3 Days in San Francisco, California

When I was considering where to further my education, I knew I wanted to go somewhere where I would love to live for four years. I quickly decided on San Francisco, and it was one of the best decisions of my life.

This jewel of a city perched on hills on the edge of the Pacific is still my favorite US city. It has sweet little Victorian houses on crooked streets, history, wharves, incredible views, and influences from many cultures. The city’s history as a boomtown began with the Gold Rush of 1849, bringing in immigrants from China and Italy. In the 1960s, it became the center of “The Summer of Love.” Read on for my recommendation on spending three days in San Francisco, California. This 3-day San Francisco itinerary is how I introduced my kids to the city.

San Francisco Itinerary 3 Days

Day One in San Francisco

Explore Fisherman’s Wharf

Yes, it is very touristy, but I spent a lot of time in this area when I lived here. Fisherman’s Wharf continues its long history as a working fishing harbor, initially staffed with mainly Chinese and Italian immigrants. It is high-energy, with many tourist attractions, street performers, and street artists. There are high-end seafood and Italian restaurants and fishmongers and the world-famous Boudin’s, the original maker of sourdough bread, where you can get chowder in a bread bowl.

Pier 39

Stop by Pier 39 to see the sea lions loaf around, although their numbers have recently dwindled. You will also get incredible views of Alcatraz and the bridges.

Now is the Perfect Time to Grab Lunch

There is no better place to get two of San Francisco’s must-haves– crab and chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. San Francisco is famous for its Dungeness crab, caught from nearby waters. You can buy yours from the seafood stalls, and they will freshly steam it for you. Go into Boudin’s and grab your chowder. Then find a place to sit down, watch the people or colorful fishing boats and have one of the best meals in California.

See If You Can Escape Alcatraz

Seriously, if you only have time to do one thing in San Francisco, this should be the thing. Alcatraz is a prison on a rocky island in the middle of the frigid Golden Gate Bay. In the heydey of the gangster era, the worst offenders were sent to this famously inescapable prison, including Al Capone. To get to Alcatraz you will take a scenic ferry ride and get a great view of San Francisco from the water. With an interactive and free audio tour, the tour itself will educate and delight everyone. You will even see the first lighthouse on the Pacific coast, Alcatraz Island Lighthouse.

The ferry to Alcatraz leaves from Pier 33. You have to book tickets well in advance, as they sell out. If this is a last-minute trip, you can buy tickets as part of a package with other tours, such as a hop-on, hop-off bus tour, or a Muir Woods/Alcatraz Tour.

Take in the Views of the City from the Top of Coit Tower

Walk up the pretty gardened Filbert Stairs to the tower. Coit Tower looks like a fire hose sticking up from Telegraph Hill. Opening times and tickets can be found here. 

Take a Cable Car Up to Lombard Street

Very little is as iconic to San Francisco as the famous cable cars, and they are fun to ride. The cable cars, invented for the city, began running in 1837! Catch a car on the Hyde/Powell Line at the corner of Hyde and Beach Street.

Get off at Lombard Street, famous for being the most crooked street in the world. Although that isn’t true, it is not even the most crooked in San Francisco (Vermont Street is!). The street is worth seeing with its cute houses and gardens nestled around the eight famous curves.

Buy your tickets for the cable car in advance using MUNI’s app, MuniMobile.

Check out San Francisco’s CityPASS. Shop Now!

Cross the Golden Gate Bridge

Although driving across the world’s most famous bridges is incredible, walking or biking will let you be present in your surroundings and with the bridge. A walk will take about 2 hours and a bike ride about half of that. Parking lots sit on either side of the bridge and the Marin side, pictured above, gives a pretty spectacular view of the city and bridge.

If you are afraid of heights, it is a mighty scary bridge, often windy and sprinkled with signs discouraging jumpers. If you are new to crossing famous bridges, the Brooklyn Bridge is a more secure one to start with, but the Golden Gate is still my favorite.

Visit the Golden Gate Visitor’s Site for details about rules and hours.

If you would like to bike across, look into a guided bike tour of Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, and ending in Sausalito.

Enjoy a Relaxing Italian Dinner in North Beach

Remember those Italian immigrants– North Beach is San Francisco’s “Little Italy” and the perfect place to sit out on a patio for dinner.

Have Ice Cream Sundaes at Ghiradelli Square

Ghiradelli chocolate came to San Francisco circuitously from Italy in 1849. The last factory was converted into the Ghirardelli Chocolate Manufactory & Soda Fountain and Ghirardelli Square in 1895 on the waterfront where it still stands. Historic and yummy– a sundae is a perfect way to end your day.

 

Day Two San Francisco

Visit Land’s End

This area on the opposite side of San Francisco from Fisherman’s Wharf seems like a different world. Jagged cliffs stretch upwards as the Pacific lies seemingly unending in front of you. When I lived here, this was one of my favorite escapes.

Take a Hike around the Sutro Baths

Although the public baths never became popular, their ruins on the waterfront are fun to explore. If you are up for a hike, take the easy .5-mile hike down the parking lot from the Sutro Baths Cave. You can read more about that in my One Day in San Francisco post.

Head to Golden Gate Park

Continue your escape in Golden Gate Park, which has trails, monuments, bridges, buffalo, and gardens. My favorite spot is the Japanese Tea Garden, so I spend most of my time there.

