There are so many different places to visit in California. You can go to the beach in San Diego, visit the wineries in Napa and while the weather in San Francisco may not always be what you image for California, the city itself is definitely worth a visit. San Francisco is a densely populated urban area mixed with that Californian feel. Here are 10 things to do in San Francisco that we think are absolutely worth doing!
1. Bike the Golden Gate Bridge
Probably the most iconic sight in San Francisco is the Golden Gate Bridge. Finished in 1937 it was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world at the time.
You can spot the bridge from all around the city. And while you could easily drive over the bridge to experience the views from on top of it, we absolutely loved biking across the Golden Gate Bridge. It really was such an experience to physically bike across such an impressive and well known bridge. Beware you definitely won’t enjoy it if you are really afraid of heights.
- There are many different companies renting bikes for doing the bridge as well as other routes in the city. You’re bound to pass by a few in Fisherman’s Wharf or across in Sausalito but you have to rent the bike before getting to the bridge. You won’t find any bikes to rent right at the bridge itself.
- We rented bikes near Fisherman’s Wharf which meant we had a bit of a ride to get up to the bridge. As you get closer to the start of the bridge the road turns into a giant hill. While not incredibly difficult to get up, it was definitely harder than we initially thought it would be.
- There is a wide section on the bridge for walkers, runners and bikers. However, if it is crowded you will have to weave around people so just be prepared it can get tight at times.
- The bridge does have gaps where you can see a little of the water below so don’t look down if you are afraid of heights!
We spent the day in Sausalito and took a trip up to Muir Woods after biking across the Bridge. Because of this we knew we would not want to bike all the way back to Fishermans wharf after so we looked into alternative methods of getting back. The two most common are the ferry or a taxi. The taxis do have bike racks so don’t worry about bringing your bike along for the ride.
2. Have lunch in Sausalito
We absolutely loved Sausalito! Sausalito is a quaint, small town across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.
We biked across the bridge and then into Sausalito relatively easily. It is really common to continue riding the roughly 3 miles to the center of Sausalito. There are some restaurants in the downtown area with amazing views of nearby Angel Island and looking to the skyscrapers across the water.
- We ate lunch outside looking out to the bay and just enjoyed watching the boats go by, especially on a windy day you can see many sail boats passing through.
- You can easily walk around Sausalito in a few hours. There is a really good viewpoint called Vista Point that has amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge where you likely came from. Theres room even if you don’t bike to pull the car over and catch a glimpse.
- Ferries running between Sausalito and San Francisco are common and easy to take back, even with your rented bike!
3. Hike around Muir Woods
Muir Woods National Monument is a national park about 8 miles from Sausalito. It is most famous for it’s impressively tall redwood trees. They were absolutely the most remarkable trees we’ve ever seen.
Make sure to check the website as the closing times of the park changes depending on the season. There are also a few things about the park to know before going:
- There are shuttles that bring you to and from the park from three different pickup locations. It is significantly less expensive to take the shuttle than to pay for parking at the park.
- The road up to the Muir Woods entrance and visitor center is very curvy. If you get really car sick this might be a struggle for you.
- We actually took an uber because we missed the shuttle up to the park. This was definitely more expensive than taking the shuttle but was fine to make the times work for us. Afterwards we were able to get seats to take the shuttle back to Sausalito.
- Download your shuttle passes and whatever else you might need because you probably won’t have phone service once you’re there!
Muir Woods was extremely serene and quiet. While obviously that depends on how crowded it is that day, there are plenty of trails to pick from and enjoy a slice of peace so close to the city!
4. See the Sunset at Lands End
Lands End is a must see if you are looking for a good California sunset! Located in the northwestern tip of San Francisco, Lands End sprawls along the coastline and is filled with impressive cliffs and hidden spots. We would recommend walking along the Lands End Trail which gives you amazing views of the entire Golden Gate Bridge! Consider stopping at some of the highlights within the park including the Lands End Labyrinth or the Sutro Baths.
If you continue walking, round the corner past the famous Cliff House restaurant you will find a lengthy beach. While it might not always be beach weather in San Francisco, it was almost completely deserted when we were there!
Travel Truth: Make sure whatever you do in the area, get to a spot on the coast for sunset at Lands End! You won’t regret it!
5. Have a Lobster Roll and Clam Chowder in Fisherman’s Wharf
Even if you are not staying in the area, take a walk through Fisherman’s Wharf. Now yes, it can be very crowded with other visitors as it is a main tourist attraction in the city but it is worth taking a stroll through even just for a few minutes.
