San Francisco in April

By Robert Heaney
Published: July 18, 2024
Tip of the Golden Gate Bridge peaking out above a cloud of fog

At the peak of spring, the increasingly more pleasant weather of San Francisco in April complements a host of hotly-anticipated cultural events. If you’re looking to experience the best of the Bay Area in the absence of the summertime crowds while also cashing in on everything the season has to offer, this is the trip to beat.

Visiting San Francisco in April

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Average Temperature: 50 - 63°F • Average Rainfall: 6 days/mth • Average Sunshine: 10 hours/day

Now in the penultimate month of its early-year shoulder season, San Francisco maintains a steady flow of traffic throughout April, though still in relatively small numbers. As with much of spring, this is an ideal time to experience the charms of the Golden City without too many crowds, while also cashing in on some off-peak hotel prices when booking sufficiently in advance.

With spring now in full swing, it’s likely you’ll start to see San Francisco’s weather begin to chipper up. Temperatures throughout April tend to flirt somewhere between cool and pleasantly mild, bridging on some warm days if you’re really lucky. That being said, windchill by the Bay is still something to wrap up against, and you’ll want to pack an umbrella for the potential for at least one day of rain per week.

Things to do in April

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No trip to San Francisco would be complete without an obligatory tour of some of its most iconic sights. Taking pride of place are the crimson beams of the world’s most recognizable bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, followed swiftly by the attractive Painted Ladies lining Alamo Square Park.

Though you can certainly explore many of the city’s sights and attractions on foot, you can save yourself some energy with a Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour. Operating a central route via many of the Golden City’s most popular destinations, the tour allows visitors to board and alight at their leisure. To sweeten the pot, the tour also offers audio commentary in a selection of major languages, rich with valuable local insight into some of the city’s most interesting history and culture.

Particularly popular around this time of year is Japantown where, alongside its usual charming architecture, restaurants and stores, many can enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival. In a similar vein, San Francisco’s Chinatown stands as the largest and most popular in the country, where you can explore a host of traditional stores and restaurants and even stop in at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory to watch employees hand-fold one of the nation’s favorite after-dinner treats.

To make the most of the improving weather, why not take a particularly pleasant day to explore some of San Francisco’s fantastic green spaces? Golden Gate Park makes for a wonderful picnic spot if you can manage to find a free space, while Mission Dolores Park remains more of a serene experience and offers stellar views over the city skyline.

If you’re keen to feed your inner history buff, few experiences match up to a visit to Alcatraz Island. Take a trip into the center of the Bay to explore the hostile remoteness of this former high-security military prison and breathe in the chilling atmosphere of its now empty halls and cell, once home to some of the nation’s most notorious criminals.

Whether you’re visiting with kids or looking to embrace your inner child, the delightful exhibits of the Walt Disney Family Museum are bound to bring about a smile. Over 40,000 square feet of engaging and interactive exhibits explore the life and work of the world’s most famous cartoonist, documenting the evolution of his vision into the family-favorite media empire we know and love today.

What’s On in April

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San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM)

Now the longest-running and most hotly-anticipated film festival in the US, SFFILM champions the world’s finest films and filmmakers with a refreshingly intimate program of marquee premieres, international competitions, compelling documentaries, live music performances and star-studded red carpet events.

For a little over a week each April, visitors to SFFILM can catch a stellar lineup of screenings across many of the Bay Area’s finest venues. Promoting the works of both established names and promising newcomers, the festival offers a wide range of genres and perspectives, bringing light to stories from around the world and helping raise upcoming filmmakers to the limelight.

Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival

For the last two weekends in April, San Francisco’s Japantown erupts in celebration of the humble cherry blossoms lighting up much of Northern California. Mirroring the globally-renowned tradition of Hanami in Japan, the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival typically draws in around a quarter of a million visitors each year.

A rich schedule of cultural programs, live entertainment, art and crafts, traditional food and drink and a grand parade all come to a head in celebration of springtime. Having run each year since the late 1960s, the festival serves primarily to honor the rich heritage and diversity of the Japanese American community in sharing a cultural snapshot with visitors from both near and far.

