I’m a bit overdue on this given that Josh and I visited San Francisco about five months ago back in August, but better late than never right? With how short of a flight away we are from San Francisco here in Seattle, it surprises me I’ve only been once before (when I was a toddler, and also didn’t remember much of it).
San Francisco is a place Josh and I had talked about wanting to go to together for forever but just never had an excuse to go. Fortunately enough, over the summer, some of our friends were getting married around the area and it was the perfect opportunity to make a vacation out of attending their wedding. And I absolutely loved San Fran!
In this post, I’ll be rounding up some of the best things to see and do in and around San Francisco, as well as good places to eat, where to stay, important things to know about traveling to the city, and more.
In case you missed it, I also shared a vlog of our trip over on my YouTube channel, here:
Things to Do in San Francisco:
- Cable Car Rides
- Golden Gate Bridge
- Mission Dolores Park
- Giants game at Oracle Park (during baseball season)
- Lombard Street
- Palace of Fine Arts
- Shopping in Union Square
- Fisherman’s Wharf
- Alcatraz Island
- Coit Tower
- Chinatown
Going to San Francisco, I was most excited about the cable cars as that is always one of the first things that comes to mind when I picture the city. While they are a major tourist trap and very busy any day of the week, I will say they are 100% worth it! We bought tickets to catch a ride starting in Union Square which happens to be the busiest place to start since the lines can get astronomically long. We waited in line for probably 30 minutes to an hour, but I honestly preferred it that way because on the Powell/Hyde Lines, you ride the cable car from the starting point to the endpoint and see it all by riding right past Lombard Street, streets with great views of the Transamerica Pyramid, and drops you off right across the street from Fisherman’s Wharf. The cable car rides were one of our favorite memories from the trip and a must when visiting the city! Plus they make for a cool photo-op and a true taste of what it feels like to be a San Franciscan, although most locals we talked to found the cable cars annoying more than anything lol.
When in San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge is another must! When planning out your day to make it over to the Golden Gate Bridge, definitely be mindful of the weather which can be very hit or miss in San Francisco with their well-known fog (especially us going right in the middle of ‘Fogust’ as they call it in August), more specifically, some parts of the city can be completely clear blue sky while all of the fog hovers over the bridge – a mistake we made one of the two times we visited the bridge during our trip. While there are many viewpoints to overlook the bridge, our go-to was Battery Spencer when crossing the bridge over to Sausalito – the views are unmatched! Though, be aware that with any bridge overlook, these can also be high crime areas so it’s best to take an Uber over and Uber or walk back to avoid bringing your car or rental to avoid any car break-ins. It was also news to me that you could walk across the bridge! Many people were walking, running, biking, and more across the bridge so we decided to walk back over the bridge (in the heavy fog) to check that off the bucket list. The bridge is 1.7 miles one way, and while it was extremely cold/windy walking through the fog, it helped a ton with my fear of heights since you really couldn’t see where you were at.
If you’re looking for a park to hang out at that has great views of the city skyline, look no further than Mission Dolores Park! I’d say it’s a bit of a walk to get to as it’s headed more toward the suburbs, so would recommend either driving or taking an Uber, but the views were stunning and the vibes were chill as many people came to let their dogs play, people hosted birthday parties, and more.
If you’re traveling to San Francisco during MLB season, definitely check out a Giants game at Oracle Park! One of Josh and I’s life goals is to visit each ballpark in the US, and it was so exciting to be able to check off another one from the list. Oracle Park is also in a great location in the city, right on the water and the park itself was very nice and had a ton of great food options. We love to collect the little baseball hats they serve ice cream in as our memento from the ballparks we’ve visited.
When in San Francisco, Lombard Street is a must as well, though it is also another tourist trap. The iconic switchback brick road makes for a great photo-op being one of the city’s most popular landmarks – and it is definitely unique! Bonus points if you get the opportunity to drive down it as well.
If you’re looking to do some sightseeing while in the city, make sure to add the Palace of Fine Arts to your list. The landmark is a monumental structure right near the water that gives a small taste of Rome and almost feels like you’re at a museum. They also do weddings if you’re looking for a stunning place in San Francisco to hold yours!
If you’re looking to do some shopping while in San Francisco, Union Square is the place to be! The iconic Macy’s San Francisco store is right in the heart of Union Square and is almost identical to the Macy’s in Herald Square New York with its multiple floors, many restaurants within, and Macy’s offerings beyond your standard Macy’s store. In addition to Macy’s, there are many other popular shops nearby and some upscale if you’re looking to do a little luxury shopping as well.
Fisherman’s Wharf is another San Francisco must-do as well! I like to consider it the Pike Place Market of San Francisco, aka, probably one of the busiest tourist areas in the city. The wharf is comprised of gift shops, lots of spots for seafood and clam chowder, and great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. On one of the piers, there’s also a large group of sea lions that hang out (and are very noisy, lol) that is fun to watch. Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory is also nearby and is a good place to stock up on some chocolates!
