San Francisco for 3-4 days - what must I not miss?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Hi, mmm, what time of year are you coming? Oct-Nov is the best weather and visibility. Summer months tend to be foggy and colder. The 49ers often had better weather than the Giants did at Candlestick.

I second the suggestion to bicycle across the bridge. The bridge is pretty long. One problem about bicycling is that you’re on the west side of the bridge whereas the city and Alcatraz and Angel Island are east. So walk your bike on the east side of the bridge (if you can; please check the rules beforehand). And then for the return trip ride your bicycles back along the west side and you’ll get nice vistas of the hilly Marin (County) Headlands and the west side of San Francisco too.

Doing this gives you the best of both worlds, the east and west sides of the GGB with less time spent because you’ll ride the bike back.

If you do bicycle across, I highly recommend Battery Spencer on a clear day. Find it on the map, it offers stunning scenery from up high. My absolute favorite place.

If you walk across the GGB then take an Uber up to Battery Spencer. It’s my favorite place to take visitors. Last October I took this photo from there with my phone.

[Album] Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco from Battery Spencer

I’ve been going there since 1978!

Another unique-to-San Francisco activity is to take a San Francisco Love Tour. I did it once about 4 years ago and it was fantastic. https://sanfranciscolovetours.com/

Alcatraz is popular and it does sell out fast.

Hiking Angel Island is a great activity. You take in a lot of scenery on the island — SF, Berkeley, Oakland, Tiburon (where Robin Williams lived), and much of the north bay. I’ve been a few times and it’s great, and you take in more scenery on the boat ride to the island. I also did a Segway tour around the island and that was good too. Not sure if they’re still offered.

If you ride a cable car, I recommend riding the Powell & Hyde line. Not Powell & Mason, and not the California Street line. And get a round trip ticket. The view on the P&H going down Hyde St. is dramatic and much much better than any views on the other two lines. Catch the P&H from Market Street and take it all the way to the end. Take care because the P&M line also boards from the same place. Be sure to take P&H. When you’re in the line and you get to the front of the line, as the CC is boarding you’ll want to be the first to board the P&H CC. If you’re not the first to board then stay at the front of the line and as the CC is boarding let others behind you go ahead and board it. Tell them, and tell the SF MUNI workers that you want to catch the next P&H CC. Make up a story if you have to for the MUNI workers, like tell them you’ll be meeting someone at Ghirardelli Square and it’s a little to early to board the CC.

You’ll do this in order to be at the very front of the CC. Sit at the very front of the CC (or better yet if you’re the adventurous sort then stand on the side platform of the CC!), and also on its right side. Be sure it’s the right side because when it stops at Lombard St. you’ll get the best view of the crooked street and also a nice view of Coit Tower. Now when it stops at Lombard Street DO NOT get off there, not yet. Because right after the Lombard stop is the dramatic downhill and stunning vistas as you descend the hill on Hyde St. It’s this view that’s the reason for being at the very front. It is an amazing view.

A few years ago when I did a little Uber driving, even though I now live an hour south of SF, I liked to drive in SF, for (1) because I’m familiar with the streets and traffic there, but more importantly (2) because I liked to give tourists the ‘scenic’ way between where I picked them up and where they needed to go. If they had a little time I would explain what they’re seeing along the way. I liked being an ambassador of sorts for SF.

Twin Peaks — yes, recommended if visibility is good. Be sure to bring layers of clothing for possible cold wind. That goes for Battery Spencer too, or really any time you’re in SF.

Enjoy, mmm!

22

Nothing to add but to Whole-Heartedly Agree with this. What a Shit-Show of crappy tacky shit vendors.

23

Take a tour bus to Muir Woods. I don’t think there’s any public transit that goes there, and the parking is so limited that driving there isn’t a good option.

I agree with the others who have said Haight Ashbury isn’t worth the time. Its heyday is long past. There’s little of interest there now.

If you like Mexican food, be sure to visit the Mission District. It’s the birthplace of the Mission burrito (although you can get plenty of things other than that). You should be able to find great food there with little trouble. La Taqueria is highly rated.

For the best Chinese food, don’t go to Chinatown. The best Chinese restaurants in the city are mostly in the Richmond District, on Clement Street and Geary Street (not an intersection - these streets are parallel to each other). Dim sum is a fun experience if you’re in a group of three or more people.

Things to see in Golden Gate Park include the Academy of Sciences, the Japanese tea garden, the De Young Museum, the Conservatory of Flowers, and Strybing Arboretum. You can spend a whole day in the park.

If you like art museums, there’s also the Legion of Honor and the Asian Art Museum. Both are really good.

Musée Mécanique is a quirky museum full of old coin-operated machines, like mechanical bands, player pianos, arcade games, etc. Admission is free, but you have to pay to use the machines. Just for fun, drop a coin in Laffin’ Sal near the entrance and watch her do her thing. The place is on Pier 45, near Fisherman’s Wharf.

