2 days in san francisco
 

We are planning a trip to the San Francisco area this summer. We will be flying into San Jose and then driving to Carmel/Monterey for 2 days, then San Francisco for 2 days, and then Napa Valley for 2 days. There seems to be so much to do in all these places. For San Francisco - plans may include Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square, A Baseball Game at SBC, Lombard St.,
Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach and the Ferry Bldg. Staying in Nob Hill so will see that area also.
We will hit Sausolito and Muir Woods on the way to Napa. Am allowing about 2-3 hours for each of the above since we only have two days there. Is there anything I should skip or anything I may be leaving out? Would appreciate input.

Ghirardelli is now just a shopping mall. Their chocolates are sold everywhere, in each store and pharmacy. If pressed for time, you can skip this.

Ferry building can be skipped unless you want to visit Saturday farmers' market.

Ummm... what are the ages and interests of "we"? :)

25th anniversary trip - we are in our mid-forties.

You may want to stop in Sonoma on the plaza if interested in history.

I'd suggest you consider Sonoma instead of Napa. It's not quite as crowded in Sonoma in the summer (avoid the weekend if you can, in any case). There are some quaint hotels on the square in Sonoma itself, or there's a good Best Western nearby, which is actually quite nice if you don't want the B&B atmosphere. You could drive back through the Russian River Valley on the way back to San Francisco. You've set out a very ambitious, exhausting agenda, but it's doable. Make some reservations at a couple of nice restaurants so you can have some down-time. I almost hesitate to say this, but I'd suggest you just walk through Fisherman's Wharf to get on the Alcatraz ferry and skip Pier 39 entirely; I find it the worst tourist trap in the entire state. Do take a look at the Pier 39 seals, but avoid the pier itself, which (to me) is a crowded, expensive rip-off. Instead, take the time to go up to Coit Tower and look at the Diego Rivera murals, then walk down one of the stair-step streets. That's more fun to me. Putting a baseball game into the mix is also really filling up your itinerary, particularly since you have only 2 nights.

>>>Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square<<<

Replace all the above with shopping/browsing/lunch on Union St, then north on Fillmore to Chestnut & browsing there also. The Wharf/Pier 39/Ghiradelli/Cannery area is tacky, tacky, tacky - especially the Wharf.

Alcatraz is a scenic & interesting trip, but with only 2 days it will consume a high % of your time.

>>> A Baseball Game at SBC<<<,

That will consume a lot of time also, unless you do this at night instead of going out to dinner, or seeing Beach Blanket Babylon or Teatro Zinzani. You can take daytime tours of SBC park.

>>> Lombard St.,
Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach and the Ferry Bldg.<<<

This is better. Take a Cable Car ride also - starting at the Wharf & ending at Union Sq - or vice versa. If you start at Union Sq, make sure you get on the Hyde St line. Sit on the east side of the car for best views. Visit the cable car museum also - lots of interesting stuff.

Walk along the Embarcadero, all the way from SBC park to almost Pier 39. The financial district at lunch time on work days is kinda fun in the Ferry building area.

Visit one of our non-touristy neighborhoods - Noe Valley perhaps. Take the J-Church Muni Metro (underground - same entrance from street level as BART)in the outbound direction. Sit on the left side of the car to get fantastic views of downtown as you pass Dolores Park. Get off at 24th st & walk to the right for about 5 blocks, then back. Lots of interesting stores, cafes, people, etc.

Stu Dudley
San Mateo (San Francisco), Ca

Hello Fodors editor! I loved the morning we spent walking down the steps from Coit Tower. Afterwards we had a very enjoyable lunch at the Fog City Diner. I also wouldn't miss the Hyde St. cable car line mentioned above, which you will probably be taking to get to Lombard St. anyway (and the Cable Car Museum is really worth a quick visit). We liked standing at the back of the car, especially on the steepest hills.

skip Ghiradelli Square. just a bunch of little shops. However, that area in general is nice to walk through. Time Out San Francisco gives some good "stairs" walks (high vantage points) and that is not far from one - and you will end up on the Most Famous Street in the World (so they say).

Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39 - eh, hit or miss. you'll see it if you go to Alcatraz though. I do think Alcatraz will take up a LOT of your day.

Reserve ahead a time for Alcatraz. If schedule permits do the alcatraz tour at night, very cool. Restaurants must try Bix or Postrio, have a drink in the Top of the Mark Hotel....

