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San Francisco Guide: Everything to Know Visiting SF

San Francisco Guide

I’m just going to put it out there- San Francisco is one of the most underrated cities. It truly brings so much to the table, and I think it needs to be on absolutely everyone’s radar. This San Francisco Guide is everything you need to know before visiting this city!

If you didn’t know, we just moved to Northern California (some have messaged saying we technically live in central California… but all I see is this referred to as Northern California, so I am going to stick with that!), and San Francisco has been our most visited spot so far.

We live in the South Bay (Mountain View), but it only takes us just over an hour to get into the city. We have been several times with different agenda each time, and I can’t get over how much there is to do.

San Francisco Guide: What You Should Know Before Visiting San Francisco

  • The Bay Area is HUGE. If someone says they live in the Bay Area, it could still take them a good two hours to get into the actual heart of the city. Everything is spread out around the San Francisco Bay, which is literally the ocean and as huge as that sounds like! The Bay Area consists of Silicon Valley (South Bay), the East Bay (Berkeley, Oakland, etc), Marin County, the actual peninsula of San Francisco and way more that I’m sure I’m forgetting.
  • Do NOT call San Francisco “San Fran” for short. Nothing irritates locals more than this phrase! You can use “SF,” “the city,” or “San Francisco,” but nothing else will work, haha. I promise it’s a small thing that will help you adapt more to the city and those around you.
  • Public transport isn’t great, but you don’t need a rental car. I know this sounds counterintuitive, but honestly navigating this city (like almost any major city) isn’t easy by public transit or a car, especially if you’re not a local. I use the transit app to get around, and it’s never steered me wrong! Also, if you’re going to use public transportation, loading up on money through the clipper card is just about the easiest way to make sure you’re covered on bus fees.
  • San Francisco is Just as “dirty” and “unsafe” as any other major public city. I get asked all the time if we feel safe in SF, if it’s as dirty as people say, etc. and honestly a major city is a major city. There are always going to be parts of absolutely any city in the world that feel less safe, dirty, sketchy, etc., but for the most part I feel comfortable in the city even by myself. Now, am I smart and try to get home, make sure I’m around a lot of people once it starts to get slightly dark/in general? Yes! As long as you’re smart and remember that this is a major city, generally I don’t find it to be worse than NYC for example.
    • The area to avoid in SF is “the tenderloin” – if you see a great hotel deal, and it’s in this area, DO NOT book it!! It’s not somewhere even locals venture for really any reason so it’s best to just avoid it all together if you can.
    • If you’re ever unsure, uber! If we’re in the city after dark, we almost always grab an uber back to where we’re parked, the train station, our hotel, etc. We never regret the extra expense here!
  • San Francisco, on average, isn’t warm. Do not pack your typical vacation wear for a trip to SF. It’s generally chilly and windy here almost all year round, with the exception of September and October bringing some warmer temps. You will absolutely need a medium-heavy jacket in even the summer months here for evenings, and I usually don’t even wear shorts in the middle of summer or fall because it’s just not warm enough – especially in the shade. If you’re staying in an AirBnB, you may not even have air conditioning – you can count on two hands the days it’s consistently higher than 75 degrees for the entire day, so it’s generally not needed.

I think that’s all I want to say before we get into the meat of this post. I have grouped these by area mostly, so as you’ll see on a map you could hit these spots in a logical order that works for where you’re coming and going. Here is my google maps saved list for San Francisco if that’s helpful for anyone.

Fisherman’s Wharf

This is going to be one of the more touristy hotspots during your visit, but I have to say it’s worth it. Here are a few things not to miss in the area, but make sure you remember this is almost like the Times Square of NYC (but in SF’s coastal version), so don’t judge the whole city by this one area. It’s still cool!

Ghirardelli Square

Yes, you can buy Ghirardelli items almost anywhere, but you have to try them in its birthplace! Ghirardelli Square is fun either way, so even if you somehow don’t like chocolate, it’s still a neat spot. While you’re in this area, make sure to check out:

  • Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop – You can also get sundaes, hot chocolate, banana splits, etc. here, and they are truly so good! It’s also fun to get a bag and fill up your own custom bag of favorites mix.
  • San Francisco Brewing Co. – We love San Francisco Brewing Co. in Ghirardelli Square! It’s a fun spot to take a break, and we never usually have to wait for an outside seat even in the busy square.
  • Palette Tea House – This dim sum spot in Ghirardelli Square is supposed to be really great! We’ve been dying to try it.
  • Shop – There are lots of cute shops in the square. I like most of these shops a lot more than any of the ones along Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s still a lot of San Francisco merch and such, but it’s a little classier than some things you’ll find closer to the wharf.

Pier 39

This is the wildest place in the city, I swear haha. I would go and skip everything except walking to the very end of the pier (you can go “underneath” it almost by going through the left-most side of the pier – this helps you bypass all the craziness)  to see the seals! If you’re there in the summer months, there will likely be less seals in residence, but there should be an abundance of them for almost all other months.

