On 4 of July, I had the opportunity to take a trip to San Francisco with my Mother and Sister. Although this was my 3rd time in California, it was my first in San Francisco. San Francisco is one of the most popular cities in the United States. From the Golden Gate to Alcatraz there is so much to see and do.
We spent 4 days in San Francisco and 1 day in Napa. We stayed at the luxurious Hyatt Regency in Embarcadero. Our itinerary was great as first timers in beautiful ''fog city'' San francisco.
Where to go in San Francisco
1.Visit Alcatraz Island- From 1934 to 1963 Alcatraz served as a federal prison for some of the most dangerous civilian prisoners. Among it's famous were Al Capone. Many prisoners would attempt to escape but weather they would survive the bay currents is unknown. We booked our tickets in a advance to secure our spot on Alcatraz Cruises. This tour was one of our favorites and most interesting. Alcatraz is 1.25 miles off shore.
2. Visit Golden Gate Bridge- We took our photos at Crissy Field. There are many other parks to take photos from. It is also very common for tourists to rent bikes and circle the golden gate.
3. Visit Pier 39 on Fishermen's Wharf- a neighborhood and popular tourist attraction is the famous Fisherman's Wharf. This location has many good restaurants and shopping centers. Keep an eye out for sea lions! Note that the cruise to Alcatraz also departs from Pier 39.
4. Visit the Palace of Fine Arts- it was built in 1915 for a fair called the Panama Pacific exposition to exhibit works of art there.
5. If you were into Robin Williams movies like me visit the Mrs. Doubtfire house from one of the most iconic films of all time!
6. Visit Full house- Set in the late 80's early 90's full house was set in San Francisco.
7. Lombard Street- it's an east west street that is known for it's steep and eight turns.
8. Painted Ladies- Most people think that Full house is one of the Painted ladies. It is shown on the show but isn't actually where they live. They are known for their colorful architecture and appearance in movies, tv shows, ads and of course the opening credits of Full house. It is a place for tourists to sit around lounge around in the sun.
TIPS
- Pack warm! Hoodies and long pants are a must. If you go to San Francisco it can get chilly anytime of the year. It is about 65 degrees during the day and drops to about 55 at night and can get very chilly. Their are significant weather changes because of it's large hills and location.
- San Francisco is not cheap. You can however budget and plan ahead.
- Hop on and hop off tours are a great way to commute instead of cabs. All the attractions are spread out and not as convenient to reach.
- Books tours in advance.
- Airbnb is a great way to make accommodations for your stay at different ranges of prices.
9. Ride the cable cars- This is a great way to view the city. It will save you time walking up and down those hills. You can pay on board for about 7 dollars one way. We used Uber to get around due to our limited amount of time to see everything. An Uber was usually 10 to15 US dollars to get around.
Food in San Francisco- I found San Francisco to be the home of seafood especially at Pier 39 and Fisherman's wharf. Of course I like to stick to my Italian food but I did give their famous clam chowder a try.
On every corner of Pier 39 there are hotdog stands and corn dogs for sale. We made sure to have In and Out burger before returning home. In and out is an American food chain that is only on the Pacific coast mostly in California. Although I have tried it before in Las Vegas.
10. Napa Valley- Our tour to Napa was called Great Pacific Tour Company booked through Viator that had all different kinds of tours for Napa. We got to visit 3 beautiful wineries in Sonoma and Napa. Our lunch was included with pick up and drop off. I would most recommend a private tour for Napa.
California is a huge and diverse state. If your visiting for the first time, you may not see it all in one trip, not even the locals do. You can visit San francisco and Los Angeles in one trip but they are a 6 hour drive (one hour flight) away from each other. They are very different cities. In San Francisco you have the beautiful Golden gate and Napa right over the bridge. Meanwhile in Los Angeles you have sunny beaches, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and so much more. I love the West coast and hope to return one day to go hike in some national parks. I am so blessed to have been able to spend a trip with my family. Remember to always take time with the ones you love.
Until next time,
Daniela ♥
What is your favorite part of California?
What is your favorite part of California?
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