High level Information for Tourists:
San Francisco
if one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and there is a
good reason for that.
As heterogenous
the people living in San Francisco the same is for the city, you can find
different neighborhoods, views, food and culture in this unique city.
The relatively
small city size enable you to explore many areas by foot. This is my recommended
way to do it, arrive to a specific destination and discover it by walking
around.
You can visit San
Francisco in any month of the year, the relatively mild weather, potential rain
in winter and dry not so hot summer months will allow you to do almost every
activity during any month of the year.
As usual, my
blogs are filed with a lot of pictures (some time even too much) I took during
my many visits in each location. On top of the text the pictures will give you
a good visual idea of what you should expect to see at any specific location.
Note: I will
not cover in my blog things like restaurants, bars and nightlife, or specific
hotel recommendations. You can find such places anywhere In the city.
Note: I do not
live in the city but rather in the south-bay near San Jose, but I visited the
city many times and I feel comfortable with the information I’m providing.
As always, use my blogs information in addition to other resources and plan your San Francisco experience.
Remember there is no “one size fit them all” so you need to see what you want
to do during your visit and plan accordingly.
Local Weather
San Francisco
has a mild weather year-round with temperatures are
usually above 45 F (7 C) in cold winter day and below 80 F (27 C) in hot summer
mid-day.
It is getting
colder during winter months but even then, it still not so cold and never
snows. It rains only during the winter months, but you can also have sunny week
brake between cold rain systems.
Spring and fall
are perfect time to visit the city from weather perspective + less other tourist,
but as I already stated, it is always a good time to visit San Francisco.
When visiting San
Francisco, you need to be aware that the weather in San Francisco can change
from the morning to the afternoon, come prepared. At summer typical foggy
morning can become a hot sunny day during noon and then back to cold windy and
covered with fog afternoon and evening.
Transportation
San Francisco
is relatively small city where you can arrange your visit in such way that you
can manage for a full day by only walking around without the need for
transportation.
I found that
for most of my city visits walking is the best way to explore the city. In some
sections of the city there are high hills that me be challenging to walk for
some, take it slow.
Car:
Car is
excellent way to visit many areas of the city in one day, there aren’t many
traffic issues inside the city except at the afternoon in outbound routs.
Getting to the
city from any direction during morning hours or living the city at the
afternoon and you will probably have traffic, but they are not extreme as in
LA.
Some city
sections and tourist attractions are far from the main hotels, and you will
need to use public transportation.
I do not think
that you must have a car for your San Francisco visit, and from car break-in
aspect it is even better not to have a car. Without a car you will also save
the costly parking fees in the city or at your hotel.
There are some
locations that are better visit with car, the most obvious is the Golden Gate
Bridge. It is fun, and for some exiting, to drive down Lombard Street or just
drive around in the steep streets of sun Francisco, Visit Twin peek for sunset
or drive to Treasure Island for night viewing.
Parking:
Parking is
another problem. There are many large and well-marked parking lots across the
city and in main business and touristic area. Parking may be expensive per hour
or per day.
Most hotels
provide parking arrangements, but they are always with extra charge, thing that
can start from $40 or even go up to $50-60 per 24 hr. check in advance with
your hotel.
There are
street parking almost anywhere in the city, in many places you will find meters
that allow only few hours of parking and can be paid by credit card.
Taxi/Uber/Lyft:
All are active
and easy to get one in the city, day or night.
There is good
public transportation system in the city that many based on bus and light train
(subway is relatively limited with number of lines it has).
You can get a Municipal
Public Transportation Passport that allows unlimited rides.
Public Transportation:
Bus:
This is the
best public transportation option to get around the city with relatively low
cost.
Light train:
This is part of
the San Francisco Transportation and there are few longs line connecting far neighborhoods
to the city center.
Subway:
San Francisco
has a subway, but it is limited only for few lines and can be used mainly for
connecting San Francisco to Okland on the other side of the bay.
