A fabulous San Francisco itinerary: for 3 days of fun and food

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Here are my personal recommendations for planning a 3 days in San Francisco itinerary, which would be perfect for a long weekend. San Francisco is an iconic destination loved by tourists from all over the world. It’s home to the famous red Golden Gate Bridge, the infamous Alcatraz prison, and the USA’s oldest Chinatown. The city is also known for its eclectic vibes, old-fashioned cable cars, and thriving foodie scene. What a place!

Another thing that may draw you to San Francisco is that it’s one of the few cities in the US that you can do on foot and by public transport, with some planning (and the odd bit of help from taxis). So if like me you don’t drive, or you don’t want to drive abroad and on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, it’s perfect. There’s no need to hire a car here. 

If it’s your first visit to the city or if you’re coming from Europe and not too familiar with the USA in general, planning a San Francisco itinerary can be quite overwhelming, as I discovered. There’s so much to cram in and you don’t want to waste any precious time. So I’ve put together this wee guide for how to spend 3 days in San Francisco to hopefully help you. It’s full of my personal recommendations so that you can get the most out of a short break. Oh and I’ve made sure to include as much of San Francisco’s brilliant food and beer as possible. You’re welcome.

Anyway, here’s my 3-day San Francisco itinerary. Let’s get planning…

3 days in San Francisco itinerary: before we begin

First things first. I just want to explain that a lot of the way I’ve organised this itinerary is based on exactly what I did when I went to San Francisco for 3 days. I only recommend things I’ve done myself and enjoyed, all of which is based on plenty of research. Regular readers will know I bloody love planning. 

Second, I stayed in the beautiful Noe Valley area, so I’ve included breakfast places that are near there. Obviously, if you’re staying elsewhere, it probably wouldn’t be practical to schlep over to Noe Valley every morning for breakfast. However, Noe Valley is overflowing with gorgeous breakfast options so it wouldn’t be wrong to make the journey at least once…

Third, make sure you have some comfy shoes for your San Francisco trip. You’re going to be doing a lot of walking. (But probably still not enough to balance out ALL the delicious food. Sorry). It’s all about the Converse, not the strappy sandals. You might even want to pack some blister plasters for the inevitable.

Now we’ve got those little disclaimers out of the way, let’s get into it…

San Francisco itinerary day 1: free walking tour and sea lions

Morning: early breakfast at Chloe’s Café

I think Chloe’s Café has to be one of the best breakfast/brunch places I’ve ever been to. For those of you not familiar with the USA (like me), you might think the kind of breakfast café you see in films and TV programmes might not be real. Well, it is. And Chloé’s is just like that. People really do walk round with a coffee pot there offering top-ups!

The whole experience is sort of like being in someone’s living room and being given their nan’s homemade food (if their nan was a chef and wanted to fatten you up). Being close to Chloé’s Café for breakfast is an excellent reason to stay in the Noe Valley area, too.

The food is just incredible. I would be the size of a house if I lived near this place. 

Make sure you head here early as the first activity I’ve included on this San Francisco itinerary starts at the ungodly hour of 10am so you’ll want to have a good breakfast in you before that.

Morning: do the free walking tour, starting in Union Square

I love kicking off any city break with a free walking tour. There’s usually one wherever you go and I always find they’re a good starting point for exploring and getting your bearings. San Francisco is no exception. 

I really recommend doing the excellent Free SF walking tour. It’s (unsurprisingly) free but like with any free tour, it’s nice to tip the guide. I normally give 10€ so I would do 15$. The tour lasts 2 hours 30 minutes and meets daily in Union Square at 10am. I know, I know. Who is ready before 10am on holiday? But it’s worth setting that awful early alarm for. You’ll need to get a 15-minute taxi/Uber to the meeting point if you’re coming from Chloe’s Café. Sorry. I promise most of this itinerary is walkable or doable by public transport. Unfortunately, there’s no easy or direct bus or anything for this (believe me, I tried).

