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36 hours in San Francisco!

Spending simply 2 days in San Francisco is sort of merciless!

however should you’re on a stopover and also you solely have a weekend to see as a lot as you’ll possibly of this good metropolis, this publish affords you my picks for the appropriate issues to do in San Francisco to get primarily the most out of your quick go to.

in spite of all the pieces, when you’ll possibly want longer there are a full bunch extra issues to do collectively with these 5 good hikes inside the Bay space as properly as to unbelievable close by locations for straightforward road journeys from San Francisco.

Or why not work through your USA Bucket guidelines with a hundred places to see and issues to do?

Painted Ladies of San Francisco
The Painted ladies of San Francisco, California sit glowing amid the backdrop of a sundown and skyscrapers.

however you’ll discover so many issues to in San Francisco that you merely would possibly run your self ragged in a weekend, collectively with stuff you’ll by no means have thought of like these actually unusual issues to do in San Francisco!

should you’re like me, you hate to hurry from pillar to publish seeing as a lot as potential and pulverising your toes into stumps. So simply don’t.

No should rush off and research out to tick all these solutions all off. typically simply sitting with a clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at Fisherman’s Wharf and people awaiting simply a few hours is the appropriate factor to do!

San Francisco chowder bowl
Seafood chowder lunch!

on this publish i’ve written my weekend itinerary for people who actually do want to see all of the highlights. when you’ll possibly want extra time you may even have an curiosity some good weekend journeys from San Francisco.

I even have been to San Fran a quantity of occasions. It’s a stunning metropolis with so many loopy cool instagram spots in San Francisco to go to.

This time although my husband and that i launched our mates for simply one night/two days on our method to Chicago. they’d by no means been right here earlier than, so it was all with reference to the San Francisco heroes for us!

Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco
Chillaxin By the Golden Gate Bridge

We landed after a 12-hour flight from New Zealand at about noon and sadly SFO Airport is about as annoying to cross through as LAX as of late with not sufficient customs officers manning the prolonged row of very empty cubicles. #Hashtag irritating!

About an hour later and we plucked our luggage from the carousel and headed into the sunshine. As there have been 4 of us we decided to separate a cab, primarily for ease of departure direct to our door (it was about $50), however there may even be an excellent practice connection to metropolis.

search for the BART indicators and should you’re staying in or round Union sq., it’s pretty straightforward. Or Uber. subsequent time I’d Uber.

36 hours in San Fran pin
Pin this!

right here’s my 36-hour itinerary in San Francisco:

Day 1 in San Francisco

2pm We checked into the Handlery resort proper on Union sq. (rooms are pretty low-cost per night for this fab location) and proprietor Jon Handlery, always carrying a three-piece swimsuit, bought here out to greet us personally.

He’s a bit fan of Kiwi and Aussie travellers and probabilities are extreme you’ll possibly anticipate a handshake each time he’s in. that is pretty presumably the appropriate worth resort for the placement and that i’ve stayed right here no decrease than three occasions now.

Our room was good and roomy with simply a little lounge space and bed room in an L type. No view, however hey, we’re actually on Union sq., there was no time to spend in our room anyway!

3pm With our trainers on we decided some modern air was so as so headed out for a stroll through Chinatown all of the best method to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Walking in San Francisco

It was longer than we thought, however an superior method to blow the cobwebs away after our prolonged flight as we wandered previous the actually good retailers of real chinese language meals and furnishings – and sure, simply a few tat shops. The streets roll up and down over the hills made well-known by Steve McQueen and his car scene. good picture ops alongside the best method!

5pm After wandering through the hubbub of shops and eateries at Pier 39 on Fisherman’s Wharf and taking pictures of the seals that stay inside the marina, we decided to get hold of someplace to watch the photo voltaic set for an early dinner (afterall it was tomorrow in NZ!)

We settled on Swiss Louis a seafood and Italian restaurant (undecided the place the “Swiss” comes from) with house windows going through the Golden Gate Bridge throughout the marina and watched the photo voltaic slip away over crab truffles, oysters and pasta dishes.

San Francisco  street car
Take the road car proper down to Fisherman’s Wharf

8pm  We speculated to journey the road car again to Union sq. however we’d simply missed one and because it was darkish and the subsequent one was taking ages, we cabbed it (underneath $10).

bought again in time to hit Handlery’s bar inside the entrance of their adjoining restaurant, The every day Grill. Why? as a end result of the Chicago Cubs have been as a lot as sport 6 on this planet sequence! (See my publish on eleven issues To Do On an prolonged Weekend in Chicago right here>>)

10pm  Snoozing – really i might want departed the Cubs when it went previous the ninth inning.

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try the appropriate cost for the Handlery resort on reserving.com>>)

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Day 2 in San Francisco

eight.30am  The Ferry constructing market on the Embarcadero (about 2km alongside the wharf from Pier 39 in the direction of the Bay Bridge) is an excellent breakfast or lunch spot, so on the trolly we went from Market road (throughout the block from our resort), getting off proper outdoors.

