This week’s Sunday Spotlight – What to do in San Francisco.
On select Sunday’s we shine the spotlight on a different city by sharing travel tips and stories written by other bloggers around the web.
We hope these blog posts will inform and inspire you to visit San Francisco.
What to Do in San Francisco (when it rains)
San Francisco is not famous for its weather, and chances are it could rain. Courtney Carver and her daughter spent 4 days in San Francisco and discovered that the city takes on a whole new look and feel in the rain and it’s yours to enjoy.
Read: What to Do in San Francisco (when it rains)
Food Adventures at the Ferry Building
Cassie Kifer’s favorite thing about San Francisco is its food culture and enthusiasm for local, fresh, organic, hard-to-find, and artisan-crafted food products. For this reason, the first place she always recommends first-time visitors go is the Ferry Building.
Read: Food Adventures at the Ferry Building
Thrifty San Francisco
Depending on where you come from, San Francisco can be an expensive city to visit. Good thing Ashley offers three great insider tips on getting around, where to eat, and going to the museums. doing San Francisco on the cheap.
Chinatown – The Pretty and the Gritty
Cathy Sweeney took a walking tour in Chinatown and discovered that off the main tourist routes are the alleys of Chinatown that offer a different, old world perspective of life in this famous area of the city.
Read: Chinatown – The Pretty and the Gritty
Haight Ashbury – Still in bloom with flower power
Abby had never really explored San Francisco, but on a recent trip that all changed when she took a tour led by the great Izu, a commune-living, Jerry Garcia-befriending, music-adoring flower child of the 1960s who loves her job and showing people the famous Height Ashbury District
Read: Haight Ashbury Flower Power
You can’t visit San Francisco without taking the ferry over to this famous island which served as a lighthouse and military site before becoming a Federal prison in 1963. Some of the most infamous criminals in history were housed there, and Mary Jo found the Cellhouse Audio Tour particularly chilling.
Read: Alcatraz: The Rock in San Francisco Bay
Cruising San Francisco Bay
Whilst the 60 minute Bay Cruise is definitely a touristy thing to do, Cathy Sweeney still takes her out-of-town visitors because it offers great views of the city and perspectives of the Golden Gate Bridge that you can’t get any other way.
Read: Cruising San Francisco Bay
Burrito Tour Through San Francisco
During his short visit to San Francisco, Adam gave himself one priority: eat a San Francisco-style burrito. There’s a burrito restaurant in Berlin that’s famous for them, but he wanted the real thing.
So he set out on a quest to find the best burrito in SF, and thanks to some suggestions he went straight for the Mission.
Read: Burrito Tour: my search for the city’s best burrito
AT&T Park – who’s on first at a Giants baseball game?
Whether you’re a local or a visitor from out of town, and even if you’re not a sports fan, Cathy Sweeney suggests you should take in a San Francisco Giants baseball game to enjoy the views, people watching, ballpark food aromas and energy of the crowd.
Read: AT&T Park: who’s on first?
San Francisco travel Tips by Other Travelers
We personally spent one week in San Francisco back in 2006, and we also asked our facebook fans for their own tips and suggestions. Here is what we, and them, had to say.
Read: San Francisco Travel Tips from Travellers
Packing List for San Francisco
Travelers who have never been to San Francisco might imagine it to be like the rest of California: warm and sunny year-round. But the weather here is unpredictable. Whilst this packing list is written from the perspective of a female traveler, there are some great tips for us all.
Read: Ultimate Female Packing List for San Francisco
Nearby San Francisco
The Perfect Day Trip to Berkeley
Berkeley, California is a city known for its innovative food, love of upsetting the status quo, and outstanding academics. Jenna Francisco discovers that it also makes for the perfect day trip.
Read: The Perfect Day Trip: Berkeley, California
Muir Woods National Monument
Located a few miles north of Golden Gate Park, Muir Woods, home to the mighty Redwoods, is one of Jeremy Branham’s favorite side trips from the city, and he was left wandering whether it’s their size or their age that inspires you the most.
Read: Walking Among Giants – Muir Woods
Mystery, History and Curiosity
There’s so much to do in San Francisco that some visitors never leave the city. But Cathy Sweeney suggests heading a little south for some interesting things to see and do, including Stanford University, Palo Alto, Winchester Mystery House, CuriOdyssey and more.
Read: Mystery, History and CuriOdyssey
Napa Valley
Napa Valley is a world famous wine growing region, but it is also incredibly beautiful including architecture and gardens, and each one of the five towns making up the region offers something different.
Read: Napa Valley, California
Point Reyes National Seashore
When Henry Lee’s friend suggested a trip to Point Reyes, 50km northeast of San Francisco, they had to think about the reputation of the weather, the windiest and foggiest location on the US west coast. But the sun was out and so he decided to discover this geologically diverse area.