And speaking of Alcatraz Island, highly recommend taking the boat ride over to the island and doing an audio tour of the prison! Fortunately, we made the ride over on a clear day (albeit it very windy, as you’d expect), and the views of both the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco city skyline on the boat ride there and back were stunning! On Alcatraz, there are a few different tour options of the prisons, however, one of the most popular and one I’d recommend is the audio tour because it is self-guided by listening to the handheld device and headphones they provide you. The device tells you where to go and what to see throughout the facility which makes it very ideal if you’re traveling with your significant other, family, etc., and want to go at your own pace. You can pause/play at any time throughout!
If you’re wandering around the city, two other spots I’d recommend checking out are the Coit Tower and Chinatown (both are within walking distance of each other). Coit Tower is a historical landmark downtown that provides 360-degree views of the city and bay. We, unfortunately, arrived right as they were closing so were only able to admire from the outside, but if you plan out your visit, you can purchase tickets at the gift shop inside the tower that takes you up to the observation deck! Following Coit Tower, Chinatown is a couple blocks away with, of course, many options to choose from for Chinese food for lunch or dinner.
Great Photo Location Spots:
- Boardwalk on Pier 7
While I’ll say that pretty much anywhere in and around downtown San Francisco makes for a great photo-op, if you’re looking for a good spot to take some pics for the ‘gram or even a couples photoshoot, the Boardwalk on Pier 7 is a must! It’s located more in the heart of downtown/financial district area on the water and the view of the TransAmerica Pyramid from this boardwalk especially is unlike any other in the city.
Pop Culture Spots to Check Out:
- “Grove High School” (for all you Princess Diaries fans out there)
- The Painted Ladies and The Tanner’s House (for all you Full House fans out there)
I will admit, I was very excited to travel to San Francisco, solely because of some of the popular pop culture spots around the city. Growing up, I was obsessed with The Princess Diaries and Full House (which both take place in San Francisco) that I of course had to make a stop at The Princess Diaries’ Grove High School and The Painted Ladies.
“Grove High School” in real life is actually not a school, it is someone’s mansion, located at 2601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA but just being on those grounds where some of the movie’s iconic scenes were filmed was like a dream!
The Painted Ladies, the intro to Full House as you likely know, is also a key tourist attraction in the city and is usually somewhat busy with people taking photos in front of the landmark. I will say, and it could just be the time of day we went, it was not as busy compared to other tourist landmarks in the city. If you want to go even further to get your Full House fix in, you can see the Tanner’s house located at 1709 Broadrick Street, which is about a mile from the Painted Ladies in the Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. We did not make it that far as it was out of the way of where our day was taking us but would recommend checking it out if you’re into it!
Where to Stay:
San Francisco has no shortage of hotels and Airbnb’s to choose from, however, if you’re looking to have a more walkable vacation, I’d recommend staying in Union Square. We stayed at The Westin St. Francis and it was quite literally right in the heart of Union Square, right across the street from Macy’s. Union Square is also very walkable to many areas around downtown. From a safety standpoint, Union Square is probably the best bet as well as it is a more populated area. While crime definitely happens, I will say it is a bit less likely in this area compared to other parts of the city.
Where to Eat:
- The Buena Vista
- Hog Island Oyster Co.
- Caffe Central (for brunch)
- In-N-Out
- Bluestone Lane
- Salito’s Crab House & Prime Rib (in Sausalito)
- Carmel Belle (in Carmel-by-the-Sea)
- Araki Sushi (in Palo Alto)
Traveling to San Francisco, I had no idea how much of a food scene the city has. More specifically, San Francisco is well known for their grilled cheese sandwiches, sourdough bread, and more. If you know me, you know how much I love a good grilled cheese sandwich and sourdough bread so I was truly in heaven when it came to food on this trip.
If you’re around Fisherman’s Wharf, or take the cable car to drop you off at Fisherman’s Wharf and the Ghirardelli Square area, the drop-off spot is right across the street from The Buena Vista, which is a very cool and unique bar known for their Irish coffee (bonus points that they also have good grilled cheese sandwiches too). If you sit right at the bar as well, you get a front-row seat into how they make the Irish coffees and it’s so entertaining! I’m a sucker for In-N-Out Burger as well and the only In-N-Out in SF is located right near the wharf near all the gift shops (keep in mind this location is very crowded!).
Some other spots we loved in San Francisco that had a very “Bay Area vibe” were Hog Island Oyster Co. (also has good grilled cheese sandwiches if seafood/oysters isn’t your thing, like me) and Salito’s Crab House & Prime Rib (located in Sausalito).
Make a Drive Down the Coast to:
- Monterey
- Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Big Sur (Bixby Bridge, McWay Falls)
- Santa Cruz
- Half Moon Bay
- Stop in Palo Alto to see the Stanford University campus
If you’re looking to venture out of the city and see more of Northern California, which I highly recommend doing, there are so many spots within a few hour’s drive that are worth seeing! Something that had been on my bucket list for a very long time was seeing Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Big Sur and I couldn’t think of any other time that I’d make it to that area other than traveling out of San Francisco and driving down the PCH. And oh my gosh all of these areas are STUNNING, Big Sur especially!
