San Francisco: 2 Day Itinerary
San Francisco is also called “the city by the bay.” It is for so many people the most beautiful big city on the West Coast. But where do you start discovering this place? Should you buy tickets for a hop-on hop-off bus, drive around with your car, or do everything on foot? The San Francisco climate is another thing you must consider before heading here. You might think it’s always sunny and warm because it’s on the West Coast. But that’s just an illusion. Weather can be great and sunny, but most days start cloudy because of the bay ecosystem
Table of Contents
- Where To Stay
- Transportation
- Day 1
- Day 2
- Climate
Where To Stay
In San Francisco are many options to stay. You’re more likely to stay in the Fisherman’s Warf area, it is not the cheapest but it’s close to everything and it is the touristic heart of the city. A place you’d better avoid to stay is South West of Union Square. We had a hotel on Lombard St. It’s a little cheaper than the hotels at Fisherman’s Warf but still within walking distance from Fisherman’s Warf.
Transportation
There are a lot of transportation options to discover San Francisco: public transportation, car, hop on/ hop off bus, bike, and by foot. We wouldn’t recommend going by car or public transportation. A car in a big city is never a good idea and there are a lot of thieves, smashing windows to get your belongings. Public transportation might be an option but we think there are better options as a tourist. If you stay around the Fisherman’s Warf area, you’re just fine with your 2 feet. If you’re going to visit the highlights you can use a bike but take into consideration that roads are steep and there’s a lot of going up and down. The best way to discover the highlights is the hop on/ hop off bus . They take you anywhere and it’s the easiest way to discover all of San Francisco.
Day 1
On the first day in San Francisco, you better stick around the Fisherman's Warf area. There are a lot of things to discover such as cute souvenir shops, and seafood restaurants, but also places like Ghirardelli, the famous chocolate factory. Enjoy a morning at Ghirardelli Square and take a look at the shop. Don’t forget to go to Pier 39. This is the place where you can watch sea lions sunbathing. The best period to do this is from August to May. During June and July, most of the sea lions are gone. This can easily fill your morning in San Francisco. The afternoon is great to visit Alcatraz. The boats to the Island leave from Pier 33 and are within walking distance from the Fishermans Warf area. Once arrive at Alcatraz, you get an introduction whereafter you can get your devices for the audio tour. You can also visit Lombard St. on this day. But we would not recommend driving down by car. The queues are long, very long. You can better walk down via the sidewalk.
Day 2
We would suggest buying tickets for a hop on hop off bus. The bus station to buy tickets is on Jefferson St. and the bus stops at all the highlights of the city. The stops we liked the most are:
- North Beach/ Chinatown
- Union Square South
- Alamo Square (Painted Ladies)
- Haight Ashbury
- Golden Gate Park
- North Vista Point/ Golden Gate Bridge
- Palace of Fine Arts
Some stops are within walking distance so if you get off at North Beach, you can visit the Cable Tram Museum and walk through Chinatown to Union Square. The walk is about 20 minutes long.
Climate
San Francisco’s climate can be defined as Mediterranean with cool summers. The summers are cool because of the cold current that flows along the Californian coast. Because of the heat of the Californian peninsula and the cold ocean air, the city will likely be covered with fog. Most of the time, the fog disappears in the afternoon. When visiting San Francisco, even during summer, work with layers of clothing. The afternoon can be too hot for long sleeves but you probably going to need them during the morning.
Is San Francisco calling? Find out more about San Francisco including places to stay and eat in these handy to use guides.
