San Francisco is one of the smallest metropolitan areas in the U.S. With a city footprint that only cover 49 square miles, San Francisco may seem small. But what this city lacks in size, it more than makes up for in a diverse array of things to do and see. San Francisco is a hodgepodge of cultures, peoples, and even time periods (or so it seems). If you spend a day, a weekend or a week in San Francisco, you’ll be surprised by how quickly your mind will be transported from a modern tech capital, to a 70s hippie central, to a 40s gangster’s prison, to a turn-of-the-last-century transportation hub. There is a wide and diverse array of things to do in San Francisco, keep reading to learn all about them and find out which ones will best fit into your own San Francisco vacation.
Things To Do In San Francisco
Below, we’ve listed all of our favorite things to do in San Francisco, along with other popular attractions. However, while we feel the need to give you a good view of all the things to do in San Francisco, we don’t feel the need to recommend everything to everyone. So we’ve also included a time allotment for each stop, a cost for each attraction and our personal recommendation. We hope this helps you to plan your own visit to San Francisco that is perfect for you.
San Francisco Bus Tour
Time: 3 hours | Cost: $55/adult | Verdict: Recommend
We typically love hop-on-hop-off bus tours. And San Francisco has two. We went with the bigger provider for tours and the tour was really nice. You get an audio commentary and are able to sit back and be transported around several of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco. For one fee you can hop on and off at different touristy stops all day long. The tour took us 3 hours to complete without any hopping off.
However, we typically use tours like this as a means of transporting ourselves around town all day, while getting those fun bits of facts added in as a bonus. Unfortunately, because of the traffic and the very busy roads this tour goes down, this was not an efficient way for us to get around in this city. Additionally, the buses were only running for 7 hours of the day. So this did present a challenge for us and we weren’t able to hop off at all of the stops we were interested in because of our time limitations.
Walking Tours
Time: 2 hours | Cost: What you think it was worth | Verdict: Recommend, specialty tours
Walking tours are another great way to get your bearings in a larger city. San Francisco has a great network of free walking tour guides. Some tours are general, while others specialize in a specific topic. While general tours are great, we personally like the specialized tours better. The Chinatown and Little Italy tours both look like a very unique thing to do in San Francisco. If you do also do a bus tour, keep in mind that some of those include a walking tour at a specified time as well.
Ride A Cable Car
Time: 1 hour | Cost: $8/person | Verdict: Recommended
The three cable car lines in San Francisco are the last remaining manually operated cable cars in the world. They still run daily and are one of the top tourist attractions and most unique things to do in San Francisco. While these do not make the most sense to use as actual transportation as the wait times can be hours, they are a super fun and unique thing to do.
If you ride one early in the morning, this is the best time of day to decrease your wait time. Also, keep in mind that while they aren’t the quickest version of public transportation, they do actually transport you. Routes run through downtown, to Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square and Ghiradelli Square so try to choose a route that actually takes you somewhere you want to go.
Learn About Cable Cars
Time: 30 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Pairs well with a cable car ride
If you really enjoy your cable car ride, you may also enjoy a stop at the cable car museum. There is a specific cable car stop for the cable car museum if you are interested. Learn more details on how they operate and their history in the city.
Walk The Streets of Chinatown
Time: 1 hour | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Highly recommended
The Chinatown in San Francisco is the largest in the U.S. and one of the most beautifully decorated that we’ve been to. In Chinatown, there are amazing tea shops, restaurants (you have to eat here at least once), souvenir shops and fortune cookie factories. As a couple who travels mainly by the direction of our stomachs, we spent a lot of time here.
Additionally, take a tour of a fortune cookie making factory or get a custom fortune cookie made here. Or just stop by to snack on freshly baked ones.
And if Chinatown isn’t as filling as you may wish, consider heading to Japantown next. This area is not as popular with the tourists but has equally as delicious food options for them.
Eat in Little Italy
Time: 1.5 hours | Cost: $40+/person | Verdict: Recommended
We loved eating in North Street, San Francisco’s Little Italy, several times. The smells drew us in and the tastes kept us coming back. Whether you stop in for dinner one night or take a full fledged food tour, make sure to explore the area’s culinary treats.
Eat Sea Life At Fisherman’s Wharf
Time: 30 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Recommended, for the food
Fisherman’s Wharf is the place in San Francisco where all of the chain restaurants meet all of the overpriced attractions. This small wharf was originally a fish market. Today it is an overpriced tourist area that is entirely too crowded. However, if you are traveling with a family of kiddos, this may be a fun place for them as there is an aquarium and several child friendly attractions here. There also is some pretty great seafood here for pretty reasonable prices including lots of crab.
See Sea Life At Pier 39
Time: 30 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Recommended, for the seals
Just off shore from Fisherman’s Wharf, you’ll find the overly touristy Pier 39. However, don’t let the overly touristy congestion scare you off. This is one of the best places in San Francisco to spot seals and sea lions. You can hear them barking from the minute you step onto Pier 39. To find them, you just follow the hubbub to the end of the pier and there is a viewing area for you to best spot them.
