San Fransisco, help me with a itinery?

[dingit]

We have 2.5 days there (3 nights)
So far we have booked a 10am Alcatraz trip for the first morning. We also plan to hire bikes and cycle over the bridge to Sausilito ( probably the following day) How do we fit in the other must sees?

Thanks in advance!

Take some trams. Sausalito and cycling was my favourite - just beautiful. I know we probably missed out but we just chilled out around the docks watching the seals and watching the salt dough factory. We didn't havelong there either but we did a quick trip to the big gardens and coit tower too. Have a great time.

A good way is doing the open top hop on hop off bus tour, they do several different loops, including around the city and one that goes over the GG Bridge and lets you off for photos on the other side. We didnt have much time but felt this was a good way of seeing a lot of things.

Spend the morning at the Exploratorium then walk along to the Ferry Building for an amazing lunch from one of the fantastic food stalls there.

Then catch a cable car up to the little cable car museum and walk back down to Chinatown for dinner.

If you have time, visit City Lights Bookstore and have a stroll around the North Beach area.

We ran out of time but if we'd had another day I'd have gone to Golden Gate park too.

Have fun, it's my favourite city in the world!

Joan, would you say that the exploratium is a must see? My dc are nearly 17 and 14. We would only manage half day there, if the weathers bad it will be a good idea. Will do golden gate park on bikes, and china town in evening.

My two are younger (were then nearly 8 and 5) and they absolutely loved it, but it is great fun for adults too, not just pitched at children. I went when I was a student and loved it so couldn't wait to take my kids there - and it has since moved to a really great building on one of the piers.

I would say that the Ferry Building is a must do for lunch as it has so many local San Francisco foodie places (amazing grilled cheese sandwiches from the Cowgirl Creamery) - and it's a short, pleasant walk from the Exploratorium.

You'd only need a couple of hours at the Exploratorium. We started at Pier 39 (tacky but fun to see the sealions!) and got a tram from there round to the Exploratorium.

Thanks for your help Joan

Sausalito is gorgeous, just spent a week there we loved it so much. If you are there at lunch time keep going for another few hundred meters past the ferry terminal where everyone seems to stop for lunch. Either go to Lighthouse for an amazing brunch (stuffed hash browns are amazing) and great diner experience, Bar Bocce to sit on the beach and watch seals and pelicans or go for a coffee at Cibo, which my DH swears has the best coffee in the world.

Cable cars in CF are also a must, especially if you stand up and hang on rather than taking a seat. We also loved the WW2 sub next to the Liberty Ship. Everyone else was going for the ship and we were the only people on the sub, really eerie, especially when the 1940's music started up!

Ooh, feeling excited, 2 weeks to go

We hired GoCars and our teens loved that. It was hilarious and we covered a good area. www.gocartours.com

You will have a wonderful time!