Updated November 2023.

The City By The Bay

As a Bay Area native, San Francisco has a special place in my heart. San Francisco (referred to as SF by locals and never "San Fran") boasts a unique setting. With Carl the Fog rolling in each morning (yes, it has a name), hills and cable cars, and diverse neighborhoods, it’s famous for the Golden Gate Bridge, the origin of the Fortune Cookie, Alcatraz, and exquisite Victorian houses.
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Since its first inception by the Spanish missionaries to its popularity after the Gold Rush, San Francisco is ripe with history. Although today it is becoming home to tech and finance bros, SF has served as a progressive place with one of the largest and most prominent LGBTQA+ communities in the United States and prides itself as the first place where legal same-sex marriage ceremonies took place in 2004, which led to one of SF’s nicknames being the Gay Mecca.

Overview

  • 7:00 - 7:30 AM: 16th Avenue Tiled Steps - mosaic stairway
  • 8:00 - 10:45 AM: Golden Gate Park - city green space filled with gardens
  • 11:00 - 11:30 AM: Lombard Street - ​famous crooked road
  • 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Fisherman's Wharf - popular tourist destination by the Bay
  • 1:00 - 2:30 PM: Chinatown - birthplace of the fortune cookie
  • 3:15 - 4:00 PM: Coit Tower - viewpoint
  • 4:30 - 5:15 PM: Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point - bridge viewpoint
  • 5:30 - 6:30 PM: Lands End - park with Golden Gate views
  • 6:30 - Sunset: Ocean Beach - watch the sunset on a NorCal beach​
​Click the star to add the map to your Google Maps!​ To view it, simply open Google Maps, navigate to the Menu, choose “Your Places,” click "Maps", and voila, the map should be added.

Tips

Getting Into the City
Depending on where you're staying, there are multiple ways of entering.
  • ​Oakland, Alameda, Richmond, Vallejo: SF Bay Ferry - a fun way to enter the city
  • Berkeley or Oakland
Getting Around the City
While San Francisco does have the MUNI (San Francisco Municipial Railway) system and BART (Bay Area Rail Transit), getting around the city might be easier with a car, despite the rolling hills. The route provided assumes one has a car with parking stops specified.
  • Cable Cars: The last of its kind used in the United States, SF’s cable car system was created by an English immigrant, Andrew Smith Hallidie who implemented the system to conquer SF’s steep hills back in the late 1800s. While cable cars are more for tourists, it is a fun experience to try. There are three lines that could be utilized:
    • Powell-Hyde Line: North-South route between Market Street and Fisherman’s Wharf (near Ghiradelli Square)
    • Powell-Hyde Line: North-South route between Market Street and Bay Street (close to Lombard Street)
    • California Line: East-West route between Van Ness Avenue and Drumm Street while staying on California Street.
    • Protip: There are long lines at the ends of each stop, so one can board at any of the stops along the way. Unfortunately, they will be crowded, so one will need to hang onto the side of the car, which is still a fun experience.
  • Muni: SF’s bus and streetcar system can take you almost everywhere in the city, and one can buy a ticket on board or at a metro station. While there are timetables, these bus services may not always run on-time and can be crowded. However, this is still some of the best public transit on the West Coast.
  • BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit): A commuter train that services most of the Bay Area, this is the best option to get into the city from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or into some of the neighboring cities like Berkeley or Oakland. Unfortunately, within the city, there are few stops and tickets can be a little pricey with costs based on distance traveled.
  • CalTrain: Another commuter train that runs along the peninsula of the Bay Area. If one wants to visit any of the cities down to San Jose, such as Palo Alto or Mountain View, this would be a great option.
  • Market Street Railway: Historic streetcars to provide a nostalgic and functional transit experience. They operate along Market Street and the Embarcadero.

​WAYMO:
​San Francisco is the second city (after Phoenix) that offers autonomous self-driving robotaxis! These Waymo cars are all-electric Jaguar I-PACE cars, easily identifiable by the spinning cameras and sensors to detect movement.

​One can download the Waymo One app if you’re interested in trying out a ride and pay for distance with prices similar to Uber or Lyft.