The pier/boardwalk itself is essentially the tourist trap strip that almost all tourist towns have, there are carnival style games, overpriced restaurants, etc. Totally skippable, unless you have kids. Even then? Maybe still skippable.

Alcatraz

Alcatraz is one of the San Francisco Guide musts. You have to visit Alcatraz when you are in San Francisco! Get your tickets here – try to reserve your time in advance to make sure you have your pick. This is a popular destination!

You’ll also enjoy your boat ride to the island (which is actually run by the National Parks Service and has Park Rangers stationed throughout), it’s got great views of the entire city. Try to arrive early for your reservation to get in line and get a seat with a good view on the boat to Alcatraz.

If you’re wondering what the best time of day to visit Alcatraz is, I recommend going early in the morning and eating a big breakfast before or go right after a really heavy lunch. We were starving after an hour or two during our morning tour, and we ended up leaving sooner than we would have wanted because we were too hungry. We had a lot more we wanted to explore and ended up rushing to catch the earliest boat back.

You arrive to the island (aka “the rock”) during your appointed time, but after that you can catch whichever boat you want back. The boat schedule is posted at the arrival station of the island, so we just snapped a picture so we could remember what time to get back down to the dock.

Once you get there, make sure to get the audio tour, it’s really great! Plan to spend a few hours here as there’s lots to see.

Ferry Building Farmer’s Market

I wouldn’t say this is a “must do” but if you’re in town on a Saturday morning and looking for something with less touristy vibes, it’s really fun to walk around the market. There’s quite a bit of ready made food stands there aka not just ingredients like most farmer’s markets.

Make sure you do go by the actually ferry building though, because it’s got so many cute little shops to explore and really yummy food. Hog Island Oyster Co., Gott’s if you’re looking for something quick and easy, or Cholita Linda for Mexican are our picks here.

Chinatown

The San Francisco Chinatown is actually the oldest in the country, and I think it’s worth walking through at the very least. There are a ton of shops, but we’ve found that they all essentially have the same items, so stop in a bigger one and you’re probably good.

Make sure you stop through the Dragon’s Gate for an iconic photo, and there’s a really cool coffeeshop right past the Dragon Gate on the left – they have really creative options like ube latte, churro latte, birthday cake latte, etc.

Japantown

Even though Chinatown is way bigger, we actually prefer Japantown. There’s this indoor mall in the heart of the area with really good food, mochi donuts (a must), little shops, a Japanese bookstore, and probably even more.

Lombard Street

This is an extremely unique spot, and I definitely consider it a top priority for your San Francisco visit (plus it’s completely free). It’s deemed the world’s windiest street, and even if you don’t drive down yourself, it’s really fun to watch all the other cars go down.

Golden Gate Park

I could almost dedicate an entire post to just this park alone (it’s bigger than Central Park in NYC), but for now I will just give you the high points for you to explore on your own.

The Best Golden Gate Bridge Viewpoints

One of the cheapest things you can do is ride around to the different viewpoints of the Golden Gate Bridge!

  • Fort Point National Historic Site
    • If you want that classic, post card view of the Golden Gate Bridge, this is your spot! It’s also a nice place to just hang out and would make a great picnic spot.
  • Battery Spencer
    • This is where we most often take locals because it’s just so jaw dropping to see it from this angle for the first time, and it’s a relatively easy stop if you’re going across the bridge then turning back around the other way anyways.

Giants Game at Oracle Park

If you’re in the mood to watch a game, cheap seats come with the most amazing view (seriously, I would rather sit in the $15 seats bc the view of the bay is better!).

We like to grab lunch or brunch at a restaurant in the Mission Bay area (love Mission Rock Resort), and we also make time for New Belgium Brewery before or after the game.

Princess Diaries Tour

We haven’t done this yet, but I definitely want to at some point! The only spot we’ve seen is the arm wrestling game scene in the vintage arcade museum!

Food

Make sure you’re prepared for food to be more expensive (for what you’re getting) than many other destinations. San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the world, so it’s definitely going to be a big part of your budget.

Also, if you’ve never tried Salt and Straw, make sure you give it a try while you’re here. There are a lot of locations!

The Mission

Fisherman’s Wharf

Marina Bay / Near Giant’s Stadium

Sunset

Fillmore District

Where to Stay

Firstly, don’t stay in “The Tenderloin” – this is the worst part of San Francisco, and any deal you find for a hotel in this area is NOT worth it. Make sure you check that none of your lodgings or activities are here.

Secondly, since we live in the Bay Area, we really haven’t spent the night in the city but once. No San Francisco Guide would be complete without lodging recommendations, so I couldn’t miss an opportunity! These below are some places we’ve heard good things about though.

Where to Stay in San Francisco:

Please comment any and all of your San Francisco questions, and I would love to answer or do my best to help you find the answer! It’s truly an underrated city, and I can’t wait for your next trip to San Francisco. This San Francisco guide is continuously updated, so check back often for more ideas and details.

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