5 Days in San Francisco

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
'Painted Ladies' on Steiner Street opposite Alamo Square Park, San Francisco

Spend five days in San Francisco and you’re sure – like the great Tony Bennett – to leave your heart there. Of course you’ll want to tick off the big-hitters like Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. There’s time enough for all that, as well as getting under the skin of some of the city’s hipper neighborhoods and getting your fix of San Francisco culture. Heck, our suggested 5-day itinerary for San Francisco even fits in time for souvenir-hunting. Read on for our guide to the perfect San Francisco mini break.

Day 1: Hit the Museums

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There’s no point beating about the bush: San Francisco has some of the finest museums and art galleries in California. Nay, on the entire planet. Indeed, you could easily fill five days here if museum-hopping was all you did, from the mighty collection of American art at the Golden Gate Park’s de Young Museum to the astounding range of (playable) antique arcade games and pinball machines and (often creepy) automata at the Musée Mécanique in Fisherman’s Wharf.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and Exploratorium are two of the very best, as well as being conveniently close enough together that you can do the double in a single day, pausing at the halfway point to stuff your face with authentic dim sum in Chinatown or to lunch on local cheese and sourdough from the Ferry Building’s farmers’ market on the Embarcadero.

SFMOMA is the daddy of San Francisco art museums, boasting one of the largest collections of modern and contemporary art in the world. As well as crucial masterpieces from the likes of Matisse, Kahlo, Warhol, Richter and Klee, there’s a vast living wall that changes with the seasons, a rooftop sculpture garden and so much more. Over at the Exploratorium on Pier 15, you can interact with all manner of weird and wonderful art and science exhibits: simulate a sandstorm in the Aeolian Landscape, lose your bearings on the Fog Bridge and head for the Recollections installation to dance with an animated version of... you.

Day 2: Ups and Downs

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Thanks to its 11 (count ‘em) hills, San Francisco is quite literally a city of ups and downs, a place where dedicated walkers are rewarded with breathtaking views and buns of steel. Find your bearings by riding an iconic cable car out of Downtown. Both lines go to Fisherman’s Wharf, but the Powell-Hyde line provides the best views of Alcatraz as your painted wooden carriage rollercoasters up and down the hills. You’ll also rumble past the hairpin bends of Lombard Street, the famously crooked road with its bright, floral borders and eight hairpin bends.

If you really want to get the blood pumping, take the Filbert Street Steps challenge. There are around 500 steps from the very bottom to where the art deco Coit Tower soars above North Beach. It’s hard work, but worth it for awe-inspiring Bay views that take in Treasure Island and the San Francisco Bay Bridge. You’ll also meet talkative green-and-red Telegraph Hill parrots on the way up, as well as encountering quaint cottages, cute formal gardens and wildflowers galore. Check out the murals that decorate the interior of Coit Tower before whizzing to the top for far-reaching 360-degree views that include Twin Peaks, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Afterwards, go and say hey to the sea lions at Pier 39 before hopping on a cruise to Alcatraz Island for a tour of its infamous cellhouse.

Day 3: Snap some San Francisco Icons

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San Francisco is blessed with some truly photogenic attractions, so if you’re the type who lives to fill your Instagram with pretty pictures, you’re in luck! Start your photo tour at the Painted Ladies, a row of pastel-colored Victorian houses on Steiner Street by Alamo Square Park, the elevated position of which makes for some great pics, with the skyscrapers of the financial district visible in the background. There are plenty more colorful buildings to ogle as you wander down through the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to Golden Gate Park. Here, the pagodas and pavilion in the Japanese Tea Garden and the cute Dutch Windmill are your go-to attractions for the most memorable snaps and selfies.

It’s about three miles from here to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, much of that through the wildest sections of the Presidio. Or you can, y’know, take the bus. Either way, getting up onto that big, beautiful bridge should be considered an essential part of any San Francisco adventure. Your Instagram fans will thank you for the effort.

Day 4: Shop for Souvenirs

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San Francisco is a shoppers’ paradise, with everything from upscale department stores to quirky gift shops. Grab a Golden Gate Bridge fog globe from any souvenir store worth its salt, or hit up the museums for beautiful objets d’art like, um, an Andy Warhol skateboard from SFMOMA. The Cable Car Museum is your friend for cool MUNI logo tees and dinky souvenir carriages in every conceivable form: fridge magnet, mug, keychain, ornament, you name it.