Earth Day

Since its inception in 1970, Earth Day has grown exponentially as more and more each year into the globally recognized event we know today. San Francisco’s Earth Day brings together a host of environmentally-minded local and national artists, musicians, speakers and performers to frontline an electric, open-air celebration to promote climate-positive action.

Throughout the event, visitors can enjoy an all-star lineup of psychedelic, funk, rock, and global beats while exploring the various different zones of the festival. Family-friendly workshops range from recycled art classes to making solar rockets to yoga and meditation demos, while representatives from a variety of major environmental organizations head talks on making a positive global impact.

Art Market San Francisco

Art aficionados visiting San Francisco in April should take a trip to the Bay Area’s principal contemporary and modern art fair. Over the course of a weekend, Art Market San Francisco hosts over 70 established galleries alongside innovative newcomers from across the country, exhibiting a stellar collection of contemporary and modern artworks in a variety of different forms.

Robert Heaney
Go City Travel Expert

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Best Museums in San Francisco

From the de Young Museum’s striking copper facade to the enormous steel cube that forms part of the Contemporary Jewish Museum, many of San Francisco’s museums are as much a marvel from the outside as they are from the inside. There’s something for everyone here, with plenty of great art, science and historical treasures to keep even the most fatigued museum-goer entertained. Read on to discover our pick of the 10 best museums in San Francisco. De Young Museum Slap-bang in the middle of Golden Gate Park, the de Young Museum cuts a striking figure with its burnished copper skin and 144-foot observation tower. Inside, the extensive collection of American art dates back to the 17th Century, with highlights including Salvador Dalí’s mesmerizing portrait of San Francisco philanthropist Dorothy Spreckels Munn, George Caleb Bingham’s 1846 masterpiece Boatmen on the Missouri and several Ruth Asawa wire sculptures. An impressive collection of art, textiles and costumes from Africa, Oceania and the Americas completes the picture. Be sure to ascend the tower for 360-degree views of Golden Gate Park, downtown San Francisco and the Bay. Walt Disney Family Museum Enter the magical world of Walt Disney at this Presidio museum that's a stone’s throw from the Golden Gate Bridge. Here’s where you can view Walt’s earliest drawings and experience the evolution of Mickey Mouse via sketches, models and toys. There are over 40,000 square feet to explore, with exhibits including artwork that spans the Disney dynasty, from Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, Walt’s debut 1937 feature, up to the present day. There are over 200 screens showing cartoons, movies and archive footage, as well as listening stations that include narration by Walt himself. There’s even a 12-foot model of Disneyland! Exploratorium Hands-down the best interactive museum in town, the Exploratorium on Pier 15 is chock-full of amazing art and science exhibits that come to life as soon as you get involved. Say hello to Albert as you enter this trippy universe, where you can – deep breath – dance with your very own animated doppelganger, create sandstorms, step inside a tornado, get lost in the fog, explore an enormous model of San Francisco made from thousands of toothpicks and get a whole new sense of perspective in the Distorted Room. And that barely scratches the surface of what to expect here. Don’t miss the Sun Painting, a huge kaleidoscopic work of art made by reflection and refraction of the sun’s rays. Museum of the African Diaspora One of just a handful of US museums that exclusively showcase contemporary art by native Africans and their descendents, the MoAD is a celebration of Black culture and identity that seeks to entertain, challenge and educate visitors in equal measure. Set in San Francisco’s downtown Yerba Buena Arts District, its regularly rotating exhibitions have featured artists as diverse as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett and Alison Saar, while the emerging artists program also supports upcoming talent from the Bay Area. USS Pampanito Docked at Pier 45 in Fisherman’s Wharf, the USS Pampanito is a designated National Historic Landmark. This huge submarine was in service during World War II, making patrols of the Pacific and sinking several Japanese ships. Step aboard to learn more about the vessel’s storied history, explore the living quarters, see the torpedoes and check out onboard equipment that has been restored to working order, including the engines, periscope and... ice-cream machine. Legion of Honor Located in Lincoln Park, the Legion of Honor is easily one the best art museums in San Francisco, boasting a fine collection that spans over 5,000 years of ancient and European art. There’s a particularly impressive variety of pieces from France, including paintings by Impressionist masters like Degas, Renoir, Monet and Cézanne. Check out the collection of nearly 100 Rodin sculptures and get up close to some of his most famous pieces: The Thinker, The Kiss and The Gates of Hell, to name but a few. The Hall of Antiquities and mummy room are your one-stop shop for mummified Egyptians, ancient and definitely-not-cursed carved figurine, as well as all manner of well-preserved sculptures, ceramics and jewelry from millennia gone by. Musée Mécanique Relive your misspent youth (depending on your particular vintage) at the Musée Mécanique on Fisherman’s Wharf. This curious place is crammed full of coin-operated arcade games, automata and other such strange devices, with some dating as far back as the early 20th Century. Play classic pinball machines and video games, test your strength against a masked arm-wrestler, find out where you rank on the kiss-o-meter (from passionate to disappointingly clammy), see what is perhaps the only steam-powered motorbike on the planet, and be charmed by not-at-all-creepy Laffing Sal, a florid six-foot cackling automaton with a missing tooth. Asian Art Museum A well-preserved bronze Buddha statue that’s nearly 2,000 years old, Chinese Jades from the Neolithic period and Persian ceramics are just some of the highlights to be found in the vast Asian Art Museum. The 18,000-strong collection is largely Chinese in origin, usually representing around half of the 2,000-ish pieces on display at any given time. It’s one of the biggest and most important Asian art collections in the world and can be found inside a gorgeous Beaux Arts building in the San Francisco Civic Center. Not to be missed. California Academy of Sciences This sprawling museum in Golden Gate Park is an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest and one of the world’s largest natural history collections all rolled into one. Inside its epic 400,000-square-floor space are 46 million specimens and residents that include blacktip reef sharks, an elusive giant Pacific octopus, Madagascan chameleons, poison-dart frogs and a towering t-rex. Equally striking is the museum’s architecture: its roof topped with rolling green hills is home to nearly two million plants! San Francisco Museum of Modern Art SFMOMA is the daddy of all art museums in San Francisco, boasting thousands of important works from household names including Jackson Pollock, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois, Andy Warhol, Edward Hopper, Gerhard Richter and Paul Klee. There’s a largely open-air rooftop sculpture garden that’s accessed via a glass-and-steel bridge and, also outdoors, a vast living wall. This dense forest of foliage changes with the seasons so you’ll get a different sensory experience depending on which time of year you visit. Save on the best museums 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
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
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San Francisco 4th of July Weekend - 10+ Fun Things to Do in July

