<p>Planning a week long vacation in San Francisco this summer. Last time I was there I was 14, so it’s all new to me. Where would be a good, moderately priced area to stay in the city with good access to public transportation? Would it pay to rent a car at the airport? We’re thinking of spending a few days in the Wine Country as well. Any help with planning this trip (for adults only) would be appreciated!</p>
<p>Don’t know about hotels other than to avoid staying anyway near Fisherman’s Wharf, but I do recommend you take the shuttle bus into the city from the airport. They are vans that take about six people and their luggage and drop them off anywhere within the city limits. Very inexpensive compared to a taxi. </p>
<p>No need for a car while you’re in the city, won’t be of much use anyway. SF is a beautiful but small city, two days would be sufficient to see what needs to be seen. If you want to save some bucks go back to the airport and rent your car there for the wine country but you will want to think about going to Tahoe and see the Sierra Nevada mountains instead. Allot to see around Tahoe and much cheaper than Napa. (a 3 hour drive from SF.)</p>
<p>You’re going to the most beautiful city in the whole of the U.S.</p>
<p>I’ve lived there twice and been back many times. Have fun.</p>
<p>Also think about going to see Carmel down the coast from SF if you have time. Muir Woods, just north of SF, is nice also with the big redwood trees.
[Muir</a> Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)](<a href=“http://www.nps.gov/muwo/]Muir”>Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National Park Service))</p>
<p>So much depends on how you like to vacation. “In car” destinations might include the Pacific Coast Highway to Monterey, the Observatory east of San Jose, Muir Woods (suggested above), Stinson Beach, and Russian River area – in addition to Napa and/or Sonoma Valleys. (BTW, there are some nice small wineries in the East Bay area.) “Walking” destinations include Downtown, Chinatown, Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, The Marina District, Pacific Heights, Golden Gate Park, Golden Gate Bridge, etc. Possibilities for shopping and eating are virtually endless. Enjoy your trip!</p>
<p>If you have a week-long getaway, you might want to sneak in a day-trip or overnighter in Carmel/Monterey. You won’t regret it. The Monterey Penninsula is the one of the best places on earth far as I am concerned.</p>
<p>You will need to rent a car, but the traffic going to/fro is not bad, especially week days and you time you drive away from rush hrs.</p>
<p>Enjoy your visit.</p>
<p>Allot to see around Tahoe and much cheaper than Napa. (a 3 hour drive from SF.)</p>
<p>It’s beautiful, but I don’t know about the three hour part. Maybe at 2 in the morning! Don’t try it on a Friday! Don’t come back on a Sunday! Cheaper than Napa if you don’t stay overnight but it’s not a day trip. Napa or Sonoma can be a day trip. Still, we go to Tahoe a lot, even when it takes four hours from around Davis. I think you can do lunch and a few wineries in Napa for less than gas and a room in Tahoe.</p>
<p>I like the Cal. Academy of Sciences Museum.
Other family favorites, the Historic Ships Museum (they crank the Liberty Ship ‘Jerimiah O’Brien’ up a couple times in the summer for tours of the Bay).</p>
<p>There are several festivals this summer: the Tall Ships will be in at the end of July, and there is a Children’s Fun Festival (which you might want to avoid since you aren’t bringing any). </p>
<p>If it’s vacation, we would definitely stay down by the water, we like to watch the ships.</p>
<p>I think there is plenty to do in the Bay area for a week (using public transportation), but if you do venture down to Monterey, don’t miss the Monterey Bay Aquarium.</p>
<p>Is the tour to Alcatraz worthwhile?</p>
<p>If you like to ride, rent a bike and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito. Beautiful little town and the ride is a lot of fun. H and I got a bicycle for two and had a great time. If you’re worn out after the ride have a nice relaxing time and ride the ferry back.
We didn’t visit Alcatraz, but the ferry takes you close. I agree with Carmel and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.</p>
<p>Alcatraz yes, gorgeous view from the bay looking back at SF skyline, and get the history on the Conlin brothers. </p>
<p>In fact you need to do Lake tahoe-Squaw Valley, Montery/carmel and Napa to complete the San Francisco treat. Don’t forget scenic and nearby Palace of Fine Arts near Golden Gate Bridge for something so nice and so close-by too. San Francisco /Bay Area is the jewel of California, IMHO.</p>
<p>Whatever you decide on you might want to avoid the Silicon Valley / San Jose. It’s nothing but strip-malls of business parks, flat as pancake and character-less.</p>
<p>I agree with yourworld, the Alcatraz tour is great, we just did it in March, and you can buy tickets online, but be sure you get the one that lets you get on the island itself, not just tour around it (I think it’s thru the National Park Service). Then on the island, do the cellhouse audio tour where you hear what it was like there from the prisoner and guards’ perspectives.</p>
<p>Tell us more! Do you like mainstream? Ethnic minority food? For a getaway, do you like drinking and heat and massages or hiking and mountain lakes or quaint tourist towns with a nice beach or a funky fishing town or more nature ocean?</p>
<p>And budget for hotel in SF is what?</p>
<p>Have lived in CA most of my life. And spend a lot of time in SF…</p>
<p>H and I just did 6 nights in Napa and 3 in SF (in honor of our 30th anniv.).