The Union Square area where the tour meets is the hub of ‘downtown’ San Francisco (if you’re from Europe, downtown = city centre/high street area). While you’re waiting for the tour to start, you’ll spot all the big US department stores around you and a lot of hustle and bustle. But I should warn you that the homelessness issue in this part of the city is quite overwhelming. Incredibly sad. And unfortunately, you do need to be on guard if you return at night as there can be some dodgy characters about. For more on that, I have a section on safety at the bottom of this post.

Anyway, on a lighter note, Union Square is flanked by some nice heart-shaped street art. I left my heart in San Francisco etc. Mildly diverting fun fact: the images painted on the hearts change with the seasons. Keep an eye out for them as you start the tour.

The USA’s oldest Chinatown: the highlight of the tour

The most interesting part of the walking tour for me is the insight into San Francisco’s Chinatown, which is the oldest in the USA. I’m originally from Liverpool, which has the oldest Chinatown in both the UK and Europe. However, San Francisco’s is a LOT bigger than ours. 

Like most Chinatowns, it has its own gate (Dragon Gate) that you can enter through. Once inside, you’re surrounded by restaurants, shops and groups of locals playing cards or dice. The tour will take you into the Golden Gate Chinese Cookie Factory, where you can briefly watch workers producing fortune cookies. How do they stuff the paper messages in before the dough hardens? Very quickly is the answer. You can buy a bag to take away if you want. Just be aware, even though they’re as fresh as they could possibly be here, they still taste like a fortune cookie. Unfortunately. 

After Chinatown, you’ll get to see a few other interesting spots around the city. I won’t spoil it for you by listing them. But I really liked finding out about the secret rooftop gardens that various commercial buildings have in San Francisco. They have to offer these to the public but don’t really want you to know about them. The tour takes you to one of these gardens, on the 15th floor of a building in the Financial District. The views are good and it’s a nice little green oasis amid the grey of offices.

Lunch at the Ferry Building Marketplace

After all the walking, you’ll be thinking about lunch. The tour handily ends at the Embarcadero (seafront road), just by the vibrant Ferry Building Marketplace.

This is a permanent indoor market full of brilliant independent stalls selling local food/drink, gifts and drinks. It also has a thrice-weekly farmers’ market (check times before you plan a visit). It is quite touristy but the artisan vendors make it worthwhile. There’s a stall doing brilliant vegan doughnuts, a Japanese deli, and an adorable houseplant/homeware shop. You can put together an excellent picky lunch of anything from local seafood to burgers to pastries.

And if you need a drink to wash it all down, I recommend the Fort Point Beer Company for a local craft beer or two. You can sit outside and have a good old people-watching session over an IPA. Perfect.

Afternoon: say hello to the San Francisco sea lions 

After lunch, walk up the Embarcadero up towards Fisherman’s Wharf (about a 25-minute walk).

If you’re from the UK, Fisherman’s Wharf will give you Blackpool-like vibes. There are souvenir shops, touristy eateries and slot machines galore. And a lot of street performers too. You get the idea. Grit your teeth and get through it. It’s somewhere you have to go when visiting San Francisco because just next door at Pier 39, there are SEA LIONS.

Yes, actual sea lions. They tend to be found lounging around on the floating decking at Pier 39, sunbathing and making a racket. I was a bit worried they weren’t there out of their own free will and had been lured by humans to entertain us. But apparently, there’s plenty of natural food in the bay and they decided to descend on it themselves. I must admit, they aren’t what I’d call cute (think giant noisy slugs) but are very amusing. Definitely worth seeing. It’s really nice enjoying their company while watching the boats coming and going from the jetty.

If you wanted to explore more of this area from a different angle, you can go kayaking in the San Francisco bay. Regular readers will know that’s my idea of hell, but I saw some people doing it who appeared to be having a right hoot.

Check out the famous zig-zagging Lombard Street

From Pier 39, it’s about a 20-minute walk to another tourist attraction, Lombard Street.

