The Bay Area is one of the most gorgeous parts of the US, home to three major cities all coming together around the exploding Silicon Valley. With three international airports within 30 miles of each other, it’s a super easy place to get in and out of, and great for a long weekend!
There’s an endless number of things to do in and around San Francisco, so let’s try to narrow down some options for a great trip.
The three major airports in the Bay Area are San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJO), and Oakland (OAK). I’ll say this off the top...know which airport you’re flying through! You may be surprised how many people have stories about showing up at the wrong airport, especially confusing SFO and SJO!
All major airlines fly through here, and it’s also a really popular hub for flights to and from Pacific Island nations, so consider the possibility of stopping here before or after a long trip across the ocean. I’ve always been a fan of Southwest, and they fly to all three. I’ve typically found rates to be lowest going into SFO, which is the best place to land if you’re looking to stay in San Fran.
As always, this depends on your priorities for your trip! If you want to explore the city, there are a number of large chain hotels directly downtown, with easy access to Fisherman’s Wharf and the Piers. But, we’ve really enjoyed stays in the neighborhoods of Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, and Golden Gate Heights. All of these neighborhoods are super close to Golden Gate Park, and are right in the heart of so many great places to eat and things to see.
If you’re looking for more beach time, Half Moon Bay is an area we’d recommend staying in! You’ll probably need to rent a car to get around, but it’s a great central location for launching into the small beaches and state parks that cover the west coast of the Bay Area. And, the drive into San Francisco isn’t too bad, especially if you’re making a whole day out of it.
For a little higher luxury, consider Sausalito! The small waterfront town is across the Golden Gate Bridge, and is home to a number of great high end restaurants, as well as fancy places to stay.
There are so many famous photo spots in San Francisco, it’s tough to do it all in a few days! But, especially if you’re in for some walking, there’s a lot you can get done in a short amount of time!
Centrally located in downtown, and miles long, Golden Gate Park puts every other city park in the US to shame. There’s so many amazing routes to take and places to explore! Although it costs to get in, the Japanese Tea Garden is amazing, or hop right across the sidewalk to the Botanical Garden. You could spend hours, and walk miles, just around here.
Real quick...Golden Gate Park does not run into the Golden Gate Bridge. But we’ll get to that.
Ocean Beach is a great plot of sand on the west coast of the city, where you can often find windsurfers and kite flyers really putting on a show! But be careful, it’s windy! So, you may not want to stay too long, but it’s hard to pass up any views of the Pacific. Grab a bite to eat from the nearby Hook Fish Co, who puts together some stellar fish tacos and amazing fish & chips.
If you start walking north on Ocean Beach, you’ll get a glimpse of a couple historic windmills in Golden Gate Park that are great for photographing! Keep going, and you’ll find yourself at the launch point for Lands End. Follow the trail to find the USS San Francisco Memorial, Lands End Labyrinth, Dead Man’s Rock, and Eagles Point. All along this trail, you’ll have amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge!
All of a sudden, you’ll hit this neighborhood, and be like...did I do something wrong? Where are the trails? How do I get to the bridge? Y’all this is a fancy neighborhood. We unmistakably walked by Marshawn Lynch’s home (who else has an all black Camaro with “Beast Mode” on the side?), and there were so many insane homes that were fun to look at!
Just keep following El Camino del Mar, which will take you by Baker Beach. This is probably my favorite spot to stop for pictures of the bridge! It’s never super crowded, and is a great spot to relax for some time. From here, it’s pretty straightforward to get to the Welcome Center, which is where many of the iconic Golden Gate pictures come from!
Treat yo’self. You've earned it.
The legendary winding road is a quick 10 minute walk from Ghiradelli, so if you don’t feel too inflated from your ice cream, take a trip down the iconic street!
You’ve walked a long way by now, and gotten to see so much of the incredible nature the city has to offer! So tomorrow, let’s take things a little easier and enjoy the other side of the city.
The Ferry Building is the start of the famous San Francisco Piers, which is where you’ll also find places like Fisherman’s Wharf and the Warriors new arena. But, on Saturday’s, the Ferry Building is home to an incredible farmer’s market, in addition to its permanent vendors inside. One vendor we love is Cowgirl Creamery! Grab a block of their Mt. Tam or a sandwich for later, you won’t regret it!
While there is plenty to see along the Piers, I prefer looking inland and walking to Chinatown! Did you know fortune cookies were invented here? Watch the assembly line at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, and grab a few for later! While you’re there, check out the incredible food that Chinatown has to offer. If you head towards Dragon’s Gate, you’ll find yourself just a few blocks from Union Square.
San Francisco is home to a number of incredible museums and galleries, many of which are located in the same general area! San Francisco Art Exchange, Gefen, Meyorovich...the list goes on forever. And if all these aren’t enough, the Museum of Modern Art is just a short walk away!
While any trip over to the famous island prison is great, the night tour is especially fun! With incredible views back into the city as it lights up at night, it really makes you wonder what it must have been like to be stranded on the island. The night tour also boasts a few special performances from the staff, and the eeriness of the jail really sets in! Make sure to book your tickets for the night tours as soon as you’ve got your dates in mind.
Depending on what time you’re flying out the next day, there’s a couple fun excursions worth doing if you’re able to rent a car for the day.
It hardly feels like a trip to Northern California without seeing some massive trees. Muir Woods is about an hour drive from SFO with light traffic, so maybe budget yourself two just to be safe. The National Monument is filled with great trails and photo ops amongst some giants, and the drive out there is pretty amazing as well! If you’ve got time on the way back in, stop in Sausalito for some great restaurants, shopping, and views back into the city.
If you’ve got the time, or another day, keep on going all the way to Big Sur, but I’ll talk about that in another post. There are so many great hikes and hidden beaches to check out along the famous Highway 1. Devil’s Slide is a great trail with amazing views, but be warned that parking fills up fast! Do yourself a favor and only park in legal spots - rangers come by pretty frequently!
Keep going a little further to find Gray Whale Cove State Beach, where you can either hike down to the beautiful beach cove, or use it as a launching point to a number of great trails in McNee Ranch State Park and hike to the top of Montara Mountain!
If you keep going all the way down to Half Moon Bay, that puts you in a great spot to cut back towards the airport for your journey home!
