72 hours in San Fran - help please !
 

Hello

We are an English couple in our late twenties who will be in San Francisco from 17th - 20th October. We've read various helpful threads on Fodors and would now be grateful for feedback on our proposed itinerary. Is what we're proposing "do-able" without being too rushed ? In particular, we're finding it difficult to estimate walking distances, given what we've heard about the hills !

(FYI, due to our limited time / personal tastes, we've decided to miss out : a) shopping in Union Square b) museums and c) Chinatown / Japantown (we've recently visited Hong Kong and Japan :-) ).

Tuesday 17th October
7.30am - arrive SFO from Honolulu.
8.30am - shuttle bus to B&B on Bush Street (Union Square end) and leave luggage at B&B.
9.30am - breakfast at cafe nearby.
10.30am - walk to the Mission area and then round the shops and cafes in Castro.
1pm - Lunch in Castro
2pm - if it's not foggy (!), walk to Twin Peaks. Is this c 45 mins walk from Castro or longer? Alternatively, we might "get our view" from Nob Hill or Coit Tower !
7pm - dinner and then an early night (we miss a night's sleep on the plane from Honolulu to SF)

Wednesday 18th October
Breakfast
10am - Walk from B&B to the Haight area, wander round and visit the Amoeba Music store.
11.30am - 1.30 pm - Golden Gate Park - Japanese tea garden and Conservatory of flowers.
1.30pm - Lunch.
Walk or take the bus from the park to the Golden Gate Bridge.
3pm - 3.30pm - walk over Golden Gate Bridge and see view from the north (Battery Spencer) or El Camino del Mar.
7pm - dinner and a bar with friends.

Thursday 19th October
Breakfast
8.30am - 9am - cable car or walk from our B&B to Fisherman's Wharf.
9.30am - 12 noon Alcatraz (I know - book well in advance !)
Brief wander round Fisherman's Wharf area. Visit the Ferry Building Marketplace (farmers market).
12.30pm - lunch near FW.
1.30pm - walk to Nob Hill, Pacific Heights and Alamo Square area.
4pm - 7pm - not sure ...any recommendations ?! we may visit the modern art gallery.
8pm onwards - dinner

Friday 20th October
8.30am - Breakfast and then check out of B& B.
Shuttle bus to SFO airport. Check in for 12.45pm flight back to London.

Thanks in advance and sorry this is a bit long - but we like to get the most out of our hols by planning ahead !

Susie

Coit Tower is worth a visit for more than the view. The 1930's murals are very interesting and from the tower you can take the steps down along the Grace Marchand (sp?) gardens.

Re: Walking TO Twin Peaks from the Castro. Very, very ambitious and exhausting. Major uphill climb up 17th street, then the approach to the Peaks. I've done it, and would not subject my guests unless they begged for punishment.

Much better to take a cab from Castro and Market or Castro and 18th St. (plenty of taxis milling about there) to the top of Twin Peaks and then walk down FROM the top. You'll be passing through some beautiful neighborhoods and you won't be too tired to explore them!

...and also not too sure about a walk from Nob Hill to Pac Heights and Alamo Sq.
Taxis aren't that expensive in SF, IMHO.

It does sound like a great trip tho!

Hi there,

Notes on walking distances:

Day 1 - To walk from Union Square to the Mission will be a long walk. I recommend taking the bus or street car or BART. I'm not too familiar with the buses in that area (look at www.sfmuni.com for public transport maps), but you can take BART to 24th Street. Note that Mission Street is very colorful and you will find that Valencia street (just parallel to Mission and one block up) is more upscale. The difference is pretty interesting. You can walk from the Mission to the Castro, one way is to walk down 18th Street from Mission or Valencia and it will take you right to the heart of the Castro at Castro and 18th. You can walk to Twin Peaks from the Castro, but it will be many blocks up hill. I believe there is a bus that goes up to the top, but I'm not familiar with where to catch it. Again, check the bus map online.

Day 2 - Again, you may want to take a bus to the Haight. Many buses run along Market Street that will take you right there - the #71, #6, #7. You are probably more interested in the Upper Haight, so get off at the corner of Haight and Masonic. You will easily be able to walk down Haight Street into Golden Gate Park. I'd recommend going to the DeYoung Museum (right next to the Japanese Tea Garden). Take the elevator to the top of the tower to take in the fabulous view. You will probably have to take the bus to the Golden Gate Bridge from the Park. One bus that will drop you right at the base of the Bridge is the #28 Sunset which you can catch on Park Presidio (off of the Park).

Day 3 - Nob Hill, Alamo Square and Pacific Heights are not very near to each other in the order that you listed. Consult the bus map for bus connections.

Have a great time!

I have to agree with the other postings and say that you are very very ambitious if you plan on walking to all of these places. You are covering the entire city by foot! Not to mention, in order to get from one area to the next will often require you to walk through less than desirable neighborhoods. I'd definately recommend looking at the muni website and exploring your public transportation options. I believe you can buy 3 day passports that allow you to ride on all forms of transportation. Also, don't be afraid to cab it. It's a wonderful city and there is a lot to see for only have 3 days. Have fun! Also, while in Nob Hill, I'd recommend having a drink at the Top of the Mark. It's the restaurant above the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental hotel and has one of the best views of the city there is.

Buses are your friend! W/o taking public transport of some sort between many of your destinations, I dare say you will run out of time long before you run out of sites.

Public transport in SF is almost as good as in many UK cities - you can get just about anywhere.

