5 perfect days in San Francisco

Why not start your day at a maximum-security prison? Head to Pier 33, one of the string of ferry terminals along the waterfront Embarcadero, for your cruise to Alcatraz Island. (It only takes 15 minutes, but it’s a gorgeous ride with views of the Golden Gate Bridge.) The fascinating tour of “The Rock” covers the prison’s history and the lives of some of its famed inmates, including mobsters like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Book your tickets several weeks ahead, since they sell out fast.

When you return to the mainland, head to nearby Fisherman’s Wharf. The whole area has a carnival vibe, with lots of family-friendly attractions on and around the area’s piers. We love Pier 45 where the USS Pampanito, a World War II-era submarine that kids love exploring, is docked. Also here is the beloved Musee Mecanique, where you can play vintage arcade games and make faces in an old-school photo booth.

But we know the real reason you’re here is to meet the California sea lions that sun themselves on the docks at Pier 39. Some stay here all year, but the population swells to about 700 in the spring. Come in the morning and they’ll be barking up a storm. By mid-afternoon, they’re mostly snoozing.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY TOUR OPTIONS

Grab lunch on Pier 39 at the massive Fog Harbor Fish House, which serves the area’s must-try dish, clam chowder in a hollowed-out loaf of sourdough bread. (You can add crab meat, but why mess with perfection?) When you’re ready for more, walk over to Ghirardelli Square, a cluster of former factory buildings that have been transformed into a shopper’s paradise. Underneath the massive neon sign you can buy fudge or any other kind of chocolate to take home as a souvenir or eat right away.

For another San Francisco staple, treat yourself to an Irish coffee at the nearby Buena Vista Café. Legend has it that the owner is the one who brought the whisky-spiked beverage to America.

You can’t leave San Fran without riding a cable car, so hop aboard one at the corner of Hyde Street and Beach Street. There’s often a line, but you won’t be waiting long. As you head up Hyde Street, make sure to look to the left for a glimpse of Lombard Street and its eight epic switchbacks.

Hop off the cable car in Union Square, the city’s commercial hub. Kick back at the sophisticated Press Club bar with a tasting of artisanal California wines, then snap up some of the city’s tastiest sushi at Akiko’s. It’s very small and super popular, so make a reservation.

Now it’s time to think about how you want to approach the evening. If you didn’t book tickets for a big-name Broadway musical at the historic Orpheum Theater, no worries. Head to the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar for something nearly as spectacular. This landmark has kitschy tropical decor, live entertainment, and an occasional rainstorm over the indoor swimming pool.

Spend the morning exploring the massive Golden Gate Park. And when we say it’s massive, we mean it. It’s not just winding paths and peaceful ponds (though it is that, too). There are several museums, a pair of windmills, and a paddock where bison graze. You’ll have to pick and choose among its many attractions, but we’re fans of the peaceful Japanese Tea Garden and the colorful San Francisco Botanical Gardens.

If it’s rainy or chilly (or both), you might opt for the park’s California Academy of Sciences, a truly spectacular attraction that’s part aquarium, part planetarium, and part natural history museum. You’ll be hard-pressed to get out of here in under two hours, especially if you have kids with you.

We’re sure you’re starving after all that walking. Lucky for you, Zazie is just east of the park. San Franciscans love their brunch, and this spot serves it until early afternoon. Once you’ve refueled, take a five-minute walk to Haight Street. Lined with shops selling handmade items, the main drag of Haight-Ashbury is an important part of hippie history. Music lovers can hunt for vinyl at Amoeba Music or search for the homes of famous classic rock musicians like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.

The iconic Painted Ladies—the city’s brightly painted Victorian houses—are clustered across from Alamo Square. Climb to the top of the hill for the best view of what’s known as Postcard Row.

HAIGHT-ASHBURY AREA TOUR OPTIONS

Hungry? Head over to the nearby Nopalito, where the tacos, carnitas, and quesadillas are so good that they’ve won awards. Try the ensalada de nopales (cactus salad), one of the specialties here. There are no reservations, and there probably will be a line, but it moves pretty fast.