This was a bit underwhelming for me. But it’s not far so worth going to see just for the novelty. It’s a road with eight hairpin bends, with a steady stream of traffic coming down it. It’s been used for car-chase scenes in lots of films I’ve never heard of and tourists flock to it for photographs. Ironically, it doesn’t look that exciting in your average snap and I think you’d need a drone to really capture its twists and turns. But seeing as you’re so close at Pier 39/Fisherman’s Wharf, you may as well walk over to see it. 

Battle through the tourists to walk up to the top of Lombard Street, where you’ll find a cable car stop. And this is the next thing on this San Francisco itinerary. It’s almost like I planned it, isn’t it?

Ride an old wooden cable car

From the top of Lombard Street, wait for the old-fashioned cable car. This will take you back into Chinatown. Now, a cable car in Europe is usually suspended above the ground and takes you up mountains to go skiing. In San Francisco, they’re very much on the ground like a tram. Anyway, terminology aside, this is worth doing. The cable cars are creaky and wooden and lovely. They reminded me of the historic trams in Lisbon or Porto but much slower.

Who doesn’t enjoy pootling up a hill in a creaky wooden contraption? And I should note that San Francisco has many, many, MANY hills. Do you like hills? Your legs will be cursing them after 3 in San Francisco and you’ll take any chance of a lift up and down them.

The cable car is such an icon of the city that the San Francisco Railway Museum focuses on them a lot. This small museum is free to enter and worth a mooch into if you have time. You’ll find it just outside the Ferry Building Marketplace. It’s really well done and has plenty of retro postcards and bits and bobs to spend your dollars on.

Evening meal in Chinatown

The cable car will eventually deposit you back in Chinatown. By this point, it’ll be early evening and if you’re anything like me after the first day of any trip, possibly with jetlag too, you’ll be getting hungry.

I thought Chinatown would be a good shout for the first evening meal of your 3 days in San Francisco. You’ve already been lured into its charms on the walking tour and will have seen the plethora of eating options.

I can’t recommend Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant enough. This place does the best vegan Chinese dishes I’ve ever tasted. It’s also incredibly reasonably priced considering it seems to be a bit of a mecca for vegan/vegetarian visitors. And there’s unlimited tea, which I see as a challenge…

Evening drinks in Haight-Ashbury 

After eating, head to Haight-Ashbury for some drinks to toast the end of your first day in San Francisco. You can get the bus (NBUS or 43) from Chinatown and get off at Haight Street. 

Haight-Ashbury is San Francisco’s mural-filled hippy district. That’s definitely hippy and not hipster, mind. In the 1960s, the area was home to the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and lots of people with flowers in their hair. It’s not quite that vibe now but still very alternative and is a great area for some drinks of an evening.

The largest independent music shop in the world, Amoeba Records, is a big attraction here, as well as some of the vintage clothing shops (too much tie-dye for my taste). There’s also a famous clock on the main Haight-Ashbury street corner and it’s permanently set at 4.20. If you don’t know what that means, ask Snoop Dogg. And yes, there’s a lingering smell of weed in the air as you walk around. Like most areas in the city, you need to keep your wits about you here of an evening. But you’ll be fine popping between bars, where there’s plenty of footfall. 

Haight-Ashbury bars to visit

Start off at Toronado. If you only go to one bar in the city, Toronado should be it. It’s somewhere my friends/colleagues, the internet and guidebooks all recommended to me. And it lives up to the hype. Its atmosphere and beer selection are great. It has SO many sour craft beers that are actually proper sour, not just pretending that a Haribo Tangfastic was once near them. If sour isn’t your thing as much as it is mine, don’t worry. There must be about a million hoppy beers to choose from, too. Hours will pass easily here and so will the drinks, plus it’s the USA so the regulars will be happy to strike up a conversation and tell you their life story, which is always an entertaining experience. What a legendary place.

