First Trip to San Francisco: My Insider's Guide for 1st Time Visitors

Are you planning your first trip to San Francisco? If so, start your planning here. On this page, you will find valuable information to easily plan your first trip to the City by the Bay.

You will find everything from the top attractions to visit, tips on how to get around town, and a few places where you can save on tickets, hotel rooms, and more. 

About San Francisco

Before we get started with things to do, let me give you a few pieces of information about our city for your first trip to San Francisco.

SF is a small city in size. It's only 7 miles by 7 miles. And even more so, most of the action for visitors is in a small section of this city. The benefit to you is that it makes it easy to get around and allows you to see quite a bit in a short period of time.

As a first time visitor, the best way to get a feel for the city is by going on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. These buses give you the chance to ride around the city and stop at many top attractions along the way. Once you do this for a day (or two), you will have a good layout of the city and how you can easily get around on your own.

My favorite one is the Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour. You can find out more about their 15+ stops and their 1-day tour here. The whole circuit takes 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete without hopping off.

If you want to explore on your own, that is easy, too. You can check out all of the options for getting around SF including the best routes in and out of top districts around the City by the Bay.

Safety in SF

Do you need to worry about your safety here these days? It's no secret that San Francisco has a large homeless population and it's been making the news quite a bit.

The reality is that the homeless population is mostly centered in just a few parts of the city. The Tenderloin District, just to the west of Union Square, is where a large concentration of the unhoused live. Even with that problem, it is still worth visiting as it is an interesting district with a mixture of high-end hotels and plenty of services for the homeless, so you can feel secure when you visit there.

Even though we have a large homeless population, SF is still very safe as our houseless people mostly keep to themselves.

The best way to stay safe is to just keep an eye out and watch your surroundings. Don't leave bags on the back or chairs or unattended. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, find the closest hotel and ask them for guidance. They are always there to help travelers.

If you rent a car, don't leave anything in the car or in plain sight. Car break-ins are a problem in many areas, so just don't offer people a peek at anything you might have in the car. If you have to leave something in the car, make sure to put it in the trunk and keep an eye out to see if anyone is watching you do that.

Basically, you want to use the same precautions as you would in any large city you visit. Although we've made the news a lot lately, there is so much to love about this city. Know that, as long as you are aware, you will truly enjoy your San Francisco vacation! 

Also remember, I'm here to help answer any of your questions. If you are not certain if your hotel is in the right neighborhood or you want to better understand an article you recently read about SF, please reach out to me and I'll do my best to help clarify the situation. You can also get a few more tips from me on staying safe here.

Now that you know a little more about SF and the safety here, you can read on for tips to help you prepare for your first trip to San Francisco!

Alcatraz Visiting Tips

Alcatraz is one of our most visited attractions and I highly recommend a tour during your San Francisco vacation. The infamous Alcatraz Prison is on a small island in the bay about one mile north of the city.

It's open 362 days a year (excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). The only way to get here is by using the official Alcatraz Cruises ferries. You can only take the ferry if you have a ticket for that tour for a specific time. Learn more about their day tours.

In addition to their day tours, they also offer a limited number of night tours a few times a week. How are these different? The night tours offer a limited number of tickets, so fewer people are on the island. 

Because there are fewer people, you will get a more personalized experience from the park rangers. They offer more informational talks and you can learn more about the island's history.

Learn more about the night tour.

The Behind the Scenes Tour is a great one for those that really want to visit places on the island not accessible to the day or night tour visitors. Read more about my experience on this tour and what you can expect.

Tickets for these tours go on sale up to 5 months in advance, so each week they release new tickets but the good spots and busy days can sell out quickly.

Make sure to get your tickets right away once you know your travel dates.

Sold Out Tickets to Alcatraz

Is your San Francisco vacation coming up soon, but you can't get tickets? If so, I'm going to tell you about a little trick to still get tickets to Alcatraz. Many of the local tour companies buy up the tickets and create combo passes. 

This includes a trip to Alcatraz as well as a bay cruise or a city tour. If you plan to visit Alcatraz and do another tour, it's a great way to save. This is also my recommendation for those looking for tickets on sold-out days. 

Below are some of the top combo tour tickets.

Golden Gate Bridge

Another one of the best places to visit during your San Francisco vacation is the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge.