If you’ve planned ahead, maybe you’ve managed to score tickets to a night game at Oracle Park. They can be as cheap as $10, depending on who’s playing the hometown Giants.

If it’s not baseball season, lively Divisadero Street is just a block from Nopalito. Show off your skills at pinball, foosball, skeeball, and other games at The Emporium. Part retro arcade, part DJ-powered dance party, the club inside a 100-year-old movie theater always delivers a night of fun.

Get started early with breakfast at the Ferry Building Marketplace, a San Francisco landmark that’s been transformed into a farmers market and gourmet food emporium. The food vendors, offering everything from crepes to bagels to empanadas, start opening by 9. You can’t go wrong soaking in Bay Bridge views while sipping coffee from local icon Blue Bottle Coffee and pairing it with a pastry from Acme Bread, an outpost of a beloved Berkely institution.

Catch a streetcar to Embarcadero and Greenwich, then get a late-morning workout climbing the famous Filbert Steps. As you hike the more than 400 wooden steps up Telegraph Hill, you might catch a glimpse of a wild parrot. At the top is Coit Tower, which has panoramic city views and colorful murals depicting California life in the 1930s. (Don’t worry, there’s an elevator inside the tower.)

Next up is North Beach, the city’s version of Little Italy. Start at Washington Square and wander south along Columbus Avenue, stopping at Molinari Delicatessen for an Italian sub. On the sidewalk outside are a handful of tables covered with—of course—checked tablecloths. Definitely make a pitstop at nearby City Lights, an indie bookstore and publisher of poetry legends like Allen Ginsberg and Frank O’Hara.

Continue north and you’ll find yourself in America’s oldest Chinatown. Packed with dim sum restaurants and souvenir shops, this bright, bustling neighborhood is well worth exploring. Watch fortune cookies being made—and sample a few different flavors—at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, and pop into Vital Tea Leaf for its massive selection of loose-leaf tea.

We would never deny you dinner in Chinatown. Head to the low-key Hang Ah Tea Room, which has been serving delicious dim sum since 1920. As you tuck into hot peppers stuffed with shrimp, you can weigh your options for the evening. We recommend grabbing a drink in the neighborhood at Vesuvio Café, a beatnik hangout with wood-plank ceilings and stained-glass lamps. If you’ve still got some steam left, hop over to the beloved dive bar Li Po Cocktail Lounge and order one of their famous mai tais.

CHINATOWN AREA TOUR OPTIONS

San Francisco is more about brunch than breakfast, but you can get the party started early at beloved Brenda’s French Soul Food, where you can stuff yourself with shrimp and grits and a flight of beignets that go from savory (crawfish) to sweet (apple and chocolate).

Take a quick walk to the Civic Center Plaza to admire the beautiful Beaux-Arts San Francisco City Hall, built to impress with a dome that’s larger than the one topping the U.S. Capitol. Duck inside to marvel at the ornate marble interior—you might even see a just-married couple taking wedding photos on the grand staircase.

Head across the plaza to the Asian Art Museum (closed Tuesday and Wednesday, with shorter hours on Thursday). Tripadvisor reviews rave about this massive museum, which covers more than 6,000 years of Asian art and culture. It’s easy to spend two or three hours here exploring the 18,000 individual pieces from China to the Philippines and India to Turkey.

Top off a morning of Asian treasures with a culinary work of art: a chicken banh mi sandwich in a light, crispy roll at Saigon Sandwich Shop. Lots of the dishes at this hole-in-the-wall eatery are half the price of hopping on a cable car.

From here, it’s a short trip to one of our favorite neighborhoods, the Mission District. This sunny spot (really, it’s a microclimate miracle) has Mexican roots, which is obvious when you get a look at the adobe-walled Mission Dolores. There’s also some stunning street art, especially on the Women’s Building and in Clarion Alley.

If you’re low on pirate supplies (and who isn’t?), the Pirate Supply Store is the place to stock up on eye patches and other items. Your purchases support writing workshops for kids. And if your sugar meter has dipped dangerously low, the pastries at Tartine Bakery will have you up and running in no time (well, unless there’s a line).