Old Streetcars:
Operates vintage
colorful streetcars run on an electric motor along Market Street and the
northeastern waterfront all the way to fisherman wharf area.
Cable car:
There are few
operative cable car lines that are used manly as tourist attraction, but they
may provide a good way of transportation.
Tourist bus:
You can find
that the simplest (but expensive) way to travel in San Francisco is by using Hop-on,
Hop-off sightseeing buss. This option may be good for a day that you want to visit
many locations in the city.
Bike:
See the sights
of San Francisco the fun way on a bike - it's the best way to map your own adventure
Where to stay:
Here
I will try to give my recommendation on the locations you need to look for
hotel at.
I will not recommend
a specific hotel; I do not cover this (the same also for restaurants and places
to eat) in my blogs …
Downtown:
Excellent place
to stay during your visit.
Many options to
choose from, main city shopping area and a lot of attractions within a walking
distance for the day activity as well as many restaurants, bars and clubs
The downside is
that here hotels are usually on the high end of the price range.
Union Square and Financial
district:
Here you will
mainly find high-end brand-name and local boutique hotels.
South of Market
(SOMA): Located near Moscone Center convention center, hotels in the area are
mainly high end and business hotels.
Fisherman's Wharf:
Here you can
find many options for 2-4-star hotels and Inns lodgings are available in this tourist
area.
Outside the city:
This is also
one possible option, book a hotel or AirB&B outside the city and travel to
city every day, by public transportation or by your car. With that option you
will probably find lower cost hotels that also include car parking as part of
their service and if you like to discover the city by walking you can manage
without a car.
Need to understand
that the re is traffic congestions at morning and afternoons and by staying outside
the city you do not have the flexibility to go back to the hotel and head back
int the city later.
Crime and Safety
I live in the south bay, but I visit the city countless times, have friends that live in the city, member of FB groups with 10’s thousands of people and I rarely hear on violence incidence. Yes, crime and theft issue exist as in any large city (for tourist this is mainly car break-in) but the safety situation is not as bad as it reflect in media, especially if you are avoiding specific city blocks.
You need to be
aware of your surrounding and always keep valuable thing close to you.
Sometime, especially at night you will feel uncomfortable if you decide to walk
and cross long distance in the city and at that time it is better to take
Taxi/Uber/Lyft/bus.
There are few
neighborhoods that considered to be not safe and even locals try to avoid
visiting them if possible.
I do not have
crime statistic but probably the most “problematic” neighborhoods is called
Tenderloin, that is located not so far from the city center.
Map of the not recommended to visit/stay area:
This “bad” area
is located west of Union Square, east of Van Nass (101), north of the City Hall
Plaza and south of California St.
This area is notoriously
known for its homeless and crime problem. I do not recommend visiting here even
during the day, even if nothing happens and also there is nothing to look for in
this area.
I was passing here
several times and just seeing the drags and homeless problem in the streets did
not make me feel comfortable here.
Homeless:
Unfortunately,
San Francisco as all other main west-cost cities are known for having homeless
problems. From my, and many other, experience the homeless will not bother you
or do anything. Try to ignore them if you will be approach, keep walking and they
will not bother you.
In specific ruff
neighborhoods you may see sights that you do not expect to see in one of the richest
cities in the world, unfortunately when people are living in the streets, in
tents and carton boards they are doing there many things.
I’m not getting
into the debate what can be done to help them and if the authorities are doing
the right thing, just stating this because it can’t be ignored.
I saw that some
tourist see the homeless problem and car break-in as major downside in their San
Francisco visit, I’m not saying it does not exist but if you will put this in right
perspective you will enjoy your visit.
Car Break-in:
The main
tourist related problem is the car break-in, smashing a window and taking
valuable stuff. This is practically epidemic problem of San Francisco and can
happen almost everywhere.
To reduce the
chances that this will happen to you try to do the following:
·
Do not leave anything in your car,
unfortunately also empty cars get break-in because they want to check if you
left anything in the trunk.
