A few weeks ago my husband had a work conference in San Francisco. Since our schedules can be kind of limited for traveling we decided to make a quick trip of it. So I thought I would give a recap of things to do in San Francisco when you’re there for a weekend.
Things to do in San Francisco
Riding a Cable Car
This is just one of those things you have to check off your list of things to do in San Francisco! We rode the cable car from Powell and Market where it starts and took it to Fisherman’s Wharf where the last stop was. There is a ticket booth right there to purchase whatever ticket you may need. There are a few different routes and stops so check out where you want to go and plan around it. I will say we went on a Saturday morning and they stopped the cars for awhile to clean the tracks resulting in a large line. We were actually in the front of the line but it did take awhile to get on one. So just FYI in case you are in a time crunch.
We spent some time walking around Fisherman’s Wharf after we got off the cable car. There was a lot to see walking the different piers and looking at all the boats. There were also lots of other things like a submarine tour and many shops. And there were tons of seafood places!
Ok we did not do this tour but how cute are these tour buses?! There were several of these around and I kind of wish I would have done one. San Francisco Love Tours
Since we were just around for lunchtime we wanted something casual and fast to eat. So we stopped at The Codmother which had good reviews and was delicious! Its really small and just picnic tables outside but this place was busy. I had the fish tacos.
Day 2
Our next day involved a lot of walking. We headed over to the marina area and walked along the water all the way up to the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was perfect for this and there was not a lot of fog which is usually that case. One thing a lot of people don’t realize is that San Francisco can be pretty windy and chilly. If you are looking for somewhere warm and beachy in California check out our Manhattan Beach Getaway.
We didn’t walk across the bridge because we were running short on time. I also heard some people were renting bikes to ride over the bridge and then you can take a fairy ride back for another idea. You can even see the view of Alcatraz from where we were. We unfortunately didn’t have enough time to go tour Alcatraz but I would recommend looking into it because I heard its amazing.
The Presidio
After the Golden Gate Bridge we walked back over to The Presidio. The Presidio is a national park with so many things to do and see and it even has lodging. We went there for the Presidio Picnic or some people referred to it as “Off the Grid”. This was probably my favorite of the things to do in San Francisco! We had some friends who live locally tell us about it and it really felt like you were a part of the community there and it wasn’t too touristy. They have a ton of food trucks plus bar tents and a little concert stage where there were performances happening. It only goes from March – October though because of weather just FYI.
The food was amazing! We got fresh squeezed lemonade where they make it right in front of you, the BEST hot chicken sandwich I have ever had (not kidding), and some super tasty mini doughnuts. I would have loved to try more but I was too full.
Chinatown – fortune cookies
Our last stop of the day was to head over to Chinatown to see fortune cookies made! This is such a fun and special thing to do because they let you write your own fortune and put it in a cookie. Such a great gift or way to surprise someone with exciting news. When you head to Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company its located on Ross but its a small street like an alley so make sure you don’t miss it. Oh and they let you sample them too which may be the best part.
Our last morning on my way out we stopped at Blue Bottle Coffee because I had heard so many things about it. It did not disappoint!
We stayed at the Intercontinental San Francisco. We picked this location mainly for work purposes since it was close to where my husband had to go. But it turned out to be a good spot for walkable restaurants, shopping and jumping on the cable car. I also really enjoyed the hotel and room. It was a perfect little stay.
We had such a great time and there are so many more things to do in San Francisco in addition to what we did. But we sure packed a lot into one weekend.