Learn Something At The Exploratorium
Time: 3 hours | Cost: $40/adult | Verdict: Recommended for families
This is a very hands on science museum that truly has something for everyone. There are so many hands on events here you will not be bored. While they have something for all ages, families will really find the Exploratorium entertaining.
Drive Lombard Street
Time: 30 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Skip it
Lombard Street is the world’s curviest, swerviest street. The 2-ish block stretch of road is filled with hairpin turns that were installed to reduce the grade of the slope and to make it easier to travel by car. Today, people wait in line to take a turn driving down this street. Honestly, the road is beautifully paved in stone and filled with well-manicured gardens. However, we personally don’t think waiting in a line up to a hour long wait to drive down a two block stretch of road to nowhere interesting is fun, so we would recommend skipping it. However, if you want to stroll the street it is almost equally an inconvenient as it is on top of a hill that you have to walk up.
Shop The Stalls of the Ferry Building
Time: 30 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Recommended
Prior to the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge, the ferry building was the most well-used building in San Fransisco. It used to be the terminal where most of the ferries routes departed from. As the ferry system has shrunk, the building was no longer needed. However, a renovation in early the 2000s turned it into a sprawling public market. Here you can find tasty treats, unique gifts and local grocery supplies.
In addition to the permanent indoor shops, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, there are also outdoor tents set up for a farmers market. We greatly enjoyed grabbing breakfast and snacks here and could have eaten ourselves silly.
Ghirardelli Square
Time: 10 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Skip it
This is always listed as a popular thing to do in San Francisco but we just didn’t get it. There are several overpriced restaurants and a heap of Ghirardelli shops here. Even the chocolate shops were overpriced here with the cost of chocolate significantly lower on Ghirardelli’s website. However, we went and ate hot fudge sundaes, which were great but not worth the $20 price tag. Then we left. We think this can be skipped in favor of almost anywhere else in San Francisco.
Appreciate Asian Art
Time: 2 hours | Cost: $20/adult | Verdict: Recommended for artsy folks
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest Asian art collections in the world. And with rotating special collections and included guided tours, this is a great art museum to visit. However, we’re not really art lovers. So while we can appreciate a well appointed museum, it’s not top of the list for us.
Wonder At Modern Art
Time: 2 hours | Cost: $30/adult | Verdict: Skip It
We think Modern Art is dumb – let’s just get that out in the open. And while the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art does have an impressive collection, including art by Andy Warhol, Richard Serra and more, the museum of modern art is very much a museum of modern art that feels like it could be in any city. However, if art is your jam, by all means enjoy yourself here.
Learn About Walt Disney
Time: 1 hour | Cost: $30/adult | Verdict: Skip It
The Walt Disney Family Museum is a museum dedicated to Walt Disney the person. This is a Disney fans bucket list item but the museum may fall short for kids or those who are not super Disney fans.
Visit The World’s Fairgrounds
Time: 30 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Meh
The Palace of Fine Arts was constructed for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (World Fair) in 1915. The buildings are fancy and European looking. While the exposition has closed, the grounds are still a beautiful place to feel transported to another time and place. Many people come here to enjoy a picnic or watch the birds on the water.
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge
Time: depends | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Highly Recommended
No visit to San Francisco would be complete without a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge, completed in 1937, was a modern marvel of engineering at the time and is still considered to be one of the most beautiful bridges in the country. You can walk, bike, drive or get bused across it. However, the temperatures on the bridge are much cooler than the land nearby and the wind on the bridge is typically gusty.
At both ends of the bridge, there are numerous viewpoints where you can walk along the seashore and take your own beautiful photos of the bridge. However, the fog that is so iconically San Francisco is also quite a downer when you are crossing the bridge and trying to take photos of it. So make sure to dress appropriately and temper your photo expectations.
Hike The Lands End Trail
Time: 1-2 hours | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Recommended
The Lands End trail loops is way through the recreation area on the outer shores of San Francisco. From this trail, you’ll see lovely views of the Gold Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean. If you want to extend your hike, consider walking into the Prestido (public land) and walk along the coast until you reach the Golden Gate Bridge and then onward straight into the city limits. Extending your walk along this entire coastal stretch will take all day.
Visit Golden Gate Park
Time: 1 hour | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Highly recommended
This is the largest park in San Francisco (larger than Central Park in NYC). This park was designed with native plants and built atop sand dunes. Today, the park is well established and the dunes are well hidden in greenery. There are plenty a things to do in the park (more on those below), but just wandering the paths in the park is a fun experience. However, be warned that the park gets INSANELY busy on the weekends. While you’ll still be able to find a private place to stretch out and relax, you may struggle to find a parking spot or even get your car into the park.