We stayed in the SoMa area and walked to the Museum of Modern Art in SF and to the stadium for a Giants game.
Hubby researched small wineries in Napa. Particularly liked Quixote, Larkmead, Del Dotto, Chimney Rock, and Chappellet.
PM me for restaurant suggestions and B&Bs.</p>
<p>H had fun tasting wines in Sonoma/Napa recently. Says be aware of the “wine traffic”. He also recommends Muir Woods with two thumbs and two big toes up. Parking there can be a challenge, though.</p>
<p>Make sure you have enough cash for those pesky little tolls on SF bridges. Someone (I’m not going to say who he was) made a few wrong turns and ened up going through two toll booths without payng - they do not take American Express. ;)</p>
<p>What do you consider “moderate” ? Holiday inn, civic center is about $160, $40 more for the one at Fisherman’s wharf.</p>
<p>A week to stay in SF is fine. I don’t think a couple of days is enough, but it depends on what you want to do.</p>
<p>You can spend a day at the DeYoung museum … if you like art.
You can spend a day at Macy’s … if you like shopping.
You can ride the cable cars … if you like standing in line first LOL
You can go to lunch at Cliff House and watch the surfers.
You can go to Muir woods without a car.
You can wander golden gate park, including the tea gardens
You can walk down Lombard and take the bus to Coit tower and take it to the top.
You can go see baseball.
You can go to china town and watch them make fortune cookies.
You can take a ferry ride under the GG bridge.
You can go whale watching … right now it is fantastic!
You NEED to do alcatraz, the whole tour.
You can go to the forts on both sides of the GG bridge; walk across or take the bus.
You can spend a day at fisherman’s wharf doing tacky tourist things… but take time to go on the floating museums.
You can take in a play… don’t know when you are going, but the plays/ballets are good when they are on.
You can take the bus to sutro towers and look down on the city.</p>
<p>I’d say a week is about right. No car needed. … But if you are going to Napa or Monteray, yes, get a car. Many car places will rent from the hotel, drop off at airport with no extra charge.</p>
<p>SF is an EXPENSIVE city in general. When we go to Hawaii and people complain about the “sky high” prices, we think it is normal. Gas is $4.50 pretty much everywhere in SF. $4.25 in the sub urbs. </p>
<p>ANNNND the final bit of advice… Mark Twain was right when he said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. … bring long pants and warm coats with hoods. Layers are really necessary because there are many many micro climates and so you put on / take off clothes all the time.</p>
<p>We were there last April. Got a room at Sheraton for $69/night and a full size car for $18/day, both throuht Hotwire. </p>
<p>Spent 1/2 day drove up on route 1 (I think) alone the shore, breath taking.</p>
<p>We’re going to SF too for our vacation. We’ll be spending five days in SF and then getting a car and driving to Monterey and use that as base for the next five days. Looking forward to alcatraz, muir woods, hearst castle, cable cars and the SF Giants vs Cubs (go cubbies!). I was wondering, as I haven’t done the car rental up yet … should we go back to the airport and rent from there, or is there a place we can rent downtown and return the car to the airport. </p>
<p>zebes</p>
<p>Another thumbs-up on the Alcatraz tour.</p>
<p>If you like outdoorsy things, spend a day on Angel Island. There are ferries from San Francisco, or you can drive to Tiburon, take the ferry from there, and have dinner at a nice waterfront restaurant afterwards.</p>
<p>If you are at all a foodie, check out the farmer’s market stalls in the Ferry Plaza. SF has some amazing restaurants, ranging from street food to high-end dining. The chowhound San Francisco board is a great resource for this. You’re also a BART ride away from Berkeley.</p>
<p>The Exploratorium is a joy if you’re the type who likes hands-on type science museums. I go with the kids. I go without the kids, and have an even better time.</p>
<p>Exploratorium!!!</p>
<p>For hotels: The Columbus Motor Inn [Columbus</a> Motor Inn](<a href=“http://www.columbusmotorinn.com/]Columbus”>http://www.columbusmotorinn.com/)
or one of its sister locations?</p>
<p>We stayed at the Lombard location and it was not fancy, but fine, and included parking. We used the bus system, not the car, in the city.</p>
<p>Favorite thing to do on a beautiful day in San Francisco:</p>
<p>There’s a ferry from Fisherman’s Wharf to Tiburon in Marin County. You get a beautiful bay boat ride for a reasonable fare. Literally on the wharf in Tiburon there are several restaurants, but I love the one called Guaymas (high-end Mexican). You can sit outside and enjoy one of the world’s most gorgeous views, eat good food, have a stroll around the cute little village by the dock (there’s an excellent candy store), and then at your leisure, take the ferry back to town.</p>