Head to the City Lights bookstore in North Beach to pick up a copy of Kerouac’s On The Road or Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems. There’s no place more appropriate to do so: the store had close links to both writers back in the 1950s. Cookies from the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in neighboring Chinatown are an absolute must for seekers of quirky edible gifts, while the streets around nearby Union Square are where your credit card will take a proper walloping, with major brands including Saks, Macy’s, Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Apple all too eager to help out with your dream shopping experience.

Day 5: Hang out in the Mission

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The Mission is hands-down one of the Golden City’s hippest ‘hoods, a melting point of epic murals, fab coffee roasteries and world-class burritos that no 5-day San Francisco itinerary should be without. Start your visit by simply wandering the streets and marveling at the ubiquity of those colorful painted murals – some political, some in tribute and some, well, just for fun. You’ll find the highest concentrations in and around Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley.

Take a stroll down Valencia Street to pick up those last-minute gifts you forgot yesterday. It’s an eclectic mix here, from vintage fashions and second-hand vinyl records to – wait for it – a supply store for wannabe pirates, where eyepatches, whale feed and scurvy medicine are the order of the day. Grab a specialty coffee while you browse, then make straight for the ace local taquerias for lunch. It’s a ‘Mission Burrito’, you’re after, famous around these parts for their soft, yielding tortillas, farm-fresh ingredients and frankly gargantuan size. Take yours up to Dolores Park and find a spot to munch while watching the world go by and gazing dreamily at the hazy Downtown skyline below.

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Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

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Fireworks over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
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New Year's Eve in San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the USA's finest party towns, with neighborhoods that are characterized by their lively nightlife scenes. We’re talking the Castro’s uber-hip LGBTQ+ clubs, high-end dining in Nob Hill, laidback speakeasies in North Beach and chilled-out arty bars in The Mission. In other words: great for seeing in the New Year with a bang. But it’s not all Cable Car cocktails and morning-after Alka-Seltzers. There are loads of ways to spend New Year’s Eve in San Francisco, and we’ve put together a selection of the best, to be enjoyed with or without a drink in your hand. Read on for art and Alcatraz, ballet and burritos, skating and sightseeing, and much more... In the Daytime... Ride the Cable Car The squeal of the cables, the rattle of the wheels, the great clang of the bell: San Francisco’s colorful MUNI tram cars are a great way to while away a New Year’s Eve hour or two. These painted wooden icons promise a fun-filled rollercoaster ride through the famously hilly city, with photo ops galore along the way. Bag the best snaps by claiming a spot on the narrow external platforms either side of the car – you’ll get the most spectacular views of landmarks like Alcatraz and Lombard Street riding the Powell-Hyde line from Downtown to Fisherman’s Wharf. Spot a San Francisco Icon With so many world-famous landmarks around town, San Francisco souvenir makers must be coining it in. Indeed, you don’t have to look very hard to find a Golden Gate Bridge keychain, MUNI cable car model, Alcatraz ornament, or mug adorned with the colorful Painted Ladies. Heck, you can even get fog globes (like snow globes but with fog, in honor of the city’s famous pea-soupers). Sure, bag the souvenir, but nothing beats the real thing, so make sure to drop by one or two of these veritable SF icons on New year’s Eve. And don’t neglect to say hey to the sea lions at Pier 39 while you’re at it. Bag a Bargain If, once again, Father Christmas failed to find space in your stocking for the designer handbag or brand-new iPhone you so desperately wanted, now’s your chance to take the matter into your own hands. Post-Christmas sales run from 26 December right into the New Year, so this is prime time to pick up a bargain. Hit up the big department stores and malls – Saks, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nieman’s, Westfield – for some of the best. Take a Hike Sure, it’s a bit hilly, but just think of all the good it will do your calves and