After Toronado, my other recommendation is to head to the lovely Magnolia Brewing Co. This is another of the friendliest bars I’ve experienced, even by the super-friendly American standards of bars. And again it has excellent beer choices, including sours. After our visit, I ended up with a hand-written list of recommendations for things to do in San Francisco from a lovely local lady with an adorable little dog (whose names I immediately forgot). Unfortunately, I was too drunk to photograph any of this.

I’d recommend getting an Uber/taxi back to your hotel after drinks. You sadly can’t hope on a train absolutely bevvied like you can at home (if you’re from the UK, I mean). Public transport at night in San Francisco can be infrequent and a bit dodgy. A taxi is probably for the best if you’ve sampled those beer menus, anyway.

San Francisco itinerary day 2: the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz 

Morning: breakfast at Aha Fresh

Another day, another stomach-expanding breakfast in the US of A. Just what you need to recover from drinks the night before.

For the second breakfast in this San Francisco itinerary, I’m recommending the delightful Aha Fresh. Regular readers will know that whenever I travel, I’m always on the hunt for a good cup of tea. Aha Fresh managed this. In fact, English breakfast tea was surprisingly easy to get in San Francisco. Anyway, if you head here for your brekkie then I recommend the pancakes, eggs and ‘hash browns’, followed by a small heart attack.

Before you’re confused as to why I’m recommending hash browns, I should explain that these aren’t hash browns as we know them in the UK. They’re normally those crunchy little potato things, right? Not in the USA. They seem to come in the form of a giant thin and crispy lattice-type affair. It’s the size of the whole plate and is absolutely delicious.

I think that may have been one of many reasons my jeans were on the tight side after leaving San Francisco.

Morning: explore the fabulous Castro district

The first thing I recommend on day 2 is to head to the Castro district. If you’re coming from breakfast at Aha Fresh, this involves hopping onto the J Church metro for about 10 minutes.

The Castro is the main LGBT+ district in San Francisco. There are some beautiful Victorian houses about (one had an ‘It’s Britney Castro, b*tch’ poster in the window, which I enjoyed). The zebra crossings on the roads are rainbow, there are rainbow flags everywhere and it’s full of amusingly titled shops, such as the brilliant ‘Does your mother know?’.

The Castro is best experienced just by wandering around. Keep an eye out for the very ornate facade of the local cinema, which shows unusual and independent films. Also, stop to look in the small memorial park in memory of the LGBT+ victims of the Nazi regime. 

Side note: If you love the Castro and want to pop back again later in your trip (if you have more than just the 3 days in San Francisco, maybe), you could eat at Orphan Andy’s. This is a proper American diner, the sort you might get murdered in in a film. But it does really nice grub and going to a diner is quite an experience if you’re not from the USA.

Early afternoon: lunch at Crissy Field and the famous Golden Gate Bridge 

After mooching around the Castro, it’s time to see the big daddy of San Francisco attractions. I mean, of course, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, probably the most photographed and iconic thing in the city.

If you’re short on time, I’d recommend planning to enjoy looking at/photographing the bridge rather than walking across it. In my view, walking over it is a bit like going up the Eiffel Tower: you’re in the thing when it’s better to look at it. Plus walking it will take at least an hour and a half, so it’s all about weighing up your time.

For the best views of the bridge, my tip is to head to Crissy Field. This is a beach area that tourists and locals alike flock to. It’s also a nice spot for a light lunch, too. Head to the Warming Hut for a sandwich and/or pastry (depending on how much you can face after a big breakfast). From Crissy Field, you can walk on to the Fort Point National Historic Site in about 15 minutes. This is an even better viewpoint and excellent photo opportunity. You’re so close that you’re almost underneath the bridge itself.

How to get to the Golden Gate Bridge without your own car

The Golden Gate Bridge is 100% something you should see. But it’s quite far west of the centre and how feasible the public transport options are really depends on which bit of the city you’re coming from.

