I'm going for a wedding in San Francisco this weekend and have never been (I've never been to California ever!) We are turning it into a 5 day vacation. What have you done and enjoyed? What have you done and thought - its not worth it or the money? Did you do a tourbus or anything? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
I was there a few days only, and I know very little about SF. But I recommend going to Haight-Asbury St. (think I spelled that right) and also Pier 39. The Crab House has amazing food and the best beer I've had in the continental US.
You also have to see postcard row and take a pic there.
Now maybe the locals can offer some non-hokey stuff.
Writing: a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.
If you like wine you really should try to take a day trip to either Sonoma or Napa valley. There's nothing like it.
We took the tour of Alcatraz and to be honest, I was bored in 5 minutes.
Take the Ferry over to Saulsilito, it's beautiful. They have cute little shops and restuarants.
You can rent bicycles and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. We didn't do it but I kind of wish we had.
You've got to take at least one trolley ride.
If you like shopping, there's lots of shopping to do in Union Sq.
Fisherman's Wharf is touristy but I had fun there. I wouldn't spend all day there but it was fun to walk around there for a few hours. There are sea lions and seals that hang out right off the piers.
Whenever we had out of town guests, my dad would do the non-touristy stuff...he'd ignore Lombard and do the OTHER crooked street (I forget the name of it now). We'd take them to Sausalito (other side of GG bridge). The area around Ocean Beach is nice...Golden Gate Park, Cliff House..another restaurant I can't think of its name...Sutro Baths...Chrissy Field is pretty...Chinatown has great dim sum but can get too crowded for my taste...North Beach has great Italian food (there's a wonderful truffle place somewhere around there) cable cars...the only floating National Park (Hyde Street Pier..near Fisherman's Wharf)...SBC Park...Embarcadero...Ferry Building (can take a Ferry to Sausalito, have lunch and take it back...)
I've given my parents tours given by Grace Ann Walden (found her online...they go for the food). They've done the North Beach and the Nob Hill tours and enjoyed them both..there's also a tour of the Murals in the Mission District..I wish I remembered the name, I went for a field trip class a few years ago..it was interesting (and one of my friends worked on one of the murals..and her hands are painted in it).
It's been awhile since I've been to the city for anything other than errands...maybe I need to do some exploring again.
We were out there for my brother's wedding in May and some of things we really enjoyed were:
- Muir Woods...big redwoods
- Walking across the GG Bridge (it's not very far, maybe a mile?)
- Taking the Trolley ride from the wharf area all the way to Union Square...and then shopping before taking the trolley back. (the ride is about 45 min round trip)
- Fisherman's wharf, definitely get some chowder in a bread bowl
- Sausilito
- Sonoma (the winery in my Avator is from Sonoma)
DH and I were in San Fran is May and had such a great time. I'm kind of a large chocolate fan, so we went to the Scharffenberger Chocolate factory, which was a lot of fun and we got some free chocolate.
I actually enjoyed Alcatraz, but we did the night tour, which is a bit more expensive, but it includes some other stuff and you get to see an amazing sunset.
I was coming here to post the same thing...I have lots of SF questions. We are thinking about going there for a few days in Oct or Nov..how's the weather there then?
And what area should we stay in? I saw a lot of cute hotels online around the Union Square area. Is it a good idea to rent a car or can we get by just using taxis and the trolley?? Also any recs for a day trip to the wine country? Are there tours that will take you out there??
Pretty much ditto on everything Vegas said. I live just south of SF, but I do work in the city.
As for the weather in Oct/Nov. Its warmer in Oct than November. By Nov there could be some rain. Definitely fog though. Union Sq would probably stay somewhat sunny into the afternoon but after that definitely fog. Probably in the 60's. Cooler as you get towards the water as well.
If you are going to stay within the city, then you can definitely just take the taxis everywhere. There are tours to both Napa and Sonoma as well. Some people prefer to drive, its just preference. There are plenty of hotels near Union Sq. I would stay around there, since that is where all the shopping, and a lot of restaurants are. Hope this helps!
If it's in your budget, I highly recommend the Westin St. Francis in Union Square - but be sure to ask for or specify a room in the older part. My husband and I stayed there for our anniversary right after moving to the area, and it is really great. Great location & the hotel itself is beautiful.
When we stayed, we had friends drop us off and we walked most everywhere. We walked from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf (but it's quite a ways) and hit Chinatown and North Beach along the way. It isn't for everyone, but my husband loves to walk, so that's what we did. We did take a taxi back one day b/c we purchased a lot of stuff, but mostly we walked. There is also a trolly that goes straight between Fisherman's Wharf & Union Square, with stops along the way. I did it once w/ my ILs when they visited from out of town, and it's a fun "touristy" thing to do.
One thing to be aware of is if you are flying in to SF airport, it is not IN the city, and it's ~$50 taxi ride to downtown (Union Square area). You may want to pre-arrange some kind of shuttle service if you want to save yourself some money. We took a taxi home (we live near the airport) and it cost us ~$65, just FYI.
Weather is always hit or miss - pack lots of layers!
Sausalito is great if you like cute, coastal towns. If you're interested in getting dinner over there, Scoma's has EXCELLENT Italian food and is right on the water so you can look out onto SF at sunset.
Sonoma/Napa is not to be missed. Really, I see no point in coming all the way to the area and not going to wine country. I prefer Sonoma, but Napa is probably easier to arrange a tour of.
Avoid the "tour/vacation" booths at Fisherman's Wharf as they are for timeshare sales (I know, I used to work for one). No matter how great the deal, you don't want to spend 3 hours of your short vacation being pressured to buy a vacation deal that sounds too good to be true (they'll tell you it's 90 minutes, and yes, it is too good to be true).
Definitely check out shopping on Union Square. A lot of people like to get lunch/dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and sit outside overlooking Union Square. The wait can be atrocious though so I would recommend skipping that.
Definitely check out North Beach. Some good restaurants are Cafe Bocce and Caffe Sport. There are a ton of other great places too.
Ride a cable car (be prepared to wait in line though).
Check out Beach Blanket Babylon in North Beach. It's a great satirical song/dance review of things that are going on in the news.
Check out the sunset from Ocean Beach.
Go on a walk through Golden Gate Park. There are live buffalo living there.
Check out the Palace of the Legion of Honor out in the Richmond. It's a gorgeous museum with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Get burritos in the Mission. I recommend Taqueria Cancun or La Taqueria. I prefer Taqueria Cancun, but many people will say that La Taqueria has the best burritos in SF. I've found it to be hit and miss.
Get Dim Sum at Yank Sing in the Financial District. It's the best dim sum I've had ever.
Head to the top of Twin Peaks for a view of the entire city. Bring a jacket though because it gets windy up there (we had to leave 4th of July fireworks one year because it was too cold to stay).
Definitely pack layers to wear out. You'll be warm one minute and freezing the next depending on what part of town you're in.
Check out the different neighborhoods, including Haight Ashbury (listen for the skinny boys to walk by and offer you "green herb"), Union Street, the Marina, the Mission, Noe Valley, and Pacific Heights.
Walk around upper Pac Heights to see some of the most amazing mansions in the city. Danielle Steele's home takes up one whole block.
If I was going to the City to stay, I'd try to book at room at the Westin St. Francis on Union Square or the Fairmont on Nob Hill. If price is a factor, check out the Joie de Vivre group. They have a number of great little boutique hotels throughout the city that come highly recommended from friends/family who have stayed there.
I'm sure there are a ton of other things, but I'm really blanking right now.
What to do in San Francisco?
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