough, go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and explore the adorable towns of Monterey and Carmel (the companies linked are what I have used myself and enjoyed enormously). I normally book through airbnb or booking.com- and you can always try the hotels’ websites directly to see whether they’ll give you a better rate. With my husband, after driving down from San Francisco on day 1, we went whale watching in the morning and kayaking in the afternoon of day 2, and then spent day 3 at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and exploring Monterey. Day 4 was walking around Carmel before heading back to the city by nightfall. It was his favorite part of his trip to San Francisco because of all the wildlife we got to see! Expect the same weather as you have in San Francisco. I included this in the 8 day itinerary.
- See a show: When you plan your trip to San Francisco, think about booking some world-class entertainment- jazz, musicals, festivals, classical, opera, ballet– it has it all! In the summer, there are free concerts and shows all over, like the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Stern Grove Festival, and many more. You can always find fun and free events year round here. In October, there’s the wonderful free Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, as well as Fleet Week with the Blue Angels.
- See the hills and go on a cable car: Okay, it’s a very touristy thing to do, and you don’t actually have to go on a cable car yourself- but it is really fun and a unique experience to see them. I’d recommend having one very expensive drink or dessert at the Top of the Mark to see the views and that neighborhood of serious hills and gorgeous views, and taking a cable car from there so you don’t have to wait in line to get on. If you try to get on at the start of the cable car line, it’ll be a wait. If it’s Christmas time, the major hotels have enormous gingerbread houses in their lobbies that you can see for free. Enjoy!
Photo credit: Victor
Not sure how to fit all these exciting things to do on your trip to San Francisco? Check out my 3 day itinerary to fit all the San Francisco local highlights in, and use my 5 and 8 day itineraries if you have time to explore the highlights north and south of San Francisco and rent a car.
What to eat on a trip to San Francisco
Okay, if you’re planning a trip to San Francisco, you need to know that food is VERY important here. Eating well is a major thing to do in San Francisco!
Eat really well
San Franciscans care a LOT about food, and we love trying new combinations. We have immigrants from all over the world and fantastic produce- California grows the fruits and vegetables for the rest of the country. So if you have the money and plan ahead, this might be the place to go to some Michelin-starred restaurants. There are plenty to choose from! For more affordable options, here are some of my favorite places:
- Arsicault– some of the best croissants in the country as ranked by the Bon Appétit and Yelp. Personally, I’ve never had better anywhere in the world, including Paris!
- La Taqueria for burritos
- Burma Superstar and Mandalay for Burmese food
- Ferry Building and Off the Grid food trucks for excellent quality variety in one location
- Amber India for Indian weekday and brunch buffet- fantastic quality and variety
- A Mano, the best Italian restaurant I’ve experienced outside of Italy, in the tasty neighborhood called Hayes Valley conveniently a short walk away from the Jazz Center, symphony, opera, and ballet
- Eat excellent bread or have brunch at Tartine
- Make your princess dreams come true and have high tea at Lovejoy’s
Have some fantastic ice cream
In addition to the perfect croissants at Arsicault, the great bread at Tartine, and high tea at Lovejoy’s, you might want to have your trip to San Francisco include some ice cream fun as it’s an affordable way to try a lot of new flavors…and I have a sweet tooth 😉
- Ice Cream Bar for old-school top quality handcrafted sodas and ice cream
- Mitchell’s for unique flavors from around the world, like the wonderful lucuma fruit from Peru and ube from the Philippines
- Humphrey Slocombe if you’re at the Ferry Building and want some unusual fun combinations
- Smitten for fancy nitrogen-frozen ice cream
- Bi-Rite for classic delicious flavors, conveniently right by Dolores Park
- San Francisco Hometown Creamery for more excellent ice cream right by Golden Gate Park and with lovely murals of the different neighborhoods inside
- Toy Boat, if you have children, was my favorite growing up. There are a million toys decorating the place, and a toy horse to ride on. The Double Rainbow ice cream is originally from San Francisco as well
- CREAM– This place makes the best ice cream sandwiches you’ve ever had! You get to choose two freshly baked cookies (can do 2 different flavors) and then your choice of which homemade ice cream flavor in between!
- Kara’s Cupcakes– okay, not ice cream, but the cupcakes are delicious!
Where to stay on your trip to San Francisco
Okay, this is a tricky one for me because I’ve always stayed with family. What I can say honestly is how I plan for other cities: use airbnb and booking.com, look for places with at least 4.8/5 on airbnb and at least 20 reviews, and at least 9.0 on booking.com with at least 50 reviews, and then it’s all about location and price. I set filters for price and ratings so I don’t see what I won’t want to stay at or won’t pay for! For location, this is what I’d recommend:
- If you love nature and being outdoors and want a quiet place to sleep with lots of excellent restaurants within walking distance: the Inner Richmond. You can walk to tons of good food, it’s a quick bike/bus/drive or longer walk to Golden Gate Park, and if you have a car, you can drive in 15 minutes to Marin, with lots of hikes, bike rides, Muir Woods and Tomales Bay. If you want to go downtown, the bus will take about 30 minutes or so (and parking is very expensive). Caveat: this is where I grew up, so of course I think it’s the best!
- If you want to experience hippie San Francisco and also be close to Golden Gate Park, beautiful Victorian houses, and reasonably close to the Mission and downtown: the Haight. I wouldn’t sleep on Haight St. unless you’re a very sound sleeper, but a couple of blocks north would be quiet, beautiful, and a short walk from lots of flower power 😉
- If you want to be right by tons of good restaurants, have more sunshine, and be easily accessible to downtown and the East Bay (Berkeley, Oakland), sleep in the Mission.
- If you don’t mind extremely difficult parking, want sunshine, big hills, and beautiful views, stay in Nob Hill or Russian Hill, and it’ll be a hilly but beautiful walk to lots of food and things to do.
- I would NOT recommend anywhere near Market St., the Tenderloin, or anything south or east of Bernal Heights because they’re not the safest neighborhoods and it would be uncomfortable walking around. I’d also NOT recommend SOMA or Mission Bay for your trip to San Francisco, because they have lots of brand-new buildings, instead of the beautiful old Victorians that San Francisco is so famous for, unless you’re coming for a convention/work and that makes everything walkable for you. I’d use Google Maps to see what any listings you’re looking at look like. Ideally, you’d want beautiful old Victorian buildings, and either not too difficult parking or easy public transit to the places you’re most excited about.
Any other questions? If so, leave a comment and I’ll try to respond as quickly as I can!
Check out my 3 day, 5 day, and 8 day San Francisco itineraries here to put all this information into a ready-to-go plan for yourself!
Photo credit: Erika