They serve an exact appropriate flat white espresso right here at Blue Bottle espresso! There are additionally a quantity of stalls promoting modern bread, cheeses, gelato, even an empanada store and cafes for sitting down, in any other case you’ll possibly head outdoors and sit alongside the waterfront.

10.30am  We had booked tickets on-line in a single day for an Alcatraz tour. (word: it is important to e-book on-line, particularly in summer time even weeks prematurely, as they refill quick!), so jumped on the bus as quickly as extra and headed alongside to Pier 33 to attend in line for our flip.

Alcatraz island
Arriving on the Rock

excursions of Alcatraz depart by boat from right here every half hour, however when you get there, you get an audio headset and in addition they’re self guided so that you’ll possibly take your time.

“The Rock” is crawling with vacationers, nonetheless it’s accomplished very properly with everyone going at their very personal tempo.

You’ll hear tales from former jail guards and prisoners of what it was like. You’ll see cells inside the situation they have been when the jail stopped working in 1963 (it ran for 28 years).

This was the jail for prisoners expelled from elsewhere for dangerous behaviour. You’ll hear tales of riots and escapes and there may even be nonetheless the thriller of whether or not three prisoners who escaped and have been by no means seen as quickly as extra are over a hundred years outdated and residing in South America!

Alcatraz double cells
side by side cells

well-known prisoners who have been incarcerated at Alcatraz embrace Al Capone, Robert “Birdman” Stroud, James “Whitey” Bulger and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.

allow about 2-three hours for the spherical journey collectively with crusing throughout and again and to take the tour. however preserve as prolonged as you want.

1pm we returned from Alcatraz and walked alongside to Pier 39 as quickly as extra, this time for lunch at Wipe Out Bar and Grill which is a cool surfy trend restaurant. The sourdough bread bowl is made throughout the road at Boudin and was stuffed with a scrumptious seafood chowder!

San Francisco city view
i actually like the airplane trails! the earlier guard house on the left, Bay Bridge and San Francisco

2pm we spent the afternoon on the Hop On Hop Off Bus. There are three firms and we chosen massive Bus excursions as a end result of they have been offering the day for $35 (as one other of $forty five) and in addition drove over the Golden Gate Bridge for a ten-minute picture cease. all of the circuit they drive takes about two hours however in spite of all the pieces you’ll possibly get on and off everytime you want and take all day – really buy the two-day cross and it’s your method round tomorrow too.

4.30pm We hopped off on the Union sq. cease and had simply a few hours to dash into Macy’s and amongst the various surrounding shops, plus put our toes up for a pair of minutes! With an further day i might completely have hit up the Westfield Mall two blocks away and all of the retailers in between!

6.30pm Tonight we felt like Mexican so I took our little social gathering to Colibri Mexican Bistro. It’s simply one block up Geary from the Handlery resort and is a buzzing, styly Mexican restaurant and bar. It’s busy so should you’re right here Friday or Saturday i might e-book. The guacamole is scrumptious and in addition they’ve some creative spins on hen dishes with chocolate, chilies and nuts blended proper into a sauce (Mole Poblano) plus a duck breast that was extremely acclaimed as properly as to the filet mignon that our desk appreciated.

9pm and it was the remaining Cubs sport again on the bar. And as historic previous has it … they acquired for the foremost time in 108 years. the subsequent morning we have been off to Chicago to get amongst it!

should you’re trying for inspiration on scrumptious low-cost eats in San Francisco, i actually like these solutions. Mmmm burrito!

With extra time in San Francisco i might…

•  hire bicycles to journey over the Golden Gate Bridge and have brunch/lunch and a retailer in Sausilito then take the bikes on the ferry and head again to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Golden Gate Bridge

•  Get off the Hop Off bus to take pictures of the well-known Painted ladies at Alamo sq. with the modern SF skyline behind.

•  Get off a Hop On and Off bus (get the two-day cross!) on the California Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park (the most important pure historic previous museum on this planet with an limitless aquarium too) and throughout the sq. the high quality arts de youthful Museum.

•  Wander although the hippy neighbourhood of Haight-Ashbury for traditional garments, books, information, tattoos and piercings!

•  store! Not solely on the Westfield Mall on Market road, however all alongside Market and Powell Streets, which run from Union sq..

  Go to a large baseball sport proper on the waterfront at AT&T Park

With simply a few days i might hire a car and drive an hour and a half to Sonoma County (see my publish 5 stuff you Didn’t discover out about Sonoma right here >>) or quarter-hour further on to Napa.

Haight Ashbury
Rasputin report retailer on Haight

when you’ll possibly want always needed to drive the Pacific Coast freeway, you’ll possibly like my publish on 5 days from LA to San Francisco (you’ll possibly do it in reverse!) >>

you’ll possibly additionally love these 6 Airbnb’s in San Francisco for quirky places, ones with a view, shut to the seaside or proper on the metropolis.

beach front Air BnB in San Francisco
A seaside entrance Air BnB in San Francisco


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