Kiwi_cruiser Posted December 9, 2014 #1 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Has anyone here been to San Francisco before?? We are flying to San Francisco to join the Queen Elizabeth. I have never been to San Francisco before, and it has been a while since I have been in the USA ( I think the last time I was in the USA was between 1995 and 1999!!). What would you recommend doing in San Francisco?? We got 3 - 4 days there before our cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
april_jb Posted December 9, 2014 #2 Share Posted December 9, 2014 We did Alcatraz . Nice trip out on the boat and interesting history. We went late afternoon so daylight out the and night while on the island- great seeing San Fran at night from the island. Good idea to pre book before you get there we booked before leaving australia about 4weeks out. Can do this via the web site a as it's very popular. Must catch the cable cars and China Town in San Fran is great (good for cheap souvenirs) Fishermans Wharf is good too. And view Golden Gate Bridge from the park at the city end. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckl001 Posted December 9, 2014 #3 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Has anyone here been to San Francisco before?? We are flying to San Francisco to join the Queen Elizabeth. I have never been to San Francisco before, and it has been a while since I have been in the USA ( I think the last time I was in the USA was between 1995 and 1999!!). What would you recommend doing in San Francisco?? We got 3 - 4 days there before our cruise. I was there earlier this year when I joined Queen Elizabeth. By the way it was a great cruise. while I was in SF I did a Napa valley wine tour which was great and I purchased a few bottles as no limit to take on board. Also spent some tine at fishermans wharf. A tour of Alcatraze is also great. You can do a cable car ride and check out lombard st. Just a few ideas. chez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gek Posted December 9, 2014 #4 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Another vote for the Alcatraz evening tour. Absolutely fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevelcqld Posted December 9, 2014 #5 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Hi I was in SF on a work trip and only had half a day free.. so did most of what ppl have said about.. The one thing I would do if I had time would be to sail on an americas cup yacht in SF bay. They depart next to Fishermans wharf.. its a must do on my next visit... when ever that will be!! Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpos Posted December 9, 2014 #6 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Go to Trip Advisor and look up San Francisco and you will get heaps of information and tips on visiting the city and surrounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bpos Posted December 9, 2014 #7 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Go to Trip Advisor and look up San Francisco - you will get heaps of information and tips there about visiting the city, what to see, hotel recommendations etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Big_M Posted December 9, 2014 #8 Share Posted December 9, 2014 San Fran is a fantastic city to visit, one of my favourite US ones. Great parks, museums, tourist areas, as well as Alcatraz and Golden Gate. It's easy to fill in a multi-day itinerary, with options changing with preferences. The cable car (get a Muni card or package which includes it), Pier 41, Coit Tower, Lombard St are all central options. But what you do on day trips is down to preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marking Time Posted December 9, 2014 #9 Share Posted December 9, 2014 We did the night tour of Alcatraz ( a good tip is to dress warmly as it is quite cool at night) loved the experience but do book well in advance as the tours book quite quickly. The Napa Valley wine tour is absolutely fantastic . Fishermans wharf is a must especially the Clam Chowder at Boudins and the sea lions at pier 39.We loved San Fransisco , enjoy:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greensteam Posted December 9, 2014 #10 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Alcatraz Fisherman's Wharf Maritime Museum Wax Museum Ripley's Believe It or Not Start out at Fisherman's Wharf and spread your wings San Francisco is a wonderful city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Kruzer Posted December 10, 2014 #11 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Rent a bike and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magiccruiser Posted December 10, 2014 #12 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Not sure when you will be visiting SF, but if you are here during the holidays it's beautiful! I live an hour away and always plan a day in the city to see the decorations in Union Square and do some shopping. If you are here between April and October, be sure to go to a baseball game at Pac Bell Park and see our 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Series Champions, the Giants! Even if you aren't a baseball fan, the views overlooking the bay are spectacular and you will get to hang out with the locals and try some famous garlic fries! Other than that, what everyone else mentioned (Fisherman's Wharf, China Town, Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz, the Palace of Fine Arts) are all good. You can also cross the Golden Gate Bridge and spend a nice day in Tiburon in Marin County too if you have a car for cute shops and good seafood. You don't need a car in San Francisco, use taxis, buses, BART, or just walk. There are great plays, comedy clubs, and local neighborhood bars for great night life too. Whatever you do, you will have a great time in "The City" (just don't ever call it Frisco, the locals hate that!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Australian family Posted December 10, 2014 #13 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Maybe also consider visiting Yosemite National Park, which I believe can be done as a day trip. Also look at doing the Coastal 17* Mile Drive as a day trip. This is a very scenic drive and very comparable to the Great Ocean Road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadySam1968 Posted December 10, 2014 #14 Share Posted December 10, 2014 If you like wine and will have a car for those days Napa and Sonoma are great for wine. Monterrey is just a short drive. Depending on time of year San Francisco can be very, very cold. Even in the middle of our summer it can be chilly enough to require a light jacket or sweater. Winter it can be foggy and frigid, so please keep that in mind. I hope you enjoy your visit. Try Chinatown if you get a chance. