San Fransisco in June
 

We are a family of 4 and I am beginning to plan a trip to SF. thinking first of June..is that an okay time? We want to do Alcatraz and the Winchester house....recommendations for hotels and other attractions would be appreciated.

Bring warm clothes in June and it will definitely be windy. It's also the height of summer expense. If you can wait September is a nicer time of year (or at least the end of August) -- but will still be spendy. Personally, the Winchester Mystery House would not be at the top of my list of things to see...it's a bit of a haul out from the city. If you were going to do that, I'd go to the Monterey Aquarium instead. But there is so much to do IN the city...why leave? Ride a cable car! Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Hotels are expensive and I always recommend staying in the Marina District (rather than Union Square). That's my preference! Eating my way through North Beach is my favorite part...best of Chinese and Italian food!

Where are you coming from? That may help?

A former SF resident....

June is generally cool to downright cold, windy and often foggy. "June Gloom" is coastal fog that is worse when it is hot inland. So if we are having a heat wave in the interior, you can count on foggy/cool. Though there can also be glorious sunny days too. Just be prepared and be sure to bring layers and windbreakers/jackets.

Winchester Mystery House is definitely not one of my favorite places - but if you want to go there you will need to rent a car since it is quite a ways from SF down in San Jose. You would not need/want a car in San Francisco itself.

Since you are a family of 4 - which makes me think there are school-aged children - your window for vacations is probably limited by school schedule. As such, September is probably outside that window.

If you have to travel in the summer months, then I think June is fine for SF. Coastal fog is largely a summer phenomenon, so plan for that. Some people hate the fog, but really, it is part of the SF experience, so just bring a jacket and enjoy it. The standard fog pattern is fog in the morning burning off about mid day and rolling back in late afternoon or evenning. Some days there isn't any fog and some days the fog stays all day. If you have never seen the fog roll in through the Golden Gate, it can really be amazing. Another interesting thing about the fog is how closely it is tied to the coast - you can drive a bit inland and be completely out of it.

How long do you plan for your vacation? Is this part of a longer trip or is your vacation centered on SF only? Are you interested in side trips out of SF?

Alcatraz is great. I definitely recommend it - and I would get tickets ahead of time since it will be summer time and it is a popular attraction. This way you make sure to get tickets when you want to go.

I have to agree with the others about the Winchester Mystery house. Although I find the house and the story pretty interesting, the tour leaves me flat. It is expensive, rushed, and the guides aren't very good.

Not to worry though, there are tons of other things to see in SF and the surrounding area. What are your interests?

I'm probably a little more excited about Winchester Mystery House than the others, but only for people who are going to be in San Jose anyway. And that can get a two for one admission through an Entertainment book.
Maybe go on a tour out of San Francisco (Muir Woods, Mt. Tam, etc.).

What's your price range for hotel crazyb?

Thanks for all your comments. My price range for hotels - want to stay somewhere clean, nice, and safe, but don't care about fancy. I was looking at the holiday inn down by the pier - would like to stay close to $200 or so. Someone also told me there was a Mariott close to the pier. We will rent a car and do some driving. definitely Muir woods. So I think we'll fly - spend a night and the next day on the pier (doing Alcatraz the second night)..then get up and move to whatever hotel is centrally located to the other attractions. I don't want to negotiate out of downtown to do day trips to other areas and I figure it'll be cheaper to stay off the pier?? Am I right??

I could wait and come in August...would it be any better??

I don't understand your moving hotels comments. &quot;<i> . . . . then get up and move to whatever hotel is centrally located to the other attractions</i>&quot; Anywhere in SF will be centrally located for all the attractions (except for Winchester Mystery house which is a loooooong way from central SF. There is no need to move from one SF hotel to another.

By &quot;pier&quot; do you mean Fisherman's Wharf??