glutes! There are loads of great walks in San Francisco, from short sightseeing tours of the Castro’s celebrated LGBTQ+ landmarks, to longer walks that take in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood’s boho vibe and Instagram eye candy of the Painted Ladies. But if you really want to get the blood pumping, try the Filbert Street Steps challenge, a steep climb up 500-or-so steps that takes in sweeping views of Treasure Island and the San Francisco Bay Bridge and promises encounters with talkative Telegraph Hill parrots, quaint cottages and cute formal gardens on the way to Coit Tower at its summit. Get Your Culture Fix San Francisco is home to some of California’s finest museums and galleries so where better to while away a few hours while you wait for the New Year festivities to kick off? Experience one of the planet’s largest collections of modern and contemporary art at SFMOMA, starring Hopper, Kahlo, Klee, Matisse, O’Keeffe, Richter and Warhol, to name but a few, and unleash your inner Einstein at the super-cool Exploratorium on Pier 39, where you can summon up your own sandstorms, get lost in the fog and dance with... yourself. Kids young and old will thrill to the vast range of playable vintage arcades and pinball machines at the Musée Mécanique in Fisherman’s Wharf. Chill Out in The Mission Hands-down one of San Francisco’s hippest ‘hoods, The Mission is a great place to chill and take in the sights on New Year’s Eve. Check out the eye-popping painted murals on Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley, and window-shop the cool indie stores on Valencia Street, where vintage fashions, pre-loved vinyl records and, um, pirate supplies are the order of the day. For lunch, seek out a legendary ‘Mission Burrito’ in one of the district's many authentic taquerias. These edible monsters are famed for their super-soft tortillas, farm-fresh ingredients and medley of Mexican flavors. Heave yours up to Dolores Park and find a spot to tuck in accompanied by panoramic views of the hazy Downtown skyline. In the Evening... Take in a Show Kick off your celebrations in earnest with one of San Francisco’s fab New Year shows. Check out listings for some of the city’s top venues – The Fillmore, The Warfield, The Independent – to find the perfect performance to suit your mood. Or go full glad-rags-and-monocles mode behind the stately colonnaded facade of the War Memorial Opera House, where you can catch world-class performances from the vaunted San Francisco Ballet, Opera and Symphony ensembles. Have a Nice Dinner Book early if you want to secure a New Year’s Eve spot for dinner in any of the city’s top restaurants. We’re talking dinner with a view in upscale Nob Hill – check out the Fairmont’s Laurel Court or Top of the Mark at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins. Or hit up Zingari on Union Square for high-end Italian food and live jazz. Looking for something a little less formal? Chinatown is your friend. Generally considered one of the best enclaves for Chinese food in the US, here’s where you can dine like an emperor on fluffy BBQ pork dumplings, delicate shrimp and chive gyoza, crispy sesame balls and all manner of other umami Chinese treats. Find yourself a tiny, cramped restaurant for a fully authentic experience. Go on a New Year’s Eve Cruise A favorite way to spend New Year’s Eve in San Francisco is aboard a cruise on the Bay. It’s a fine (and unusual) way to ring in the New Year, complete with picture-perfect night-time views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and, of course, the city’s spectacular midnight firework display. Cruise options range from high-end dining experiences to booze-fueled party boats that are strictly for revelers aged 21 and over. Note that at least one of these options has the potential to leave you feeling a little, shall we say, seasick the morning after. Skate into the New Year The Embarcadero Holiday Ice Rink is the city’s largest and offers glittering views of San Francisco Bay, the Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge as you glide and swoop, graceful as a drunk swan, across the ice. The rink stays open until 11.30PM on New Year’s Eve, meaning you can skate until late before huddling with the crowds to enjoy the midnight pyrotechnics. The views of the firework display from here – as with just about anywhere along the eastern waterfront – are among the very best in town. Save on things to do in San Francisco Save on admission to San Francisco attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Selection of San Francisco souvenirs including cable car and Golden Gate Bridge ornaments
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Best San Francisco Souvenirs

