A few hours in San Francisco - what should I do?

[LaCerbiatta]

I'm going to the Bay Area for work and will have one day (until 4pm ish) to visit San Francisco. Any recommendations? Preferably all in the same area so I don't have to waste time moving around and with some nice shopping if possible. Just want a feel for the city really 🙂

Go to Alcatraz, of course - will take up a few hours of your day, but it's great. (You'd need to pre-book.)

Obviously ride the cable car too.

How long will Alcatraz take? And will I then be close to everything else?

I’d head for union square which has a mall and department stores, you haven’t said how you are getting into the city, but if you have the time I’d also get a cable car down to fisherman’s wharf.

I'm staying in Foster City so maybe Uber? any suggestions? Can't see a quick bus option....

I usually stay in the airport area and use the train, as it is generally a layover for me.

Alcatraz takes forever! Fisherman’s Wharf is very touristy and there can be queues to get back. Personally I don’t think you can go to SF without going on a cable car!

Lonely Planet has a host of ideas about neighbourhoods and you might have easy access to one of these. I would also see if there are walking tours you could join. It’s hilly but the cable cars help with that. Lonely Planet books usually have suggestions.

Yes, will be taking the train from the City to the airport, just need to work out how to get there from the hotel!

Is it Bart trains?

If you have from early morning I’d walk (I always do) or cycle along the waterfront, over the Golden Gate Bridge and then head to Sausalito for brunch before getting a ferry back.

I never tire of that.

I would wander round haight or north beach or the mission, soak up atmos and do some good shopping. The wharf I’d really touristy snd alcatraz is a boat ride away. I’d not bother.

I lived in the Bay Area for nearly a decade. Never did either Alcatraz or Fisherman's Wharf both of which are major tourist traps - the former also takes forever. I'd suggest a walking tour combined with some public transport. Cable cars are fine or just hop on a muni bus. Chinatown, the Castro and the Mission can all be good. Or Golden Gate Park and the De Young Museum.

Golden Gate Bridge
Cable car
And maybe the painted ladies as they are in a few films I’ve seen.

I spent quite a few holidays between 1999 and 2007 wandering around San Francisco.

If it's clothes shopping you're after, Union Square. For me, it could be any US city and it's not that interested.

I would go and see what bookshops, secondhand and new, are left in the Mission District and go to have something to eat and drink in a (very , unless it was possible to meet up with a friend in the time available - I've met a few people through DP who live in the city and some of them are in Noe Valley which is just (very steeply) uphill from the Mission, but that's my preference. I'd look around at the murals on the walls. It's historically a Latin American area but has experienced a lot of gentrification and people/businesses who used to be there being priced out.

I wouldn't bother with Fisherman's Wharf itself in such a limited amount of time but a cable car ride and a walk around the street which was fictionalised as Barbary Lane in Arimistead Maupin's Tales of the City books is fun, and the historic City Lights Bookstore, set up by people who were writers themselves. Poet and founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti died relatively recently at the age of 100.

Where are the seals? Is that fisherman’s wharf?

I found it a friendly place compared to other places I’d been.

Yes BART are the trains

Cycling over Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito is a great experience but I wasn’t sure it fitted with what you were asking for, it is something I only do if I have multiple full days.

Thanks all! Will look into all these suggestions 🙂

Now fingers crossed my covid recovery pass is accepted and I can actually fly out! An get into the US!

Alcatraz is fascinating. Just because a lot of tourists go somewhere doesn’t automatically mean it’s rubbish! Same for golden gate. But a day is quite tight and I’d say better to see the city itself. I’d get my walking shoes and take in Union Square, great food market and views at Embarcadero/Ferry building, painted ladies, Lombard St etc and hop the cable car in between.

Please don’t waste your time shopping

I wouldn’t do Alcatraz on that amount of time. Yes to Golden Gate and just walking about. Look out for the crazies

You could hop on one of the bus tours which take about an hour and a half and will show you the main sights including a trip over the GG bridge. Touristy but will give you a good idea of the layout.

Then have wander round China town, the Italian district, have a chilled lunch and take a cable car ride.
You get a great view of the city and bay from the top of Coit tower and the murals are intetesting. Not far from Italian district if IRC.
I had the best burrito in my life in the Mission district in a taqueria where nobody seemed to speak English.

Enjoy your day!

Thank you all!

Exactly what tourbillon said.

Have a wonderful time!

I can't believe no one has said it yet but, wear some flowers in your hair.

I've done the same thing before (and stayed in Foster City). An open top hop on/off bus is always my favourite thing to do when I have a limited amount of time in any city as they are usually all day tickets so I do one trip round and then walk between bits.
In SF I really like walking along the waterfront from the GG bridge past the swimming club and then the boats and sealions.

@NetballHoop

I can't believe no one has said it yet but, wear some flowers in your hair.

😄

Do you know the best way of going from FC to San Francisco? Is it tax