This is my advice:

• If you’re heading to Crissy Field from the Castro district (as we’ve just explored in this itinerary), I’d recommend giving up on public transport entirely. Just get an Uber/taxi, which takes <20 minutes. And I say that as someone who views taxis as a failure in planning! But if you attempt to get from Castro to near the bridge on public transport, you’re looking at three changes and just over an hour of your time. Not appealing. 
• If you’re not quite following this itinerary (it’s ok, I’m not that offended) and you’re in the downtown area, it’s possible to get to Crissy Field by public transport more easily. From Union Square, take the #30 muni bus from Stockton St & Sutter St. The journey takes about 35 minutes. 

The journey is worth it for the views, I promise. You’ll easily spend all afternoon there.

Early evening meal: fish and chips at The Codmother

Because the other main activity for this day is doing the Alcatraz tour in the evening, which doesn’t get you back until 9.25pm, I recommend having an early evening meal if you can’t wait until late to eat (I never can!).

I was curious about an American take on fish and chips, and someone recommended to me The Codmother. I can confirm that the fish and chips were delicious. It’s not quite like how it is in the UK, but it’s a good take on it. I know, I’m surprised too. This is a country that doesn’t always use electric kettles so doing anything traditionally British well seems impressive. But like I said, they’ve got tea available everywhere now. If that’s not progress, I don’t know what is.

To get to The Codmother from the Golden Gate Bridge, you’re again in a public transport pickle. For the sake of time, I’d do an Uber/taxi. Again!

Evening: the ‘night’ tour of Alcatraz – an absolute must-do in any San Francisco itinerary

So, Alcatraz. A former maximum-security prison and site of Native American occupations in the 60s. Possibly not the most riveting-sounding attraction and tbh, I only vaguely knew what it was before my trip. But I’m so glad I went. 

If you’re reading this post because you’re working out your own San Francisco itinerary, you’ve probably already read on multiple websites that you HAVE to book the Alcatraz tour in advance. Like, months in advance. I am now here to repeat this to you. Book the bloody thing. It might not seem like it’s worth it and you might not even be interested in it at all (I didn’t think I was) but it’s SO worth doing. If you only do one touristy thing, you need to do this. 

The tour is really well done and surprisingly engrossing. Famous inmates included gangster Al Capone and Robert Stroud (known as ‘the birdman of Alcatraz’, with a film inspired by his story). Walking around the cells with my footsteps echoing, I felt like Louis Theroux investigating the USA prison system. But with more seagulls. I should mention that much of the old prison has been ‘re-wilded’. Nature has taken it back. Seabirds nest in the window ledges and wildflowers grow along the walls. It’s actually a really nice place to walk around and admire the view after you’ve done the tour itself. 

I really recommend doing the night tour if it’s available while you’re there. Much of the tour is indoors, so it’s a good use of an evening so that you can enjoy the city in the day and not waste your daylight hours inside. The departure times for the night tour are 5.55pm and 6.30pm, returning at 8.40pm and 9.25pm respectively. I did the later one. But make sure you check on the official website when planning. The night tour only runs during certain months and times do alter.

San Francisco itinerary day 3

Early start with a snacky breakfast to keep you going

Right, I bet a supermarket isn’t on many San Francisco itinerary write-ups but hear me out.

The first activity for today is going to an art museum that works best if you get there early as it can get busy. So my recommendation is to grab something to keep you going – a pastry or breakfast granola bar thingy, for example – and then have a nice brunchy-lunch after the museum visit. You could call into a nice local bakery to pick up your little breakfast on the go. But if it’s a novelty then go to one of San Francisco’s branches of Whole Foods.

If you’re not from the USA, you might not have been to this glorious supermarket called Whole Foods as it’s mainly in the US. But it’s worth seeing because it sells everything you didn’t know you needed to eat and more. Shopping there is a serene and wondrous event that can get dangerous on the old bank balance. They sell SO much delicious vegan stuff. I consider it an actual crime that we don’t have Whole Foods in the UK (other than in stupid London). It’s clearly my spiritual home. Whole Foods people, if you’re reading this, bring it to the North West PLEASE. 

