San Francisco is one of the most fascinating cities in America. We loved that there were lots of things to see and do in this city. Within two days, we were able to cover a number of areas.
On our first day, we explored the Fisherman’s Wharf area.
One our second day, we started with a San Francisco Bay Cruise from Pier 39 followed by the San Francisco 49-mile Scenic Drive, with stops at the Japanese Garden, Twin Peaks, Palace of the Fine Arts, and the Painted Ladies.
San Francisco Bay Cruise
The San Francisco Bay Cruise brought us to see the sea lions on Pier 39, the famous Alcatraz (in the bottom-right picture below), and cruising up close and under the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The bay area was extremely windy and cold. Luckily, we had the proper jackets to keep us warm while seated at the open deck area of the boat.
Pier 39
After the cruise, we walked around the pier where we disembarked i.e. Pier 39. Pier 39 offers a variety of dining and shopping options. We especially liked the fresh sweet strawberries with the chocolate dipping sauce. Yum!
San Francisco 49-Mile Scenic Drive
The San Francisco 49-Mile Scenic Drive is a good way to get an introduction to San Francisco. We covered this route in a day, including a few stops, and a detour to see the Painted Ladies.
View San Francisco map in a larger map
During the drive, we saw the Coit Tower, and the San Francisco Cable Car. We also got a good view of the Golden Gate Bridge at the Presidio.
We also drove along the scenic San Francisco coastline.
Twin Peaks
As we continued on the 49-mile drive, we drove up the hill to Twin Peaks where we got a vantage view of San Francisco from up the hill.
Japanese Tea Garden
Our next stop was the Japanese Tea Garden located inside the Golden Gate Park. The Japanese-style garden provides such a peaceful oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of the city that we almost forgot where we were.
Palace of the Fine Arts
My favourite place in San Francisco is The Palace of the Fine Arts. It is such a beautiful and serene place with its majestic architecture around a lagoon that had several swans gliding peacefully by.
Look at how tiny my daughter was as compared to the monumental structure.
Painted Ladies
Our last stop of the day was to see the Painted Ladies. The Painted Ladies do not refer to the local ladies living in San Francisco, but it refers to a row of colourful Edwardian and Victorian houses. It is a very popular attraction seen on many San Francisco postcards.
If we had more time, we would have covered more areas like the Lombard Street, America’s most crooked street, the San Francisco Zoo and the Exploratorium. If we had not gone to the outlet mall in LA, we would have probably visited one of the outlet malls in San Francisco area.
Accommodations in San Francisco
We stayed near the Fisherman’s Wharf area while in San Francisco. Click here for a list of accommodations near Fisherman’s Wharf. If the Fisherman’s Wharf area is not for you, the check out the list of accommodations in a wider area of San Francisco.
Our trip to San Francisco was part of our 8-day California Adventures with Kids which included Los Angeles, Disneyland California Parks and Yosemite.
