San Francisco in July

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Published: July 18, 2024
Flowers in bloom on a sunny day in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

July sees San Francisco’s tourist season get into full swing, with schools on vacation planet-wide and the city’s fine weather and funky festivals drawing in the crowds from here, there and everywhere. It’s peak season and therefore the priciest time of year to visit, but a trip to San Francisco in July still has much to recommend it.

Visiting San Francisco in July

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Average Temperature: 54–66°F • Average Rainfall: 0 days/mth • Average Sunshine: 10 hours/day

Umbrellaphobes, rejoice! July is one of San Francisco’s driest months with an average of, um, zero days’ rainfall, meaning the chances of being poked in the eye by an unruly golf umbrella or – worse still – looking on helplessly as the cable car pulls away with your precious bumbershoot still on board, are close to non-existent.

What you can expect is mild weather with plenty of sunshine, tempered by occasional fresh sea winds and a healthy dose of the Bay area’s famous fogs. It’s why the locals often refer to this time of year as ‘no sky July’. But don’t let that put you off! Sure, San Francisco may not be the place to get that perfect California summer tan, but those all-enveloping mists have their own curious charm, and the city’s great parks and museums, abundance of July festivals and all-round party atmosphere more than make up for any minor weather-related downsides.

Top tip: the Golden City is deep into tourist season in July, so make sure to book your hotels and Airbnb accommodation well in advance to secure the best rates possible.

Things to do in July

Image of Bridge, Outdoors,

No trip to San Francisco at any time of year would be complete without setting foot on the world’s most photographed bridge. It’s worth doing this two ways in July. First: choose a clear day to take a walk the Golden Gate’s entire length, starting in the Presidio and finishing with lunch in downtown Sausalito. As you stroll across this rust-red icon (the bridge’s official color is actually ‘international orange’, fact fans) you’ll enjoy sweeping views of the Bay and the rolling waves of the vast Pacific, meaning ace selfie opportunities galore.

For a truly otherworldly experience, keep an eye on local forecasts and pay the bridge a second visit when it's shrouded in dense fog. You won’t be able to see much, but ghostly close-up snaps of the bridge’s soaring towers will make you the envy of all your friends. Pro-tip: you can also simulate this experience in the interactive Fog Bridge exhibit at the Exploratorium, a fantastic museum of arts and sciences on the Embarcadero.

Image of Nature, Outdoors, Pond, Water, Garden, Scenery, Prayer, Shrine, Temple, Pagoda,

The bridge’s big green namesake, Golden Gate Park, lies a few miles south, sprawling west from the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to the sands of Ocean Beach, itself a lovely spot for sunbathing (when not foggy) and surfing – professionals only though, please; the riptides here are notoriously dangerous. Back in the park, there are plenty of activities to keep you occupied for an entire July day. Visit the Japanese Tea Garden for a gentle stroll along paths that meander past koi ponds, bonsai groves and impressive bronze statues. Look out for the impressive five-tiered pagoda and pause for a refreshing jasmine tea and a moment of zen in the pavilion.

Golden Gate Park is also home to two of San Francisco’s finest museums. The vast California Academy of the Sciences is home to a huge natural history museum, an aquarium, a rainforest and a planetarium, while the de Young Museum showcases fine art from the US and beyond, all housed in a striking copper-clad building with a 144-foot observation tower boating 360-degree views of the park, as well as downtown San Francisco, the Bay and the Marin headlands.

What’s on in July?

Image of Cityscape, Urban, City, Fireworks, Nature, Night, Outdoors,

Fourth of July Fireworks

July is a great time to visit San Francisco if you’re into fireworks, great live music and... running. Sounds like a strange combination, but hear us out. First up, those fireworks. Fourth of July is cause for celebration across the States, and San Francisco is no exception. The city puts on two major displays in Fisherman’s Wharf, with the event at Pier 39 being the biggest and best. There’s live music along the waterfront until, at the appointed hour, the spectacular display commences, with hundreds of colorful fireworks set off from a series of barges in the Bay. This event is free, so don’t miss it!

Fillmore Jazz Festival

One of the biggest free jazz festivals on the west coast, the Fillmore Jazz Festival showcases local and international talent on two main outdoor stages. There’s great street food too, as well as smaller live music events in and around Fillmore’s legendary clubs and theaters. This part of town is synonymous with great jazz music – in its heyday it attracted acts of near-mythical status including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker – so you just know the acts performing at this festival are going to be outstanding. And, like the best jazz, the shows are completely free.

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Catch a Baseball Game

July is a great time to catch the San Francisco Giants in action at the Oracle Park stadium in SoMa, with the Major League Baseball season in full swing. Catch them against the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and, if you’re lucky, their arch rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. And, if bats and balls don’t float your boat, perhaps a bit of opera will: the stadium also hosts live simulcasts of performances from the famous War Memorial Opera House, throughout summer.

The San Francisco Marathon

You’ll need to apply well in advance if you want to take part in this one but, if you’re a runner, it’s a great way to see many of the city’s attractions at sunrise while getting some extra miles in. The race starts and ends at the Embarcadero, taking in many of the city’s big attractions, including Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, the Presidio and the mural-filled Mission district. It even crosses the Golden Gate Bridge (hence the early start to allow the bridge to reopen to regular pedestrians by 9AM). You can also take it down a notch by entering the half marathon or 5 and 10k events, while braver souls limber up for the challenging ultra-marathon: double the distance at a thigh-numbing 52.4 miles. Phew!

