We live in a tiny town, population 9,000. This summer, we wanted to expose our kids to a “big city” experience, so on our way to Yosemite, we spent a few days in San Francisco. We booked a VRBO and did NOT rent a car, so that the family could get a feel for city life, public transportation and all. The result? Tons of fun, a few frustrating hours (there are a zillion modes of transportation in S.F.), and lots of walking.
And now, a few tips for you, should you plan to visit the city by the bay. (And I think you should.)
Things to Know
- San Fran is big: population 805,235. (To compare, NYC has 8.4 million and LA has 3.8 million, but to us, SF was BIG.)
- The people of San Fran are friendly, despite the super size. The cashier at Sausolito Cafe on 1st St. in the Financial District wrote down a list of good places to visit. The grip man on our cable car shared a website for learning photography when he saw me toting my new Canon DSLR. Funny note, just as I said to my family, “I love San Francisco! Everyone is so friendly here!”, while we waited at a bus stop, a bus nearly ran over a biker, which resulted in abundant profanity and fist shaking that continued for at least a block. So much for everyone being friendly. 😉
- San Fran is HILLY. We spent much of Day 1 exploring the city on foot because the transportation system is a tad overwhelming. (More on that later.) I swear we walked at least four miles and all at a decent clip because my long legged husband doesn’t tolerate dawdling. I recommend good shoes and strong quads if you decide to hoof it.
- San Fran is COOL. It was 65 degrees in the middle of July. The nice lady from Sausolito Cafe told us that summer comes to SF in September and October. Luckily we had been warned by the quote, “The coldest winter I spent was summer in San Francisco”. Layers strongly recommended.
Where We Stayed
- Decent hotels in San Fran can cost upwards of $350 per night. We weren’t about cram six of us into one room for four nights, nor could we stand spending $700 a night for two rooms. Instead we booked a VRBO apartment (three bedrooms, two baths, kitchen) near Golden Gate Park for about $1800 for four nights. Things didn’t work out exactly as planned – because of a scheduling snafu, we spent two nights at the Courtyard Marriott in the Financial District and two nights in the VRBO flat. The Financial District, on the east side of the city, is clean and close to many attractions, like cable cars, the aquarium, and Coit Tower, so I’m glad we ended up there for a few nights.
- The Sunset District, on the west side, is more residential, close to Golden Gate Park, and an easy bus ride away from the Golden Gate Bridge. It also has an awesome local market, Andronico’s, quite possibly my favorite grocery store ever. Check out the yogurt bar!
Getting Around
- San Francisco has a million modes of transportation! There are cable cars, street cars, buses, trams… all with multiple number-coded lines. It took an hour of map study with a glass of wine to figure it out… mostly. On Day 3 we rode a bus in the wrong direction for 30 minutes and ended up on the opposite side of the city that we wanted to be on. Learning opportunity!
- City Pass – San Francisco
Please note the ginormous hill behind the cable car! is well worth the money. It got us unlimited rides on all public transportation (minus the BART, which we didn’t need) as well as tickets to several city attractions, like the aquarium and a bay cruise. Check this option out for all major cities.
- Ride sharing via Uber, Super Shuttle, etc. These services were run by polite, prompt, and professional people at slightly expensive (to the rural folk) prices.
- Cable Cars: you can’t visit San Francisco without riding them! A great way to see the city. Get to the Market and Powell turn-around early (like, 7am) to avoid long lines. More info at http://www.sfcablecar.com/
What to Do
- The Aquarium of the Bay
View of the bridge from the bay cruise. Luckily, that was a sunny day. – interesting, interactive exhibits, especially the one about the Great White Sharks that live near the Golden Gate. Watch ’em take a bite out of a surf board!
- Take a Bay Cruise (we used the Blue and Gold Fleet because it came with our City Passes) for a great view of the city, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge. I liked the history narrative that played during the cruise; my kids found it “overly dramatic.”
- Ride a Cable Car! (see above)
- Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Sadly, the day we went, the fog was so thick we couldn’t see to the top of the bridge, and the bridge itself emitted fog horns which freaked my kids out.
- Visit the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory and pick up a free sample on your way in. And “go in” several times. 😉
- Walk down Lombard St., the crookedest street in San Fran, and pause for a picture.
- Dining out for six in a big city causes major money hemorrhage. We had a fabulous breakfast at 8 AM on Columbus Ave, but it cost $82. (and two of us had parfaits!) One day for lunch we all had a bottle of water and split two soft pretzels. Then everyone got a small scoop of Ben and Jerry’s so that we could make the trek to Ghirardelli Square.
Helpful Links
Planning a trip to San Francisco? Here are some sites to check out:
Happy travels!
Can you add any tips for travel to San Francisco or cities in general? Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Looks like a fantastic trip! I’ve never been to San Francisco, but it’s on my list!
I visited San Fran about 19 years ago with my husband, and reading this made me want to go back – BAD! We are talking about taking a trip next summer for our 20th anniversary, so thanks for these awesome tips. We did a bay cruise last time and saw Alcatraz; very cool. Of course I was drawn to your food tips – the Chobani food bar and Ghiradelli’s is #1 on my list! So glad you could go visit the big city!
San Francisco is on my bucket list. I will make it there one day!
Great tips, Julia! Next time you visit, you must tour Alcatraz; that was the highlight of our trip. The cost of dining- so true! And there are only four of us. The freebies at Ghiradelli only satisfy you for so long!