Location: San Francisco, CA
Visit: Multiple times, most recently September 2018
San Fransico is one of the great west-coast destinations for a quick two or three day trip. The main attractions, restaurants, concert venues, etc. are all centered in San Francisco itself, but the surrounding area (Oakland, San Jose, Silicon Valley, Marin, Sonoma & Napa Valleys) are just a short ride away and will give you some good variety if you a frequent visitor or are spending some extended time.
In this post we will provide an overview of some of our favorite hotels, bars, restaurants and attractions, as well as tourist traps to avoid.
The first thing to know about San Francisco, is that it will most likely be cold. Not “east coast winter” cold, but not “sunny California” warm. You might find that weather down in LA and San Diego, and even in various parts of the Bay Area, but San Francisco itself is usually chilly. While the famous quote “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” is erroenous credited to Mark Twain (it’s based on a quote by London actor, Drury Quinn), the sentiment is true. So leave your bermuda shorts and tank tops at home, but on jeans and a sweater and enjoy!
A quick search of Trip Advisor’s Top 10 yields this list:
- Alcatraz Island (worth it)
- Golden Gate Bridge (worth it on a clear day)
- Cable Cars (only worth it if you are heading in that direction)
- Lombard Street (skip it)
- Pier 39 (skip it)
- Anchor brewing (only if you love beer)
- Fisherman’s Wharf (skip the tourist stuff, but there are some fun things too)
- Land’s End (if there’s a sunset)
- AT&T Park (if you love baseball and/or garlic fries)
- San Francisco Symphony (if you love classical music)
On our most recent trips, we’ve avoided the touristy stuff (most can be done once and aren’t really worth doing again) and focused more on specific events (concerts, dinners, etc.) and just enjoying the City.
Here are a few ideas of things to do that aren’t on the “Top 10 List” above: visit the San Francisco Ferry building (food stalls and markets), go shopping in Union Square, drive the coast near the Outer Sunset, take a ferry to Angel Island, grab brunch across the Golden Gate Bridge in the town of Sausalito, search for the perfect burrito in the Mission district, catch a show at one of dozens of icon venues, or climb to the top of Coit Tower for some great views. Mix in a few items from this list to your typical tourist routes and you’ll have a good time for sure.
The Ferry Building 
Rooftop of Proper Hotel 
Views of Alcatraz 
Fisherman’s Wharf – mini golf 
Fairmont Hotel 
City Hall 
Bill Graham Auditorium 
Chambers 
The Clift/Redwood Room 
The Saratoga 
Double Dutch 
Golden Gate Bridge
Where to stay:
The Fairmont Hotel: ($400-$600) Old fashioned glamour at a sometimes very reasonable price. (950 Mason St., San Francisco, CA 94108) www.fairmont.com
- General Rating: 90 (Four Star!)
- Four Star Rating: 74 (Great)
- Notes: A classic hotel with exceptional details and spacious rooms. Not in the middle of the action, but easy to get around. Slight bump down due to price, but sometimes there are deals.
The Clift Hotel: ($200-$350). Great location and a great bar. (495 Geary St., San Francisco, CA 94102) www.sonesta.com/us/california/san-francisco/clift-royal-sonesta-hotel
- General Rating: 70 (Great)
- Four Star Rating: 71 (Great)
- Notes: Very central location, right off Union Square. The hotel bar, the Redwood Room, is a San Francisco classic and makes a great cocktail. Good price for an expensive city.
San Francisco Proper: ($400-$600). New hot spot with a great roofdeck. (1100 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94102) www.properhotel.com/hotels/san-francisco
- General Rating: 84 (Exceptional)
- Four Star Rating: 75 (Great)
- Notes: Great location right on Market Street. Exceptional rooftop bar. Modern room and lobby. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.
Where to eat:
- Hog Island Oysters (1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111) www.hogislandoysters.com
- Chambers (601 Eddy St., San Francisco, CA 94109) www.chambers-sf.com
- The Saratoga (1000 Larkin St., San Francisco, CA 94109) www.thesaratogasf.com
- Cha Cha Cha (1801 Haight St., San Francisco, CA 94117) www.chachachasf.com
Where to drink:
- The Redwood Room @ Clift Hotel (see above)
- The Tonga Room & Hurrican Bar @ The Fairmont Hotel (see above)
- Charmaine’s @ San Francisco Proper (see above)
- Bourbon & Branch (501 Jones St., San Francisco, CA 94102) www.bourbonandbranch.com
- The Saratoga (see above)
- Chambers (see above)
- Double Dutch (3192 16th St., San Francisco, CA 94103) www.thedoubledutch.com