Besides a night visit to Alcatraz, what are the highlights we should cover in three days? We are not really museum goers.

The jury seems to be out among posters as to whether or not it is worthwhile visiting Fisherman's Wharf.

B.T.W., we will be staying right by Union Square.

Is a drive to somewhere pretty and back along the coast feasible in one day?

Fisherman's Wharf is a touristy area; it is worth a stop just to say you have been!
I would either rent a bike or take a walk over the Golden Gate Bridge and go to Sausalito. You could also take a ferry boat to Sausalito.
Another thing not to miss is Chinatown. Tons of restaurants!
Finally, Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill are worth a stop.

Three days? sorry, I couldn't resist:
http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/3.../2006/sanfran/

Catch a cable car, do dim sum in Chinatown, shop at Union Square and eat crab.

Ride the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf, walk around, smell the sour dough bread baking and take in the sights--it's a zoo and just plain crazy fun. You can't visit SF and not go to the Wharf.

We enjoyed the Grayline tour of the city, good overview and stops with incredible views. Breakfast at Mama's and day trip to wine country were also great fun.

So Fisherman's Wharf is in!

Is the Golden Gate walk very strenuous? We are seniors - young seniors, but seniors none-the-less.

Also, can you recommend a pretty area or town in wine country that's not more than about 2 hours away, so we can sight see and return comfortably in one day?

You can drive down to Carmel-by-the-sea/Pebble Beach in 1 day. It's about 2 hours each way. The Monterey Bay Acquarium is world renown - buy your tix in advance and walk right past the long line. You should take a drive to sonoma, russian river valley or napa. Don't waste your time with the wharf. I live in SF. It would be worth your time. If you're into baseball, you can easily get tickets to a Giants game through their website. http://doubleplay.tickets.com/buy/Do...AY&orgid=21170. The Ferry Building is a bustling marketplace with many restaurants - good for lunch. Have an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista. Take the Ferry to Tiburon or Sausilito for shops and lunch. A classic steak dinner at Harris' is a must. You can also rent bikes and ride across the GGB and take the ferry back. If you play golf, both the Presidio and Harding Park are great public courses. I don't think you would enjoy GG Park. It is huge but doesn't have many attractions. We hardly ever go there. A drive up to twin peaks is worth it. Panoramic views. Good picture opportunities especially near dusk.

Ride a street car! That's my number one thing every trip. From the start around Market Street down thru Chinatown to Fisherman's Wharf is my favorite route.

since you mentioned wine country - you could just take a day tour to Napa -
much easier to do a tour than trying to figure it out yourself-

and if you want to drive down the coast-just south of Santa Cruz is the cutest beach town- Capitola - I was there over Mothers Day and loved it -
of course in that area - the length of drive is dependent on how much traffic there is that day and how many accidents there are that day - you just never know- sometimes you can just zip down and sometimes you sit in traffic forever

The DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park is a must see in my opinion.

With just three days, I'd stay right in SF, and enjoy it to the max! We were there three days, and barely scratched the surface. Do go to the Wharf, eat a sourdough bowl of chowder and enjoy the chaos! Take one of the great bus tours ... best I've found in any city. We did one of the longer ones with a great guide, and plenty of photo ops. The most I'd leave SF for is an afternoon van tour in wine country. Have fun!

As someone else posted, don't miss the Ferry Building, particularly on a Saturday (full-blown Farmer's Market day) if possible.

Fisherman's Wharf - sure, walk through the wharf, and Pier 39, The Cannery and Ghirardelli, but don't spend all day. Very touristy.

Golden Gate Park is beautiful, but it's a park.

If you're of a "certain age", you might like to visit Haight-Ashbury (which happens to be very close to Golden Gate Park). Take a cab to get there.

Still fun - the drive down curvy Lombard Street, if you have a car.

The walk over the Golden Gate Bridge isn't taxing in itself, but at the Sausalito end, it gets hilly (downhill into town).