Wednesday 18th - walk from Bush to Haight? Maybe better to walk down to Market street and bus 71 to Haight? This walk would be a loooooooooong one! Save your strength for the rest of the day.

Also, start each day with your most desirable activity. This way, if something is left out, not to worry.

I would definetely go to the Embarcadero and take the ferry to Sausalito. This is a very picturesque little town with many restaurants and art shops. Walk around next to the sea, have a lunch and take the ferry back. A very enjoyable 3 hours.

Have to agree you are not being very realistic about trying to walk everywhere, especially when there is public transportation to get you most places. Using transportation would make most of your plan doable. Without it we talking death march!!!

Hey everyone

Thanks for your very helpful and quite amusing replies !

We will definitely take a taxi or bus up Twin Peaks and take some of the other buses that you mention. I really enjoy exploring cities on foot but at the same time, don't want to wear holes in my shoes :) Also, I'm used to London which is pretty flat.

Thanks also for your suggestions about other things to see and do - we're really looking forward to it !


Susie

Would you walk from St Katherine's Dock to Kensington Gardens to visit the Palace? Or would you walk from the South Bank to Hampstead Heath? Then some of your planned walking days are OK.

On the other hand, would you take the tube or buses from Tower Hill to Gloucester Rd and then walk to the park from there - same concept here.

Go to www.sfmuni.com and click on their "plan your trip" link - I think it's called 511 or something like that. Type in your starting points and destinations, and you'll be able to print out detailed maps and directions for the bus routes you'll need. I used this site extensively before we visited San Francisco in May, and it was a huge help.

Lee Ann

SusieR,

I just visited SF and as someone who loves to walk, I found the city definitely one of the more enjoyable pedestrian cities (the rowhomes, gardens, parks & shops are just so pleasant). Like another, I do recommend however getting the 3-day public transit pass. This you can buy at the Powell St. Cable Car turnaround (Powell & Market), which should be an easy walk from your B&B. This way, you can take the streetcar to the general vicinity of where you need to start your walking tour!

Take the "N" streetcar to Duboce & Church (or Noe) for exploring Alamo Square and the Haight by foot! Take the "J" streetcar to Church & 18th St. (big upwardly sloping park here) for exploring Mission/Castro or alternatively get off at Castro on the L, M or K streetcars! These neighbourhood are so much fun for walking!

Enjoy! I know I sure did!

DAN

Be sure to ride the cable cars a few times. That really is the most "San Francisco"-ish thing and great fun.

Ditto on Cable Cars and Muni. I wouldn't take a cab, unless I really had to. To me, your itinery sounds tiring, but I'm in my 50's and not in my 20's, LOL. Wear good walking shoes. :-)

Good recommendations Daniel--a good compromise allowing for some exploration by foot without the "death march" aspects.

Hi again

Ok, so I went back to the drawing board (and map!) and have revised the itinerary. Does this look a bit better ?!

Thanks again
Susie

Tuesday 17th October
7.30am - arrive SFO from Honolulu. Buy 3 day MUNI Passport pass at SFO.
8.30am - shuttle bus to B&B on Bush Street (Union Square end) and leave luggage.
9.30am - breakfast at cafe nearby.
10.30am - street car J (Muni metro) to Church / 16th in Mission area. Walk down Mission Street and Valencia Street. Walk down 18th Street to Castro / 18th.
1pm - Lunch in Castro.
2pm - # 37 bus from Castro to Twin Peaks. [alternatively, we may head to Nob Hill and then back to our B&B]
7pm - dinner

Wednesday 18th October
10am - Walk to Market St and take bus 21 to Alamo Square. Walk down Divisadero (?) and take bus 6, 7 or 71 to Haight / Masonic. Visit the Amoeba Music store.
11.30am - 1.30 pm - Walk to Golden Gate Park - Japanese tea garden, Conservatory of Flowers and De Young Museum.
1.30pm - Lunch.
2.30pm - bus 28 from GG park to the Golden Gate Bridge.
3pm - 3.30pm - walk over Golden Gate Bridge and see view from the north (Battery Spencer) or El Camino del Mar.
Bus 20 to Sausalito.
5pm - 30 minute ferry back to the Embarcadero. Coit Tower, if we have time.
8pm - dinner and a bar with friends.

Thursday 19th October
8.30am - 9am - Powell / Market cable car to Fisherman's Wharf.
9.30am - 12 noon - Alcatraz.
Brief wander round Fisherman's Wharf area.
12.30pm - lunch near FW.
1.30pm - Powell / Hyde cable car to Nob Hill - have a drink at the Top of the Mark restaurant on the 19th floor of the Mark Hopkins hotel. [if we do Nob Hill on Tuesday, we'll go straight to Pacific Heights instead].
4pm - Walk (or bus ? it is a scenic walk ?) from Nob Hill to the Pacific Heights area.
8pm - dinner

Friday 20th October
8.30am - Check out of B& B.
Shuttle bus to SFO airport. Check in for 12.45pm flight back to London.

Thanks again !

Well Susie,
Your revised itinerary does sound a lot more do-able. However, in regards to the #37 Corbett bus, be aware that it does not take you anywhere near the summit of Twin Peaks by a long shot. The closest stop would be the intersection of Clayton and 17th. You could then proceed by foot. Don't worry, you won't lose your way because it will be obvious which way is UP!. I still vote for getting a cab at Castro and Market.

Much more realistic!!! Well done.