What will you bring home from San Francisco, besides a California tan, flowers in your hair, several cable car selfies and a wistful longing to be back in the Golden City’s foggy embrace? Our guide to the best San Francisco souvenirs includes everything from fortune cookies to whale feed (no, that isn’t a typo) and ensures you’ll pick the perfect memento to remember your trip by. Read on for our top picks and where to find them... Tacky Treasures Even a city as cool as San Francisco isn’t immune to the commercial potential of tacky tourist trinkets. But there’s joy to be found in those inexpensive little reminders of vacations well spent: the Golden Gate Bridge fridge magnet, a cuddly toy emblazoned with the ‘I ♥ SF’ logo’, an Alcatraz keychain, a mug bearing the (oh-so-true) sentiment ‘I left my heart in San Francisco’. You’ll find all these and more in stores affiliated to official tourist attractions, plus countless other variations in random gift shops citywide. But there are two ubiquitous ‘tacky’ San Francisco souvenirs you really shouldn’t leave town without. Spend any time in the city and you’ll soon understand why it's one of the last places on the planet to retain working foghorns, their great plaintive parps guiding ships safely under the Golden Gate Bridge whenever those famously dense banks of San Francisco fog envelop the city. Which is frequently, especially during the Bay Area’s foggy summer season – or ‘Fogust’ as the locals have punningly nicknamed it. Step forward the San Francisco fog globe, a clever variation on the traditional snow globe that, when shaken, shrouds the attraction inside in a dense pea-souper. Magical. Also synonymous with San Francisco are the squealing cables, clanging bells and rattling wooden carriages of the MUNI cable car system. Riding these rolling National Historic Landmarks up and down the city’s rollercoaster streets is one of San Francisco’s must-do experiences. And what better memento of your journey than an adorable mini cable car of your very own, with authentic wooden frame and moving wheels? Find yours in the shop at the Cable Car Museum alongside a range of other official merchandise (the MUNI logo tees are pretty cool, too). Cultural Souvenirs If you’re looking for something a little more... highbrow, make like Jack Kerouac and head for the City Lights bookstore where Chinatown and North Beach meet. It’s here (and in nearby bar Vesuvio) that Kerouac used to hang out with fellow beatniks, making it something of a spiritual home of the Beat Generation. Drop by for a browse and pick up a souvenir copy of On The Road or Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems, the latter of which saw City Lights embroiled in an obscenity trial when it first published the collection in 1956. San Francisco’s museum shops are another great way to pick up unusual souvenirs and gifts. Always dreamed of owning a skateboard adorned with one of Andy Warhol’s soup-can paintings? Jeff Koons-style balloon dog bookends? Frida Kahlo in wooden doll form? Lichtenstein jigsaw puzzle? Then look no further than the arty emporium at SFMOMA in the heart of Downtown. NB: custom art prints are also available for something a little more traditional. Take a little piece of the Exploratorium home with you: the huge curiosity shop of this astonishing interactive arts and science museum is brimful of colorful apparel, cool science kits and all manner of mindbending puzzles, gadgets and optical illusions. Or add a little more levity to your souvenir gifts at the Pirate Supply Store on quirky Valencia Street south of Downtown. Pick up an eye-patch, (fake) parrot and cutlass for the Jack Sparrow in your life, as well as stocking up on those other seafaring essentials: scurvy medication and whale feed. Sport is also big business in San Francisco where even those with a passing interest are sure to have heard of baseball behemoths the San Francisco Giants and the 49ers, one of the most successful American football teams of all time. Pick up caps, shirts and all manner of other memorabilia at their official stadium shops and at outlets throughout the city. Foodie Favorites Sourdough bread has been a staple of San Francisco life since treasure seekers first brought it here in the California Gold Rush of 1849. Even the 49ers mascot, Sourdough Sam, is named in its honor. You’ll find freshly baked loaves in every San Francisco bakery worth its salt, but locals swear by the Boudin Bakery in Fisherman’s Wharf, perhaps because it too was established in that fateful year of 1849. Stay for a burger or pizza (sourdough bun and base, natch), or grab a crusty loaf to take away and try to resist tearing into it like a wild animal before you get home. Want more baked goods? Chinatown’s tiny Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory assembles thousands of the crunchy clairvoyant treats by hand every day. You can even have custom-made fortunes included to really creep out superstitious family members when they read their super-accurate predictions. There’s yet more gluttonous indulgence to be had in the shape of San Francisco’s damn fine coffee and moreish homemade chocolate. The city’s exploding specialty coffee scene has seen dozens of roasteries pop up over the last few years, including the likes of SoMa’s Sightglass with their signature Owl’s Howl espresso, and Sextant, the only independent Ethiopian trader currently roasting and brewing coffee in the US. Ritual Coffee’s roastery in the Mission district is one of the city’s pioneers and has been serving up the finest single-origin coffees from the Americas to grateful San Franciscans since 2005. Grab some beans from one (or all) of these fine establishments, for a San Francisco souvenir with a touch of class. Hopeless chocoholics should make for historic Ghirardelli Square, where the chocolate and ice-cream emporium, chocolate tasting experience, chocolate café and pop-up chocolate shop from the legendary Ghirardelli Chocolate Company are enough to put Willy Wonka in the shade. Connoisseurs of the sweet stuff can find something with a little more local flavor at Dandelion Chocolate in the Mission. Take a tour of the factory to see expert chocolatiers conjure confectionery out of cocoa beans before your very eyes, then grab a bar (or six) which, with apologies to expectant chocolate-loving friends and family back home, will almost certainly not survive the flight. Save on attractions in San Francisco Save on admission to San Francisco attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Relaxing Things to do in San Francisco
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Relaxing Things to do in San Francisco