1-Day Plan

7:00 - 7:30 AM: 16th Avenue Tiled Steps (Moraga Steps)
This stairway is considered the “world’s largest mosaic staircase” featuring a flowing sea to stars design on the 163-step stairway leading up to Grandview Park. There used to be a swing here, but it was removed out of concern for the public’s safety. It’s recommended to arrive here early to beat the crowds and to more easily find a parking spot along the streets.
  • If one has time, one should also explore the “Hidden Garden Steps” about 5 minutes away
Drive about 5 minutes from Moraga Steps, but factor in another 10-15 minutes to find parking
8:00 - 10:45 AM: Golden Gate Park
Considered the Central Park of California, this park is slightly bigger than NYC's Central Park. The green space is fiilled with trails, gardens, museums, and other fun activities. For an outdoor experience, check out the following places:
  • 8:00 – 8:45 AM: San Francisco Botanical Garden: Over 9,000 different plants with a focus on magnolias. It is open daily at 7:30 AM and is free until 9 AM each morning.
  • 8:45 – 9:00 AM: Strawberry Hill and Stow Lake: Nearby park with a small hill providing a few views of the city at the top. Around is a man-made lake, where one can rent swan pedalboats or rowboats that opens at 10:30 AM every day.
  • 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM: Japanese Tea Garden: Oldest Japanese garden in the U.S. with 5 acres of manicured gardens with cherry trees, bamboo groves, koi ponds, a Zen garden, a pagoda, and a tea house.
  • 10:00 AM – 10:45 AM: Conservatory of Flowers: Oldest existing public conservatory in the Western Hemisphere with over 2,000 species of plants.




​On the far side of the park, there is even a herd of grazing American bison at the Bison Paddock. You can't get too close, but you can park alongside JFK Drive to see them form the fence.

This effort was started in the 1890s as a conservation effort to preserve the species and educate the public about their near extinction due to overhunting and habitat loss.
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Bison at Golden Gate Park
Drive about 15 minutes from Golden Gate Park.
11:00 - 11:25 AM: Lombard Street



​Known for its steep, one-block section with eight hairpin turns, this street can either be walked up/down or driven down (one way). Be prepared for a line of cars all trying to enter with the speed limit set at 5 mph. Interestingly, the street is named after Lombard Street in Philadelphia and was built in a way to ensure pedestrian safety.

While it's referred to as the ​"crookedest Street in the world", that title actually belongs to Vermont Street in the Portrero Hill neighborhood, on the other side of town.
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Lombard Street from the bottom
Drive about 5 minutes to Fisherman's Wharf.
​Street parking is difficult here, so a parking garage might be the best option. Book ahead through SpotHero
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Fisherman's Wharf
  • A tourist trap, but one can still spend an hour or two here:​
    • Check out the seafood restaurants at Fisherman's Wharf.
      • There's an In-N-Out right across the street for those wanting a taste of the affordable burger chain.
    • SkyStar: A Ferris wheel providing aerial views of the Bay and when Carl the Fog isn't present, the Golden Gate Bridge.
    • Shop for souvenirs, watch sunbathing sealions, and enjoy performances around Pier 39.
      • Be aware of pickpockets at the street performances.
  • If you have time, 15 minutes away is Ghiradelli Square, known for chocolates and ice cream sundaes (since Ghiradelli was founded in San Francisco in 1852)
    • At the entrance, there is the Ghiradelli Chocolate Shop, but for smaller wait times, head to the Ghiradelli Chocolate Experience to try the sundaes.
Walk to Chinatown (about 1 mile from Pier 39) or take the Cable Car to Union Square and walk around/through.
1:30 - 2:30 PM: Chinatown
If one can hold their hunger a bit longer, Chinatown is just over the hill and will provide a great meal. This historic cultural enclave is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, Chinatown in North America. Despite restrictive legislation and discrimination against the original Chinese immigrants, they persevered enough to have it flourish.
  • Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory: Visit the birthpalce of the fortune cookie. Take a tour or sample the cookies.
  • Portsmouth Plaza: A lively plaza where one can see a replica of the Goddess of Democracy, a statue erected during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Walk to Coit Tower (about 1 mile from Portsmouth Square)
3:15 - 4:00 PM: Coit Tower