Pier 39 is mostly a tourist trap, but there are some floating platforms there where you can see the sea lions sunning themselves. Lots of people go there just for that.

It’s best not to drive up to Coit Tower. There’s usually a line of cars waiting for the few parking places at the tower. Walking is better. One way is to climb the Filbert Steps, a steep set of stairs that starts where Filbert Street ends on the bay side of Telegraph Hill, and ends at Coit Tower. There are great views of the bay from there, and you can see a lot of beautiful homes and gardens. Don’t try this, though, if you can’t handle a climb. If you don’t want to walk up the steps, you can approach Coit Tower from the other side by walking up Greenwich Street. Of course, you should be aware that there are a lot of steep hills in San Francisco.

The North Beach neighborhood is the Italian district. There are lots of nice coffee shops, pastry shops, restaurants, and stores there. You can see a lot of it just by walking on Columbus Avenue between Broadway and Greenwich Street, and going up and down some of the side streets.

The Palace of Fine Arts is a beautiful place. There’s a theater inside, but even if you’re not going to a show there, it’s worth it to stop by just to look at it.

Some people have mentioned beaches. I recommend against swimming. The water is cold, and there are powerful undertows in many spots (notoriously, Ocean Beach). On hot days, people do go swimming at Stinson Beach in Marin County, but it’s a bit of a trip from San Francisco.

If you like wine, you could spend a day in either Napa or Sonoma County. There are tons of wineries there, and the scenery is beautiful. If you go by car you should have a designated driver (it’s possible to get drunk just by tasting a sip at a time). Also, most wineries charge a tasting fee, which can be applied toward a bottle of wine should you purchase one.

24

OTOH, DO get off at Lombard Street (the crossing at the very top of the hill). Just a short block from that corner is the Cable Barn, the night-time garage for the cars. Also there is a smallish museum of cable car information, history, and memorabilia. And a mezzanine overlooking machinery that actually runs the cables.

Then, if you’re hardy enough, you can walk down the twisty part of Lombard Street (it’s only two blocks). It’s very nicely landscaped, last I looked. (Spoiler: Then you have to walk back up.) Then you can get on the next cable car for the rest of the ride.

ETA: Extra special project for the curious: You probably understand that cable cars run by grabbing onto cables that run under the street. But at this corner (and a few other places), there are two intersecting cable car lines! Clearly, one of the cables must pass below the other cable where they cross. How does the car on the lower cable get past the upper cable? See if you can find the answer at the Cable Barn Museum!

25

I’m glad you mentioned this because the part I left out was to do this, but on the way back from Ghirardelli Square. Definitely DO NOT do this on your initial ride from Market Street if you are sitting at the very front right of the CC. That’s because the dramatic views right after the Lombard Street stop are not to be missed! If you have that front seat and/or front standing position you don’t want to give that up for the next 5 minutes!!

So, yes, get off at Lombard on your way back.

26

You can take Golden Gate Transit (public bus) from SF to within a 45-minute hike to Muir woods. But between the round trip bus rides and the hikes it’d be more than half a tiring day in transit time alone. Maybe skip Muir Woods unless you’ll be driving, and make sure to arrange for parking up there (and here in the City, of course).

If you do have a car you could make a day and night of it between, Sausalito and Muir Woods then, over to an overnight in Napa or Somona, and then do the vineyards the next day.

You mentioned taking one of the hop-on hop-off bus tours. If so, use this to cross-off some of the “nothing much to do here, just wanted to say I went” places like Nob Hill, the Tenderloin, the Haight, Painted Ladies etc., whereas you may want and or need dedicated 3 to 5 hour trips (each) to destinations like the Mission, Chinatown, North Beach, or the ocean

(on Edit I’ll say you can do North Beach and Chinatown at the same time).

IMO, Coit Tower is not super-easy to get to because it is up a pretty steep hill so you should be fairly fit if you want to walk it. Tour buses aren’t allowed (I think, but maybe it’s Lombard St. I’m thinking of), parking is very tough and there is one public MUNI bus but I don’t know what their schedule would be like these days; it’s not a very important bus line.

That said, it’s usually a nice view of the bay and bridges, along with interesting murals/paintings from the WPA (?) Era.

27

Wow, so much good info. This is why I asked Dopers in addition to perusing the Best-Things-To-Do-In-San-Fransciso slideshows on the innertubes.