Often, vacations can feel like a sprint to see and do everything in your limited time. In a new city or country, you want to immerse yourself in as much local culture as possible. But with only a handful of days there, fitting it all in can be stressful. But it needn't be. After all, vacations should also be about relaxing. So, if you want to take your foot off the gas, check out our picks of the best relaxing things to do in San Francisco and take it easy! Including: Hop-on, hop-off Bus Tour Aquarium of the Bay San Francisco Bay Cruise Exploratorium San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and more! Hop-on, hop-off Bus Tour If you're only in town for a few days, you may want to see all the sights in one afternoon. If you think that sounds stressful, think again. Because on this hop-on, hop-off bus tour of San Francisco's most recognizable landmarks, the pressure's off. The way these tours work is that a fleet of buses run every day, with each passing the same landmarks. That means that if you want to get out and explore any of them, you can! Just hop off, take a look around, and then hop on the next bus that shows up. Your ticket lasts the whole day, so you can really take your time. So, what landmarks will you be checking out? Well, there's the famous Golden Gate Bridge & Golden Gate Park, Chinatown, North Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, and plenty more! If you're looking for relaxing things to do in San Francisco, take your camera and hop on this landmark bonanza bus tour! Aquarium of the Bay What could be more serene and relaxing than wandering beneath the waves, wondering about all the exotic species that call it home? Not much, we thinks. So, if you're looking for chill things to do in San Francisco, why not visit the Aquarium of the Bay? Just go on a weekday, lest the crowds of tourists ruin the vibe. More than 20,000 marine animals live, laugh, and love within the Aquarium of the Bay's many tanks and underwater biomes. From otherworldly stingrays to cute, fuzzy otters, you'll struggle to find a more diverse crowd of water-dwelling wonders anywhere else. But perhaps the jewel in the Aquarium of the Bay's crown is its massive underwater walking tunnels. Take a stroll down them, and you'll be surrounded by wonderful flora and fauna. Each is over 300ft long, and they'll let you get up close and personal with myriad exotic species. San Francisco Bay Cruise If seeing the city by bus or underwater doesn't float your boat, why not see it all from atop the very waves themselves? On this cruise across the San Francisco Bay, you'll see the city's skyline from a different perspective - and a few surprises to boot! Get your snappers at the ready because the sea lions that call Pier 39 home are ripe for photography! Then, witness one of the modern wonders of the world as you sail up and under the Golden Gate Bridge. Next, a trip to Alcatraz Island will set you straight. The prison might be long-shut, but seeing the imposing island by boat is enough to send shivers down your spine. And finally, a jaunt past Angel Island will leave you wondering what life was like for immigrants back in the day. This hour-long cruise is a great way to see it all without having to lift a finger. Exploratorium Inquisitive minds apply within. If you're looking for a relaxing way to expand your mind while getting hands-on with some mind-blowing interactive exhibits, stroll cooly and calmly to the Exploratorium. The Exploratorium brings the weird and wonderful to life. Featuring a metric ton of what can only be described as 'scientific art', it aims to inspire and educate in equal measure. Wander its wonderful halls, and you'll discover parabolic mirrors, see microscopic cells blown up to massive proportions, and even touch a tornado, if you can believe that. Perfect, relaxing fun for kids and big kids alike; if you've got the little ones in tow, just let them loose and take a seat. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Art lovers will get a chill kick out of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Featuring modern masterpieces from modern maestros, it's one of the most lauded modern art museums in the country. And, after a recent expansion, it's also the biggest. So, set a few hours aside to see it all! Mainstay exhibits are now joined by the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, as well as a fresh variety of special exhibitions featuring topics like graphic art, contemporary sculpture, modern film, and more. Fans of Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and other contemporaries will love it. But, like most museums, you're best bet is to head there on a weekday morning to beat the crowds. That way, you'll ensure your visit is one of the best relaxing things to do in San Francisco! Mission District Food and Culture Tour And finally, after a relaxing journey through things to do in San Francisco, you may have built up a bit of an appetite. Thankfully, this Mission District food and culture tour will hit the spot. If you've never been to San Francisco's Mission District before, you're in for a treat. It's the city's Latin Quarter, featuring walls bedazzled with beautiful murals, plenty of laid-back bars, and a ton of Mexican restaurants and street food vendors selling all manner of delicious treats. So, why not take a tour, learn about the area's culture and history from a knowledgeable guide, and go try some of it for yourself? With four food stops on the tour, you'll have plenty of time to tuck into tacos, flatbreads, guac, salsa, and fajitas. And those were our picks of the best relaxing things to do in San Francisco. Of course, you may want to up the ante at some point during your visit. Thankfully, Go City gives you access to some of the most exhilarating experiences in San Fran! With our All-Inclusive Pass and Explorer Pass, you can see the city's best bits for one low price.
Dom Bewley

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