  • ​Atop Telegraph Hill in Pioneer Park, this viewpoint was first commissioned as a monument for volunteer firefighters and completed in 1933, but its design coincidentally resembles a fire hose nozzle.
  • Murals are painted in the inside (although as of July 2024, they were only on the first floor). One can either climb the steps or take the elevator to receive a 360-view of San Francisco. 
Drive to the Golden Gate Vista Point.
4:30 - 5:15 PM: Golden Gate Bridge
This is my favorite spot to view the Golden Gate Bridge. Even though it’s painted red, the “Golden Gate” actually refers to the Golden Gate Strait that connects the Pacific Ocean with the San Francisco Bay. From here, one can park and walk across the bridge if one has extra time. Alternatively, one can also drive across the bridge and park to see the more famous view from Kirby Cove.
Drive and park near the Lincoln Park Steps, another beautiful painted tiled stairway
5:30 - 6:30 PM: Lands End
Lands End park provides eastern views of the Golden Gate Bridge. For a quick walk to Eagle's Point, one can park at the Lincoln Park Steps. Otherwise, I would recommend parking near the Sutro Baths, where SF had created a recreational swimming facility from 1898-1964. Along this cliffside, coastal path, there are more viewpoints and a shoreline labyrinth.
6:30 PM - Sunset: Ocean Beach
3.5 miles of coast along the Sunset District, this is the best beach in San Francisco for surfers but not swimmers. If the season permits, one can have bonfires, especially after the sun sets, when the frigid fog and night chill return.

Museums

Golden Gate Park
  • California Academy of Sciences: A massive museum with an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, and a rainforest all rolled into one.
  • Legion of Honor ($20): Museum dedicated to European paintings, decorative arts, sculptures, and ancient art from the Mediterranean region.

Art Museums


Unique Museums:
  • Cable Car Museum

Other Attractions

  • The Painted Ladies (Alamo Square): A smaller attraction that became popular for their cutscenes for the TV show, “Full House”, this row of houses embody Victorian and Edwardian architecture with steep roofs, elevated porches, patterned surfaces, and symmetry.
  • Alcatraz: On a rocky island in the middle of the SF Bay, Alcatraz was first a military prison for prisoners during the Spanish-American War and Civil War, the West Coast’s first operating lighthouse, before becoming the former federal prison holding many famous prisoners, including mob boss, Al Capone. It closed due to the high cost of operation and at one point, was occupied by Native American activists. Today, one can take a boat across the water and tour its facilities, seeing the history through audioguides.
  • Palace of Fine Arts: The last structure from San Francisco’s 1915 World Fair that helped many people learn about San Francisco. Built in a neoclassical design, it was refurbished in 1960.
  • Haight-Ashbury: A neighborhood named after where the two streets merge and is known for being the center of the 1960s counterculture movements

Parks
  • Dolores Park: Located within the Mission District, this popular park is a great place to lounge on the grassy lawns.
  • Muir Woods: In Marin County, across the Golden Gate Bridge, this iconic park is named after the conservationist John Muir. Filled with massive redwood trees that are on average, 600-800 years old, it contiains plenty of trails for a half-day to day-long trip.
    • Muir Woods Main Trail Loop



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Restaurants

San Francisco is known for their delicious food. From high-end places to plenty of hole-in-the-walls, there are a lot of great options.

For food halls, I would recommend:
  • Ferry Building Marketplace: Public food market with food stalls and restaurants to enjoy some delicious food. On Saturdays, this is also where one of SF’s famous farmer’s markets is located.
  • Japantown: The largest and oldest Japantown of the remaining three Japantowns in the United States. It dates back to 1906 with lots of food options throughout Japantown Peace Plaza.
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Ferry Building Marketplace
  • The Italian Homemade Company: One of the best pasta restaurants in SF. Highly recommend their gnocchi and red sauce. Great if you're on a budget.
  • Tony's Pizza Napoletana: The owner, Tony Gemignani, has won 13 World Pizza Championships and they offer many delicious styles of pizza.
  • R & G Lounge: Cantonese-style food to be shared family style.
  • HK Lounge: ​
  • Arsicault Bakery: Serving some of the most delicious French baked goods. Try their chocolate croissant or chocolate almond croissant.
  • U: Dessert Story: A little pricey, but if you do have some time, try their Spicy Out Summer Bingsu.

Other Resources

  • SF To Do: Private website with honest reviews and insight regarding things to do in SF.

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