What should we see? It will be my first time in California, and we’ll be in the Oakland/San Francisco area. We have 4-5 days available. We’ll also spend a day or so in Napa.
What weather can we expect? How much and what pieces would you pack for 7 days? Thanks!
I’m not from SF…but our kid graduated from college not far from there in June one year. Relatives took a day trip…and had to go and buy long pants, and sweatshirts. It was chilly.
It’s likely to be in the low 60s during the day and it may be rainy…or not. Lots of fun things to do in SF and I believe there’s been a thread before that you may want to search for.
If you’re into art, the DeYoung and SFMOMA are always good. The DeYoung is in Golden Gate Park which has lots of other things to do, including the adjacent California Academy of Sciences which is pricey but excellent. Others like the Legion of Arts which has beautiful views from the parking lot. If you enjoy bike riding and it’s not raining, you can rent bikes near Fisherman’s Wharf and ride over the Golden Gate bridge and have lunch in Sausalito. Pier 39 is really touristy but it is interesting to see the Sea Lions at the end of the pier. I really like walking Lands End. It’s a nice walk and the views of the Golden Gate bridge are unobstructed and beautiful. If it’s raining you might want to walk through the Ferry Building which has little unique shops and things to taste. The Slanted Door (Vietnamese) is in the Ferry Building. It’s excellent and, if you want to go, I’d make reservations now. Visiting Alcatraz is pretty interesting and something our out of town visitors have consistently enjoyed.
Not sure what I can recommend in Oakland but you could walk the UC Berkeley campus is that’s of interest.
Heading up to Napa for either the day or an overnight is always fun.
I’d bring layers and we generally know if rain is predicted in advance so you should know if you need to bring rain gear. The City can get foggy and cold so, while I know it’s not like so many others experience in the winter, it really can feel chilly. I often wear a lighter down jacket in winter along with boots.
Also consider Scenic 17-Mile Drive in Picturesque Pebble Beach (https://www.pebblebeach.com/17-mile-drive/) and Muir Wood (https://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm).
If you can stay overnight along the coast, visit Hearst Castle (http://hearstcastle.org/).
If you look at the average temperature, the warmest month in SF is in September. (https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/san-francisco/california/united-states/usca0987) I guess most people who visit in May/June need to be aware that the temperature is in mid-50 to mid-60. Most people who visit in March/April already dress warmly so temperature is not a concern for them.
Layers really are the key. Expect to do a lot of walking around and bring comfortable clothes and shoes.
I would recommend going to Beach Blanket Babylon one night. It’s a totally San Francisco theatre experience. Walking around the neighborhoods- the Castro, the Marina near the Bay, Lands End as suggested above. Lots of places to grab incredible views. The Berkeley hills off Grizzly Peaks stand out as a place to watch the sunset. Take a ferry, either from Jack London Square in Oakland to the Embarcadero or an Alcatraz tour. In terms of food, Mexican food is generally excellent and there are all kinds of Asian restaurants that are great- Thai, Vietnamese,Japanese, Chinese.
Last time I was there we rented bikes and rode over the Goldengate Bridge and took the ferry back over. Very fun!
I always pack a light down jacket and a rain jacket and dress in layers when in San Francisco. You will want good walking shoes or boots that can get wet. You need to book Alcatraz in advance. We like to take the ferry to Sausalito and walk around and have lunch. We went to Musée Mécanique on Pier 45 at Fisherman’s Wharf which had very old penny arcade games and was really fun. Walk up to Coit Tower and see the 1930’s murals part of the Public Works Art Project. We also like the de Young Museum and if it’s a nice day a walk around Golden Gate Park.
Visited a year ago, loved the tour of Alcatraz. Hated most of the city itself, one of the dirtiest, nastiest big cities I have ever visited and I have been to plenty, here and abroad. We enjoyed Calistoga, just N of San Fran. We drove to Bodega Bay, being movie fans, but it no longer looks like it did in the famous movie.
And, they tell me they can tell a tourist if they refer to it as Frisco.
^^^^ Hey…that’s my home town you are talking poo about…and regretfully it’s true…
As for tips…
Yes, wear layers. It can be so foggy it feels like rain.
If you are going to take a ferry, try to take one of the commuters ones - not the touristy red and white fleet. The commuter ferries are much less expensive. They run to Sausalito and Larkspur.
If you’re going to book a tour of Alcatraz be sure you purchase tickets from the official vendor. The top hits on a web search tend to be resellers with huge markups. Purchase from here: https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/tour-options.
Stay away from Civic Center Plaza. It’s a third wold homeless encampment.
