A Guide to San Francisco

During our time in San Francisco we learned and discovered a lot about the city and the best ways to see the sights. I have put together some helpful tips for you guys and divided them into different categories. 

Airport

I didn't arrive at the airport,because San Francisco was our last stop on the road trip. SFO airport is very big with different terminals. I obviously left from the international one. It's quite big, but spreads evenly and doesn't seem big. There are shopping possibilities, but not very fancy. There was a great Sushi place and also a Joe and the Juice right by my gate. I took a taxi to the airport, Uber is always a possibility as well and also the train/underground. Of course there are also other airports around SF, like OAK or SJC. 

Taxis

I guess for most people the taxis are quite expensive, for a Swiss person like me it's not. The taxi to the airport was $55. Uber is always a possibility too, especially when you're in a group. I made some bad experiences with the drivers there and I'm more of a taxi person anyway. You don't really need taxis or Ubers in San Fran though, which leads me to the next point. 

Public transport

The bus and metro system in San Francisco is called Muni. It's great and you basically can get anywhere. There are also the cable cars and street cars. The F-Line runs up and down Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf. You can easily get to a lot of places using that line, by either walking afterwards or taking a bus, it's so easy. A single ride is $2.75 and it's valid for 90 minutes, also when you change lines. The cable cars run from the water into downtown. A single ride is $7 and it's totally worth it. Muni line 21 is great, it takes you via Alamo Square, all the way to Golden Gate Park. There is also BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). 

Tours

Tours in general are always a question in a new city. I actually like discovering a city first in a hop on hop off bus tour. I didn't do that in San Francisco, because we had our Contiki City tour, which was perfect. I probably would have done a Hop on Hop Off tour, it's the best way to see all the important sights and you get a great overview. There are lots of fab walking tours or food tours you can do in this city. For tours outside the city, I book with GrayLine and I was very happy with them . I did tours to Muir Woods, Monterey ad Carmel and I loved them. The have great guides and they are also the driver. I wouldn't book with extranomical, because they cancelled my tour one day before ad didn't offer me anything else. I had to call them several times, which was annoying and expensive. Of course you can also hire your own car and do day trips. One I would recommend as well, if you don't have that much time: Yosemite National Park, it's amazing!!! Bike tours are also very popular in San Fran, especially of Golden Gate bridge. 

Hotels

Hotels in San Francisco are very expensive! Also airbnbs. I wanted to stay in the centre, because you can can anywhere very easily, but it costs a lot. I guess you could book a hostel, but that's not my thing. I stayed at the Villa Florence, right by Union Square, it's a great location, but overpriced for what you get. The problem?! That's the case with most of the hotels in the centre. 

Food

San Francisco has so many great restaurants and food places, it's amazing. There is the Stinking Rose, where they have all kinds of garlic dishes, even ice cream. At Boudin you have to try Calm Chowder in a sour dough bread. Clam Chowder is a big thing in Sa Francisco. There are lots of great Sushi places as well. The Ferry Building Marketplace has all kinds of foods, you can try so many things. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier39 are full of great food places, from a French Crepes place, to Italian restaurants, everything! Apparently the crab is delicious as well, I didn't try it though. If you are into seafood though, you definitely should try it. Then there is Ghirardelli, the chocolate factory, where you can try chocolate and of course buy it. They have different entries and if you are clever you can try something in all of them. There are also other chocolate stores and brands, but I'm Swiss and nothing compares to our chocolate ;). 

Golde Gate Bridge

It's a must in San Francisco right?! There are so many ways for experiencing that bridge. We did a bike tour along the water and then over the bridge. You can stop along the water and take pictures, you can stop on the bridge or then afterwards on Vista Point, a fab location for taking pictures. The bike tour is easy and doesn't have to many steep hills. Another way is going on the water and actually sailing under the bridge. We did a sunset cruise and I'd definitely recommend that. On the last day I even saw the bride covered in fog, that's great as well. The view onto the bridge from Alcatraz is fab as well. There are also beaches in the south, where you get to see a different perspective of the bride. I would have loved going there, but I just didn't have enough time. 

Views

There are a lot of different ways of enjoying the city views. First up is Coit Tower. You get a 360° view of the city, Alcatraz and Golden gate bridge. Twin Peaks is another possibility. The two hills provide a fantastic view of the city and its surroundings. The view from the water is spectacular as well: going to Alcatraz, sunset cruise, ferry back from Sausalito etc. Vista Point is another one of those fab views. You have the bridge on side and the city on the other. You get a wonderful view from Alcatraz as well and up on Lombard Street or Alamo Square. A few hotels have rooftop bars downtown: magnificent views and a drink! ;) Unfortunately, I didn't make it to one. 

