Must See San Fransisco Travel Guide
Traveling to San Fransisco soon? Well, we just got back from a fun week in San Fransisco and while we are “newbies” to the city, I thought it would be fun to share our Must See San Fransisco Travel Guide and tell you about all the amazing places we found on our trip. The great news is that there are so many amazing sites to see in the San Fransisco and surrounding areas. You will constantly be surrounded by a ton of breathtaking views that just don’t get old. There are so many things to see and do, but it can be hard to figure out how to fit it all in – especially if you’re visiting for the first time. Hopefully by telling you a little bit about our trip, you will find some things that fit your style for your perfect trip to San Fransisco.
Where to STAY
We decided early on to stay in Fisherman’s Wharf so that we would be close to all the tourist action. While there are a ton of great hotels in the area, we decided to stay at the Hyatt Centric Fishermans Wharf. Looking online for hotel can be a daunting task and hard when you haven’t been to an area before, however, Hyatt Centric was PERFECT for us. It was extremely modern, in the perfect location and the staff was very friendly. The hotel is centered right in Fisherman’s Wharf so it is only a few blocks to reach popular attractions like Musee mecanique, Pier 39, Lombard Street, the Hyde Cable Car, and Ghirardelli Square. We spent a lot of time walking the area and it was one of our favorite things about the location of the hotel. It was just so convenient to walk to everything.
Where to PLAY
Fisherman’s Wharf.
Fishermans Wharf tops my list of my Must See San Fransisco spots because there are just go many things to do like I mentioned above! We enjoyed checking out the old video games at Musee Mecanique, shopping through Pier 39, seeing the sea lions at Pier 39, and just seeing the sites of all the piers. We even toured the USS Pampanito, a submarine, one afternoon!
Golden Gate Bridge.
While we could see great views of the Golden Gate Bridge from Fisherman’s Wharf, my favorite day of vacation was when we slept in, had brunch at our favorite spot and then walked the Golden Gate Bridge. It was so relaxing and gorgeous. The architecture of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge are just phenomenal.
Alcatraz.
Now, I highly suggest buying your tickets for Alcatraz in advance if you are wanting to take a tour. Luckily I found this out beforehand because it sells out quickly (even a month before at times!). We took a nice boat ride to the island then did a walking tour through the prison. Not only was it extremely cool history wise and weather wise, but the views were incredible. It is probably one of the best views to look back at the city.
Hwy 1.
Drive down Hwy 1. We got to do this on the way to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. We actually decided on this trip because we got tickets to the U.S. Open for Father’s Day and thought it would be cool to go and experience the city and the sporting event. Our drive down the coast was beautiful! I highly suggest it!
Giants Game.
Again, we are sports people, so we had to take in a baseball game while we were there. We love seeing different stadiums and it was a fun night of baseball. We had great seats about 15 rows up from home plate that made it even better!
Napa/Sonoma Wine Tour.
I have always wanted to go to Napa, however, Kevin doesn’t drink wine, so we opted for a 1/2 day wine tour, 1/2 day Muir Woods tour to do a little of both. The tour was a great way to see the area, enjoy a few wine spots and see the gorgeous Muir woods along the way. If I was going back to San Fransisco, I would want to do a full wine tour of some of the major wineries in the area. We went to a lot of small boutique wineries that were really fun, but I would want a more full experience next time.
Muir Woods
Now, Kevin would probably say the same thing about Muir woods. It was so peaceful and beautiful walking through Muir woods. You could easily spend all day admiring the beauty and walking the trails. We only had about an hour so it felt slightly rushed but we enjoyed every minute! Also, if we were going back, I would want to do a full day at Yosemite National Park as well. I knew with my health this wouldn’t be possible this trip, but next time it is on my list for sure.
Where to EAT
Boudin Bakery.
Okay this could fit in the “play” and “eat” catagory. Walking through the Boudin Bakery and their little museum was also one of my favorite parts of the trip. They had so much sourdough and San Fransisco history which made it really interesting to walk through. We also LOVED the bread. I am big time bread girl, so I could have eaten it every meal! I highly suggest putting Boudin on your list!
Hollywood Cafe
Ohhh Hollywood Cafe! I fell IN LOVE with this place! Hollywood Cafe was located right across from our hotel and it became our “spot” for the trip. We ate brunch their three times during our trip, and I honestly would have eaten it every day. It was incredible! It is a really small cafe and even builds a line down the street for a table, but it is worth every minute. The line moves very quickly and we had the best time each time we went. I’m still daydreaming about their mimosas and french toast!
The Baked Bear
And goodness gracious, The Baked Bear is a MUST! We went here twice and I could have gone every day as well. They have the best ice cream and you can build your own ice cream cookie sandwich or brownie sandwich. It is AMAZING!!
Overall, I highly suggest visiting San Fransisco if you haven’t yet. I would love to go again because there are so many things we still didn’t get to do that would be fun. A full day wine tour, disney museum, fin art museum, Sausalito, etc would all be on my list! I hope you enjoyed our MUST SEE San Fransisco Travel Guide!