One of the best times to visit San Francisco is Independence Day - there's even more going on than usual! From bay cruises to bus tours and scavenger hunts, there are lots of fun and festive activities in the Bay Area. Since 4th of July falls on a Thursday this year, it's the perfect excuse to plan an extra long weekend in San Francisco. If you’re looking for San Francisco 4th of July Weekend ideas, check out some of these ideas! There are many local activities and fun things do in San Francisco in July, including... Fireworks from Fisherman's Wharf SoMA & the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival Golden Gate Park Events PIER 39 Activities Sightseeing Cruises and more... Save on Admission to Popular Attractions The Go San Francisco pass provides admission to a number of these attractions. Choose as you go from dozens of San Francisco attractions and activities and save up to 45% off combined admission vs paying at the gate. Please note, some of these special July and 4th of July weekend events may be separately ticketed and not included on the Go San Francisco pass. Remember to Save on Attraction Admission There you go - plenty of fun ideas for things to do in San Francisco in July to help you plan your 4th of July weekend itinerary. Remember, a San Francisco pass provides admission to many of these attractions. You can save up to 45% on combined admission vs paying at the gate. We really hope you consider adding a few of these popular options to your upcoming plans. Enjoy!  
Katie Sagal
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10+ Things to Do for Halloween in San Francisco

