San Francisco, California, United States

• Allison Coli

Perfect Weekend Trip in San Francisco

DAY 1

Union Square

Start your morning off in Union Square and resist the urge to leave your heart in San Francisco. Snap a picture by the famous Union Square heart art installation.

Cable car

From Union Square, head to Powell Station, where you can take the iconic cable car through the streets of San Francisco to our next stop! The cable cars have been running since the 1870s.

Cable car rides start at 6am and end just after midnight. I recommend getting there early to avoid waiting in lengthy lines. Each time you hop on the cable car it will cost $7, no matter the length of your trip. The cable car runs from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf. It does not run in a loop, it runs one way and then you have to get off. You can buy tickets with cash when you board the cable car for most stops. If you are hopping on at Powell & Market, Bay & Taylor or Hyde & Beach Streets you will need to buy tickets in advance or use a Clipper Card (a Bay Area transportation card that can be used for the cable cars, Muni (buses), BART (subway), and Caltrain).

Lombard Street

lombard.png

Picture from: https://sf.curbed.com

Hop off of the cable car at Lombard Street and see the “crookedest street in the world.” The cable car will drop you off at the top of the block on Hyde Street and you can walk down the sidewalk along the twisty curving street.

Ghirardelli Square

Next head to Ghirardelli Square, a shopping center with restaurants but known for and named after for the Ghirardelli shop. My favorite Ghirardelli chocolate is the caramel one, but the mint and raspberry flavors are great competitors. Drop inside the shop and try to get a free sample, they are known for giving out one flavor to visitors.

Irish Coffee at The Buena Vista Cafe

Head down Larkin street towards the water and turn right along Beach street and you will see The Buena Vista Cafe on the corner of Hyde and Beach. The cafe originally opened in 1916 but is best known for introducing Irish coffees to the United States in 1952.

Fisherman’s Wharf

Continue towards the water on Hyde street and turn right down Jefferson Street to arrive at Fisherman’s Wharf. This iconic part of San Francisco has many shops and restaurants. Don’t forget to snap a photo at the iconic Fisherman’s Wharf sign on your way to lunch.

Clam chowder lunch at Boudin

Right next to the Fisherman’s Wharf sign is the iconic Boudin flagship. Boudin is San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating business. Known for their sourdough, the recipe dating back to 1849, they are known for baking bread into different animal shapes. Take a tour of their bakery museum. Self-guided tours are from 11:30am-9pm for free or you can do a $5 guided tour by inquiring via email or phone.

Or simply grab lunch here, you can be seated in the restaurant upstairs or order downstairs and sit outside. The top item on their menu is their sourdough bread bowl of clam chowder. If that is not your thing, they also have other items on the menu such as sandwiches and salads.

Musée Mécanique

After lunch head over to the Musée Mécanique. Shown in the movie, The Princess Diaries, this antique coin operated arcade is a unique experience. Bring some quarters or get some from their machines to use to play these antique games.

Pier 39

pier-39.png

Picture from: http://www.pier39.com

Now head down to the famous Pier 39. Walk down the dock to the water to see the sea lions. Then browse its many shops such as the Lefty’s Store, Candy Baron (known for their salt water taffy), the cable car store, the spice and tea exchange, and more. Or visit some attractions tsuch as the carousel, 7D experience ride, Flyer ride, mirror maze, aquarium, and more.

Alcatraz

Next head off to Alcatraz island. What was once a notorious prison running from 1934 until 1963 is now a National Park. This jail held some of the most well-known criminals of American history such as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert “Birdman of Alcatraz” Franklin Stroud.

Book your transportation and tour tickets through the official concessioner to the National Park Service: Alcatraz cruises. Tickets range from $40-$100. I recommend the $40 ticket which gets you the 15 minute ferry to and from the island, and the self-guided audio tour of the cell house.

Giants Game

Finish the night with a baseball game at Oracle Park. This baseball stadium has incredible views of the bay. Get tickets to watch the team that moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958 and since their move won three world series. Want to watch basketball instead?  Head over to the Chase Center to watch the Golden State Warriors.

DAY 2

Golden Gate Bridge

There are a few great spots to see the Golden Gate bridge in all of its glory, but one of the best is at Crissy Field. What was once a U.S. Army airfield, Crissy Field is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Some other great picture spots to see the Golden Gate are the Marin Headlands lookout which is across the bridge into Marin County and looking back on San Francisco or Baker Beach where you can get the ocean and the bridge in the same shot.

From Hippie to Hipster – Tour Height-Ashbury and Hayes Valley

Height-Ashbury

haight.jpg

Picture from: http://www.sfgate.com

Take the Hippie to Hipster tour which covers Haight-Ashbury, the Painted Ladies, and Hayes Valley. Haight-Ashbury, the most famous intersection in San Francisco, is known for the birthplace of the counter-culture movement in the 1960s. The summer of love, 1967, about 100,000 young people traveled to San Francisco to join the hippie movement.

Painted Ladies

painted-ladies.png

Nearby are the Painted Ladies, or the famous painted victorian houses. One of the most photographed spots in the city, these houses are shown in the opening credits of Full House.

Hayes Valley

Hayes Valley is known for being a hipster neighborhood with many shops and restaurants.

Mission Dolores Park
mission-dolores-park.png

Next head for lunch in the Mission District. Buy a burrito – cash only – at El Farolito. For dessert get an ice cream at Bi-Right Creamery. Then pick a spot to relax in Mission Dolores Park. With great views of the city skyline, this park becomes very popular when the weather is nice.

Anchor Brewing

Continue on for a drink at Anchor Brewing. Started in 1896 (closed and reopened many times but remaining open since 1965), Anchor Brewing, is America’s first craft brewery and is one of the last remaining breweries to make Steam Beer, or  California common beer, which Anchor Brewing owns trademark. Its Anchor Liberty Ale, introduced in 1975, is the first modern IPA.

You can book a 90 minute tour for $25 of their brewhouse which ends in the taproom with a tasting flight of selected Anchor beers. If you are in a group of 6-10 or more you can opt for an all-access tour with exclusive tasting directly from their beer tank. For even larger groups you can book a private event or private tour.

 

Ferry Building

Get dinner by the water at the landmark Ferry Building. First constructed in 1898, it was renovated in 2003 to host vendors. Some popular vendors include: Gott’s Roadside, Hog Island Oyster Company, Brown Sugar Kitchen, Fort Point Beer Company, Dandelion Chocolate, Blue Bottle Coffee, Cowgirl Creamery, and Humphry Slocombe.

Bourbon & Branch

Wrap up the night at a bar – but not just any bar. You might not notice speakeasy Bourbon & Branch unless you know where to look. You need to make reservations in advance and arrive at the disclosed location with the password. This bar is decorated in the same fashion of an actual speakeasy that operated illegally in that location from 1921 to 1933. Be sure to follow the house rules while you are there. You can also sign up for a cocktail making class. 

 

Other Things to Do

Sight Seeing

Attractions

Cafes

Restaurants

Bars and Breweries

Half Day Trip

  • Sausalito – take the ferry across the bay to visit this quaint town
  • Kirby Cove – across the bridge, hike down to the water, take a rope swing picture
  • Berkley – in the East Bay, known for UC Berkley and restaurants
  • Oakland – large city in the East Bay, known for restaurants and bars
  • Treasure Island – artificial island in the bay
  • Angel Island – immigration station from 1910 to 1940, now known for hiking spots
  • Alameda – island near Oakland

Day Trips

North of San Francisco

South of San Francisco