If you do decided to take a day trip, I would recommend the town of Sonoma in the Valley of the Moon. (Sonoma Valley).

It is historic, built around an 11 acre Plaza from the Mexican occupation days, with many of the original adobe buildings now housing boutiques, restaurants, etc. The lastand most northerly, Franciscan Mission built in California is also on the Plaza.

If you want to visit a winery, Buena Vista, on Old Winery Road (about 2 miles from the Plaza) is a small and charming stone building. This is the site where the Hungarian Count, whose name I cannot spell (Haraszthy ?) brought the first European wine grape cuttings to California, startint the whole thing.

You can be in Sonoma in less than an hour from the Golden Gate Bridge. Take Hwy 101 to Hwy 37, just past San Rafael, and then take 121/12 to Sonoma. There are signs. You will pass wineries on your way into town.

Golden Gate Park deserves more attention than a dimissive it's a park. It draws millions of visitors to the Japanese Tea Garden, the restored Conservatory and now the new DeYoung. BTW no need for a cab, it iseasily reachable by public transportation--just take the N Judah from Powell and get off at Ninth Avenue, walk one block N and there you are. Even if you are not a museum goer th view from th DeYoung Tower is worth a visit -in the opinion of we locals that is why the tower was built, to attract non museum going public.

Looks like there is plenty to fill 3 days. We were contemplating leaving S.F. a day early to maximize our time in Hawaii, which is the next leg of the vacation, but I think we'll stay for the 3 days.

From the posts, it seems as if we don't need to rent a car - everything is accessible by public transportation, short taxi ride, or a bus tour. Am I reading that right?

A reasonable but fun 3 day itinerary could be:

Day One - take cable car from Union Square area to Fisherman's Wharf. Visit The Cannery and Ghirardelli Square, skip Pier 39. Have lunch in FW area or grab a chowder bread bowl and crab cocktail while walking around. Take a taxi back to hotel and have dinner at Grand Cafe in the Hotel Monaco (suggestion only).

Day Two - Walk from hotel to Chinatown, spend 2-3 hours visiting shops. Get a dim sum recommendation from hotel, have lunch in Chinatown. Go to Tadich Grill for dinner then walk to Ferry Building for night tour of Alcatraz. Return to hotel by taxi, perhaps have a drink at Lefty O'Douls before calling it a night.

Day Three - Various 3 hour options include visit GG Park; go out to the Cliff House for lunch; do the galleries along Geary Street in Union Square; shop the stores in Union Square & Market Street; take a bay cruise under the bridge; walk up to Coit Tower; walk across the GG Bridge; stroll along the Embarcadero from Ferry Building to South Beach. Pick a special place for last night's dinner.

Of course, these are just suggestions but overall it's a pretty good taste of SF.

To answer your question about the car: if you're spending all three days in the city, a car would be more of a liability than an asset -- public transportation is fine and parking in many areas can be a nightmare. The only reason to have a car would be for a daytrip. (One of my favorite local drives is across the Golden Gate Bridge and up Highway 1 to the Point Reyes National Seashore; about an hour's drive each way, with lots of wonderful hikes and views in the park.)

I agree with kgabansk that you should skip Fisherman's Wharf, unless you like places that are designed exclusively for tourists. If you want a taste of the waterfront, just go to the Ferry Building (as stated by others, a great place for lunch) and take a little walk along the Embarcadero.

There are loads of things to keep you busy for three days in San Francisco. I always like to visit SFMOMA (San Francisco Musuem of Modern Art) and walk through neighborhoods such as Chinatown, North Beach, Filmore Street, Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow, etc. Get a Transit Pass and Map at the Information Center and check this list: http://frommers.com/destinations/san...9_indattr.html

Many thanks. Great comments from everyone.I hope we can fit in all, or at least most of the suggestions.

Regarding entertainment, does anyone have any comments about Beach Blanket Babylon?

Don't forget a short walk on Lombard street!

Beach Blanket Babylon is a must-do. Loads of fun. We prefer the nightclub style chairs on the main floor.