7 days in San Francisco - ideas? - YouLookFab Forum

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7 days in San Francisco - ideas?

Glory

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I am travelling to San Fran in March for 7 days with my husband and daughter. We are meeting up with my brother and his family. I have never been there.
At the moment we have no firm plans and are open to everything.
So far I have not rented a car as I have heard it might be better to use public transport / uber. Would you recommend a car?
Looking for some great suggestions on places to see.

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14 replies

Latest reply was from Barbara Diane

Eliza

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No need for a car if you are staying in the city. Hotel parking is exorbitant ($75/day when we were there on business last month) and it is easy to walk, taxi, uber, or take public transport. We drove to Napa/Healdsburg for a day trip and enjoyed it. What to do depends on your group's interests; there is a lot to choose from and 7 days is enough time to make a good start with the city.

The MOMA is beautiful and art lovers could easily spend 2-4 hours there. It re-opened last year after a stunning renovation. I liked the Contemporary Jewish Museum as well. Small and extremely well curated. I wanted to see the deYoung and spend time in Golden Gate Park, but never got there in the downpours. We were there in stormy weather, juggling business and relative visiting, so there were many things we missed this time around.

I am sure there are local fabbers with more expertise who will weigh in. Enjoy your trip!

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

We bought a public transportation pass last time that also included entry to some attractions, but Uber/Lyft might have been cheaper. Alcatraz is always my favorite thing. Buy tickets online in advance though- they sell out. We also really enjoyed the aquarium and eating dim sum in China Town was the cheapest and best food we had while we were there.

rachylou

Veteran

There's the Exploratorium and the Academy of Science for the kids also

ClaraT

Veteran

The Legion of Honor is a stunning museum (the museum itself); the collection is good but the setting and lighting are spectacular. It is on the far end of the city (Lands End) and there is great walking/hiking there. Tons of gorgeous and photogenic views. See: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lands-end-san-francisco. Get tacos in the Mission (anywhere, really; again, Yelp is a big help); visit Clarion alley to see the murals (https://www.yelp.com/biz/clari.....-francisco).
Golden Gate Park has the de Young museum (go up the tower to see the views); right across the way (still in the park) is the Academy of Science.
The Exploratorium is great, though that area (Pier 39/Ghirardeli Square) is super touristy (a little icky). One of those bus pass/attraction bundles might be your best bet.
You must must must go to the Golden Gate bridge! If you can, take a trip across it to Marin (the headlands, Muir Woods, etc.) Or just come to Mill Valley and Old Mill Park to play amongst the redwoods (easier than Muir Woods but really pretty).
I'll think a bit and add more later if it seems worthwhile.

MsMaven

Veteran

Definitely get your Alcatraz tickets right away if you want to go. We had disappointed house guests who didn't do that--they needed them 3 weeks in advance, and this was February.

Hornblower Cruises has lunch or dinner cruises on the Bay--kind of fun if you like to be on the water.

We used to hang around Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square with our young adult kids, but last year we found Ghirardelli to be a big disappointment. Haven't been to Pier 39 for a long time, but it still looks like a good time. It is touristy and crowded, but that never stopped us.

And there is Union Square and the nearby streets for shopping your heart out. Again, thanks to online shopping, I haven't shopped there lately, but I used to make a day of it. Visit the Hermes and Chanel stores. The Jewelry Mart used to be a fun place to shop or just window shop. Again, lately I just get to SF to go to meetings.

ClaraT

Veteran

One more super good place is Fort Point, nestled at the foot of the Golden Gate bridge on the SF side. It is historically interesting, you can climb up and around (great photos), and outside you can walk along the water and see surfers/kite surfers and sometimes seals.
By the way: Bring warm layers. It is so breezy and cold sometimes! And you will walk up and down a lot of hills so those cute flats that are comfy in the office will cripple you in SF MsMaven is spot-on about Alcatraz tickets (buy in advance). That is a great trip (the audio tour is fantastic). Feel free to PM me with questions.

Glory

Veteran

Ladies you are so generous to spend your time typing up suggestions. I appreciate it very much. Off to buy the Alcatraz tix now.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

I won't repeat much of the information above, which is all good.
I don't know the age of the kids involved. For young children the children's discovery museum in Sausalito is wonderful. Muir Woods is special.

Although small, we always take people to the

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.

And I'll keep thinking.

MsMary

Veteran

Definitely don't bother with the car. Fun story: Years ago I went to San Francisco on business and rented a car. It was a nightmare: Horrible traffic, plus it was $35 a night to park at my hotel. So the next morning, bright and early, I called the car rental place and said "Help! I need to dump this car!" They directed me to the famous Mark Hopkins Hotel (home of Top of the Mark, which I highly recommend), where there was a rental car place in the underground parking garage. So I dumped the rental car and went to the front of the hotel to grab a cab to my business meeting. Lo and behold, the hotel's limousine driver wasn't doing anything at the moment, so he gave me a lift to my meeting! Big fun!

In other news, I love the restaurants at Belden Place. It has a variety of small European restaurants to choose from. If you like French food I definitely recommend Cafe Bastille there. It's like dining in Paris! (My first YLF live meetup was dinner with Natalie [GoldenPig] at Cafe Bastille!)

Oh, and if you have any teens (or adults) who are into that sort of thing, check out the Cartoon Art Museum. My son loved it and so did I!

And finally, this is super dorky but years ago my son and I did a Segway tour and it was a blast!

Couple other things:

Dottie's True Blue Cafe for breakfast or brunch. You will have to stand in line but it will be worth it.

City Lights Bookstore and the Beat Museum right around the corner. Fun look into San Francisco's Beat Generation history.

Oh, and we took a walking tour of Haight Ashbury that we really enjoyed. But we're history nerds that way, as you can probably tell!

elpgal

Veteran

Long time since I have been but I enjoyed Mission, Telegraph Hill, Alcatracz, spending a day in Berkeley, and just walking up and down downtown.

ETA: Haight-Ashbury too. And an evening at Presidio Park.

Joy

Veteran

Eat crab and sour dough bread on the wharf as you walk around. If you can find a book on walks to do in San Francisco, buy and use it. Take some warm layers and very comfortable shoes. Public transportation can break down, so be prepared to walk.

JAileen

Veteran

In addition to the excellent ideas above, here are a couple more ideas:

At Pier 45 is the Musee Mecanique. It's fun to see some of the antique arcade machines work. There are some I remember from Playland at the Beach when I was a kid. Nice to kill a little time before your dinner reservation.

Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge - great views and fresh air.

At Fort Mason is Greens Restaurant. Vegetarian, but at a high level. Very nice - excellent food, great views.

Sal

Veteran

I have visited twice, I agree with the advice above. We enjoyed:

Walking around the pier on a self guided tour
Moma
Science Interactive Museum
Wandering the streets, eating, shopping, looking at houses and buildings.
The waterfront

There was a large obvious homeless/drug problem that we found confronting in parts but since that time the issue has also spread to NZ so I would not see it the same way now.

I loved the city both times but the weather can be chilly in summer, it was warmer in February than in August.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

When walking across the Golden Gate Bridge you should wear layers. It can be quite cold.