Shopping

San Francisco is fab for shopping. The big department stores are located around Union Square: Macy's, Saks 5th, Blooming Dales, Neiman Marcus. In Westfield Mall down the street there is also a Bloomingdales. The shopping center has great stores as well. The street leading down from Union Square to the mall is full of shops too. Then there are some on Market street close to the mall and also around Union Square. 

Other Sights

A definite must see are also: Alamo Square and the Painted Ladies, Lombard Street, Golden Gate Park (it's huge though), Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 and many more. This city has so much to offer.

Tickets

You have to book and get your Alcatraz tickets before hands, if possible months before. They are sold out quickly and you have to go at a certain time. Usually the cruise over, as well as the whole "island" and an audio tour are included. 
I haven't bought the CityPass for San Fran. It includes a three day MUNI and cable car pass, the California Academy of Sciences, a cruise adventure, the aquarium and you chose between the exploratorium or the museum of modern art. The pass is $89. If you are interested in these things buy the pass, otherwise don't. 

My San Francisco Top 10

San Francisco is my new favorite city, "I left my heart in San Fran", as you say ;). The city has so much to offer, I spent seven days there and it was not enough. Here are my Top Ten things to do in the city, in no particular order:
- Coit Tower: Omg, the view from up there is incredible. You can see downtown, the Bay bridge, Golden Gate bridge, Lombard Street, Alcatraz and the surrounding land. It's AMAZING!! It costs 7$ and it's totally worth it. 

- Twin Peaks: Speaking of views, absolutely incredible. A little hike is included to get to the top and up there what you see is fab! You see down to the city and all around it, you can also see Golden Gate bridge. When I was up there it was a bit foggy, so the bridge was barely visible, loved it! It's also close to the Castro district, which is always worth a visit. 

- Alamo Square/Painted Ladies: These Victorian houses look fab next to each other. On top of that you have a fab park to hang out at und a view of the city in the background. 

- Bike Ride over Golden Gate Bride/Vista Point: You see the bridge from different angles, stop at Palace of Fine Arts and then on the beach along the way. It's perfect for pictures. On the other side of the bride there is Vista Point, you get a fab look on the bridge and of course it's another great place for photos. 

- Alcaraz: You get to see the city from the water and then explore the prison. It's very interesting and the audio tour is great! You also get another view of Golden Gate bride and the city. 

- Shopping/Union Square: Macy's, Bloomingdale's, a shopping centre, all you need! And Union Square is very pretty too!!!

- Pier 39/Fisherman's Wharf: Sea Lions, water, lots of restaurants. It's just so much fun to hang out there. The place to go: Boudin, where you can have clam chowder in sour dough bread (it's a must!)

- Cable Car: A must in San Francisco! It's 7$, but the ticket is pretty and you can get from the water to the centre or the other way round. 

- Day Trips: Must sees are Muir Woods, Monterey, Carmel, the 17 Mile Drive and of course also Yosemite National Park. The area around SF has so much to offer. 

- Sunset Cruise: Omg, it's just so pretty!!! Being on the water, enjoying a few drinks and looking at the sunset with Golden Gate bride. 

Of course there are more highlights to see and do in the city, but I had to narrow it down to ten, right?! Other fab places: Lombard Street, Ghirardelli Square/Factory, Ferry Building Market Place and lots of fab restaurants. San Fran is great for Sushi. 

San Francisco, part the second!!!

After leaving my Contiki family, I still had a few days left in San Fran. Here is what I have been up to:

After breakfast/brunch with some contiki friends, I checked out of the hotel and headed to my new hotel (Villa Florence, right by the shopping area). It was around 1 pm by then already, I unpacked everything, favetimed a few people and then went shopping. I started at Sephora and made my way to Westfield Mall, it‘s huge!!!! Some shopping, coffee and a late lunch. Of course I spent a few hours in there. I headed to Whole Foods to get some dinner, checked out a few stores on the street and then had a chilled night at the hotel: food, beer, HGTV, NHL hockey, new nailpolish, editing and posting pics, writing blog posts and reading, just perfect. I also did some planning for the next few days.