Ahem, anyway. Get something little for breakfast and scoff it on the way to some art…

An arty morning at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

I really recommend a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA). I won’t give you precise instructions on how to get there as it’ll depend where you’re staying but the nearest public transport is the Powell Street and Montgomery Street BART and SF Muni Light Rail stations. Or if you want to get a cable car there, then you can get off at Powell Street and California Street.

What a place SFMoMA is. I tend to visit an art museum in every city I visit, sometimes more than one, so I like to think I know when I’m in an especially excellent one. And this one will blow your socks off. It’s absolutely massive, beautifully laid out and er, very easy to get lost in (as I discovered). There’s a lot of more famous artwork on display (from Matisse to Andy Warhol to Frida Kahlo) but I found some brilliant pieces by artists I’d never heard of, too. 

I always feel awkward getting photos in art galleries even when you’re allowed to, so I don’t have much to show you other than the below rather generic shot. But that’s good because if you go, you can take in the vastness and incredible art for yourself. You can easily spend over two hours here, taking up a whole morning. Enjoy.

Lunch: a brunchy treat at Plow

Clearly, my life revolves around food. So after all of the art, it’s time to eat something proper. I can’t recommend enough heading to the much-lauded Plow for the final brunch/lunch of your 3 days in San Francisco itinerary. End on a high! Yes, Plow specialises in brunch food and you’re probably here for an early lunch given how long you can spend at the art museum. But I’m all for all-day brunching when the food is this good. Just note that it shuts at 2pm, so you can’t go too late. 

You can get to Plow quite easily from SFMoMA if you head to the 4th St and Market St stop to get the number 15 MUNI bus. Alight at 3rd St and 20th St and then it’s a short walk to the café. Depending on times, it might be quicker to use the BART, but you can check on Google Maps, which tends to be easier than looking at any journey planners on different websites.

I didn’t think Americans did queuing but seemingly they do when it comes to Plow, such is its popularity. The queue might be all the way round the block if you’re there on a busy weekend. It is absolutely worth the wait though. O, M and indeed G. Whenever I think of my time in SF, Plow’s French toast with blackcurrants is up there with the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. It’s in a pretty area called Potrero Hill, which is worth a mooch around while you’re there (or leave your partner/travel companion in the queue while you have a stroll about).

An afternoon exploring the Mission district

For the last afternoon, it’s time to explore San Francisco’s famous Mission district. You can get there in under 20 minutes from Plow. Take the MUNI from Connecticut St and 18th St and alight at 16th St and Harrison St (and half of that journey time is an easy walk from 16th St and Harrison St to the centre of Mission).

While exploring the area, call in at City Art Cooperative Gallery, a small gallery that’s free to enter. I also recommend browsing some of the second-hand bookshops like Dog-Eared Books, where you can lose hours. It’s also lovely just to wander round Mission looking at street art and window-shopping in gorgeous clothes shops.

Mission is probably my favourite San Francisco district. This decision was cemented when I clocked this gorgeous building (photo below) covered in a huge mural over its five storeys. It’s the San Francisco Women’s Building. This is a women-led non-profit arts and education centre. The mural on its exterior was created by seven women artists and features female icons from both history and fiction and the names of more than 600 women in calligraphy. Feminism and street art combined. I’m here for it.

Enjoy some beers at Beer Nerds

An area as cool as Mission is of course a haven for trendy craft beer bars. You’ll be spoilt for choice here. I sought out Beer Nerds for some brilliant mid-afternoon craft beer. What a lovely bar this is. Great choices of local craft beers and a really nice atmosphere. Perhaps it’s just the USA or San Francisco but I again found everyone we met so chatty, open and friendly. And very keen to give loads of local tips on where to eat/drink/see.

Also, Beer Nerds is the first bar I’ve ever been in that includes the calories for each drink. What a horrifying prospect, I know. But it worked out well for me. Turns out that my usual tipple (sour beer) is the lowest in calories. Take that, MyFitnessPal. 