·
Make sure it looks empty from the
outside.
·
If you need to drive with your suitcases
try that someone will stay in the car.
·
Park in organized parking lot,
preferable in building and not in open lots.
·
Try not to park in the street along
the road.
To see where
there are a lot of Car Break-in:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/sf-car-breakins/
How to plan your visit In San
Francisco:
San Francisco
is one of the most beautiful and fun to visit cities in the world. With
unique
architecture and buildings, waterside front and inner sections, diverse culture,
people and recent history, and it looks and feel as iconic as in the “movies”.
San Francisco stands for its worldwide reputation, and you will enjoy your visit here.
I tried to give
you some high-level ideas and directions how to organize and plan your visit in
San Francisco.
There are so
many things to see and do in the city so you probably you need to decide what you
do not have the time for and what is a “must see” from your perspective.
This
beautifully city has so many unique things to discover, and I will try to help
you plan your visit.
Try to organize
your days with locations in proximate to each other so you will be walk between
the locations/attractions, this is the best way to explore the city. Yes San
Francisco is built on many hills and in some areas, there are steep streets
that you will need to climb but if you will plan correctly and set easy past
all is doable and part of the fun.
Map of San Francisco locations:
You do not need
a car for most of your stay in San Francisco but for some attractions like the
Golden Gate Bridge by car is the preferred way to visit them.
Visiting San Francisco
is not about rushing from one place to the other checking V on locations, take
your time, explore around and enjoy this unique city tempo.
The list of “must
visit” tourist attractions:
·
Golden Gate Bridge
·
Pier 39 and Fisherman wharf
·
Union Square
·
Chinatown
· Painted Ladies viewing
Golden Gate
Park and the nearby Haight-Ashbury can be view by some in the must visit list,
but they can’t be covered in one day.
The same is for
Alcatraz Island, it is not on my must visit city attraction although it story
is interesting and if you have the time, I highly recommend visiting it.
If you are coming for only 1 day:
This will be
difficult to really see all what San Francisco has to offer to tourists in one
day. Planning such day also depend on what you want to see, if this is an all-family
trip, where your hotel is located, do you like to walk and if you have a car or
not.
My recommendation
for one day is to focus on the center city and the “must see tourist attractions”
from the above list.
You want to
start your long day near your hotel, probably this will be near the Fisherman’s
Wharf or Union Square areas.
The distance
between those places is around 2.5 km (1.5 mile) and my recommendation is spending
a full day between those locations. The distance can be covered by walking
around.
You must visit,
at least once, the Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, especially if you are
traveling with family, kids will like it here.
By many pier39 may
be view as a “tourist trap” but it has it charm, and you must visit here even
for a short time or just to see the sea lion’s colony.
On your north-south
day-walk you will cross the north beach neighborhood, the Italian streets (many
café and restaurants), you can walk up hill and visit Coit Tower and rest in sun
in Washington Square.
Visit Chinatown,
prime tourist destination, that is also on this route, you can explore for few
hours this largest, live and authentic Chinatown in the US.
At the south
section of this walk, near Union Square and Market st. you will find the shopping
district. From fancy high-end stores, flagship brands, art galleries, and also
more affordable Department stores.
A day between Fisherman’s
Wharf and Union Square can fill your day with many different city attractions
and things to see.
If you have time,
you can ride back the cable car, there is a line connecting Market St. to the
north Pier area (near Ghirardelli and the north piers). Plan ahead, there can
be a long line of people that are waiting for this tourist attraction “must do”
ride.
At the
afternoon I recommend driving to one of the Golden Gate Bridge viewing points.
Every time I see the bridge or drive on it, I’m getting an awe moment, it one
of the most amazing man-made structures in the world. I just can’t get enough
of this view, and along the years I took so many pictures from many vantage
points.
You must see
the view of this city landmark. From both north and south viewing points you can
walk over the bridge if it is not too cold or foggy and you have the time.
