Telegraph Hill with Coit Tower and the downtown San Francisco skyline
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San Francisco in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 9.1 km on foot
  • 16 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days is just enough to realize San Francisco is much more than downtown. The tours are spread out at an easy pace, the bay's icons get a full afternoon and on day three you head west: Victorian houses, the old hippie neighborhood and the city's great park, before wrapping up with downtown's mysteries and a burrito in the Mission. For travelers who want to see a lot without rushing.

Day 1Icons and the Rock

On day one, set off early on "Cable cars, Chinatown and the Beats", while Union Square and Chinatown are still quiet, and finish at the eight curves of Lombard Street. Head down to Fisherman's Wharf for clam chowder at Boudin, then give the afternoon to the bay: the Pier 39 sea lions and the Alcatraz ferry from Pier 33. You'll sail back with the late light on the skyline. The evening is yours: the Buena Vista and its Irish coffee are just around the corner.

  1. Morning

    Cable cars, Chinatown and the Beats: San Francisco highlights

    Mixed · 3.4 km · 2 h 15 min

    1. The cable car turntableHere the cable cars are turned by hand: climbing the hills since 1873 and saved by a group of determined women.
    2. Union Square, the square of VictoryPro-Union rallies, a goddess with the face of a future patron of the arts and the hotel that watched the city burn.
    3. The Dragon Gate, entrance to ChinatownThe gateway to one of North America's oldest Chinatowns, which survived an exclusion law and a plan to move it away.
    4. Waverly Place, the street of painted balconiesTemples on the top floors, family associations and the most photogenic balconies in Chinatown.
    5. City Lights, the Beat Generation's bookstoreA poet, a poem put on trial for obscenity and the bookstore that made North Beach the capital of the Beat Generation.
    6. Lombard Street, the street of eight curvesAn impossible slope tamed with eight curves of brick and flowers, with the bay as a backdrop.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at Boudin Bakery. 160 Jefferson Street, Fisherman's Wharf

  3. Afternoon

    Pier 39 and the sea lions

    The liveliest pier on Fisherman's Wharf: shops, stalls and, above all, the sea lions that have taken over its floating docks since 1990, free to watch. It's a short walk from Boudin and right by the Alcatraz landing, so it slots in neatly after lunch.

    Directions

    Alcatraz Island

    America's most famous federal prison, on a rocky island in the middle of the bay. The cellhouse audio tour, narrated by former inmates and guards, is one of the best experiences in the city. Ferries often sell out, so book ahead.

    Directions

Day 2From gold to the red bridge

A history morning with "From Yerba Buena to the city that rose from its ashes": from Grant Avenue to the Niantic, the ship buried beneath office blocks, and on to the Ferry Building, which hosts a farmers market on Saturdays. Have cioppino for lunch at Tadich Grill, in the heart of the Financial District a few blocks from the Ferry Building, or at Scoma's if it's Sunday. In the afternoon, the 30 bus takes you to the Marina for the Palace of Fine Arts and a walk along Crissy Field to the Golden Gate, with the bay at your side the whole way.

  1. Morning

    From Yerba Buena to the city that rose from its ashes

    History · 3 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Grant Avenue, where the city was bornA ship's sail turned into a tent, a village called Yerba Buena and the square where gold was announced.
    2. Jackson Square, the district that survived the fireGold Rush warehouses, a bank run by William T. Sherman and the whiskey that, as the joke goes, God chose to spare.
    3. The Niantic, the ship buried under the officesWhere offices stand today there was water, and beneath your feet lie the remains of a whaler turned warehouse and hotel.
    4. The Ferry Building, gateway to the bayBefore the bridges, everyone arrived here; its clock tower outlasted two earthquakes and a freeway that hid it.
    5. Lotta's Fountain and the 1906 earthquakeThe gift of an actress who started out singing for miners became the meeting point of a city in flames.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Cioppino at Tadich Grill. 240 California Street

  3. Afternoon

    Palace of Fine Arts

    The neoclassical rotunda built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, reflected in a lagoon fringed with willows and swans. Wandering its colonnade is free and takes about half an hour; from here, Crissy Field leads you on the flat toward the bridge.