One of the reasons I suggest this to anyone visiting San Francisco is that it is a free attraction, open to pedestrians from sunrise to sunset 365 days a year (the hours vary slightly depending on the season).

You can also drive over the bridge 24 hours a day, but the way to really get familiar with this gigantic structure and enjoy the views, is to walk across (or part of the way across) on its pedestrian walkway.

Completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge is 1.7 miles long. Its wide walkways allow both pedestrians and bikers, so make sure to pay attention to your surroundings so you don't get bumped or create a traffic jam.

Since this is your first time visiting the bridge, you will want to make sure to dress to stay warm. It's quite windy almost every day on the bridge and the temperature can feel 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than on the ground along the shoreline.

Bring along a light jacket if you plan to spend some time on and around the bridge, even if it is sunny and you are visiting San Francisco during the summer season.

There is also a small museum, a couple of casual restaurants, and a gift shop near the southern entrance. The SF and Golden Gate Transit System buses only drop off and pick up on the southern end of the bridge (the San Francisco side of it).

If you plan to walk all the way over to the northern side in Marin, you will either need to walk back or have a prearranged ride back over the bridge. Alternatively, you could take the ferry back from Sausalito to San Francisco; there are options that drop you off in Fisherman's Wharf or at the main Ferry Building downtown. 

Find out everything you need to know about visiting including some of the best walking tours.

Fisherman's Wharf & Pier 39

You will also want to visit Fisherman's Wharf on your first San Francisco vacation. While it's true that this area is really touristy, you will find that quite a few of the top activities for visitors originate in this district.

This is where you will find most of the bay cruises, the Aquarium of the Bay, and several other museums. There are also walking tours of the district.

Fisherman's Wharf hosts a large concentration of hotels. You will find options for all budgets, including some along the waterfront. Find out about my top picks.

Pier 39 is another attraction that first time visitors love to see. It's a remodeled pier that offers shopping, restaurants, and other fun things to do. Check out some of the best options here.

Find an entire list of the best things to see and do in Fisherman's Wharf here.

California Academy of Sciences

The most visited museum in the city, and a must-see on your first trip to San Francisco, is the California Academy of Sciences. It's a facility that actually offers what I would consider four museums in one.

There is a planetarium, a natural history museum, an aquarium, and a rainforest. You could spend all day here checking it out. I recommend you set aside at least 2 to 3 hours, but more if you can.

My favorite part is the rainforest. It's a four-story indoor forest where you slowly walk up a ramp to the top. As you walk further and further up the path, you learn more about the different types of rainforests from around the world.

You will also see some of the most popular smaller animals in each one. There are also butterflies flying around in the open as you walk around. It's a really cool experience. 

You can also step inside an earthquake simulator. If you've never experienced one and want to feel what it's like, this is the place to do it. After the simulator, you can learn more about earthquakes, why they happen, and the areas that are prone to them.

Make sure to also stop by and see the rare white alligator. His name is Claude.

I recommend picking up "skip the line" tickets in advance. This will allow you to get inside as soon as you arrive and not have to wait in line. Pick up your "skip the line" tickets here.

The California Academy of Sciences is located in SF's beautiful Golden Gate Park. Find additional tips for visiting and some pictures of what you will see.

Full List of Our 25 Top Attractions

In addition to our top attractions mentioned above, you will find several other great places to visit during your San Francisco vacation. This list includes places such as Golden Gate Park, Lombard Street, and the Presidio.

For each one, you will find out more about it, some tips to visit, and (if available) a few ways to save on your visit.

Read on for additional details on our top attractions.

Top Museums

If you love museums, you will be pleased to find several world-class museums during your San Francisco vacation. I mentioned the California Academy of Sciences above, as it's our most popular.

Other top picks for first-time visitors to San Francisco include the SF Museum of Modern Art, the de Young, the Legion of Honor and the SF Asian Art Museum.

Some of the most famous picks offering very specific content include the Cartoon Art Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Find a list of our 20 top museums to decide which ones you want to visit.

Museum Exhibits

You will also find some amazing temporary exhibits on display in San Francisco throughout the year. These exhibits come from all over the world and include everything from the best of Monet to treasures from all around southeast Asia.

I've created a calendar so you can easily find what's on display during your San Francisco vacation.

Wine Tasting in SF

You have a few options if you want to do some wine tasting on your San Francisco vacation. You will find several tasting rooms right in SF. They offer local wines with a wide variety of options.

