3 days in San Francisco

Day by day

1. Day 1: Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio and Crissy Field

   Golden Gate Bridge, Presidio and Crissy Field and Alcatraz Island, then Exploratorium in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Golden Gate Bridge

      Opened in 1937, the 2.7 km suspension bridge in its International Orange paint spans the Golden Gate strait.

   2. Late morning

      Presidio and Crissy Field

      Picnic on the Tunnel Tops lawns, where food trucks often gather on weekends in the warmer months.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Mission burrito

      Taquerias along Mission Street and 24th Street in the Mission District.

   4. Afternoon

      Alcatraz Island

      The former federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island held prisoners such as Al Capone between 1934 and 1963.

   5. Evening

      Exploratorium

      Book the Tactile Dome in advance; it is a separate ticket and slots are limited.

2. Day 2: Cable cars and the Cable Car Museum and Pier 39 and the sea lions

   Cable cars and the Cable Car Museum, Pier 39 and the sea lions and Lombard Street, then Twin Peaks in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Cable cars and the Cable Car Museum

      Skip the long queue at the Powell and Market turnaround by boarding a few stops up the line, or ride the quieter California Street line.

   2. Late morning

      Pier 39 and the sea lions

      Pier 39 is a busy pier of shops, restaurants and street performers, but the real draw is the sea lions that haul out on the floating docks beside it, a colony that settled here after the 1989 earthquake.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Sourdough bread

      Boudin at Fisherman's Wharf, plus artisan bakeries in the Mission and at the Ferry Building.

   4. Afternoon

      Lombard Street

      Visit early in the morning, when the gardens are in soft light and before the queue of cars builds.

   5. Evening

      Twin Peaks

      Go on a clear evening for sunset and the city lights; it gets cold and windy, so bring a jacket.

3. Day 3: Painted Ladies and Alamo Square and Golden Gate Park

   Painted Ladies and Alamo Square, Golden Gate Park and California Academy of Sciences, then Mission District in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Painted Ladies and Alamo Square

      The row of pastel Victorian houses on Steiner Street, framed against the downtown skyline from Alamo Square park, is one of the most photographed views in the city.

   2. Late morning

      Golden Gate Park

      Rent a bike near the eastern end and ride west along the car-free JFK Promenade to the Dutch Windmill and Ocean Beach.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Clam chowder in a bread bowl

      Stalls and restaurants along Fisherman's Wharf.

   4. Afternoon

      California Academy of Sciences

      Under a living roof planted with native wildflowers, the Academy combines an aquarium with a Philippine coral reef, a four-storey rainforest dome with free-flying butterflies, the Morrison Planetarium, African penguins and a natural history museum.

   5. Evening

      Mission District

      Cocktail bars, dive bars and live music along Valencia and Mission Streets.

Before you go

• Alcatraz Island: Tickets from the official ferry concessioner sell out days or weeks ahead in summer; book as early as you can.
• California Academy of Sciences: Buy timed tickets online in advance for weekends and holidays.

If it rains

• Swap in de Young Museum (Golden Gate Park): Even without a museum ticket, ride up the free observation tower for a 360-degree view over the park and the Pacific.
• Swap in SFMOMA (SoMa): The ground-floor galleries are free; Yerba Buena Gardens across Third Street is a good spot for a break.
• Swap in Musée Mécanique (Fisherman's Wharf): Get a handful of quarters from the change machines and try the hand-cranked moving-picture viewers.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Union Square keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, Fisherman's Wharf ($$$) suits families and first-timers. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 20–27 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.6 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in San Francisco
• 2 days in San Francisco
• 4 days in San Francisco
• 5 days in San Francisco
• 7 days in San Francisco

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