San Francisco Travel Tips
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You know if there are multiple songs about a city, and movies and television shows with it as their setting, it just needs to be on your list to visit. This city on the bay has something for everyone. For this post, I will focus on the top travel tips and must dos as a family visiting San Francisco.
Where To Stay
There are two areas I suggest:
The Wharf
Staying in this area makes sense close if you have young children or will spend a lot of time in the touristy areas. This area is a little pricier, but it is convenient.
Union Square Area
This area is a good base. Union Square is a highlight of San Francisco itself, especially if you are into shopping. It is close to Chinatown and the area also has easy access to cable cars. The Powell and Market Street Turnaround is here and it will take you straight to Fisherman’s Wharf. However, be aware that hotels in the actually square are some of, if not the, priciest in the city.
We stayed close to this area in the Galleria Park Hotel, located on Sutter Street. The hotel is close to the Financial District, Union Square and Chinatown. We found this adorable boutique hotel via a Travelzoo deal and were very pleased with our stay. The staff here is very attentive and offered directions, recommendations, and bottled water to us each time we left the hotel. It does not offer breakfast, but coffee was available each morning and they have a cocktail hour in the evenings. The adjacent restaurant looked lovely, but we never got the chance to try it. They have a rooftop area that was gorgeous at night and also has a running track. The only minus we found with the hotel was the cramped bathroom. It is modern and appointed well, but there was no storage and it was tight inside. Only one person could be there at a time getting ready, but there is a mirror over the desk in the bedroom. During our stay, we only saw a couple of other children. This worked well for us, but if your kids are younger and you are worried about noise, this hotel did seem fairly quiet most of the time.
The Must Do’s of San Francisco
Fisherman’s Wharf
Yes. The Fisherman’s Wharf area is touristy, but I think you have to check it out. There are shops, restaurants, street performers, artists, and great views here (great view of Alcatraz if you don’t have tickets-read on for more info). Some of the highlights we hit in the area:
Boudin Bakery- If you are a bread lover, make sure to check out the Boudin Bakery, home of the “Original San Francisco Sourdough”. The bread is delicious and the tour is free. We enjoyed watching the bread being made in the bakery and reading about the history of the bread and the bakery. They have samples available in their upstairs museum. There is a restaurant upstairs and a café downstairs.
The Musee Mecanique- This arcade features (according the their website) one of the largest private collections of coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade machines in their original working condition. The bonus is you can play them! This was fun for all of us. My youngest found it interesting that there were arcade games that were not digital.
Restaurants- There are lots of restaurants at the wharf offering chowders and seafood. We tried it, but after a visit to Monterey, we can’t agree that the best chowder is in San Francisco. It’s in Monterey! However, we did have some good fresh seafood as a snack from some of the vendors.
Shopping- Most of the shops at the wharf and pier area are peddling touristy goods. We grabbed a few in the San Francisco store-I like to buy a Christmas ornament from each destination and my daughter always gets a t-shirt. The magic shop was the highlight for my youngest. The magicians there showed us a few tricks and she bought a couple she enjoyed trying out on people throughout our trip.
Pier 39
Pier 39 is near the wharf area, so combine these two attractions. This is the area with the docks that are covered with hundreds (and at one time over a thousand!) of the “famous” seals. During the summer months, which was the time we were there, most leave the area to breed.
Kids and adults will enjoy watching and listening to them. Sometimes they seem to even “ham it up” for the crowd!
Ghirardelli Square
Ghiradelli Square is located a short walk from the wharf. It is home to the first Ghiradelli store. Stop in and get a free sample while you decide which varieties to take home or grab some of their yummy ice cream treats. Be sure to walk to the back to see the chocolate rivers flowing through the machines! The square also has a beautiful fountain and other shops and eateries to keep you occupied. If you are a cheese lover, check out The Cheese School of San Francisco-cheese heaven!
Lombard Street
Dubbed the “Crookedest Street in the World” (a misnomer, actually, but still very windy nonetheless!), this was a must do for us. Some people want to drive it, but we chose to walk. If you’re brave enough (or crazy enough-I can’t decide which we were), you can walk to the top of this from Ghirardelli Square by walking straight (and I mean straight!) up Larkin Street. Be warned. This is not for the faint of heart. If you’re not up to it, catch the cable car. Make sure if you do catch a trolley starting in the wharf area, you get on the trolley from Hyde Street because I think the best way to see Lombard Street is to start at the top. Walk down this windy road, which was filled with flowers in the summer, and check out the adorable houses along the way that are tucked into every corner of the street. When you get to the bottom, be sure to turn around and marvel at this curvy road!
Union Square
Union Square is where to go to shop if you are looking for high-end department stores -Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks, etc., or to shop designers like Tory Burch and Michael Kors. During the holiday season, the stores are decorated and there is a giant tree in the middle of the square. The Cable Car Turnaround is located here as well.