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimHam4 Posted December 10, 2014 #15 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Maybe also consider visiting Yosemite National Park, which I believe can be done as a day trip Yosemite is between three and four hours away one way. Sent from my 831C using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboi Posted December 10, 2014 #16 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I'm another vote for Alcatraz. That is a must do. Fishermans wharf is great, but for something different, try Muir Woods which is just north of San Fran. It's a great place to visit and has some spectacular sights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oskarNZ Posted December 10, 2014 #17 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I agree that the touristy places like Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown are all very worthy of a visit. (Alcatraz was my personal favourite). In fact I would take that recommendation a step further and suggest that you only visit the touristy places. Many years back my husband and I attended an event in a slightly seedier part of town, and ended up in a situation that has unfortunately put us off ever returning to San Francisco. Our happy tourist bubble was burst on that trip. Despite that, I can see why so many tourists love the city and how it has so much to offer. Just make sure you do a bit of hill walking practice before you leave. The San Francisico streets are good for the calf muscles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miamia65 Posted December 10, 2014 #18 Share Posted December 10, 2014 The red hop on hop off bus tours are also good. We did a city tour and a Fishermans wharf/golden gate bridge tour. Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_cruiser Posted December 11, 2014 Author #19 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Depending on time of year San Francisco can be very, very cold. Even in the middle of our summer it can be chilly enough to require a light jacket or sweater. Winter it can be foggy and frigid, so please keep that in mind. I hope you enjoy your visit. We will be in San Francisco in Feb!, so I suspect it will be very cold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi_cruiser Posted December 11, 2014 Author #20 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Not sure when you will be visiting SF, but if you are here during the holidays it's beautiful! I live an hour away and always plan a day in the city to see the decorations in Union Square and do some shopping. We will be in San Francisco in February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker954 Posted December 11, 2014 #21 Share Posted December 11, 2014 You must walk down by fisherman's wharf, go to Pier 39 marina walk to the end of the pier and enjoy the seals. They are very entertaining. There are many restaurants in this area but its very touristy, but also very cool. If you have an extra day or two, my favorite is a trip to Muirwoods to see the huge redwoods; a visit to Sonoma or Napa valley. I believe there are tours that will do both muirwoods and either of the wine valleys. Alcatraz didn't interest me much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizziedi Posted December 11, 2014 #22 Share Posted December 11, 2014 We did the Napa Valley Wine Train - absolutely superb. They give exact directions on how to get there which involves an hour's ferry ride and they pick you up at the other side. http://winetrain.com/ Whatever you do, as others have said, San Francisco is a magnificent City. The other thing I would highly recommend is a walk down Haight Street. There is a huge warehouse at the end of the street (by memory) which stocks vinyls from the 60's. Cheers Di Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearlsz Posted December 11, 2014 #23 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Former San Fransican here. This thread is making me homesick! If you're there on a Sunday go to a service at Glide Memorial Church. Everyone welcome, fabulous music, and a message for everyone not just the "religious". See reviews on Tripadvisor for more info. Glide's in the Tenderloin so be aware of your surroundings but I always felt it was safe enough on Sunday morning. Signing off now to listen to the Glide podcast and plan my next visit.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taninaus Posted December 14, 2014 #24 Share Posted December 14, 2014 +1 for any of the Alcatraz tours - it is a fascinating place to visit and a great view of the bridge and city from the water. There is a Muir Woods & Sausalito tour that is well worth it - the woods are just amazing and if you are lucky you may see some wildlife. Sausalito is a quaint little town with lovely food places and shopping. Coit Tower on Telegraph hill is worth a visit as well (I think I got a bus to there), giving great views of the water and the city. Fisherman's market is entertaining, there was a place near the middle where bread was delivered by baskets on a cable - you can get the traditional clam chowder but as a non-seafood eater i got a tomato soup version. allow lots of time to wander this street as there is so much to see. if you are there on a weekend the markets on the waterfront (ferry building I think) are great to visit. also allow time to move out of the main town centre to places like Haight-Ashbury which is a very different feel. the tourist bus is a great way to get around - get a multi day pass. also buy a multi day pass for the cable cars to get around. if you are looking at accommodation - check the White Swan Inn - it was a great place to stay in 2010. check Tripadvisor to see if it still rates. it was a good B&B style venue although you need to be able to handle stairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NataliePrice Posted December 17, 2014 #25 Share Posted December 17, 2014 When we were there we hired bikes from a little bike hire place near Fishermans Wharf and we rode them along the pathway up to the Golden Gate Bridge, we rode half way across and then rode them back to town, up the hill and down crooked street! Forget the name! We had some clam chowder at Fishermans Wharf and Chinese in Chinatown! It was a wonderful day and yes we were in our 20's without kids so had lots of energy! Love San Francisco! The next day we hired a Mustang and drove out to Yosemite NP and had lunch in a little cafe in the valley again very beautiful! We lived in America then so we had lots of locals giving us suggestions! Good luck deciding so many wonderful itinerary ideas!! BrissyFamily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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