    Directions

    Golden Gate Bridge

    Opened in 1937, it owes its "International Orange" color partly to the need to stand out in the fog. You can cross it on foot or by bike; the classic shot is from the far side, at the Battery Spencer viewpoint. Bring a windbreaker: it blows hard up there.

    Directions

Day 3Victorians, park and mystery

Today you leave downtown behind. Start at Alamo Square with the Painted Ladies, before the tour buses arrive, then walk down Haight Street, the hippie heart of the Summer of Love, to Golden Gate Park. Head back to Chinatown for dim sum and rest a little before "Secret San Francisco", which takes in Old St. Mary's, Ross Alley and Coit Tower at dusk. For dinner, a burrito in the Mission; if there's still light, check out the murals on Clarion Alley or Balmy Alley first.

  1. Morning

    Alamo Square and the Painted Ladies

    The row of colorful Victorian houses on Steiner Street, with the downtown skyline behind them, is one of the city's classic postcards. Climb onto the park's lawn for the full view, then it's about a twenty-minute walk to Haight-Ashbury.

    Directions

    Golden Gate Park

    A park larger than Central Park, reclaimed from sand dunes. Its central area holds the Japanese Tea Garden, the de Young museum, whose tower has a free observation deck, and the California Academy of Sciences. Pick one and wander the rest.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Dim sum in Chinatown at Great Eastern Restaurant. 649 Jackson Street

  3. Early evening

    Emperors, kidnappings and tunnels: secret San Francisco

    Mysteries & legends · 2.7 km · 2 h

    1. Old St. Mary's and Emperor NortonA clock that warned brothel-goers and, on the corner, the spot where the only emperor of the United States collapsed.
    2. Ross Alley, the alley of secretsGambling halls behind iron doors, tunnels nobody has ever found and a fortune cookie factory.
    3. The Old Ship Saloon and the Barbary Coast shanghaiersA bar that began inside a stranded ship, and the dark reputation of sailors kidnapped on the waterfront.
    4. Coit Tower and the girl who ran with the firemenA tower atop Telegraph Hill, a rebellious heiress and the fire hose nozzle nobody designed.
    5. Washington Square and the time capsuleA statue holding a message for the future, a wedding that never happened in that church and a tribute to the firemen.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Mission-style burrito at La Taqueria. 2889 Mission Street

The map

San Francisco in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for San Francisco in 3 days

  • To get around between neighborhoods, add a Clipper card to your phone: it works on Muni buses, cable cars, BART and some ferries, so you never have to hunt for change.
  • The Painted Ladies and viewpoints such as Twin Peaks are well-known spots for car break-ins, so leave nothing visible if you're driving. Downtown at night, it's best to skirt the Tenderloin.
  • Book Alcatraz weeks ahead in high season and check opening hours for the de Young, usually closed on Mondays, and the California Academy of Sciences.

Questions

San Francisco in 3 days: your questions

What should I do in San Francisco in 3 days if I want to leave the city?

Swap day three for a day trip: Sausalito by ferry from the Ferry Building, or by bike across the Golden Gate; the redwoods of Muir Woods, where you need to reserve parking or a shuttle; or the Napa vineyards, best by car or on an organized tour.

How far will I walk in three days?

The three tours total about 9.1 km (5.7 miles), with one stretch of tour each day. Add the walks for the extras: Crissy Field to the bridge and Alamo Square down to Golden Gate Park are the longest. Mixed with public transit, the pace stays comfortable.

What's the weather like in San Francisco in summer?

Cooler than you'd expect. In July and August fog often blankets the bay and afternoons are chilly and windy, especially near the Golden Gate. September and October are usually the sunniest months. Always carry a jacket and dress in layers.

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