There are rows and rows of restaurants, small and large, selling chowder and bread bowls and anything else you would want. Even if you’re not interested in buying anything, you can walk through see the sea lions laying on the docks, catch a view of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance and sometimes you can even spot Alcatraz. If you are taking a ferry ride to Alcatraz or any other nearby spots, this is likely close to where you will catch it.
6. Go see the Painted Ladies
The Paint Ladies are victorian style houses painted in pastel colors famous for being featured in some famous movies such as Full House and Mrs. Doubtfire.
The row of seven painted ladies (victorian houses) are located at 710 Steiner Street in San Francisco. You can put the Alamo Square Park in San Francisco into your maps app to find the exact block. Don’t worry you will see many other people standing in the park across the street taking pictures of the houses. While there are many other victorian style houses in the neighborhood, you will know you’re in the right spot when you see a group of people!
While you don’t need hours to hit this spot, if you are reasonably close it is cool to see especially if you were a big Full House fan back in the day. There are spots to sit down in the park for a minute or two before moving on.
7. Take a tour of Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island was a military prison for roughly thirty years until the 1960’s when it closed its doors. It was considered impossible to escape from Alcatraz because of its location on an island and the dangerous waters that surround it. Famous inmates included Al Capone and Frank Morris.
It is a common day trip from San Francisco and there are many ferries that go from one to the other. Make sure to check ahead of time especially depending on the time of year you are visiting. Many companies offer it along with a stop at Angel Island before going to Alcatraz Island.
While we are not huge fans of guided tours, the self guided audio tour of Alcatraz was great. It was very informative and by the end we actually felt like we learned a lot about the history of this island!
Tickets can sell out way ahead of time so if you know it is something you definitely want to do, we recommend checking as soon as possible. We booked our tickets about 6 weeks ahead of time.
Travel Truth: It is definitely a more expensive thing to do and we are not usually ones to do historical tours. However, we both loved exploring Alcatraz! It was so interesting to walk through and see the history within and we thought they did a really great job preserving the island.
8. Walk Down Lombard Street
Another quick spot to check out throughout the city, Lombard Street is known as the most crooked street in San Francisco and maybe even the world. It is a one lane road with eight steep hairpin turns.
To see it from the top you will want to go to the intersection of Lombard Street and Hyde Street. At the top you will see the street going down as well as a view all the way down Lombard Street to the bay.
To watch cars driving down Lombard street go to the intersection of Lombard Street and Leavenworth Street.
Travel Truth: Just beware you will see many, many other people snapping pictures as well as officials directing you where to go and where to stand. It can be a bit overwhelming if you don’t like crowds but definitely worth seeing for a few minutes.
9. Take a ride on the Historical Cable Cars
The historical San Francisco Cable Cars have been running within the city since the late 1800’s. While it has undergone changes since the beginning, there are still three routes within the city. Theres the Power/Hyde line, Powell/Mason line and the California/Van Ness line.
- The Powell/Hyde Line actually runs along the intersection of Lombard Street (#8 on this list) if you want to kill two birds with one stone or keep riding and end around Ghiradelli Square.
- The Powell/Mason Line passes close to the bottom of Lombard Street so you get a view looking up and continues to Fisherman’s Wharf.
- The California Line runs the opposite direction along California Street over some classic San Francisco hills including Nob Hill to Van Ness Street.
Regardless of which line you ride, catching one of the historic cable cards is like getting a mini tour of the city. A one-way adult ticket is $7 so you don’t ride it for solely for the cheap transportation like the subway but for the experience. Beware that sometimes the lines to ride can be long and sometimes require waiting for the cars to board.
10. Watch a Giants game at AT&T Park (Now Oracle Park)
Last but not least, if you are at all into baseball this stadium is a very unique ball park. Directly beyond the outfield is the San Francisco Bay. It was really cool to see all the fans waiting in their kayaks in the water to try to catch home run balls throughout the game. We would recommend buying tickets behind home plate so you have the best view the entire game.
This one definitely depends on their schedule while you are visiting and also if you are interested, and willing, to spend the money on tickets. But we thought it was really interesting to see such a different stadium compared to the ones we’ve been to previously. Also the food in Oracle Park is significantly better than any other baseball game we’ve been to! If you go definitely plan on eating and not just a mediocre pretzel!
Do you have any other places you loved in San Francisco?