Read: Point Reyes National Seashore
What are your tips for San Francisco?
Plan Your Trip in San Francisco
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Flights to San Francisco Car Rental in San Francisco
I LOVE this! I lived i San Francisco for 4 months last year and I absolutely loved the city and its people. Seeing these pics takes me back… Oh, how I miss it!
I haven’t written about SF yet, since our blog is totally new, but I have some posts up my sleeve… The city is amazing! 😀
Thanks for posting this. 🙂
Hey Celia,
It’s a city I could definitely live in for a few months. Looking forward to your posts.
C&C, thanks for highlighting my post about visiting Point Reyes! While I’ve visited friends frequently in the Bay Area, I enjoyed reading through all the posts and recommendations about “what to do” in the area. I’ve got that urge again to go back! 🙂
Thank you Henry! I’ve got the itch too for a re-visit 🙂
Very cool to be included in your round up of SF things to do. I see I’m in great company, too. Great suggestions by everyone. It’s been ages since I’ve been to Muir Woods or Point Reyes — time to get back to those spots and others mentioned in the posts. Thanks!
As a local you know the Bay area Cathy!! We must come and visit.
Craig, thanks for including our post in this great collection! I live very close to San Francisco, but there are still so many things I haven’t yet done. I’m also excited to have this reference to send to friends when they are coming to visit! 🙂
Your welcome Cassie. You live close to a great city.
Great list of activities in one of my favorite cities in the world. Might I also suggest climbing the Filbert Steps to Coit Tower…
http://www.theworldofdeej.com/2012/07/filbert-steps-coit-tower.html
Thanks for the tip DJ
Great tips! I LOVE the Ferry Market.
Yay, glad you agree 🙂
Thanks for including my post on Muir Woods. However, that photo you chose is awful. Was my photo really that bad? 🙂
San Francisco is a very unique city. Best tip I can give is pack in layers. Late Sept and the month of October best time to visit for the weather. Beautiful and interesting city any time of year!
Their theme is a bit wider than some of ours so the images were stretched to fit. Looks good on your post! 🙂
Our site automatically resizes portrait photos to 600 x 900 sorry. So yeah it looks better on your post.
Great list-it’s crazy to think it has been almost two years since we were last in San Fran 🙂 We posted about our crazy meanderings there a looong time ago-our blog has also come a long way since then too 🙂 http://acruisingcouple.com/2011/06/our-little-san-francisco-gold-rush/
So excited to be included! I really did fall in love with San Francisco on that trip. Now after reading this post, I have all of these new reasons to go back. How will I find the time?!
Your welcome Abby, I now want to go back too and explore Haight Ashbury with Izu.
Thanks for including my post about Berkeley! San Francisco is such a special city, and obviously people just love it!
Yep, Berkeley makes for a great side-trip. Some interesting characters there too 🙂
So much great information about fabulous San Francisco, one of our favorite cities to visit! I’m hoping to write about our adventures there soon, but in the mean time I really enjoyed this collection of wonderful articles to read.
Sure thing Barbara. Hope you make it to SF soon!
This post is exactly what I needed. Going to SF for the first time in less than 2 weeks. Thanks for all the tips!
Awesome. Have a great time exploring!
This is absolutely perfect! I’m going on a roadtrip from Seattle to San Francisco in late May, and this couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! Thanks guys!
Awesome Christina. Enjoy it!
I couldn’t agree more with Christina above! I am headed to San Francisco for my very first time (first time even on a plane believe it or not :s ) and I leave in July! Bookmarked this page! Thanks for the great tips! I have so far booked my GoCar Tour lol apparently they’re a “must”? And of course the Wine Country Tour hehe and cannot leave with out visiting the Golden Gate Bridge!!! So excited! Thanks again! 🙂
Traveling to San Francisco soon, just booked my flights with Tour America your tips where very useful.
Awesome Tom! Have an amazing time, it is such a great city
Thanks so much
Craig,this post was of great help. Point Reyes National Seashore is a must visit while travelling in San-Francisco. Its beauty leaves you spell bound.
I live in SF and call it home for the last 9 years. And I am sure it’s the best city in US (maybe in the world) because it still makes me “Wow”!)
This is the great guide – to summarize San Francisco visit.
Also, I am starting a tour company and if you guys coming to SF in January-February 2016, let me know. I am giving out FREE test tours – riding the hills (everyone whom I showed SF really enjoyed exactly this part – drive over our hills).
If you want to participate check in here: http://unbouncepages.com/sanfranciscohillstours/
Also let me know if you have any other questions about San Francisco – happy to help.