San Francisco packs world-famous sights, distinctive neighborhoods, and dramatic scenery into a compact, hilly seven square miles. It's walkable in stretches, well served by cable cars and transit, and endlessly photogenic. Three days covers the highlights; four or five lets you add neighborhoods and a day trip.
When to come
Counterintuitively, September and October are the warmest, clearest months — San Francisco's summer (June-August) is famously cool and foggy, especially near the coast (the fog even has a nickname, Karl). Spring is pleasant and green; late fall and winter are mild but wetter. Whenever you come, the golden rule is layers: a foggy 58°F morning by the bridge can become a sunny 70°F afternoon in the Mission, and back again. Always pack a jacket.
Where to stay
For a first visit, base yourself centrally. Union Square (the Clift) puts you by shopping, theaters, and transit; Nob Hill (the Fairmont, the Ritz-Carlton) offers grand hotels on the cable car lines; SoMa (the Palace, Hotel Zetta) is near SFMOMA and downtown. For the waterfront and families, Fisherman's Wharf (Hotel Zephyr) is convenient; for neighborhood charm, North Beach (Hotel Bohème) is hard to beat. Avoid basing yourself far from the center, and note that some downtown blocks (parts of the Tenderloin) are rougher — check your exact location.
The essentials
Visit Alcatraz — book well ahead, as it sells out. Ride a cable car (the Powell-Hyde line for the best hills and views). See the Golden Gate Bridge and get out on the bay with a cruise. Spend time at Fisherman's Wharf and the Pier 39 sea lions. Pick a museum or two (the California Academy of Sciences and de Young in Golden Gate Park; SFMOMA or the Exploratorium downtown). And explore at least one neighborhood beyond the tourist core.
What first-timers miss
The neighborhoods — the Mission's murals and burritos, the Haight's counterculture history, North Beach's cafés, the views from the hilltop parks. The food, which is among the best in the country. And the simple advice to slow down: the hills, the fog, and the distances mean cramming too much in backfires.
A sample three days
Day one: a cable car ride, Fisherman's Wharf and the sea lions, and Alcatraz (booked ahead) or a bay cruise. Day two: the Golden Gate Bridge and the Presidio, then Golden Gate Park (the de Young or California Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Tea Garden). Day three: a neighborhood day — the Mission, Chinatown (a walking tour), North Beach, the Painted Ladies — with great food throughout. Add a fourth day for Muir Woods and Sausalito, or wine country.
