San Francisco, a city in Northern California, had over 23 million tourists visit in 2023 alone. Known for its postcard landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and of course, its many MANY crazy steep hills, san Francisco should definitely be on your list of places to visit, whether you pop over from Southern California on a road trip, or visit on a completely sepa rate trip like we did. San Fran isn’t like anything you would have seen in LA, and so even if you have already seen the likes of the Hollywood hills, Beverly Hills etc., you should definitely pop over to San Francisco to see a completely different side to California. We visited here in the summer of 2024, and here are some things I wish I knew before visiting, and some others that I just think are important for you to know before booking your trip!
One thing that always draws the tourists is a ride on the cable car but let me tell you, the cable car is totally over rated. They run from 6am until midnight, 7 days a week but get pretty busy so go early in the day if you can. The best way to ride them is by standing on the outside, not crammed in like a pack of sardines in the middle of the carriage like we were. They only cost $8 for one way, so I do think I would try this experience again next time I am in San Francisco, but I definitely wouldn’t go at peak tourist time, and if I saw the same employee on the car, I would just jump right back off again as his customer service left a LOT to be desired! Go early and maybe you will avoid the crazies of the cable car and have a much more enjoyable expiereince than we did. Remember also that there are two routes so make sure you get the right one, especially if like us you want to get off at the top of Lombard Street, the famous windy road.
Top of most people’s lists in San Francisco is a visit to Alcatraz Island. If you go to Alcatraz please do remember to take your passport with you as you will NOT be allowed onto the boat without it even with a fully paid for ticket / voucher code as we had. We booked a full day city tour with the city part being in the morning and we then got dropped off at Pier 33 to pick up the ferry across to the island. We booked through Viator as usual and you are not advised of the need to take photo ID with you. Luckily we had a photo of our passports on our phone which although not strictly legal, was allowed! Please also note that there are limited opportunities to buy food and drink on the island itself, so I would recommend taking your own. We literally found cereal bars and cookies in the gift shop and bottled drinks.
The city has some of the best greek food!!! We visited Kokkaria and The Parthenon, and the food was delicious. I have thought about that food every day since, and if I was going back to San Francisco, I would definitely eat at these places again. This is coming from someone who grew up with greek food and has had greek yiayias cooking for me, experiencing lent, and delicious home cooked meals for weeks on end I never got bored of, so whilst im not greek myself, I do have very high expectations of my greek food because I truly believe I have had some of the best! So I am a little fussy when it comes to greek food in other countries! LOL
So many shops close early at around 7pm with restaurants closing around 10 ish. This is something that surprised me so much in America, with cafes also closing at about 5pm… what do u mean I cant get coffee after 5?! In greece I have a greek coffee at 11pm with my dessert, after my 10 course meal at 9pm, and im still asleep by midnight. Considering we always love trying new local coffee shops/cafe’s wherever we go, we found this really disappointing as we had to go to our hotel grab and go for a lot of coffees as it was often the only thing open. I totally expect this in my little high street where I live, but not in major cities across America!
Another major attraction of San Francisco is obviously, the Bridge, however beware - the fog can be crazy! If visiting San Francisco, even in peak summer like we did, give yourself multiple days with some free time to see the bridge, the bridge is a must see in San Francisco, and we only gave ourselves one shot to visit it, and unfortunately, the fog that day was extremely dense and low, meaning that we could only really see a small portion of the bridge closest to us before it disappeared in the fog! And then we didn’t have time to go back and see it again. The weather can change pretty drastically so take appropriate clothing, and yes, make more time to see the bridge. You may be lucky and see it clear as day on your first day in the city, it may also take you 3 attempts instead. Just give yourself the time to see it properly.
Clam chowder in a bowl of sourdough bread is also a must try!!!!! It is delicious. It doesn’ taste as fishy as you would think - more like leek and potato soup if I’m honest! San Francisco is also known for its sourdough bread, so two for one, get the clam chowder bowl.
The sea lions on Fisherman’s Wharf are just too cute to miss. you may think this is a little gimmicky and not worth the visit, but let me tell you, it made my day. They are cute, they are playful, they are noisy, they are funny, they are a little smelly, but I could have just watched them for hours. You just walk down th end of the pier and chances are, you will hear them before you see them. Believe it or not, this was probably one of the highlights of my time in San Francisco, and it’s free to visit. And not like an aqauriam or anything like that!
Getting into the city from the airport is super easy. You can take the BART train for around $10pp and arrive in Powell Street within 30 minutes, which is just a few blocks from Union Square. Tickets are bookable in advance or you can buy at the kiosk at the airport station.
One thing to be mindful of is that the airport is prone to delays. This is because it is located right by the bay which is prone to fog. This was our only flight delay on our whole 7 stop trip, and we were delayed on our flight from San Francisco to Seattle by 2 hours because of the weather.
Give yourself a day to fully experience Fishermans wharf. You have the only In and Out Burger in San Francisco, you have Boudin’s sourdough restaraunt and museum, you can get your clam chowder, you have the Ghiradelli chocolate factory, you have numerous cute beauty touristy shops, you have the beach, the wheel, the sea lions, the whole pier to explore, and even a little sandy beach. We first visited the area briefly on our Viator tour, then came back the next day to explore more and it was such a happy, joyful, lively place filled with so much to do. I didn’t even feel like I was on a city break, I felt like I was on a beach holiday exploring the fair.
San Francisco really is as hilly as it is depicted in the movies! We stayed in a Hilton near Union Square and walked down to Fisherman’s Wharf in about 30-35 minutes. Despite the hills, it really is the best way to see all the different neighborhoods. There are different tram lines you can take, or you can of course ride the cable car but ‘on foot’ is the best way to see the authentic San Francisco (and the view of Alcatraz on the way is epic). We stopped in North Beach for a coffee on the way down (Italian District) and also stumbled across a brilliant vintage clothing store!
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