Solo travel · San Francisco · United States
Solo travel in San Francisco
How to enjoy San Francisco at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: W. C. Billington, photographer, Public domain
Quick answer
San Francisco is compact and well connected for solo travellers, with hostels downtown and near Fisherman's Wharf, plenty of counter seating and walking tours of the hills and neighbourhoods. Many solo travellers base themselves in Union Square.
Key facts
- Base
- Union Square
- Getting around
- Cable car
- Emergency number
- 911 (police, fire, ambulance)
- Language
- English, Spanish and Chinese
Solo travel tips
- Stay near a BART or Muni Metro station so you can reach the airport and most districts without a car.
- San Francisco City Guides, a volunteer group, runs free walking tours of neighbourhoods and history.
- Eat at the Ferry Building counters and Mission taquerias, where solo diners are the norm.
- Avoid walking through the Tenderloin and around Civic Center and Sixth Street, especially after dark.
- Join a group bike tour over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito to meet other travellers.
Where to stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, shopping and solo travellers
Union Square
Union Square is the main hotel district, with department stores, theatres and the cable-car turnaround at Powell and Market Streets a block away. BART and Muni Metro stations on Market Street make it the most convenient base for transport, including trains to the airport. The blocks to the west border the Tenderloin, which is best avoided on foot, especially at night.
- Good
- Central and well connected, including BART to SFO; Wide range of hotels; Walk to Chinatown and the SoMa museums
- Watch out
- Borders the Tenderloin, which can feel rough; Busy and commercial
- Nearby
- Powell Street cable car turnaround, Chinatown, Yerba Buena Gardens, SFMOMA
Great on your own
Landmark · Presidio
Golden Gate Bridge
Bring a windproof layer even in summer, and keep a backup plan: fog can hide the towers for hours, especially from June to August.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Views
- Active
- Photo spot
Historic site · San Francisco Bay
Alcatraz Island
Take an early ferry for a quieter cellhouse, or book the night tour for a different atmosphere and city lights on the way back.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Views
- After dark
Experience · Nob Hill
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.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Kids
- Views
- History
Waterfront · Fisherman's Wharf
Pier 39 and the sea lions
See the sea lions early or late to avoid crowds, then walk west along the Wharf to the Musée Mécanique and the historic ships at Hyde Street Pier.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Kids
- Free
- Iconic
- Views
Street · Russian Hill
Lombard Street
Visit early in the morning, when the gardens are in soft light and before the queue of cars builds.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Photo spot
- Views
Architecture · Alamo Square
Painted Ladies and Alamo Square
Continue about 20 minutes west to Haight-Ashbury for vintage shops and 1960s counterculture history.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Meeting people
- Ferry Building and farmers market — Browse the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on a Saturday morning, then pick up oysters, cheese and bread inside the Ferry Building for a waterfront picnic.
- Mission burrito showdown — Locals argue endlessly over the best taqueria; compare two or three on Mission and 24th Streets, then eat on the grass in Dolores Park.
- Mission District — Cocktail bars, dive bars and live music along Valencia and Mission Streets.
- North Beach — Historic saloons and Beat-era bars such as Vesuvio Cafe beside City Lights Bookstore.
Sensible precautions
Car break-ins are very common, especially at viewpoints and tourist car parks, so leave nothing at all in a parked car. Some downtown areas, notably the Tenderloin and parts of SoMa and Market Street, have visible drug use and can feel unsettled. Ocean beaches have cold water and strong rip currents, so swimming is not advised.
- Emergency number
- 911 (police, fire, ambulance)
- Staying connected
- US SIM cards and eSIMs are easy to buy; free Wi-Fi is available in libraries, cafés and some public spaces.
Questions travellers ask
+Is San Francisco good for solo travellers?
San Francisco is compact and well connected for solo travellers, with hostels downtown and near Fisherman's Wharf, plenty of counter seating and walking tours of the hills and neighbourhoods.
+Where should solo travellers stay in San Francisco?
Union Square: Department stores, theatres and the Powell Street cable car turnaround.