Evening meal: Mission burrito

When in Rome Mission, you have to indulge in a famous ‘Mission-style’ burrito. It’s quite a cult thing and one of ‘the’ things to eat in San Franciso. And I understand why.

I must admit, I’ve never enjoyed burritos before. The UK doesn’t do much Mexican food (unsurprising really given we don’t have many Mexican people here who’d bring the cuisine with them). So the only places you tend to get Mexican options on the menu are generic chains, which aren’t very inspiring. But the USA is all about Mexican food and Mission is where to find it in San Francisco. Their burritos are on a whole other level. 

There are several burrito specialist eateries in Mission. Every local I met had their own favourite. I ended up picking El Farolito, as recommended by a lovely lady in a bar in Haight-Ashbury. It’s just round the corner from Beer Nerds, handily. And it will not disappoint!

Evening drinks at Bernal Heights

To round off your 3 days in San Francisco with a fantastic last evening, there is no other option but to hit the booze. And make it some more local craft beer, of course.

I really love Barebottle Brewing Co. in the Bernal Heights district. Any readers who’ve been to Mackie Mayor in Manchester or the Baltic Market in Liverpool will know what I mean when I say this brewery echoes that kind of vibe. It’s a big industrial warehouse with food stalls and loads of its own beer on tap. And there are so many dogs! Doggies everywhere. This makes for an utterly lovely atmosphere and the beer selection is great too.

To get there from the burrito place in Mission, public transport is easy and will only take 15 minutes. Get the 67 bus from 24th St and Mission St, hopping off at Nevada St and Cortland Ave, which is right by Barebottle Brewery. Perfect.

3 days in San Francisco itinerary: what to skip

If you only have 3 days in San Francisco, you’ll want to make sure that your itinerary doesn’t waste a second. Here are a few things I had pencilled in when I was first planning my time there but ended up either ruling out or did but would not recommend much:

• A baseball game – If it’s your first time in the USA, you might have pencilled in seeing a baseball game. Baseball is a sport much revered in the USA but baffling to the rest of us. It’s basically rounders. Definitely one of the many weird and wonderful things about America. It’s hard to work out if people go to actually watch the sport or just to consume copious amounts of overpriced beer and hotdogs while having a good shout. I went to see it and it was mildly entertaining but I wouldn’t say it’s a must-do unless you have an interest in it.
• The Palace of Fine Arts – This is a faux-Roman construction, which was originally designed for an art exhibition in 1915. It’s essentially a small park with a lake and a rotunda made to look like an old ruin. It’s quite popular with tourists but I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to see it. If you’ve seen real ruins in other cities around the world, it’s quite pointless. If you’re nearby anyway, maybe pop in for 10 minutes.
• Mission Dolores Park – This park is very close to Noe Valley, so if you’re staying in that area like I recommend then you’ll probably walk through it. Again, it seems to turn up on a lot of San Francisco itineraries I’ve read online, but I wouldn’t call it a must-see. It has a decent view of the city but is more for locals to walk their dogs than anything more exciting for visitors.

Useful information: 3 days in San Francisco itinerary

How to get to San Francisco

Top tip: fly to Oakland Airport. When I went, it worked out 30% cheaper than flying to SF airport. It’s very close and dead easy to get into SF on public transport. You just get the BART (metro), change at Coliseum station briefly, then ride that beast all the way into the city centre. It takes about 30 minutes.

If you’re on a USA trip without a car, you may want to look into getting to San Francisco using Amtrak’s train routes or even the option of bus/coach travel (for example, you can get from Los Angeles to San Francisco by coach).

Where to stay during your 3 days in San Francisco

Accommodation is the real downside in San Francisco. It’s incredibly expensive for hotels/apartments: way worse than Paris or London even. It just doesn’t seem to have many mid-range hotels in the centre – you know like Premier Inn or Motel One where you pay like £80 ($112ish) a night for a clean and modern room? Nope, none of that. Maybe it’s a USA thing because Boston, MA is much the same. 