In my experience (I lived in SF for almost 3 years, almost 3 years ago), the Mission District was one of the most colorful and interesting neighborhoods in the city. As well as having tons of great shops (used bookstores, retro/antique homewares, holdouts like botanicas) there were some fantastic and very upscale restaurants there. I highly recommend having dinner, or at least a drink, in the outdoor courtyard of a nouveau-French place called Foreign Cinema; it's an enclosed space with an outdoor bar (and heat lamps for those damp SF nights), where they project old movies onto the exterior wall of a neighboring building. Settle in, order a bottle of wine and some steak frites, and you'll have a much more authentically SF experiece than you ever will on the Wharf or Ghiradelli Square.

My two cents, anyway!

That sounds positively delightful!

You can either skip the Warf or allow about 10 minutes to see it "just to see it". It is very commercial and IMO tacky. I have no problem with things being labeled "touristy" but this is just honky-tonk. If you have time and want to see a little of one or more of the neighborhoods, take at look at the free walking tours by CityGuides http://www.sfcityguides.org I can not recommend them enough! Have a great time!

one thing I am gonna do my next trip back is the Fire-engine tours.

http://www.fireenginetours.com/

I've lived in SF for 16 years now, orig. from the East Coast. With all my friends coming out of the woodwork for a visit to SF, I've become quite the tour guide. I agree with all the people who have previously written to you. SKIP pier 39/F.Wharf. Or, walk/drive by so you can say you saw it. It's purely a tourist trap and does not reflect SF. And, I agree, unless you are a die-hard baseball fan, skip the game, it will take up too much of your time. Alactraz is a wonderful tour! You can spend as much time as you want there, and I recommend packing a lunch (or getting take out before you go) and they have picnic tables with great views of the "city", and you can enjoy a memorable lunch. Just remember a jacket, esp. one to protect against wind. SF tends to be very windy, esp. near the water. Chinatown and Northbeach are a lot of fun! Definitely go to Cafe Trieste in Northbeach for your espresso/coffee. It's legendary, and simply the best coffee ever. If you go on a Saturday morning, the family does live opera singing in the little cafe! If you're into shopping, there is a cute street called "Chestnut street" that you might enjoy walking around. It's almost all locals, so you will get more of a feel for SF than just the tourist areas. Not much to see in Nob Hill, although it is historical. If you are walking, esp. to Union Square from Nob Hill, you can forget the gym, you will get a workout on our streets! :)

As the fodor's editor recommended, I also recommend Sonoma over Napa. I am from a wine family, and involved with lots of wine organizations, etc. Napa has some great wines, I'm not disputing that, esp. if you are into cabs. But, it's become quite touristy. Sonoma is like being in Europe, it's simply gorgeous! You will find some amazing wineries, check out their zins, (red, NOT white!) and syrahs. If you go to Sonoma, stop in downtown Healdsburg, on the square, and on the right corner (sorry I can't remember the name) there is a market, and you can get sandwiches, prepared meals, etc. also, an amazing assortment of cheeses, along with other delectible snacks (olives, pastries, breads, etc) Get some stuff and many of the Sonoma wineries have picnic areas you can use for free. Sample some wine, buy a bottle, and have a picnic. It will be one of the most memorable times of your visit. Most of the picnic areas also overlook vineyards, etc. Don't forget your camera!

I'd skip the baseball game, it will take up so much of your time. And from Northbeach, it's a 10 minute walk to fishermans wharf/pier 39, and you can continue to walk through Ghiradelli Square. If it's a nice day, it's a great walk. But you won't need a lot of time at any of those places.

Enjoy your visit! And, if you have questions while you're here, ask any San Franciscian, you will find we are all willing to help give advice on our favourite city!

grantop,
I know you think this was your typo, but I consider it the "Warf" too! To rhyme with barf as in disgusting and not worth the time...
Any houseguest of mine who wants to go down there gets $1.25 for the bus and a map.

Amen about the wharf. I hated it, and thought it was really tacky. The seals were kind of cute though. I would recommend catching a cable car up to Nob Hill early evening and having a drink at the Top of the Mark Hotel. It was a wonderful experience. I am not much of a sports buff, but I caught a Giants game last time in May, and it was my favorite sports experience of all time. I can see why people spend outrageous amounts of money to live there. It's a great city.