You can get tea at the Japanese Tea Garden, but you will mainly want to wander. This is the oldest Japanese garden globally and the best I have visited. It also has a storied history. The garden’s creator, Makoto Hagiwara, and his family were taken into internment camps in WW 2. A lot of the garden was destroyed, and it took years for it to be rebuilt.

Literary Inspiration for your trip to San Francisco: If you would like to read more about this part of San Francisco’s history, check out Molokai’s Daughter by Alan Brennert or Midnight in Broad Daylight by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto 

Check out Stories to Inspire Travel for a list of books that I have read to inspire my trips.

See the Mosiac Steps 

The steps are a little out of the way if you are short on time, but these community-created stairs are unique works of art. They are located around 1700 16th Ave and ascend to Grand View Park.

Visit the Mission District

“The Mission” neighborhood is a mix of Latin and hipster.

Grab a Burrito for Lunch

In my opinion, California has some of the best Mexican food globally, so you shouldn’t leave San Francisco without a delicious burrito.

Misión San Francisco de Asís, or Mission Dolores

Although fraught with conflict, an essential part of California’s history is the building of missions to spread Catholicism to the native people. The Mission Dolores is the oldest surviving building (earthquakes and fires are tough on structures) in San Francisco. Read more about California’s mission history in A Day in San Juan Capistrano.

Haight-Ashbury

Honestly, I never spent much time in this neighborhood which had its heyday with the hippie movement of the 1960s and 1970s, but it is a significant spot in the city’s identity.

See the Painted Ladies

The Painted Ladies are the famous, beautifully colored victorian homes along Steiner Street. These homes were built in the Queen Anne style as housing for arriving gold rushers. They didn’t get their pretty colors until artists used them as their canvases in the 1960s.

Sit on a bench in Alamo Park to enjoy the houses and stunning city views. If you arrive at sunset, you can get a picture of the sun’s nightly farewell over the buildings with a backdrop of San Francisco’s skyscrapers. If you do that, some of my itinerary will change for you.

Explore the oldest Chinatown in the United States

San Francisco’s Chinatown is my favorite Chinatown I have been to in my travels, nudging out the neighborhood in New York City. It is big, well-established, and colorful.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

It is fun smelling and watching the creation of these famous cookies.

Dinner in Chinatown

Dim Sum is small portions of Chinese food that you pick from rolling carts, and San Francisco’s Chinatown is a great place to get it. I love that you get to try many new tastes.

Literary Inspiration for Chinatown, San Francisco: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan is a look at the Chinese-American immigrant experience in San Francisco. 

Day Three- Take a Day Trip from San Francisco

The area outside of San Francisco is unique, and I would recommend exploring it on your third day in San Francisco. There is a lot of natural beauty just over the Golden Gate Bridge, and here are two of my favorite ways to spend a day outside of San Francisco.

Spend your Day with the Redwoods and on the Marin Headlands

Muir Woods National Monument

Less than an hour outside San Francisco lies Muir Woods, named after the famous naturalist John Muir. Take a hike into the mountains covered in majestic redwood forests, climbing to views of the Pacific. Muir Woods is the first National Monument entirely donated by an individual. You must reserve a shuttle or a parking spot.

If you don’t have a car, look into getting a tour from San Francisco.

Visit the Point Bonita Lighthouse

You can hike up to the third lighthouse built in California, which is still in use.

Have Dinner in the Charming Town of Sausalito

The cutest town in the Bay Area is right across the bridge from San Francisco. Crowded but charming, it is a perfect place to eat on the water. Be sure to enjoy the colorful houses on the hillsides and the houseboats. There is a ferry from San Francisco. Look up the ferry schedule here.

Watch the sunset from Battery Spencer over the Golden Gate Bridge.

The ruins of an old military battery provide some of the best possible views of San Francisco and the bridge. Parking is limited, and you will need to hike about a quarter mile on a dirt trail. This spot is where I got engaged.

Explore Wine Country

California’s wine country is stunning, glamorous, and delicious. Don’t miss a visit. Unless you have a designated driver, you will want to take a tour. Here are a few to check out that leave from San Francisco.

• Small-Group Wine Country and Tasting Tour
• Legendary Winemaking Tour

If you really can’t decide between these two options, you can book a tour of both Muir Woods and go wine tasting. It will be a busy day.

Or you can take a long day trip to the stunning Yosemite National Park.

Getting Around San Francisco

I would highly recommend taking a cab, the Muni (city buses and trolleys), or Uber in San Francisco instead of renting a car. Parking is costly, difficult to find, and driving is pretty aggressive.

When we visited, we got around on a Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour. We did this for a few reasons.

• The tour gives you an excellent overview of the city.
• There were five of us, which would have taken a large or two cabs or Ubers.
• We forgot to book tickets to Alcatraz, which sells out early. If you buy a bus tour with Alcatraz included, even when Alcatraz is sold out you can still tour it.
• Be aware that the stop in Golden Gate Park only operates on certain days.

Book your Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus tour here.

Where to Stay in San Francisco

If your goal is to be close to what you want to see, it is hard to beat staying near Fisherman’s Wharf. This location is near almost everything you will want to do on day 1. Book a room at the Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco, San Francisco.

If you would rather stay in the more urban part of San Francisco, check out the Hyatt Regency in the financial district.

If you want to book an upscale hotel, consider either The Fairmont in Nob Hill or Four Seasons on Union Square.

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