The PCH drive through Big Sur gives me major Road to Hana in Hawaii vibes, and also a little bit like something you’d see in Ireland with the mountains on one side and cliffs and Pacific Ocean on the other side. It is a long winding road with many viewpoints to get out and take some pictures. One of the most popular landmarks on the PCH when driving through Big Sur is Bixby Bridge as it is one of the most common and probably largest viewpoints on the drive. The views of the bridge with the ocean right nearby is incredible! It was one of my favorite parts of our entire trip! The views are truly unmatched and 100% worth seeing! If you keep driving about 30 minutes south of Bixby Bridge, you’ll come across McWay Falls (which is a very short walk from the parking lot to the Falls viewpoint), which is known for being a waterfall that flows directly into the ocean on the beach – it’s very cool to see in person!
Both Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea are neighboring beach towns right off the Pacific Coast Highway that are located North of Big Sur and are cute towns to visit for some shopping and to stop at for lunch or dinner on your way to or from Big Sur. I’d say Carmel-by-the-Sea is a bit more “rich town” beach town with a lot of nice cars and more upscale shopping, while Monterey is more touristy and laid-back beach town. The Monterey Aquarium is also worth checking out if you have some time! It’s the second-largest aquarium in the world and is located right on the water. Highly recommend!
Some other spots worth checking out on the drive from San Francisco to Big Sur are Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz beach has a large boardwalk with attractions similar to what you’d find in Santa Monica), Half Moon Bay (very nice beaches!), and driving through Palo Alto and checking out the Stanford campus.
Head up North to:
- Sausalito
- Santa Rosa
- Napa
Aside from driving South of San Francisco, there’s also a lot to check out when heading North of the city as well! Plus you get to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge which is always so fun! The first city you’ll hit when crossing the Golden Gate is Sausalito which is such a cute hillside town and neighborhood right on the water that gives lowkey Positano vibes. There are a few seafood restaurants in Sausalito to choose from if you like seafood. We ate lunch at Salito’s Crab House and sat outside which had such a fun vibe. As someone who doesn’t eat seafood, I was able to find something off the menu that I liked – their salads and lemonade were really good!
Heading further North, if you’re looking to do some wine tasting, Napa should definitely be your next stop. We only made it to Santa Rosa as that is where our friends’ wedding was, but Napa is about an hour Southeast of Santa Rosa and is something I’d like to see someday. Santa Rosa also has some good wine tasting as well!
Navigating the City:
Navigating San Francisco I’d say is truly based on the duration of your trip and what you want out of the trip. Our vacation was about 5-6 days and we knew we wanted to see it all. For the first few days of our trip, we relied solely on walking and Ubers as we spent most of our time in the downtown area and near the Golden Gate Bridge. However, as we knew we wanted to also get out of the city and drive down the coast, and then eventually make our way up North to wine country, we didn’t get a rental car until our 4th day of the trip.
I’d say if you’re looking to spend most of your time downtown, I’d rely on walking or Ubers, and if you are also looking to get out of the city and explore more of the greater area, I’d get a rental car. I personally liked the way we did it as it saved us money to get a rental car later on in our trip as we really only needed it for half of the trip.
Important Things to Know When Traveling to San Francisco:
Lastly, I wanted to share some important things to know when traveling to San Francisco. San Francisco is definitely unique because it essentially has two completely different qualities. On the one hand, San Francisco had some of the most friendly people I had encountered (maybe because I’m just so used to the Seattle freeze where no one talks to each other or wants anything to do with each other), but so many of our Uber drivers, waiters at restaurants we ate at, and even people we came across at the airport, everyone was so friendly and wanted to start a conversation, provide recommendations on things to do, etc. It was such a breath of fresh air compared to Seattle!
Now on the other hand, San Francisco has really gone downhill over the years and is one of the highest crime cities in the country. It’s not uncommon to come across cars parked on the street that have their windows smashed, especially in parking lots of high tourist areas. That’s another reason why I would not recommend getting a rental car if you don’t need one. Particularly with parking lots at any viewpoint of the Golden Gate Bridge, these are probably the highest areas for crime. Even walking around the city, be mindful of your surroundings and what you’re holding in your hand. I mentioned this in my vlog that I linked at the top of this post, but there were certain areas of town that we were in where I did not have my camera out just for my own personal safety. Like any major city, it’s very important to keep an eye on what’s around you and be mindful of your surroundings!
Overall, San Francisco is such a fun city to visit and I highly recommend going if you have not been before! If you’ve been to San Fran, what was your favorite place you saw or what was your favorite memory from your trip?
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Thanks for reading!
XX
Kelsie
Amazingly beautiful.