Exploring San Francisco
Hi, I’m Ash, an English girl who loves to travel. My ultimate life goal is to watch the sunset in every country in the world!
Although SF is a relatively tiny city, there are SO many things to do!
BEST TIPS
San Francisco is the hilliest city I have ever visited! Walking is definitely the best way to explore this amazing place but be prepared for your legs to ache!
I was quite nervous before I visited, I had read so much online about the crazy high rate of car thefts and break-ins, and we were going there as part of a ROADTRIP. However, we organised to stay in a hotel that had protected secure parking and thankfully we had no problems at all.
Also, there can be a LOT of fog in SF, so much so that SF residents have named him Karl - he even has his own Instagram account!
I would asvise avoiding the Tenderloin area of the city, which has a rather bad reputation…
DAY TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES
Ride a cable car!
These famous cable cars run throughout the city! A ride only costs around $8 per person (although this does vary depending on whether it's a one way ticket or a full day pass).
Alcatraz
Also known as 'The Rock,' a rocky island in San Francisco Bay, this used to be a federal prison which had a reputation for being impossible to escape! This place is now a National Park, with an absolutely fascinating, although somewhat dark, history. Did you know that prisoners were apparently told the sea was full of sharks, to make it less tempting for them to try and swim to freedom? And that apparently prisoners were fed lots of bread and without much ability to exercise on the tiny island, a lot ended up overweight and unhealthy (making escape by swimming even more difficult), plus prisoners were given very warm showers so they couldn’t acclimatise to the sea temperatures?! If you want to know more… take a tour!
Muir Woods National Monument
Some of the redwoods here are over 1000 years old and more than 250 ft high! There are a variety of different hikes available, with a choice from half hour, 1-hour or 1.5 hour loops to complete. This is definitely one of the 'get back to nature' best day trips from the city, located about a 30-45 min drive north. However, you WILL have to make a reservation in advance, this place can get super busy and you will be turned away if you haven't booked ahead of time! If you don’t have a car, you can take a ferry to Sausalito and get a shuttle bus to the Woods.
Marin Headlands
A short drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, or cycling! This is the best beach day trip, hiking down to Kirby Cove Beach, or taking in the views from Hawk Hill, and Rodeo Beach is a brilliant spot for a picnic and a sunset.
FREE ACTIVITIES
Lombard Street
Visit Lombard street, also known as the 'crookedest street in the world' for a unique photo op! You can actually drive down this twisty street too but sometimes the queue waiting to drive down is pretty long.
Golden Gate Bridge
Catch the sunset at the iconic Golden Gate Bridge! This was undoubtedly one the most incredible sunsets I have ever seen. Maybe because the bridge is so famous, it just felt really magical.
Ghirardelli Square
Purely because you get free chocolate samples, and it is some of the BEST chocolate ever to be made (crazy expensive to buy though). This chocolate factory in SF is also the oldest, continuously-operating chocolate producer in the USA!
FOOD
Breakfast at Pier 39!
Pier 39 is tourist central, but it's SO fun! The shops are amazing and the cute little restaurants and cafes serve the best food. Plus, if you walk to the end of the pier, you can see views of San Francisco Bay, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge and Alcatraz, and you might even see some of the sealions that live in the area! Fog Harbor Fish House is found on Pier 39 and offers beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge (their crab ravioli is one of the best)!
Fisherman's Wharf for lunch
Fisherman's Wharf is an area of the city along the northern part of the city (again another tourist spot, but hear me out!) - this is one of the most family-friendly areas in the city! To me, it seems like 'classic SF', with red brick buildings, the bells ringing from the cable cars, shops lining the streets and amusement arcades near the seaside. The 'Baked Bear' is a cute little café known for its incredible homemade cookies and ice cream sandwiches, definitely worth a visit when you're in the area!
*Tipping* Yes, it's ridiculous (to someone from the UK), but it's genuinely considered very rude to not tip in restaurants. In fact, we went to a couple of restaurants where the suggested minimum tip was 20%!
ACCOMMODATION
If you're looking for a relatively fancy hotel with a not too crazy price tag, I would highly recommend staying at the Marriott Vacation Club Pulse. The location was fantastic. We were able to walk to Pier 39 in about ten minutes and there was a large selection of excellent restaurants nearby - although it was about 1-2 hour walk to the Golden Gate Bridge (but still a beautiful walk along the sea front)!
Be aware, hotels in SF were charging a small fortune to park your car… so check your hotel price as the car parking was between $60-80 for 24 hours! Another thing to be cautious of, there are quite a few homeless people in SF. However, nobody bothered us at all.
INSTAGRAMMABLE SPOTS
16th Avenue Tiled Steps!
A beautiful outdoor staircase decorated with colourful tiles!
Japanese Tea Gardens
A gorgeous outdoor garden complete with Koi fish and mochi!
Stow Lake
You can rent a boat and row out onto this pretty lake, perfect for an afternoon picnic in the sunshine!
TRAVEL
Driving in SF is known to be pretty iffy, however if you are a confident driver you should be fine.
Uber services are excellent in SF!
There is also a tourist hop on hop off bus with over 20 location/stops, the bus even crosses the Golden Gate Bridge!
WEATHER (Celcius)
High / Low / Month High / Low / Month
14° / 8° January 19° / 12° July
16° / 9° February 20° / 13° August
17° / 10° March 21° / 13° September
17° / 10° April 21° / 13° October
18° / 11° May 18° / 11° November
19° / 12° June 14° / 8° December
As you can see there isnt much variation AT ALL. Mark Twain once said 'The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in SF'… Basically summer (June, July, August) can be VERY unpredictable. We visitied in Autumn/Fall, (October/November) and the weather was perfect, sunny with clear blue skies. Microclimates seem to be a real thing in SF, so dress in LAYERS! And be prepared for sudden fog to start rolling in.
PERSONAL FAVOURITES
My favourite memories from SF have to be watching the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge, seeing the sealions from Pier 39, and taking a ride on the famous cable cars!
