RosebudAlley

Hi all. We are visiting San Francisco over Christmas and looking for advice. These boards have been very helpful in the past!

We have teens who like to adventure and hike, so we thought of doing a trip to Big Sur when we arrive and ending our trip in SF. But we may have time to do other things. We are not interested in wine country and do want to see Redwoods somewhere (Muir is what we originally thought but not if we can see them elsewhere that fits in with the rest of the trip.) We do have tickets to see a matinee on December 26, and want to see Alcatraz.

1. Advice on itinerary in first part of our trip. Big Sur, stops along the way. And is that the right thing to do? Where to stay in the first part of our trip. We are okay to stay different places each night, or park it for two nights.
2. Best area to stay in SF. We like to be walkable - close by to restaurants, coffee, etc. Moderately priced - we usually don't spend too much time in the room.
3. Is it worth visiting Sausalito?
4. Is there anything extra special in the area on Christmas Day? It's okay if there isn't. We'd like a nice place to eat whether we are in or out of SF (but not really interested in a $100/head brunch.)

December 23: Arrive 11:00am after flight from East Coast.
December 24:
December 25:
December 26: 1:00 Matinee Show
December 27: Alcatraz?
December 28: Leave early morning.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Rosebud

Patty

I would base yourself on the Monterey Peninsula and day trip to Big Sur. Being on the peninsula gives you more options for other activities in case the weather doesn't cooperate. Late December is our rainy season but there can also be nice, sunny days. One potential issue is rock/mudslides on Hwy 1 south of Carmel if we get heavy rain. You can see redwoods at Henry Cowell near Santa Cruz and also in several state parks in Big Sur http://redwoodhikes.com/

MmePerdu

I agree regarding staying in the Monterey area if you decide to go south on arrival. However, it sound to me like you're overestimating the time you actually have on arrival & before you head for San Francisco. As I see it, you have just 1 full day to spend somewhere before you must head for the City. Arrival day will be largely spent getting your car, driving south (from SFO?), checking in to your accommodation.

Your 1 full day will be the 24th (with 2 nights) and due to possible weather-related constraints mentioned by Patty, you'll pretty much have to play it by ear, Big Sur or not, hiking or not. But there are other things to do failing Option 1.

Full day 2, Christmas Day will be a driving day to get you into SF for your show on the 26th, presumably returning the car on your way (airport?). You can see redwoods on your drive north at Henry Cowell State Park, as mentioned, & hike there. I cannot imagine it will be closed on Christmas Day but do check. Again, weather could be an issue so have a Plan B for that day.

I think going to Monterey will be worthwhile as long as you understand the time constraints and need to have a Plan B in case Big Sur becomes impossible or impractical due to weather.

Gardyloo

Google the places on this map - https://goo.gl/maps/Usm41BpjHqs3mjGY7

These include the Henry Cowell redwoods, the cool butterfly sanctuary in Pacific Grove, the Monterey aquarium and old Spanish mission in Carmel, and amazing Point Lobos. You might not have time for all of these; I would put Point Lobos and the Henry Cowell redwoods at the top of the "don't miss" list.

RosebudAlley

Great advice! I just booked the first two nights in Monterey - I can always cancel if we change plans but the hotel was a good price and I wanted to grab it (still expensive, but given location and Xmas, it was decent price.) So we'll drive down when we land, have a home base in Monterey, and then drive up to SF on Christmas Day. We'll make stops both directions, including Henry Cowell.

Now searching for decent priced SF hotels in a good area. I don't anticipate us being in the room much.

Patty

Sounds good. That can be a busy time of year so I'd get an early start wherever you go. Parking becomes more difficult later in the day. Point Lobos opens at 8am.

MoBro