Underground Muni stations and the Bart stations in the downtown area smell so bad it make you yearn for a port-a-potty at the little league game. Uber works very well.
the 49 mile Scenic drive is beautiful and will get you to all the spots normally found on the post cards.
You can park at the Legion of Honor and take the walk down to Lands End. (Think someone mentioned that above). Beautiful views from the Legion of Honor are a bonus.
A few of the museums and parks are free on one day in the first week of every month. Usually on a Tuesday. DeYoung Museum and the Legion of Honor Museum is free on the first Tuesday which in this case is March 5. Japanese Tea Garden is free if entering before 10am on Monday’s Wednesday’s Friday’s. The cherry blossoms doesn’t start blooming until late March, but that’s around the time that plum blossoms start blooming.
I’m a foodie and of the opinion that no restaurant is worth waiting more than 30+ minutes. Many of the SF restaurants already mentioned and will be mentioned are probably overrated. Don’t count on Yelp or Michael Bauer for accurate ratings.
The Stanford and UC-Berkeley campuses are of course worth a visit. Santa Clara University is very nice.
Silicon Valley is of course home to many of the great tech companies of the world and it might be worth a trip to see some of them. The Google company store, Apple Visitor Center where you can see their spaceship HQ, and the Facebook facade where you can do your thumbs up are good places. Tesla will give you a factory tour if you own a Tesla. Oracle, Intel, Twitter, Lyft, Uber, the list goes on and on.
In early March you could get anything from beautiful sunny t-shirt weather to highs in the 50s and rain all week so keep an eye on the extended forecast the week before you come out.
If you are coming with kids and it’s raining, check out the Exploratorium (science museum). Maybe even if it isn’t raining, although since you haven’t been here at all before you might have other things that are higher priority.
Depending on weather and if you have a car most/all of the time, for 4-5 days I’d suggest the following (not necessarily in order)
@younghoss , we must have visited different areas, because my family loved it! I didn’t think it was dirty at all. We only had 3 nights. What we did was stay in Union Square.
It will be chilly to cold. Bring a warm jacket, and then layer.
Yes…you will find a lot of homeless around Civic Center, Market Street. Beautiful, classic buildings at Civic. Lots of
history…
Napa…also consider Sonoma!
Attire: Layers! Could be pouring rain or could be foggy or could be super sunny. Patagonia is worn here year round. Comfy walking shoes. SF is fairly casual. You will see a lot of black, neutral colors. I always have a scarf. In March, I think average temp is in high 50’s/low 60’s…but if you are walking a lot, it is quite comfortable. Temps in Napa will be about 5-10 degrees warmer.
Have fun! SF is a wonderful city (yes, has it’s warts, but what city doesn’t?).
P.S. a rental car in City is big PIA and big $$$. Just rent one for wine country…
You haven’t really been to San Francisco unless you had an Irish coffee at the Buena Vista.
http://www.thebuenavista.com/home/irishcoffee.html
The main drag through Golden Gate Park is closed to car traffic on Sundays. If you get a nice day it is fun to rent bikes (I just borrow my brother’s) and ride through the park. Depending on your fitness level, it is not too far to ride the bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge at the same time.
If you go to Land’s End and Sutro Baths, there is a little diner on the hill above the baths with a view of the ocean called Louis’, just up from the Cliff House. It really is just regular diner food, but it is a San Francisco institution, run by the same family since the 1930s. Most of the people working there will still be part of that family. They serve real milkshakes and root beer floats. No reservations, cash only.
Add me to the list of people recommending walking around the Castro and Chinatown. Other neighborhoods have their flavor, but these two are specific to SF and not repeated elsewhere.
I never did much in Oakland except Jack London Square and the Oakland Museum. Both are OK.
S recently moved out there for a job and has been adamant that we come see him. I’m sure he will have ideas but I love the variety of suggestions and wealth of knowledge of the CC crowd.
Always dress in layers in SF!
My brother lives in SF. He says he can always pick out the tourists because they are the ones that don’t realize how quickly the temperature can change so they are always wearing San Francisco sweatshirts that they had to buy at the cheap tourist shops!
In addition to all the good suggestions above—here are a few more. If you like plants/gardens, visit the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. Also, the San Francisco Botanic Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers are there too.
We did a walking tour of the Presidio that was fun and a Food tour in the Mission District. My favorite restaurant was The Slanted Door (Vietnamese) which is in the Ferry Building area. Also in that same area was Cow Girl Cremery (cheese!!). If you like jazz, see what’s playing at the SF Jazz Center. Best splurge restaurant—Michelin starred Saison.
Another vote for an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista, and a sundae at Ghirardelli. We enjoyed a tour of Anchor Brewery (you have to book in advance).
@psychmomma what area does your S live in/where are you staying?