You do not need nor want a car in SF. You could rent one for the day you go to Muir Woods (or if you <u>must</u> go to the Winchester house, you could combine it w/ a visit to Big Basin state park. it has more/better redwoods, is near San Jose and you could do them as a &quot;two-fer&quot;. Then you wouldn't need to go to Muir Woods too.

So, just one day's car rental. Otherwise you will have to pay a fortune to park the car in SF. (unless you stay in some of the motels along Lombard Street which have parking)

Since you'll have a car, you may want to pick one of the motor inns on Lombard street (they have free parking). With four people, you may want a suite:
http://www.cowhollowsuites.com/
See also sister properties. I've stayed at the Coventry Motor Inn, and liked it. Lombard street is busy, so I ask for a room away from the street.

We have really enjoyed staying at Stanford Court on Nob Hill. Our room was very comfortable and lovely and it was so easy to walk absolutely everywhere: Chinatown, North Beach, Union Square. It is also right on 2 cable car lines. We once stayed at the Handlery and it was safe, clean, comfortable and fine. It was the first ever motor inn in SF but was later enclosed, so it is an unusual place. I mention it mainly because it has an indoor pool - great for kids. Rates have been reasonable in the past, and it is a few doors from Union Square also. Both hotels have excellent concierges who will suggest restaurants, activities, plays, shows - all kinds of activities. They have always managed to secure tickets for us to shows or Alcatraz or whatever, even when &quot;sold out.&quot;
One hotel we toured (but haven't tried yet) is the Argonaut Hotel near the waterfront at the old Cannery (near Ghiradelli Square). You would have views of the Golden Gate Bridge, great walking areas along the water, Fisherman's Wharf, the Cable Car line, the historic &quot;F-Line&quot; trolley, Hyde Street Pier, the Maritime Museum, and more. Any of these areas are accessible to everything. The F-line is great. It runs from Market Street, around the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. Lots of places to see along this route. Pick up a book of walking tours of SF and discover special views and treasures. Take the muni or a trolley line to Golden Gate Park.

San Francisco is not that big. No matter where you stay, you can easily visit everything. See Chinatown, North Beach, and...sure, the Wharf area, but walking will give you a great feel for SF.

You will have a wonderful time. Just bring many layers and leave the shorts at home unless you plan to go out of the City. It is more common to have a chilly wind or damp fog than warm sun.

I would choose June over August because in my experience, August is foggier along the coast than June. Fog forms when the hot inland air meets the cool marine air. The hotter it is inland, generally the more fog there is on the coast - unless we get an onshore breeze which pushes the hot inland air further toward the coast and fog cannot form. That is not common though since our winds usually come from offshore. Since August is generally hotter inland than June, there is generally more fog in SF in August than in June.

Regarding hotels - I wouldn't change hotels either. As others have said, SF is not that large and can easily be done on foot and public transportation.

A fun thing to do with a family is to take the ferry across to Angel Island and hike around. Or rent bikes and bring them on the ferry.

The ferry to Sausilito is also a fun trip. It's nice to actually get out on the water.

Bicycling across the Golden Gate Bridge can be a memorable experience.

Pt. Reyes National Seashore north of San Francisco is a fantastic place to visit.

Since you have children, they might like a day trip south to Santa Cruz where they can swim in the ocean, boogie board or enjoy the boardwalk amusement park.

Have a great time!

June or August - both baseball season. That's a fun thing to do if you have kids. The Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf is $38 per day for a parking space...

Thanks for all your advice....baseball season...hmm...my husband would love that

thanks again

Have you decided on a hotel yet crazyb?

No,...I checked out the link you provided...it says &quot;cow hollow&quot; but you talk about &quot;coventry&quot; is it the same thing??

You can click on sister hotels for the Coventry. Cow Hollow has suites which may be better for the 4 of you.

Here's the Coventry link: http://www.coventrymotorinn.com/

I agree with J-Correa--June is better than August. May-June and September-October are the best months of the year in terms of weather.