Visit de Young’s Art Collection
Time: 2 hours | Cost: $20/adult | Verdict: Skip It
The De Young Museum is also located in Golden Gate Park. This fine arts museum is in a building that is beautiful and worth a peak. In the museum there is a collection of different art pieces from around the world.
Travel To Different Places At The California Academy of the Sciences
Time: 2-3 hours | Cost: $43/adult | Verdict: Recommended, for longer visits
Located inside of the Golden Gate Park, this science museum houses a planetarium, an aquarium, a dinosaur and an indoor rainforest, among other things. This is a really neat museum with a lot to do. While it is neat, it is not the best for a short visit as you can easily spend a half day or more here.
Japanese Tea Garden
Time: 1 hour | Cost: $16/adult | Verdict: Recommended for garden lovers
The Japanese Tea Garden is also located within Golden Gate Park. It is another scar of the World Fair that was turned in to a permanent mark of beauty. The gardens are beautifully manicured and sheltered from the city sounds and sights. You can see Japanese-style design in both the garden and the architecture and even have tea in the tea house.
Spot The Painted Ladies
Time: 5 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Skip it
Some Victorian style house painted really brightly and photographed a lot. We went, we saw, we weren’t impressed. There are plenty of pretty Victorian houses in San Francisco – these are just photographed a lot because they are next to a park and the angles for photos are good.
Mission Street Murals
Time: 2-3 hours | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Recommended
Balmy Street and Clarion Alley are home to a large concentration of murals in the Mission district. Wander these streets, and the nearby side streets to take in the colorful murals. Don’t forget to grab some amazing Mexican food while you are in the Mission District where the smells of burritos leak out of every restaurant.
Shop The Streets of Haight Ashbury
Time: 1-2 hours | Cost: You choose | Verdict: Recommended for a short stop
The neighborhood of Haight Ashbury was a hopping place for the hippies in the late 60s/early 70s. Today it is a very fancy (i.e. expensive) place to live but the hippie culture is still alive and bringing in tourists. In this neighborhood, you’ll find cool record shops, hip vintage stores, high end boutiques and locally sourced restaurants.
Find The Secret Tiled Steps
Time: 1 day | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Skip It
While we’ve listed this as something to skip, if you stumble across one, it is pretty cool. There are secret tiled outdoor staircases throughout the city. And while we don’t think it is worth tracking them down on a short trip, it actually could make a really fun scavenger hunt if you’re bored and need something to do.
Take In The Views From Twin Peaks
Time: 15 minutes | Cost: FREE | Verdict: Twin Peaks or Coit Tower, not both
Twin Peaks has the best views of the city and it is no wonder that it is one of the most popular things to do in San Francisco. It’s very windy up there so plan accordingly. Additionally, parking at the top can be a challenge so consider parking lower down the hill and hiking up. Once at the top, or even partly up, you’ll have amazing views of the San Francisco skyline and views of the surrounding bay.
Climb Coit Tower
Time: 1 hour | Cost: | Verdict: Coit Tower or Twin Peaks, not both
Coit Tower is another great place to take in the views of San Francisco. This 200 foot tower is located on the top of a big hill. The added bonus of the tower is that it is beautifully decorated with murals. The bottom of the tower is filled with murals. Once you are done looking at the murals, you can take the elevator or stairs to the top of the tower. Here you can take in the views of the city at your leisure before heading back down.
Visit Alcatraz Island
Time: 3-4 hours | Cost: $45/adult | Verdict: Highly Recommended
Alcatraz is possibly most well known as a prison to some of America’s most notorious gagsters. For about 30 years, the island housed some of the highest flight risk prisoners in the United States. The cold and rough waters around the island made escape impossible, though a few unfortunates did try. After the prison was decommissioned, it was also the home to American Indians who occupied Alcatraz in protest of native treatment for 19 months.
Today, this interesting history, combined with an award winning audio tour, make Alcatraz one of the most interesting things to do in San Francisco. Alcatraz is operated by the National Park Service. To get to Alcatraz, you need to purchase ferry tickets and make your way to the island at your timed slot. Tickets frequently sell out, so purchasing in advance is strongly recommended. Once at the island, you can explore at your leisure. However, make sure you take the audio tour, which is offered in multiple languages. This tour is literally award winning and it shows. The audio tour uses first person interviews with previous prisoners to give you first hand knowledge of what living on Alcatraz was like.
Take a Bay Cruise
Time: 2 hours | Cost: $38/adult | Verdict: Recommended
If you are looking for a unique perspective on San Francisco, try seeing if from a different point of view. The San Francisco Bay has bled life and industry into the city for years. Tours take you along the shoreline to spot the city and as a bonus you may also spot sea life. Cruises are a great way to get out on the water, which we recommend. However, if you are on a budget you can skip this and just enjoy the Alcatraz ferry above or you can take a public ferry and get some of the same views.
Well now that we have loaded you up with plenty of suggestions for things to do in San Francisco, we know you’ll be able to plan your own amazing San Francisco vacation. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave them below and we’d be happy to get back to you.
