San Francisco, California Travel Guide
Every time we visit San Francisco and the Bay Area I’m reminded we need to do it more often! One of the things I always appreciate is just how fresh everything feels and smells. We recently visited in mid-April and just about everything was in bloom. I fell in love with Pride of Madeira, a native shrub with dramatic spikes of purple flowers.
We’re lucky to have friends who live in the area which is what keeps us coming back regularly. And while we get out and about a fair bit when we visit them, our main goal is quality time.
Below are some of my favorites which I’ll continue adding to over time.
Where We Stay
Fortunately, our visits to the Bay Area over the past several years have been to visit friends and we stay at their home. We’ve stayed at a handful of Airbnbs in the Napa and Russian River valleys but it’s been a while so I wouldn’t feel good about recommending as our stays haven’t been recent (though we had good experiences at the time). All that to say, I don’t have accommodation recommendations to share but hotel and rental options are endless.
Where We Eat
San Francisco Restaurants
City View Restaurant | Dim Sum is a must when we’re in the Bay Area and our friends turned us onto City View. Every time we’ve gone there has been a wait, so be prepared.
Coqueta | Big, airy, lively space serving tapas on the waterfront. Enjoyed the date and quail egg pintxos, a variety of shared sides and the Paella Mar y Montaña. Love that they offer BYO (which I noticed was very common in San Francisco).
H.L. Peninsula | Another great dim sum spot. We got to H.L. right when they opened and had no problem getting in although it started filling up shortly thereafter. The place is massive but our friends say it gets so busy that they have someone directing traffic in the parking lot.
Moshi Moshi | It’s been a while since we’ve eaten at Moshi Moshi but it’s a solid choice for sushi and it’s family-friendly.
Tadich Grill | Tadich is truly an old-school seafood institution. It’s the oldest continuously run restaurant in California, and third oldest in the United States.
Zuni | I’ve tried my hand at recreating Zuni’s famous roast chicken thanks to Smitten Kitchen’s approachable recipe. It was very good, but the real deal is outstandingly memorable. My only regret is just having one piece but with everything else we ordered, it’s all I could handle. Every dish we ordered (asparagus beat salad, shoestring potatoes, tagliatelle, bavette steak, Caesar salad—and French toast for our daughter) was excellent and so was the friendly service.
Sausalito Restaurants
Fish | We recently chose to eat at Fish at random after hiking Angel Island and we were so happy with our decision! The place is adorable and the food was incredible. Amongst the dishes our table wholly enjoyed: coleslaw, crispy shoestring fries, poke, fish tacos sonora and KFC bao tacos.
Lappert’s Ice Cream & Yogurt | Are you even on vacation if you don’t sample the local ice cream? It’s a must-do for our family. There were so many flavors to choose from but I couldn’t resist the Hawaiian Sea Salt Caramel.
Napa Valley Restaurants
Mustards Grill | Mustards is a Napa icon. We’ve lunched here on our way to wine tasting.
What We Do
Alcatraz | In my opinion, Alcatraz Island is an attraction to see once but you don’t need to visit repeatedly. I’ve been twice—once with my husband and a few years later, we returned with our daughter who was old enough to visit (and remember it). I’m not a history buff but I found it interesting nonetheless and am glad we went.
Chinatown | I really enjoy leisurely strolling Chinatown, grabbing a bite to eat and popping into the shops.
de Young Museum | On our most recent visit to San Francisco, we went to the museum in Golden Gate Park and took in the Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style exhibit. It was fascinating to see the detail of the exquisite garments up close and to learn about the city’s history through fashion. We also explored other parts of the museum and happily stumbled upon Sketching in the Galleries which our budding artist really enjoyed.
Exploratorium | It’s been a few years since we last visited the Exploratorium, but it was a great way to spend a day, full of hands-on activities for kids.
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market | There are so many tasty treats to try at the farmers market! Go hungry. Stroll. Enjoy.
Japanese Tea Garden | A lovely place for an afternoon stroll. The tea house was exceptionally crowded on the Sunday that we visited but seems like it would be worth the wait.
Muir Woods | The old growth coast redwoods are nearly impossible to accurately describe because their magnitude is just that grand. Suffice it to say Muir Woods is a must-see. But be sure to read all the details about visiting because it would be a shame to show up and be denied entry because you didn’t reserve parking (required at the time of this post).
Angel Island | We took the ferry to Angel Island and went hiking. It wasn’t terribly strenuous and the views of San Francisco were perfect. They also have bike rentals and campsites if you want to make a weekend out of it.
San Bruno Mountain | Another good option for hiking south of San Francisco, also with lovely views of the city.
Wineries | The options are endless! I prefer Russian River Valley to Napa Valley because it’s a little quieter and there aren’t quite as many big tour buses. Over a decade ago on our first anniversary trip, we discovered Moshin and fell in love with their Pinot Noirs. Our friends turned us onto nearby Iron Horse, also in Russian River, for their sparkling wines and Benovia was a recent, totally random find. Although we prefer Russian River, Peju in Napa is still one of our favorites. You can’t go wrong with the wines or location at any of these.
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