8 days San Francisco, Yosemite, Monterey
 

A friend and I are flying to San Francisco in September and spending 8-10 days in the surrounding area. We're wanting to spend a few days in San Francisco and then head to Yosemite to do some light hiking. We are excited about seeing the beautiful sites in Yosemite and the spectacular California coast. We want to spend a night or two in Yosemite before heading to Monterray and finally back to San Francisco or either San Jose to fly out. We are not interested in spending our money on luxury accommodations or fine dining. What are some must eat at restaurants to enjoy California cuisine along the way? Also, I would love any recommendations of clean, budget friendly hotels in those areas. Thanks

Hello and welcome to Fodor's! I can't help you with places to eat but maybe I can help with affordable lodging. There are two HI hostels in San Francisco. Book any available lodging in Yosemite Valley in your time frame. If you can't get the time you want, book something in El Portal. Now on to the logistics of getting from San Francisco to Yosemite Valley without a rental car which is an unneeded expense in San Francisco: At 7AM every day there is an Amtrak bus (#6610) that picks up passengers in front of the Chase bank (555 Mission St. between 1st and 2nd streets) The bus takes you to Emeryville where you board the San Joaquin train (#710) to Merced. At Merced you get on a YARTS bus for a 2.5+ hour trip to the heart of Yosemite Valley arriving about 1:43PM. The fare is about $50 per person. I am hoping that by September the damage done by flooding will be repaired. The YARTS buses do make a stop in ElPortal and several other places along the way back to Merced. The return trip to San Francisco is a YARTS bus back to Merced Amtrak station and the #719 San Joaquin to Emeryville and the #6619 bus back into San Francisco. (fare $32 pp).
Rent a car in downtown San Francisco for your trip south to Monterey. BART is good for getting to/from SFO into downtown San Francisco.
About 50 miles south of SFO I have stayed at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse HI hostel. There is also a nice HI hostel in Monterey within walking distance of the Cannery and the Aquarium.
If you wanted to make a side trip to Sacramento you can stay at my favorite HI hostel at 10th & H across the street from City Hall. It is a Victorian mansion that was moved at least twice.

Yes, welcome to Fodors. Just very quick right now -- since your trip is in September I'd have a Plan B in mind for the Yosemite days. August/September is the very worst of our fire season. And I fear this year may be even worse than normal. We've had historic winter snow/rain totals which means masses of new growth - which means a LOT more fire fuel than typical. Fires don't even have to be in YNP - fires anywhere in te mid Sierra can cause terrible air quality. So just a heads up to pay attention to the fire situation in the days running up to your trip so you can make other plans if needed

In the Yosemite area we stayed in El Portal at the Yosemite View Lodge. It was nice, on the river, has a restaurant and a pool. There is a bus stop there so you can take bus into the park instead of driving and having to look for parking. It's a short drive to park entrance.

In stead of having dinner at the famous Ahwahnee Hotel, we enjoyed a happy hour.

We stayed in Pacific Grove instead of Monterey at the Sunset Inn. It does not have an ocean view but it is just a short walk to ocean. The Sunset is a motel type lodging that has been remodeled and updated. You can park your car outside your door. It has won several Trip Advisor awards as a recommended place to stay.
We had breakfast one day at LouLou's Griddle in the Middle. Fun place on the Fishermans wharf. I think it is only open until 11.
In Monterey we enjoyed kayaking Monterey Bay. Monterey Bay Kayak has all the gear and guides. A little farther up the coast, we kayaked at Moss Landing. Saw cute sea otters, seals, lots of birds. Its very easy kayaking as its calm flat water- Elkhorn Slough

Capitola is a nice little beach town for a stop.

I would stop at Phil's Fish Market for fun and delicious dining. They are in Castroville and famous for Cioppino. Apparently there are Cioppino trucks in town also. They used to be at Moss Landing but have moved since I was there.

I would fly out of San Jose airport- so much easier I think.

A few ideas- enjoy!

My goodness -- I had no idea Phil's Fish Market has moved to Castroville. Thanks for the info. Boo on the Aquarium -- they own the old site and apparently wouldn't renew PFM's lease.

Thank you for all of the helpful suggestions. As of right now, we plan to rent a car upon leaving San Francisco. I have read that El Portal is a great place to stay and isn't far from the park.

Thanks sunbum, I also didn’t know Phil’s moved and was planning to drive over to Moss Landing next week. Saved me an extra drive.

Definitely. If one can't get into Yosemite Valley lodge or the very pricey Ahwahnee in Yosemite Valley, then Yosemite View Lodge in El Portal is the next best for sure. Convenient for either driving or taking the YART bus into the Valley. Very large property right on the river. Many places will advertise 'near Yosemite', or 'close to the park' . . . but are 1 to 2 hours drive from the Valley. El Portal actually IS close to the Valley.

If you can stay I the valley, I would recommend that over El Portal, but El Portal is a good back-up plan.

Thanks for the Pacific Grove tip and the restaurants!

Thank you all for the great suggestions for El Portal and Pacific Grove. We will fly into San Francisco and leave from San Jose. Where would you suggest we stay in San Francisco? We would like to be able to walk to a few points of interest and be near restaurants. We plan to visit Muir Woods and Alcatraz so for that I know we will need public transportation. Thanks so much you all have made planning this trip so much easier.

Dashing out but just a couple of comments. I'd forget about Muir Woods. It is a relatively small park and one needs to prebook for both the park AND for parking. Being right on the edge of a major urban region it gets a LOT of visitors and gets crowded.

Henry Cowell State park has a better stand of redwoods and you'd drive right past it if you travel to the Monterey Peninsula via Santa Cruz. I'd plan on doing those redwoods instead of Muir Woods . . .

and for a SF hotel -- what is your budget?

If you are driving Monterey to San Jose on a Sunday, make sure you leave LOTS of time- it can be very busy! Enjoy- one of my favorite parts of the country

Oh -- my post has you driving from SF to Pacific Grove . . . with you doing it in the other direction it still works . . . PG > Santa Cruz > Henry Cowell SP > SJC

Thinks for the Muir Woods tip. I'd like to keep the hotel under $400/night. I'd say something like a Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn. I know staying within San Francisco is going to make that difficult.

Check out the Presidio Travelodge. Obviously not posh but nicer than most Travelodges, and basically across the street from the Presidio. On-site free parking (HUGE in San Francisco) free breakfast (though it IS a Travelodge breakfast ;) ) free wifi. Besides the Presidio, it is walking distance to Marina Green, the Disney museum, Exploratorium, Palace of Fine Arts, etc and good bus service to anywhere else.

forgot to include the link (the automatic link Fodors stuck in is for TraveLodges in the UK -- not all that helpful for you :) )

https://www.wyndhamhotels.com/travel...&iata=00093796

This sounds great!