Random thoughts:

  • We are probably going in June
  • The cable car stuff is fantastic inside info. I will heed it.
  • I’m not surprised at the Haight-Ashbury poo-pooing. I still need to step foot there, and it is one of the hop-off stops.
  • Museums are doubtful. Also not into wine or seafood. More looking for outdoor / trails / vistas / SF sights, iconic or otherwise
  • Nothing against bikes, but we have a thing about walking bridges. This is one of the reasons we are going. The distance isn’t an issue - we walk the 5-mile Mackinac Bridge yearly (well, pre-COVID we did).
  • I had previously heard about, but forgotten, the Tenderloin. I’d better pay attention to where I’m at while out and about.
  • Still on the fence about Alcatraz. Leaning toward skipping it.

mmm

28

Something to remember: The cable cars and the streetcars are not the same thing. Also, some folks call the streetcars trolleys, (but not the cable cars).

The streetcars are cool. Refurbished vintage stock from assorted world cities, BUT, if you’re like 99.978% of SF tourists it’s the Cable Cars you want.

Choose wisely.

29

Regarding the bridge walk, only the bay sidewalk is open to pedestrians. The ocean sidewalk is for bikes only, and only on weekends. Adjacent to the GGB on either side are fantastic views, from Fort Point and Crissy Field, to along Lincoln Blvd. You can probably extend your walk a little on either side in SF. On the Marin side there is a nice, and crowded, vista point.

You can also walk other bridges in the Bay Area. There is a sidewalk on the new Bay Bridge, but only from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island. You cannot walk all the way between SF and Oakland.

Another good spot for views is the Aquatic Park Pier, right near Ghiradelli Square. Just walk out to the end.

And sconding Pier 39 just to watch the sea lions. That’s not something you see every day.

One other bit of advice: with only 3-4 days, stay in or near San Francisco. I hear about people doing a day trip to Tahoe or Yosemite, which wastes a day driving, with little time to look around. California is huge.

30

Definitely go to Haight Ashbury - at the time it was referred to as the Hashbury. It’s important to you and it is the place where the summer of love actually happened. The street was choked with the abandoned vehicles that brought the hippies to Nirvana. People sat in the sidewalks to talk, play games or play recorders. Others stood on the steps and watched us ‘straights’ as though we were the freaks. I was an IBMer with a 3 piece suit, white shirt and tie, a group challenged me as a member of a dieing culture who wore phallic symbols around their necks. It was beautiful, childlike and wonderful.

Walk across the street into the panhandle because that was and important part of the happening. Small crowds sat on the lawns enjoying the sun and listening to poets. It should be remembered and savored,

A participant told me that it was wonderful, the free love and all, until she got this groovy disease and they put her in the hospital and fed her really good food. Hepatitis brought it all to an end.

If you like history go down underneath the south end of the GG bridge. There is a civil war era fort there that used to guard the harbor entrance.

Attend mass at St. Annes in the Sunset. Go to a Lamplighters performance of Gilbert and Sullivan. See a performance in the Opera House (get the last balcony cheap seats with the afficionados). Take a tour bus to Coit Tower and see the Diego Rivera murals.

Read about Adolph Sutro and then walk Sutro Heights, where his mansion was, and see the remains of Sutro Baths.

The park, the Aquarium, the Windmills, Portal of the Past and the Tea Garden are very San Francisco. The Palace of the Legion of Honor is probably less crowded than the tourist areas.

And, your appreciation of the Hashbury provides an insight that others lack. You are more than just a tourist.

31

You like Irish Coffee ?

Like books ?

I used to go a lot, but it’s been years. The above are pretty established SF institutions, though.

Buen viaje !

32

Oh yeah - stay at the Seal Rock Inn - modest hotel at a fantastic location.

33

There’s usually a long line to get on the Powell Street cable cars. You can avoid the line by walking up to the first stop and getting on there. The conductors always leave room when boarding passengers at Market Street, so there will be room for you.

Since you’re looking for vistas, I’ll repeat my recommendation of the Filbert Steps, especially since you’re an experienced walker/hiker.

Here’s a list of tour operators that provide service to Muir Woods:

Other places that have good vistas and trails include The Presidio, Land’s End, and Crissy Field. If you like looking at fancy, rich houses, you can wander around the Pacific Heights neighborhood.

If you want to get out into nature, there’s a lot more of that in Marin County (on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge) than in San Francisco. Point Reyes is particularly nice. I don’t know if you want to spend time on that, though, since you’ll be in town for only a few days.

34

The walking tours I mentioned were structured so that you took a bus to the beginning and the walk was mostly downhill, including those steps. Anyone walking should consider the direction.
BTW the Exploratorium is on the way if you walk from the Ferry Building to Fisherman’s Wharf. I went years ago when my kid has an assignment, when it was in its old location. I wasn’t impressed back then. I’m sure it is better now. I prefer the Tech in San Jose and the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, but you need a car to get to them, especially CHM.
Also BTW download the Muni App. BART doesn’t go to much of the city. The buses are slow but not much worse than other big city buses, the light rail is a bit better. When I turned 65 I got a Clipper card which gave me 2/3 off of fares so I used Muni to get to the start of walks, and from the end to BART.