If you want to have the real wine country tasting experience, you can also easily head up to one of Northern California's wine regions. Both Sonoma County and Napa Valley are located within an hour or two of the city. 

Napa is the most popular wine area as the name is well-known around the world. There are more than 300 wineries here to choose from and it's best to go on a tour during your first visit. This way you can sample as much as you want, not have to drive, and just relax and enjoy everything the area has to offer you.

Here are a few of the most popular tours to wine country from San Francisco.

SF Bay Cruises

Most visitors on their first San Francisco vacation also enjoy a cruise around the SF Bay. You will find several options from the popular 60-minute cruises to luxury sunset dinner cruises.

The majority of the cruises leave from around Fisherman's Wharf. However, many of the dinner-dancing cruises and holiday cruises leave from other locations along the waterfront.

Make sure to double-check your tickets to ensure you arrive at the right pier for departure.

Here are some of the most popular cruises.

Upcoming Events

There are dozens of special events each month here. These include popular picks such as the Bay to Breakers run and Fleet Week. Fourth of July and New Year's Eve are two of our most popular holidays, offering so many more fun things to do. 

Make sure to check out the best events for the month you'll be visiting San Francisco.

Broadway Shows & Other Theatre Productions

There are three theaters in the city that offer Broadway shows throughout the year. Both the Orpheum and the Golden Gate are home to about half a dozen shows each season. Additionally, the Curran hosts one to two Broadway shows a year. 

They include award-winning shows such as Hamilton, Wicked and The Lion King. Other top shows include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Come From Away, and Dear Evan Hansen. 

In addition to our theaters with award-winning Broadway musicals, you will find more than a dozen other venues offering wonderful performances throughout the year. You will find premiers of new local shows as well as those performed all over the US, including classics like A Christmas Carol. 

Here are some of our upcoming shows.

Find a full calendar of upcoming theater performances at all top theaters in SF.

Top Districts to Visit

I've mentioned some of SF's top districts above, including Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square. Several others that I think you will enjoy include Chinatown, North Beach, and the Haight-Ashbury. 

Chinatown is one of the most visited neighborhoods, as it's like exploring a city within a city. Here you will find shops with inexpensive items and restaurants with tasty dim sum. It's also home to three temples that are open to the public for visits.

North Beach is another great district to visit on your San Francisco vacation. Also known as Little Italy, you will find amazing Italian restaurants, shopping, and other fun things to do. It's home to some of our best comedy clubs and also where you will find the stunning Coit Tower. There are also some lovely historic churches here and plenty of places to sample homemade sweet treats.

The Haight-Asbury district is famous for its role in the counterculture of the 1960s. It was home to the 1967 Summer of Love as well as several famous artists during that time such as the Grateful Dead, Janet Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix. You can head out on a walking tour to learn more.

Read more about my 10 favorite districts to visit in SF.

Day Trips from SF

If you have the time, make sure to head out on a day trip while on your San Francisco vacation. You will find dozens of fun places to visit within a few hours of the SF Bay.

Muir Woods National Monument is a VERY popular spot for those looking to see some of the tallest trees in the world, the coast redwoods. It's about an hour north of SF and is an easy journey. You can head out on a tour or rent a car to go on your own. 

I recommend a guided tour as parking is very limited and you must have a reservation in order to visit. Here are some of the best Muir Woods tours.

Yosemite is another popular day trip from San Francisco. On their highlights tours, you will get a ride to this national park, information all about it, and some time to explore on your own.

This is a full day trip and each one takes about 14 to 15 hours or more. It can be exhausting to do it all in one day, but it is a great way to get a peek at this national gem.

Find additional day trip ideas from SF. 

Find additional redwoods near SF.

First Trip to San Francisco: Where to Stay

One of your most important decisions for your San Francisco vacation will be where you stay. Most of the hotels are in two districts: Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square. 

Which one will work best for you? Use my guide to help you decide.

You will also find hotels in districts all around town. The concentration isn't as high, but you will find some great places to stay in the Marina, Japantown, and the South of Market (SOMA) district.

You will also find quite a few options for all budgets, from luxury hotels to youth hostels. 

Find my recommendations by price and district to ensure you pick the perfect hotel for your first trip to San Francisco.

About Me   |   Contact Me   |   Privacy Policy   |   Terms of Service   |   Advertising Disclaimer