Also, I can’t emphasise enough how careful you have to be with choosing an area to stay. The city is all very area-dependent. You can walk five minutes and go from a swanky shopping district to a heartbreaking homeless camp very quickly. 

Finally, it’s worth remembering that when you’re browsing hotels in San Francisco, the prices are usually listed as the room price only. When you dig deeper, there’s also tax (USA doesn’t list it as part of the price!), city tax, municipality tax and even a ‘resort fee’. Here are a few well-rated options, sorted by area and with all the costs included. Prices are correct at the time of writing. 

• Noe Valley: Noe’s Nest Bed and Breakfast (about $220 a night)
• Union Square: Hotel Nikko San Francisco (about $230 a night) or Club Donatello (about $150 a night) or Cornell Hotel de France (about $175 a night)
• Wharf: Argonaut Hotel, a Noble House Hotel (about $350 a night, so this is a good option if you want to really splash out)
• Pacific Heights: Monte Cristo (about $300 a night)
• Haight Ashbury: Stanyan Park Hotel (about $250 a night)
• The Castro: Parker Guest House (about $210 a night).

How to get around

San Francisco has public transport, which is good by USA standards. This is the main reason I chose to visit as I don’t drive. It’s 100% doable without hiring a car. So if you don’t want to drive either, it’s a good place to go in the USA. But compared with Europe/Asia, public transport is not easy. I struggled to find a website/map that overlaid every type of transport so you could get your head around what the best combination to get was, so I ended up using Google Maps a lot. There are buses, trains, cable cars, and normal trams. Oh and of course Uber/Lyft, which don’t work unless you have roaming data so I’d recommend getting a SIM that works in the USA if you want to use them.

When to go

Spring in San Francisco is sunny but chilly and fresh, which I think is perfect for exploring a city. There aren’t quite as many tourists as in later months, but everything is open and bustling to a nice degree. Do note though that there are loads of warnings online about how weirdly cold San Francisco is even when the actual temperature says it’s warm. I can confirm the rumours are true. It was over 18 degrees most days when I visited, which would normally be really hot to me, but the wind is cold AF. Layers are your bezzie!

Safety and things to be aware of

I love San Francisco and had such a good time there, so please don’t be put off by this section. I’ve included it just so that you’re aware. 

I’m a well-seasoned traveller and I found myself on edge a few times in San Francisco. The main reason for this is the volume of mentally ill people and people on drugs on the street. Of course, most people are harmless. But they may behave erratically, talking to themselves and shouting, which is upsetting to see. What’s also quite unsettling is how persistent they can be when following you and asking for money. I do the standard ‘No, sorry’ politely while walking away, then donate to local charities working to help the situation. I don’t know whether this persistence is SF-specific or whether this is normal in the USA, but any readers from the UK will probably find it unusual as it’s rarer here. Back home, I work in Manchester (UK), whose city centre has a terrible homeless problem and its fair share of drugs. Yet it’s nothing compared with things in SF. I’ve been to cities all over the world and never seen anything that shocking. But like I said, this is just something to be aware of and San Francisco is a fantastic city to visit.

Other issues like pickpocketing that you come across when travelling just seem to be standard levels in SF. And it’s easy to do all the usual things to avoid this, like not having your phone out too much, keeping your bag close on public transport, and so on.

Save and share: 3 days in San Francisco itinerary

If you enjoyed this 3 days in San Francisco itinerary, why not pin one of the images below to your Pinterest board?

You might also like my other USA posts. I normally focus on UK, Europe and Japan posts, so I only have a couple of US ones. Watch this space for more in future, though.

• A beautiful Boston, MA itinerary for a fun weekend in the city (without a car)
• 38 funny and interesting differences between the USA and Europe.

And if you’ve used one of my travel guides and enjoyed it, you can also buy me a drink. Cheers. 

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