San Francisco is an amazing city with a blend of cultures. It really is the melting pot of America. The history of the city combined with the amazing mix of people who truly care about their city have left San Francisco with plenty of amazing, and unique, things to do. From eating to eating (there’s lots of good food), from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Victorian homes, from touring a prison to spotting seals, there is something for everyone to do in San Francisco.
With all of this variety, it’s hard to pull it all together into a plan. So we’ve started with this amazing 2-day San Francisco itinerary. We’ve put together this San Francisco itinerary to give a first time visitor to San Francisco a way to get a taste of all of the sights of the city.
How Long Should You Spend In San Francisco?
We feel like two days gives you an opportunity to see the best of San Francisco. However, let’s just put this into perspective by saying we don’t like big cities. We tend to round down with days needed in large cities. But, after reading all about the different things to do in San Francisco, we really feel like we were able to see and do what we wanted with two days in San Francisco. Three days would give you extra time to spend in museums or take day trips. We’ve included our two day San Francisco itinerary below along with some suggestions for 3 and 4 day itineraries, as well.
2 Day San Francisco Itinerary
For this San Francisco itinerary, you will not need a car. In fact if you have a car, stash is somewhere safe and never move it. Safe and cheap parking in San Francisco is hard to find. You can take public transport to most of the places in this itinerary. However, for day one, we walked everywhere. There are lots of hills and we were definitely tired at the end of the day but walking worked well for us.
Also, this itinerary can be completed on any day of the week. However, if any of these days in San Francisco land on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, plan on having breakfast that day at the Ferry building where there are hundreds of full time vendors but the extra outdoor vendors on these select days of the week are what make the trip extra special. Also, plan on shopping for San Francisco specialty snacks here as well. Snacks are the best souvenirs after all.
Day 1 – In San Francisco
Early Morning – Golden Gate Park
Your first day in San Francisco will be loaded with all of the most touristy things to do – as any first day in a big city should be, in our opinion.
First, start the morning with an early morning walk in Golden Gate Park. Enjoy a leisurely stroll or head to the Japanese Tea Garden for more structured nature.
Take a ride share to Union Square where you can take a quick look around. There is a lot of shopping in the area and a small park, but honestly it wasn’t our cup of tea but a good spot to get on a cable car.
Next, take a ride on a cable car from Union Square to Fisherman’s Wharf. Make sure to get to the cable car stop early. Lines mid-day can extend upwards of one hour. And in this two day San Francisco itinerary you don’t have time to wait in line for extended periods if you are going to see everything. You will also need $8/person in exact cash to pay the driver for your ticket. You can buy tickets with a card at the beginning or end of the routes. However, the lines can get even longer at these stops so boarding at Union Square should save a bit of time.
You can make an optional additional stop at Lombard Street to see the curviest road in America. Take a photo and move on. If you want to skip this stop to decrease your travel time it really is just a photo op.
Late Morning – Biking The Golden Gate Bridge
Hop off the cable car at Fisherman’s Wharf. Rent bikes in this area so you can ride through the Presidio before biking over the Golden Gate Bridge. Take in the sights along the Presidio coastline and on both sides of the bridge. However, be aware that wind and fog on and near the bridge is common and make sure to dress accordingly. In fact the fog is so common and famous/infamous it has a name – Karl. Additionally, don’t even expect to see the bridge as the fog may be so dense. But, ya know, when in San Francisco you kinda have to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.
Afternoon – Touristy Areas
Return your bikes to Fisherman’s Wharf. Have a seafood lunch here and then make your way to the end of Pier 39 to see the seals and sea lions. Pier 39 has tons of shops and restaurants but they are mostly over-priced options, but the sea creatures and views of Alcatraz island are definitely worth a stop.
Early Evening – Neighborhoods
Next, walk your way to North Beach (not an actual beach) for an afternoon pizza snack if you still have room in your belly. We just followed the smells here and we were not disappointed. North Beach is the Little Italy neighborhood in San Francisco. This is a super bustling place with plenty of places to eat and drink. Additionally, there is also a lot of nightlife here if you are looking for something to do at the end of the night.
