San Francisco Travel Tips

San Francisco in a Day

Transportation

Lyft is cost effective to take from the airport if the traffic isn't too bad

Cheapest option is taking the train into the city and then a Lyft ride

Getting around the city is best by car but can be done via public transportation

Sites in and Around San Fran

Union Square

• Shops and the Apple Store and the San Fran "Heart" for a photo opportunity plus it is near the start of the Streetcar line

Streetcars

• Go here for the Street Car
• Go to the best line (early if possible) and take the street car across San Fran's infamous hills down to Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf

• Fun to walk around Fisherman's Wharf and picking up some chocolate from Ghirardelli, lots of places to eat and people watch

Golden Gate Bridge / Baker Beach

• Walk / rent a bike and go out on the bridge - amazing views

Alcatraz Island

• Worth it if you can get tickets - they are sold out months in advance

Chinatown

• Close by everything else down by Fisherman's Wharf - take a walk through it - eat there if you can; everything is good

Beautiful Architecture and Views

• Lands End
• San Francisco Botanical Garden / Japanese Tea Garden
• Presidio of San Francisco
• Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
• Twin Peaks
• Coit Tower
• Lombard Street

Requires a Car

Take the Golden Gate Bridge and cross over into Marin Headlands where it is completely different than San Fran

For a great view of the Bridge park here and hike up:

Parking

After that get back into the car and keep heading up the hills to this parking spot:

Parking

Or anywhere else you wanted to stop along the way

The view from here is extraordinary

A stunning beach to explore - park here

Go here for a lighthouse - it closes early - not a must see but it is a good view

Go to the town of Sausilita for a meal if you have time - quaint shops / restaurants

Muir Woods is a Must See

• Link to the place
• Get there at or before it opens - parking fills up very fast!

Muir Overlook is Amazing!

• Park here

From there take the Shoreline Highway towards Stinson Beach for some stunning views

Marin Headlands Hiking

In no particular order....

1. Cataract Falls.
   1. The most scenic way to get here is to take the exit to Muir Woods, then follow the signs to Stinson Beach (Panoramic). You will drive up to Pantoll Ranger station, then hang a right (left will take you down to Stinson Beach). You climb up maybe 1.5 miles until you come to Y. Park straight ahead. It is called the Cataract trail, so you should be able to find it on the map. If you turn right, you can drive up to the top of Tam. If you turn left, you will end up on the most photographed road in the world (or so they say, many car adds are filmed here - a beautiful drive down to either Bolinas or over the hill to Fairfax, a fun hippy town). Anyway, park in the lot for Cataract and hike 3.5 miles down to the falls. Beautiful hike. Also can get crowded on weekends, so try to go before 10am. You can connect to many other trails around here, so make it a loop.
   2. I ended up figuring out a route for hike to the Cataract Falls. I needed to hit up Starbucks for some Wi-Fi to get some maps downloaded locally. I went counterclockwise from the Mt Tamalpais State Park. What an amazing hike! The trees were huge. Quite a few were blackened due to a fire.
2. Alamere Falls:
   1. Palomarin. Drive to Bolinas (can follow the above or take Hwy 1 past Stinson Beach. Locals remove the signage, so you'll want to use Google Maps. Drive into town and make a right on Mesa Road. Follow this out maybe 4 or 5 miles (road becomes dirt). Park where the road ends, and hike starting at the Palomarin trail-head. Lots of lakes and you'll want to check out Alamere Falls. Great panoramic views of Pt Reyes, the ocean, Farallones, etc. Probably will see whales too. Awesome and remote.
   2. This was one of the best trails I have ever been on. Total hike ended up to be 9 miles from car back to car. The views out on Point Reyes is amazing. The changes of vegetation, going by beautiful lakes plus the four level falls of Alamere made this a great hike.
3. Pt Reyes Station/Tomales Bay.
   1. Just a cool drive into farm country. Very picturesque. Stop by one of the oyster companies and have some BBQ oysters and a beer.
4. Matt Davis trail on Mt. Tam.
   1. Follow the directions in #2, but don't drive as far as Pantoll. You'll park across the street from Mt Home Inn. Hike up past the fire station, then take Hoo Koo E Koo trail WEST, as this will connect you with Matt Davis. Hike past lots of waterfalls and awesome flora. The hike will take you up to an old warming hut called West Point Inn, maybe 5 miles or so from the car, 1,200' vertical. Always stay right on the trail when it forks on the way up.

What I have done:

Drove to cataract falls trailhead via Muir woods. Headed down Panoramic highway for a bit.

Went to the Matt trail - very familiar a lot like MN in terrain and vegetation

Drove off for Muir Woods monument. It was already packed at 10am. Had to park .6 of a mile away

One of my favorite parks ever. The trees were majestic. The oxygen was rich. Amazing.

Drove to the Palomarin Trailhead to Alamere Falls Trail. This was one of the best trails I have ever been on. Total hike ended up to be 9 miles from car back to car. The views out on Point Reyes is amazing. The changes of vegetation, going by beautiful lakes plus the four level falls of Alamere made this a great hike.

From there I headed along the shore back to Muir Woods. That road traveled CA-1 N is amazing.

At Muir Woods National Park I took a few more large tree photos then headed up to the Muir Beach Lookout for sunset shots.

I ended up figuring out a route for hike to the Cataract Falls. I needed to hit up Starbucks for some Wi-Fi to get some maps downloaded locally. I went counterclockwise from the Mt Tamalpais State Park. What an amazing hike! The trees were huge. Quite a few were blackened due to a fire.

I drove back down the mountain for the last time. What amazing curvy roads. I followed these guys heading down the mountain on their bikes.