Fishermans Wharf or Union Square

[HolidayHunterTeam]

Hi everyone,
We have just booked flights to San Francisco. The plan is to stay 4 nights, drive down highway 1, stay at a couple of places on the way, have 2 nights in Los Angeles and then end up in San Diego for the final 5 nights. Can't wait!

Has anyone who has been to San Francisco recommend where the best area to stay is with an 11 month old. We want the luxury of being able to stroll around for food, trips etc. without relying on public transport. My initial thoughts were FW, but a few posts I have read say it is very touristy and in fact Union Square may be a better option. Will staying at Union Square still make is easy to visit the other areas. We are hoping to do Alcatraz and a cycle across the bridge and maybe a ferry trip.

Thanks!

Also, any hotel recommendations would be greatly appreciated too!

We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Fishermans Wharf & it was brilliantly situated, we hardly used the car whilst we were there. No need & the parking was underground I think.

Fishermans wharf - a bit of a touristy area but I think its nicer than Union square, I have stayed in both. It is also far more convenient for where you want to go.

FW over US. Or for a less touristy but equally nice and well connected by public transport experience, try Cow Hollow or the Marina.

I'd say the Union Square area - but go read a real guidebook and check your map. There are some bits near it where you should not be strolling.

once you find out how hilly SF is you'll want to use public transport!

Thank you very much for the replies.

I will look at the Holiday Inn, thank you. Has anyone else got any other accommodation recommendations?

If you want to go to Alcatraz I would book tickets for this asap as it is a very popular tourist attraction.

The immediate area around Union Square caters for tourists well (there is an enclosed shopping mall in the vicinity and Macys overlooks the Square) and is all on level ground. Most of SF between Fishermans Wharf and Union Square is very hilly indeed and I would not suggest using the cable cars at all.

I would buy yourselves a decent city map of SF and look on Tripadvisor for current hotel reviews. Self parking in SF can cost a fortune and you would be better off in SF anyway using public transport; their MUNI and BART services are very good.

You're covering quite a distance over the 11 nights that you are quoting; what you are proposing re starting in SF and finishing in San Diego is further than driving from London to Edinburgh. Do bear driving distances in mind, I see too you are travelling with your 11 month old. You do not want to spend all of your precious holidays driving from yet one town/city to another after just a day or two.

When we visited SF we stayed at the Washington Square Inn, which is is half way between Fisherman's Wharf and downtown/Union Square. It was a nice enough area to stroll out in the evenings. In the morning, we watched all the local elderly Chinese people from nearby Chinatown doing tai chi in the park in front of the hotel. It was a great base for sightseeing on front. Unusually SF is quite good on foot, as it actually has pavements - unlike many US cities.

Yes, things get ropey only a few streets from Union Square (Tenderloin? I can't remember exactly - we had to return our hire car there & it was very sketchy, followed by drunks/junkies etc.)

If you have time, the Japanese tea garden in Golden Gate Park is lovely.

The Fairmont in Ghirardelli square just down from fishermen's wharf is one of the nicest places I have ever stayed. We did 4 days in SF from there. If you go to Alchatraz, wrap up well. It can be very cold

Atilla, we are staying for longer than 11 nights, we are doing stop offs on the way down route 1 of about 4 nights in between. So we are thinking Monterey and Santa Barbara and maybe another place in between (still very much in the planning stages here).

Why do you not suggest using the cable cars?

Thank you for your advice!

The cable car stops can have lengthy lines and demand for these far outstrips supply.

Re San Diego I would stay somewhere like the Embassy Suites as these are family friendly (and breakfast is included as part of the room rates)

Thank you DustBunny, yes we are not sure which areas are ropey or not! Will check out Washington area, thank you.

Your holiday sounds fab op.

We did pch1 the other way from LA to SF. Great memories! In SF we stayed at Campton Place just off Union Square which was a great location. Personally I was happy staying away from the v touristy FW area. Would say that you'll struggle to avoid public transport wherever you are though, it is a big city. We used cable cars etc and thought they were brilliant, not sure why someone advised against. Definitely book Alcrataz in advance and maybe consider doing an organised city tour on your first day there to get your bearings.

A couple of other suggestions for the drive down are Carmel which is a lovely little town say for a lunch stop (definitely take 17-mile drive) and Hearst Castle.

We stayed in Sutter St near Union Square and really loved it, we had an apartment with a Murphy bed.
However we didn't have a small baby with us ??
We loved Cow Hollow and The Marina, visited Greens restaurant and walked to Chrissy Fields. Lovely view of Golden Gate Bridge there.

Or if Union Square, Yerba Buena Gardens are lovely, and Ferry Plaza Market is fantastic.

We liked Sunset and Golden Gate Park too

Re cable cars, hard to take a buggy on board so take a trip for sure, but as a thing in itself
Buses, Muni, Bart all good except when the police come on looking for fare Dodgers, that was hairy!
You can book vouchers to travel around the city in advance
DW advises getting the SF City Guide app from trip advisor.

I will come to babysit if you like, I loved it, one of the best experiences of my life.

Would also recommend quieter end of FW, near ghiradelli square (free choc samples!) We had an apartment for 4 nights, amazing views but upstairs so maybe not so good for a buggy? Do the red bus tours, hop on hop off, we got a cheaper deal than advertised by talking. Used the bus to get around each day, all have tour guides pointing out landmarks etc. Fantastic round trip over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, did it twice! I got lots of tips from previous California highway 1 threads, have a search. It's a fantastic holiday!

Haha, iamEarthymama, good to hear you enjoyed it, we really can't wait!

Thank you everyone for the advice. Good suggestion to search for other threads!