35

You could easily spend the day on Angel Island. Very near the ferry to Angel Island (in Tiburon), there’s a few restaurants with waterside views. Pleasant.

I came back to mention the Buenavista but was ninja’d. And, yeah, Point Reyes (pronounced"rays" not “rey-ez”) lighthouse is cool. It’s also near Drake’s Bay which was supposedly the site of a landing by Drake – there was a metallic plate that was “found” claiming it was put there by Drake, but AFAIK it was proven to be a fake.

36

I think these two things are at odds. Alcatraz is both a excellent outdoor/vista opportunity and an iconic sight. If you want to play the hits and you want to focus on “seeing” the city this is a must IMO.

37

mmm, in June you’ll have high likelihood of fog. And cold days and nights, even if it may look sunny out the hotel window. Because of the fog you may need to be flexible, day to day and sometimes hour to hour. If the fog burns off then go for the vistas while you can.

For Battery Spencer, my favorite vista spot, if you’re going to walk across the GGB anyway then it’s not too far a walk from the vista point at the north end of the bridge. Less than a mile (map, Google Maps). The walk up Conzelman Road is a good hill and if you’re not in shape then your quads will burn and your lungs will be heaving. But you walk the Mackinac Bridge regularly so you should be fine. If you’re short on time, though, then the GGB vista point is a mediocre substitute for Battery Spencer. The vista point is nice, mind you, but it’s nothing like Battery Spencer.

You mentioned outdoor / trails / vistas / SF sights. From Battery Spencer the trail down to Kirby Cove starts right there. There is a locked gate to only allow cars that have paid the access fee, but hikers are welcome as it’s a free day-use area. You’ll see the sign for Kirby Cove. When you’re walking down you’ll be amazed that you’re not 15 minutes from San Francisco because you’re all alone in the wonders of the Marin Headlands. Just follow the 2-track dirt road down the easy, winding hill to the water’s edge. The view from Kirby Cove is spectacular, you’re down at the water level and the GGB frames the city of San Francisco beneath it. It’s a unique view and experience. Kirby Cove is one of my absolute favorite spots very close to San Francisco. Pit toilets are available, and because of the limited access there’s at most a handful of people there.
Map: Google Maps

Haight-Ashbury. If you’re called to go there, then by all means go. There are some fun shops and sights and scenery there. A good place to people watch. A friend of mine had an apartment right on the corner, on the second floor. We once hung out at his window, sipping a beer and watching the people down below. Interesting, to be sure.

Near Haight & Ashbury is Buena Vista Park, and it’s a large-ish park with a good hike to the top. The vistas and views are decent on a clear day, but not spectacular. Still, it’s a nice quiet park and because of the hill many people don’t climb it. It’s close to the Haight.

If you walk down Lombard Street (the crooked part between Hyde and Leavenworth, of course), then 2 blocks to the south is Filbert Street and I like to bring out-of-town friends there because it’s the same Russian Hill as Lombard is, but Filbert just looks and feels so much steeper because it’s a straight drop down. A good contrast to the touristy Lombard Street.
Map: Google Maps

Another hidden gem is a place I call Fort Mason Overlook Point. It’s not on the map, at least not on google maps, so I saved its lat/long coordinates: 37.807022, -122.429100. Here’s a map link to the spot: Google Maps
It’s zoomed way in so just zoom out.

You can access it from going through the entrance to Fort Mason at Bay & Franklin Streets:
Google Maps…

… or by climbing up from Fort Mason Center itself:

So much to see, so little time… As I said, I liked being a free tour guide as I did a little driving for Uber a couple of years back. Enjoy!

38

Noted. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to visit Alcatraz. Any reluctance I have is mostly based on the big chunk of time out of my day I assume it would carve out.

Maybe I’ll stay 5 days. :slight_smile:

mmm

39

It is a half-day, that’s fair, but it’s a pleasant half-day (weather permitting). :upside_down_face:

40

Note, @Mean_Mr.Mustard , we did a rather lengthy What-To-Do-In-SF thread at least once before, maybe more, if you can find those old thread(s). Probably worth your while to search them up if you can.

I’ve suggested before: If you’re interested in the outdoor, scenic places, consider: Focus more of your attention on the North counties (Marin, Sonoma, and Napa), as others have suggested. I’ve suggested to get a motel in or around Santa Rosa and make that your base of operations. It’s not that long a drive into SF to spend some days there, and you’re much closer to the scenic North Counties territories. And the traffic and parking is easier by far.

If you’re only in the area for 3-4 days, and plan to focus mainly on San Francisco, that may not be optimal. For a longer vacation, more likely.

I walked the GG Bridge once about 30 years ago. It was a fabulously clear and warm day, and there was apparently some kind of sailboating event happening. There were hundreds and hundreds of sailboats out on the Bay that day.