Next, walk to Chinatown for dinner. If the fortune cookie factory is still open, stop there before dinner for a tour and some gourmet fortune cookies. Even if things aren’t open (this area seems to mostly shut down around 6 PM), still take the chance to walk along the street and enjoy the architecture. Don’t forget to stroll the street to the southernmost point to see the Dragon’s Gate as well.
Lastly, end your day with a great dinner in Chinatown. However, be aware that most Chinatown eateries close after lunch. So make sure to do your research and choose a restaurant that is open. Honestly, this itinerary would be better suited to have hit up Chinatown after biking, but that involves more travel time/walking. So take your pick and either end your day here or go here after biking and work your way back to Fisherman’s Wharf.
Day 2 – Around San Francisco
Morning – Muir Woods
Start your morning with an early morning visit to Muir Woods to see the Redwoods. You’ll need to take a tour or a bus here or rent a car. It’s a short drive but it is a drive.
Afternoon – Alcatraz
Next, head to Alcatraz Island and learn about the history of “The Rock”. While all the other things to do in this San Francisco itinerary do not require advance reservations, this most definitely does. Alcatraz tours are frequently booked months in advance, especially June-August, when school is out and families take vacations in the U.S. Each tour starts at a specified time and then you enjoy at your own pace and return when done. So make sure you book tickets that you can be on time for (the 2 PM tour would work well for this itinerary).
A tour of Alcatraz is a super fun experience. You get a boat ride to the island where you get views of the San Francisco skyline from the boat. Once you’re off the boat, you get to explore the prison at your own pace. Additionally, you get an award winning audio tour that you listen to as you explore the prison. There also is a neat exhibit on the occupation of Alcatraz by a group of American Indians after the prison was decommissioned that you can visit as well.
When you are done exploring, you just wait in line for the ferry back.
Sunset – Twin Peaks
End your day walking up to Twin Peaks to take in the sights of the San Francisco skyline. It get really windy up here so make sure to pack an extra layer. Also, as this is a popular spot for photography, it is a popular spot for phone and camera thefts. Be aware of your belongings and plan on being gone before dark.
Want To Adjust The San Francisco Itinerary?
3 Days In San Francisco
With a third day in San Francisco, spend it exploring three additional neighborhoods: Haight-Ashbury, Japantown and the Mission District. These neighborhoods have very bustling shopping areas with plenty of great food. Explore the hippie shops in Haight-Ashbury. Eat your way through Japantown. Then go mural spotting in the Mission District before grabbing a Mexican dinner there. San Francisco is actually a great place for food. So if you could also fit in a food tour on your third day in San Francisco as well. We wish we would have done that as eating was one of our favorite things to do in San Francisco.
4 Days In San Francisco
With a fourth day in San Francisco, consider visiting places that require a bigger time commitment. Choose two activities that require a larger time commitment. We would recommend the Exploratorium, hiking the Lands End Trail, the aquarium or the California Academy of the Sciences. All have a large number of hands on activities and appeal to a wide variety of ages.
Additionally, you could extend your stay in San Francisco with several day trips, such as the Napa Valley and Big Sur.
If you don’t have two days in San Francisco, day one in this San Francisco itinerary is really the highlight reel. So stick to that. While Alcatraz was our favorite thing we did, it did take about half a day so it really isn’t realistic for one day in San Francisco.
Where To Stay In San Francisco
First, do you stay in a hotel or a home rental? Due to insanely high housing costs in San Francisco, home rentals are extremely expensive. We normally choose to stay in home rentals because of the charm and the budget friendly options. However, we weren’t finding those options in San Francisco. Instead, hotels are actually the budget friendly options. And what hotels lack in charm, they make up for in connivence.
As for where to stay, it’s hard to find a good balance of a walkable place to stay and a place to stay that actually is in a good neighborhood. We really liked staying in the financial district near them Embarcadero. While this area was totally dead at night and on the weekends, we liked that. Other great places to stay would be in Chinatown or North Beach, as you’ll definitely be near food options. North Beach also has a lot of nightlife options in walking distance. Fisherman’s Wharf is also another popular option for hotels. However, it is really touristy and only really open during the day, which could be a good thing if you want to relax at night.
We hope this San Francisco itinerary has helped you to plan your own vacation. We really enjoyed our time in San Francisco (as big cities go) and think it is a great place to start or end a California vacation. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and we’d be happy to get back to you.