Chinatown
Chinatown was one of our favorite areas because the people and the colors in this area were so vibrant. Even the lamp posts change. Valuing one’s culture still means something here. We enjoyed checking out the shops and found great inexpensive souvenirs here (make up bags, pearl earrings, and a jade bracelet). We had a real dim sum lunch and went to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. This tiny factory with handmade cookies was a fun stop. We all appreciated the work put into each cookie and loved our free sample!
Alamo Square and the Painted Ladies
This park was a nice place to let our youngest play and would’ve been great for a picnic if we had timed it right. There are several nice parks in San Francisco, but we chose this one because this is the park you see at the beginning credits of the sitcom Full House. I was a huge fan of the show growing up and my girls like it and Fuller House, so we had to see it in person!
Golden Gate Bridge
You can’t come without spending some time just staring at this landmark. This is THE icon of San Francisco. We drove over it and spent some time at the park and trails on that side. We really enjoyed just sitting and looking at it, watching all the sailboats, and taking a million photos of it.
I know I didn’t list Alcatraz. To me, this depends on the age and interest of your children. My girls were not really interested, but when they saw it from the wharf area, they said they would go if we wanted to see it. My husband wanted to go, so we decided to get tickets. The issue with this is the tickets for this sell out months in advance. If you plan to see this historic site, plan on getting your tickets as soon as you have your date. If you are a couple of months from your dates, you should be able to secure them. You can get a pretty good view of it from the wharf if you can’t get tickets, so we just viewed it from afar.
Things to See Outside of San Francisco
Muir Woods
This idyllic forest that seems like it would be the home of magical fairies, is about forty minutes outside of San Francisco. The best route is to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, so this would be a good day trip to combine with your visit there. Parking has become an issue, so you will need to visit the National Parks Service’s website and reserve parking if you plan on driving. Plan on doing this at least a day in advance, maybe more if you are there during a busy time. There are also several tour companies that specialize in the area if you don’t have a car.
The paths that wind through the woods are fairly easy and it is a beautiful setting. Massive trees surround you and make great spots for family photos.
Berkeley
Drive across the Bay Bridge (or take the underwater BART!) and get lost for a little while in this hippie haven. Stroll Telegraph Ave and check out the shops. Then if you planned your visit on one of the three days per week they hold the Berkeley Farmer’s Market (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays), go by and get some local, sustainable, organic, and delicious goods. We picked up lunch here at one of the food trucks and bought apples and granola for later. Everything was delicious! After leaving the Farmer’s Market head over to the Redwood Valley Railway to ride the Tilden Steam Train. This adorable train puffs along as adults and children enjoy the view in open-air cars pulled by an actual steam engine!
Where to Eat
Boudin Bakery Café-Grab a sandwich made with their delicious bread or soup made in their bread bowls. They have a bistro upstairs, but the same soup and bread is much pricier. Stick to the quick service cafe if you’re just after the bread!
Tropisueno- Great happy hour specials on yummy Mexican and cocktails in the Financial District.
Toy Soldier- or any of the cute alley restaurants on Belden Place. The macaroni and cheese is AH-MAHZ-ING!
The Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop at Ghirardelli Square-soo good!
The Grove- yummy brunch spot with a cool atmosphere.
Chinatown- Google “real dim sum Chinatown, San Francisco”. Don’t go anywhere they have English menus if you’re looking for something authentic. We peeked in few before we chose and picked one that was full of Chinatown locals. I was very happy with our choice. Be sure to bring cash. Lots of these restaurants don’t take cards.
Other Notes
Download the Muni app if you are interested in riding the street cars or the bus. We purchased a one-day pass for the cable cars and just showed it when we hopped on. I didn’t have to keep up with tickets and if you are planning on doing more than one ride (you probably will if you make a round trip to either Union Square or Fisherman’s Wharf), it is cheaper to do a Passport (available in 1, 3, and 7 days).
Don’t be afraid to use public transportation such as the BART (their underground railroad system) or the cable car. I do suggest going online or getting a map to check out the routes and understand the tickets and Clipper card in advance. Google maps is also a good tool to help navigate which line to use.
Be aware the area does have a large homeless population. We especially noticed this our first night in the Financial District. People make cities out of their tents at night. We did not have any issues with this, but did find the amount of people without homes startling. It was a good conversation starter with my girls about gratitude and being accepting of others. I did have to tell my younger daughter to cover her eyes at one point as we drove past a woman pulling her pants down to get her liquor bottle out of her backside so just be prepared!
The weather is interesting here. Check it before your trip and pack accordingly, but make sure you bring layers. I needed layers every day. I was glad I had them because I could be comfortable one minute and walk one block and be freezing. I’ve never seen anything like it! The fog is serious too. At some points, you can’t even see the Golden Gate Bridge because it is enveloped in fog.
Happy Travels!