Thinking about spending this Halloween in San Francisco? Check out a few of these festive attractions to get you in the holiday spirit. From tours and parties to special family-friendly events, there’s something for everyone on this list. Keep in mind that some events may require reservations; research the attractions you are interested in. You may need to purchase tickets before you go. All of these attractions are great for families with kids, but exercise caution when it comes to spooky stuff and small children. The San Francisco Dungeon If you want to see something truly spooky and horrible this October, head to the San Francisco Dungeon, where the weird and wild of San Francisco's history come out to play in force. Wander through several lively exhibits with costumed actors, enjoy amazing recreated historic sites, and be more than a little scared by some of the horrific things going on in these recreations. Getting In: San Francisco Dungeon tickets are included with the Go San Francisco® pass. SuperNatural Halloween at California Academy of Sciences This festive family event sees the California Academy of Sciences transformed into a spooky scientific dreamland. From traditional activities like pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating to extra surprises like face painting and magic shows, this event has everything that makes Halloween special. Scientists will also be on hand to demonstrate the “spooky” scientific phenomenon and to encourage the educational element of the event. It’s bound to be a great time for the whole family! Getting In: Admission to SuperNatural Halloween is separately ticketed and is not included with the Go San Francisco pass. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the event website. General admission to the California Academy of Sciences is included with the Go San Francisco pass. The Great Pumpkin Fest at California's Great America This is one for the younger kids at California's Great America. See Planet Snoopy transformed into the gentle Planet Spooky, where kids 12 and under can trick-or-treat with the whole PEANUTs gang in costume. Various activities include a fun hay maze, creative pumpkin decorating, a play-in-able pumpkin patch, and the chance to watch talented pumpkin-carvers practice their craft. A daytime event, this is great for really little ones who aren't ready for after dark scares. Planet Snoopy is transformed into Planet Spooky where kids 12 & under can show off their costumes as they trick-or-treat along with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the PEANUTS friends. Getting In: Admission to The Great Pumpkin Fest is only $26 for Go San Francisco pass customers. Monster Bash & Haunted Hornet Halloween Hoopla Children’s Creativity Museum The 15th annual Halloween Hoopla at the Children’s Creativity Museum, this popular family event is ideal for kids 10 and under. Filled with interactive performances, festive displays, and seasonal crafts, the Hoopla is a great way to spend an educational and fun afternoon in the beautiful Yerba Buena Gardens. Everyone will enjoy dancing, funny clowns, palm readings, and even more festive activities. Kids can even design their own trick-or-treat bags! Getting In: Admission to the Halloween Hoopla is free. Ghost Tours Spooktacular Halloween Party Japantown Peace Plaza This free, kid-centric event takes place in one of San Francisco’s most charming public squares. Kids will be able to enjoy trick-or-treating, festive crafts, and seasonal games, in addition to Halloween décor and artistic displays. The carnival-like atmosphere continues with additional offerings like a bouncy house, temporary tattoos, and even seasonal face painting. Come in costume! Getting In: Admission to the Spooktacular Halloween Party is free. Clancy’s Pumpkin Patch 1620 7th Ave. Are you a local looking for a convenient place to pick a few pumpkins, or a visitor trying to celebrate the holiday in a new town? Either way, Clancy’s Pumpkin Patch should be your go-to stop for all things pumpkin related. Choose from a wide variety of pumpkins – including some rare varieties not found elsewhere. Go on a hayride through San Francisco, or explore a hay maze. You can even score some gourds, Indian corn, and apple cider. Getting In: Admission to Clancy's Pumpkin Patch is free. Let's Recap So there you have it. Our list of some festive and spooky things to do for Halloween in San Francisco this year. Remember, a number of these options are available on the Go San Francisco pass, where you can save up to 55% on combined admission vs paying at the gate. Please note, the Halloween events taking place at some of these attractions may be separately ticketed and not included with the Go San Francisco pass. Consider adding a few of these fun options to your mid-fall getaway itinerary.
Katie Sagal

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