MISSION AREA TOUR OPTIONS

With so much great Mexican food, it’s hard to choose a dinner spot in the Mission. If you put us on the spot, we’d opt for Lolo. It’s a modern take on dishes from Mexico’s Pacific Coast, so you’ll enjoy small plates like shishito pepper tostadas and panko-crusted shrimp tacos. The margaritas (made with either tequila or mezcal) are perfectly prepared and very potent.

The Mission’s Valencia Street is the ideal place for a night on the town. Head to The Chapel (yep, it’s in a former church) for all genres of live music. You’ll probably want to book tickets in advance. After the show, kick back with a cocktail at Elixir. With a long wooden bar ringed by plush stools, it’s a callback to the city’s saloon town days.

Lace up your walking shoes, dress in layers, and spend your day hitting the trail in the Presidio, a former U.S. Army base that occupies the northernmost part of the peninsula. Many people think of it as the best place to gaze out at the Golden Gate Bridge, but this park has much more than that. Its paths through forests and along beaches appeal to hikers, while its carefully restored military buildings are beloved by history buffs.

Start your day at the Walt Disney Family Museum, which occupies a handsome brick building along the Main Parade Ground. Not just for Disney buffs, the museum uses plenty of family photos to tell the story of this man whose innovations contributed so much to the history of animation. You could spend hours here, but we suggest cutting yourself off after 90 minutes or so you can enjoy the rest of the park. Make sure to book tickets ahead.

Just outside the museum is Presidio Tunnel Tops, a swath of green built above an underground section of Highway 101. The big draw here is the rotating array of food trucks that make this the perfect spot for lunch. After, walk down to nearby Crissy Field to enjoy downright epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Ultimately, you’ll be making your way to the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center—it’s a 20- to 30-minute walk, depending on which route you take and how many times you stop to snap pics of the bridge. Warm up with a cup of coffee in the Round House Café, which has 360-degree views of Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

If you’re up for a walk of close to two miles, head across the “bridge that couldn’t be built,” Along the way you’ll get an up-close view of some of the more than 1 million rivets that hold it together. Don’t worry, you can take a bus back to this side of the bay.

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE TOUR OPTIONS

Near the eastern edge of the park, head to the Yoda Fountain. It’s an adorable spot for photos, especially if you’re a fan of the endless stream of Star Wars films. This is the HQ for Lucasfilm.

You’re not far from a great gastropub called Sessions at the Presidio. Try to make it here in time for happy hour so you can choose among the more than 100 different craft beers on offer. If the weather cooperates, tables on the terrace are the way to go for dinner.

Your last stop is the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, an eye-popping complex built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. It’s designed to look like ancient Roman ruins, so you can have fun convincing friends back home that you’re actually in Greece. The towering columns and peaceful lake make this a great place to stroll around. Check out the nightly schedule, and book tickets for live music or a comedy show.

Fisherman’s Wharf: Featured in the first day of our itinerary, Fisherman’s Wharf is in the middle of the action and close to lots of attractions, restaurants, and transportation options. Winning a Travelers Choice Award from Tripadvisor reviewers, the Argonaut Hotel scores extra points for its boutique hotel vibe. It’s just a block from the bay and a five-minute walk to Fisherman’s Wharf’s Pier 45.

Union Square: Another neighborhood from Day One, Union Square puts you in the middle of the action. It’s close to North Beach, Chinatown, and other top destinations. The ultra-modern Hotel Emblem San Francisco, ranked a “Best of the Best” by Tripadvisor users, strives for a Beat Generation Vibe. There is even a weekly poetry slam.

Haight-Ashbury: Close to both Haight-Ashbury and Alamo Square, which we cover on Day Two, the Metro Hotel is in a quiet residential neighborhood. Some rooms are on the small side, but the warm, artsy vibe in the common areas and the relaxing communal garden more than make up for it.

Mission District: We take you through the Mission District on Day Four, and we guarantee you’ll love the art and architecture. One of the standouts here is the Inn San Francisco, which goes all out on Victorian-style furnishings. Tripadvisor users love the rooftop hot tub and the generous breakfast buffet.