In the morning I took it slow, because I was not feeling that well. I went en route to Coit Tower eventually, taking the F line and then I walked up to the tower, that was quite a walk. The view from the tower is totally worth it though! You can see everything and it was a beautiful day, loved it up there. I then walked to Lombard street, down and up. When I walked the sirens went off, I didn’t reall know what to think, but then a male voice said it’s just a test, so weird. I stayed at Lombard street for a while and took some pictures and videos. From there I walked down to the water, hung out at Ghirardelli Square, bought some presents and then took a taxi to Alamo square. I just sat on the grass and looked at the Painted Ladies (victorian style houses). I then heard that my tour for the next day got cancelled!!!! 😳😬 That really made my angry and dissppointed!
I walked back to the city, looked at city hall and then decided to go to the tour company, who I am with Thursday. I was able to switch the tours and go with them on both: Sausalito (Wed), Carmel/Monterey (Thur). Afterwards I went back to the hotel to relax for a while. In the late afternoon I went to Union Squre, looked at the shops there and also went into some others. I also bought a little suitcase to travel home with. Since I was feeling worse, I went back to the hotel and spent the evening there with food, tv and a good book.

Early morning start with a coffee of course. It took a while before we went en route to Muir Woods. I booked my tour with GrayLine, our driver was also our guide. We first drove through the city and he gave us a lot of extra information. We also passed the Mrs Doubtfire house and this time I was sitting on the right side and was able to take a pic. Then we went over the Golden Gate bride through the hills down to Muir Woods National Monument. There we had over an hour to explore, which was great, I absolutely loved walking through the woods, the sequoia trees are so fasciting!! On we went to Sausalito, a cute little town. I walked around a bit, enjoyed the way and then took the ferry back to San Fran. There I walked to Ferry Building Marketplace and had lunch, clam chowder for the secdond time, I also enjoyed a little beer with that. Then I got a coffee and took the bus to Golden Gate Park. I just walked around the park and explored a little bit. Apparently the shuttle only runs on weekends, which is a real shame. I would have loved getting a golf ball for my dad at the golf course there. The guy at the bike rental lace was not friendly at all, so I went back to the city, looked into some more shops and got dinner. I did a lot of walking, so I was exhausted and ready for bed.

Mrs Doubtfire house

Another early start on my last full day in SF, this time for a day trip to Monterey and Carmel. I have to say this was probably one of my fave things during these three weeks!!! Our guide was very nice, called us all „Miss Switzerland“, „Miss Canada“ etc. He talked a bit too much though for my taste. The drive down to Monterey was beautiful, the coastline is stunning. We stopped in Pescadero to take some pictures and then again in Davenport for a coffee/pastry stop. Afterwards we drove through Santa Cruz and headed towards Monterey. There we had two hours to explore. I walked around at first, then went into the Gold Pebbles Beach outlet stores, where I got some presents for my dad. Then I headed to a dolphin statue, I saw on the way in. There was actually a hotel and I had lunch at a restaurant called Schooners. The view was fab and lunch was perfect, a little salad and beer. I sat right by the water and actually saw seals swimming in the sea. After that explored some other shops, bought some souvenirs and got a Teavana iced tea at Starbucks. We continued our journey along the coast and believe it or not, but it got prettier and prettier. Time for the 17-Mile Drive!!! Several golf courses and great view points, I absolutely loved it! We saw some seals on a big rock, The Lone Cypress and stopped at Pebble Beach golf course!!!!! I looked at the 18th hole, took pictures and looked at the shops, yes they had more than one! I hope mum and dad like what I got them. Then we went en route to Carmel by the Sea. We only had an hour there. I wanted to go into some shops, but apparently they are not there anymore 🙁. So I walked to the beach and took some pictures there. On the way back I discovered some cute little houses, they have a lot of details, so adorable. Then I went into a tourist shop and got some more souvenirs. 10 minutes left and I finally found the Tommy Bahama store, acidentally I might add. Well, they didn‘t have the shirt for dad, but I got something else instead. Getting back into the city took a while, but oh well. I had dinner in my room and packed everything, ready to leave the next day. The drive was actually quite interesting, because it was not only sea, but also farmland (artichokes, starwberries, cherries etc) and mountains. We also passed AT & T Park on the drive back, that was great!

After checking out at the hotel I headed to twin peaks in the morning. The view up there is breathtaking!!! I took some time, walked around and explored. Back down I spent some time in the Castro district, before going downtown.
Back in the city I did some more shopping and had a late lunch at 415, located in the Westfield Mall.
Then it was time to say goodbye to SF, to Cali and America. I had the most amazing time and I‘m very grateful for all the memories I made, the once in a lifetime experiences and all the people I met on the way.

During the first two weeks here I was always surrounded by a lot of people, which was fun and I wouldn‘t want to miss this for the world. I was happy to have a few days to myself in San Fran afterwards though! However, you know what?! I really started missing them and wanted to share my travels with them!

Thanks to my #contikifam!!!!!!