2-3 days visit planning:
Start with my suggestion
for 1 day visit.
You can add to
this day another 1-2 days covering more part of the city.
The list below cannot
be done in 2 days, and you will need to choose what you want to see and where
you want to visit.
You have few day-trip
options, you can spend in any above location a full day but probably half day
is also possible:
Haight-Ashbury* and Golden Gate Park
Or
Haight-Ashbury and walking down to Castro St.*
Or
Half a day in Mission District and
Dolores Park *
*Haight-Ashbury:
Famously known as the origin place of of the hippie movement even today it is
still the vibe.
*Castro St.: Synonymous
with gay and LGBT culture
*Mission District: Neighborhood with Latino roots and a hipster vibe.
You can do a
long half-day trip to Alcatraz Island, need to book ticket in advance.
Museums:
Visit one of
the city museums for art or science (see top city museums list down below),
this can easily fill half of the day in one museum.
You can find museums
in the city center or in Golden Gate Park.
If you are
looking for fun all family activity visit the Exploratorium interactive science
museum that is located on bay from Embarcadero at Pier 15, midway between Pier
39 and the Ferry Building.
If you want to
include a city park visit during your stay than San Francisco Golden Gate Park
is a prime destination (many things to do here) as well as Presidio of San
Francisco. In Golden Gate Park museums or gardens, you can easily spend a full
day and in the Presidio, you can spend half day and combine it with a visit in San
Francisco north ocean beach and Golden Gate Bridge walk.
Lombard St.:
I can’t write”
thing to do” in San Francisco list complete without mentioning Lombard St.
Probably the most
famous short street in San Francisco. This street negotiate the step hills of San
Francisco with a series of 8 tight switchbacks, something you probably
need/want to drive once in your life, I did it 25 years a go 😊
Popular City Viewpoints:
If you already visit
the Golden Gate Bridge, you probably want to visit another prime city viewing point.
All the below
locations offer amazing view of San Francisco; preferred time, if it is not
foggy is around sunset.
Golden Gate Bridge - North:
From the north viewing point of the Golden Gate Bridge you will have the city view from across the bay.
the High tower provide a view of the north piers as well of the downtown skyline
Mission Dolores Park:
Fun Park to visit with a great city view, the perfect location to end you Mission District visit.
Alamo Park and the Painted Ladies:
One of the
most photographed locations in San Francisco, classic San Francisco houses with
the view of city center. You can combine the visit here with the not so far Hayes
Valley.
Twin Peaks:
One the of the
highest points in San Francisco with a great view of the city below. Prime
tourist and local attraction point, usually it is crowded and with limited parking.
Treasure-Island:
The flat man-made
Island located midway to Oakland on the other side of the bay bridge, provide a
unique view of the city.
Alcatraz Island:
Tour to the island also provide unique view of the city from the boat and the island itself.
What to do when visiting for more
than 2 days:
To the above
list you can add the following destinations:
·
Visiting in Japan Town and the
nearby Filmore st. and Alta Plaza Park.
·
SoMa and the financial Districts
·
Lands’ End Park and Legion of Honor Museum
·
A day trip north of the city to the
Marin Headlands, to see the amazing Redwood trees in Muir Woods National
Monument or to Sonoma wine county.
·
Try to get a ticket to one of San
Francisco major-league team’s game: Warriors, 49ers or the Giants.
Not in my top recommendation to visit places:
Places I do not
recommend so much to visit because their location near Tenderloin:
San Francisco
City Hall & Civic Center Plaza
San Francisco
Public Library
Asian Art
Museum
The below Location list has links
to detailed blogs with many pictures about each location:
Top Touristic Attractions:
·
Golden Gate Bridge
·
PIER 39
·
Fishermans Wharf
·
Boat Tour in the bay
·
Cable car ride
·
Chinatown
· Union Squire
·
Coit Tower
·
Lombard Street
·
The Palace of Fine Arts
·
Ferry Building
·
The Painted Ladies
·
Twin Peaks
·
Golden Gate Park
·
Alcatraz Island
Top City Museums:
·
SF MoMA
·
Exploratorium
·
de Young Museum
·
California Academy of Sciences
·
Legion of Honor
City Areas and Neighborhoods:
San Francisco’s
is a diverse city, and its neighborhoods are different from each other, each has
its own vibe and local culture. If this is the city downtown with-it modern skyscrapers
and business look, to the north fisherman wharf tourist location, if this is Mission,
Castro, Haight-Ashbury, Chinatown or Japantown, all have their unique experience.
