San Francisco Travel Guide

As many others, I haven’t traveled much at all in 2020 due to the on going pandemic. Many of my fellow travelers can agree that it’s really unfortunate to be stuck in the confines of our own town. Our Home Sweet Home that is now bitter. Although, I’ve recently had a change of heart. Instead of feeling bitter, I can take this opportunity to explore my own neck of the woods and share with you the places I call home, which for you may be an actual vacation. So I’ve decided no moping around and feeling bad that I have no place to travel to, therefore, no places to share with you. I could actually spend sometime writing about my local area! As you can already tell, I am starting off with a Travel Guide of San Francisco.

The Piers

Ferry Building

You can choose to either start at Pier 1 or go straight to Fisherman’s Wharf if you are limited on time/don’t want to walk. The Ferry Building is a nice stop if you want to see the Bay Bridge (especially at night), or if you are coming from Union Square and heading to Fisherman’s Wharf by foot. You can take some photos of the Bay Bridge or look around the market that is held on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. From there, you can make your way up the pier, stopping inside a few of the open pier buildings until you reach Pier 39 where all the real action is.

Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39

Fisherman’s Wharf is a must, especially if you are in San Francisco with children. The Piers are full of activities, such as, Sea Lion Center, ferry rides to Alcatraz Island, live entertainment, Madame Tussauds, shopping, antique arcade games and a carousel . Make sure to try some delicious seafood and get dessert at Ghirardelli Square.

Palace of Fine Arts

I included the Place of Fine Arts simply for its beauty. It’s probably the most romantic spot in the city due to the design and the lagoon populated with swans and ducks.

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is to California what the Eiffel Tower is to France. So there’s no way you can miss it. You can choose to either walk, bike, or drive across the 1.2 mile Golden Gate Bridge. I recommend walking to immerse yourself in the view and get the typical, “I went to San Francisco,” photo of yourself next to the bridge. It takes about an hour round trip to walk. Baker Beach is also a good photo spot for the bridge.

Lombard Street

Located in the Russian Hill district, this street is famous for being the “Crookedest Street in the world.” I remember driving down this street as a child and actually feeling car sick. But don’t worry, driving isn’t necessary. Many people walk up/down the 40-degree street instead to snap some photos (Leavenworth Street seems to be the best place to stand for a photo). You can hop on the Powell/Hyde Cable Car line to get to Lombard Street if you really want the full tourist experience. Warning: This can be a very popular line! Make sure to plan ahead and be prepared that you may have to wait a while before a cable car will take more passengers.

North Beach

North Beach is one of the districts in San Francisco and it isn’t too far from the Crookedest Street. If Italian food, or SF’s version of Little Italy, is something you are interested in, stop by the North Beach district. There you can climb up Coit Tower, go to Grace Cathedral, Church of Saints Peter & Paul, and try some delicious Italian food and desserts. Gelato and awarding winning margherita pizza from Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, anyone?

Chinatown

San Francisco has one of the best Chinatowns in the whole country. It really does feel like it’s own town within a city. As soon as you arrive at the Pagoda Gates, you’re greeted by bright colors, unique cuisine aromas, and foreign languages. Going inside all the stores is a real treat because many of the things you’ll find are very traditional to Chinese culture. Herbs, fruit, clothing, decorations, nicknacks and toys you’ve probably never seen before. It will be hard to leave empty handed.

Union Square

If shopping and dining out isn’t something that interests you, you should skip Union Square. However, if you’re a foreigner who loves shopping in American and designer stores, you could spend an entire day here. Almost every store you could think of is located within a six block radius of Union Square. I’ve gone to Union Square many times as a teenager to go shopping and eat at Cheesecake Factory, but also to go ice skating and see holiday lights in winter.

Japantown

I love visiting Japantown for the unique food and shopping inside Diaso (a Japanese dollar store). It’s a small neighborhood located around the Peace Pagoda in Peace Plaza. There are supermarkets, restaurants and stores inside the plaza. It’s a great place to get Japanese food as well as buy Japanese anime, toys, and gifts.

Golden Gate Park

It’s hard to believe but this park is actually larger than New York’s Central Park. It’s pretty incredible how much there is to do in this one park and explaining all of the attractions would take up a large chunk of this post. Perhaps in the future I will write a separate post solely on this park. For now, I will simply share with you which attractions you should visit if you are going:

You shouldn’t miss the de Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, Botanical Gardens, Stow Lake, Conservatory of Flowers (check out my photo diary HERE), Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers, rose garden, historic Dutch & Murphy Windmills, and Bison Paddock/Enclosure. After a long day going around the park, you may want to end it by going to Ocean Beach to watch the sunset.

San Francisco has a special place in my heart as I’m a Bay Area girl. It was a bit difficult figuring out what to include and how much to say as many of these places (and more) I’ve visited a handful of times. If you’re traveling to San Francisco, it would take about a week to see most of the city. Even then you will really have to pick and choose what you are most interested in seeing as some activities will take up a large chunk of a day (i.e. San Francisco Zoo). If you will only be stopping by for a few days, the most popular spots to visit are The Golden Gate Bridge/Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Street and Chinatown.

If you think I should share a more detailed travel guide for any of these spots, let me know. I may do a San Fransisco food guide and museum guide in the near future.