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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
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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Tip of the Golden Gate Bridge peaking out above a cloud of fog
Blog

San Francisco in April

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 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 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 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
The San Francisco cable car
Blog

Things to do in San Francisco in the Morning

San Francisco’s cool and often foggy mornings are manna for budding photographers in search of magnificently moody Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge shots. But there are plenty more things you can do in San Francisco in the morning, from munching breakfast burritos in The Mission to hitting top attractions like Pier 39 and the Exploratorium before the tourist hordes get there. Read on for our faves.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
A San Francisco cable car overlooking Alcatraz Island
Blog

Things to do in Downtown San Francisco

Set in the northeast corner of San Francisco overlooking the bay, Downtown takes in the Financial District as well as parts of Chinatown, North Beach and the Tenderloin. Its top-notch central location makes it a fine base for sightseeing, with world-class museums, a grand opera house and some of the city’s best shopping and dining, as well as easy transport links to other neighborhoods. Join us as we explore all the best things to do in Downtown San Francisco. Sightseeing in Style The rattle of the wheels, the distinctive clang of the bell, the squeal of the cables... if you can steel yourselves for long queues of increasingly tetchy tourists, the city’s iconic cable cars provide a great introduction to the city. Hop aboard these colorful wooden carriages at Powell and Market and enjoy the rollercoaster ride through this famously hilly city just as San Franciscans did way back when the cars first appeared in the 1870s. Brave souls can even ride the narrow platforms on the exterior of these rolling historic landmarks. Just remember to keep your phone in your pocket no matter how tempting that snap of Chinatown might be, and don’t lean outwards if you value your head! There are two lines running out of Downtown, with both terminating near Fisherman’s Wharf for fine views (and boats) out to Alcatraz Island. Of these, the Powell-Hyde line is the most popular because it passes crooked Lombard Street and affords spectacular views of Alcatraz as it crests the hills. This, naturally, makes it the most popular line for tourists, so plan accordingly if this is the route of your dreams, and travel at less busy times if you can. Embarcadero Highlights In a city with many instantly recognizable landmarks, the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero holds its own. Its soaring clock tower has been keeping time at the San Francisco Waterfront for over a century and its vast, arched interior is now home to a bustling marketplace full of artisan foodie stores, cute boutiques and tempting cafés and restaurants. Pair a classic SF sourdough with local cheeses and a classic California Cab Sauv, or grab unique souvenirs like honey and handcrafts from local producers. From here, it’s just a short harborside walk to the astonishing Exploratorium science museum, an interactive feast for kids young and old, and surely one of the most fun things to do in Downtown San Francisco. Ever fancied dancing with your own shadow or stepping inside a tornado? Then this is most definitely the place for you. Chinatown Downtown San Francisco is also where you’ll find the oldest Chinatown in North America. It’s where 19th-century San Franciscans had their Western minds blown by their first taste of shrimp dumplings and fluffy pork buns, so be sure to pay homage by doing the same – there are, of course, dozens of excellent dim sum restaurants to choose from. Jazz up your Insta feed with a selfie or six beneath the Dragon Gate and find further photo opportunities by the ornate red-and-green streetlights on Grant Avenue, as Chinese lanterns sway overhead in the breeze. Enjoy the peace and tranquility of a traditional temple, sample China’s national beverage in a traditional tearoom, unleash your inner Mariah in a karaoke bar, and discover your future at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. At the very least, you’ll find out how thousands of these tiny treats are made by hand every day and get a chance to taste different flavors and toppings. We see a green tea fortune cookie in your future, for sure. Get Your Culture Fix Make time to hang out in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). One of the largest modern and contemporary art museums on the planet, its collection of over 30,000 masterpieces includes paintings, sculptures, photography and more. View works by some of the greats, including Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Edward Hopper, Gerhard Richter and Frida Kahlo and head to the glass pavilion in the rooftop garden for ace views of SFMOMA’s sculpture collection and the San Francisco skyline. Expect grandiose performances in sumptuous surroundings behind the stately colonnaded facade of the War Memorial Opera House. This is the place to get your glad rags on, raise a monocle to your eye and see the world-class SF Ballet, Opera and Symphony in action. Or, for something with a few more chuckles than Madame Butterfly or La bohème, try the Punch Line comedy club over on Battery Street. Shopping and Nightlife Downtown San Francisco is a shoppers’ paradise, with Union Square at the heart of the action. Get your bearings on the plaza where a statue of – we kid you not – the Greek goddess Nike – is by far the most interesting feature, before foraying into the many streets that branch from it. It’s here that you’ll find a consumer cornucopia of upscale boutiques, souvenir shops and department stores galore running for several blocks in every direction. Give your bank manager a heart attack as you flit merrily from Saks Fifth Avenue to Apple and Louis Vuitton to, yup you guessed it, the flagship Nike store. As well as having a massive Target store, Metreon is a great place for family evenings out with entire floors dedicated to dining and movies. Grab your popcorn and brace yourself to experience the latest blockbuster on a towering IMAX screen – at 75 feet it’s one of the tallest in North America. As you’d expect from one of America’s most popular cities, San Francisco's nightlife scene is a joy, with much of it centered in and around Union Square. Craft beer fans can bar hop between perennial faves including the Golden Gate Tap Room and Bartlett Hall’s in-house brewery, while down on 11th Street at the edge of SoMa is where you’ll find some of the best clubs in town – from the bass-thudding fun of Audio SF to risqué drag performances at LGBTQ+ favorite Oasis. Save on things to do in Downtown 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

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