The list below
do not include all San Francisco neighborhoods and it is more a functional view
from tourist perspective.
A list of city areas:
·
Fisherman’s Wharf and North Piers
·
Union Square and Financial District
·
Chinatown
· South of Market (SoMa)
·
North Bay Waterfront - Presidio andGolden Gate Bridge
·
Japan Town and Pacific Heights
·
West and the Golden Gate Park and Haight-Ashbury
·
South (Castro and Mission)
·
Civic Center and Tenderloin
Interesting Streets to visit:
·
Haight (Haight-Ashbury)
·
Castro
·
Mission
·
Japantown and Fillmore St
·
Twin Peaks
·
Lombard St
·
Painted Ladies and Hayes St.
What you can do and see in each
area:
Fisherman’s Wharf and North Piers:
·
Pier 39
·
Jefferson St tourist area
·
Ghirardelli Square
·
Hyde Street Pier
·
Pier 45: USS Pampanito Museum and
Memorial
·
Washington Square
· Italian district
·
Coit Tower
City Center and Downtown:
·
Union Square
·
Chinatown
·
Ferry Building
·
Exploratorium
·
Market St. and SoMa
·
MoMA museum
San Francisco west:
·
Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center
·
Golden Gate Overlook and Battery Cranston
·
Golden Gate Park
·
Presidio of San Francisco and Fort Mason
·
The Palace Of Fine Arts
· Ocean Beach
·
Marshall's Beach
·
Battery Crosby
·
Baker Beach
·
China Beach
·
Legion of Honor
·
Lands End, Sutro Baths & Cliff
House & Camera Obscura
San Francisco South:
· Haight-Ashbury
· Mission District
· Castro St.
· Twin Peaks
· Glen Canyon Park
· Mt. Davidson
Parks:
·
Land’s End Park
·
Presidio of San Francisco
·
Crissy Field
·
Great Meadow Park at Fort Mason
·
The Palace of Fine Arts
·
Washington Square
·
Alta Plaza Park
·
Alamo Square Park & The Painted
Ladies
·
Golden Gate Park
·
Buena Vista Park
·
Corona Heights Park
·
Mission Dolores Park
·
Twin Peaks
·
Grandview Park & Tiled Steps
·
Mt. Davidson
·
Glen Canyon Park
·
Bernal Peak
·
San Francisco Zoo
Events and live concerts:
San Francisco has many special annual event days all your long, you need to check what will happen during your specific visit days.
The same is for shows and live concerts and local music shows and bars.
San Francisco Beaches
San Francisco is not the place you will to the beach as tourist, the water is cold and windy + in many days there is a fog...
·
Baker Beach
·
China Beach (East Beach)
·
Lands End
·
Ocean Beach
Day trip out of the city:
·
Napa & Sonoma Wine Country (this
is full day trip)
·
Visit the town of Sausalito (you
can get there by bike and come back using the ferry)
·
Muir wood redwood National Park
(this can be half/full day trip)
·
Point Reyes National Park (this is full
day trip)
·
Angel Island National Park (this is
full day trip)
·
Highway 1, South Of San Francisco
on all the way to Santa Cruz (this is full day trip)
·
Yosemite National Park (located 4 hours’
drive east, Plan 2-3 days visit)
·
Monterey and Carmel (located 2.5 hours’
drive south, plan 2 days visit)
Few more pictures...
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