A couple months ago I took a four day weekend to visit my college friend in San Francisco. It was the perfect weekend getaway! Here are some of the highlights of the trip.
- Length of trip: 3 days / 4 nights
- Where I stayed: with a friend!
- Top highlights:
- San Francisco Cable Car
- Muir Woods
- Sonoma / Napa Valley
- Land’s End Trail
- Painted Ladies / Alamo Square
- Haight-Ashbury district
Top Attractions to Visit:
San Francisco Cable Car – time spent: 30 minutes
We rode the Powell & Hyde Cable Car to Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. It was so fun and felt like something out of a movie! Instead of catching the streetcar at Powell St. & Market St. where there is a long line, get your ticket there and walk up Powell St. about two blocks to the next stop. You’ll save a ton of time. As you ride the cable car, check out the views down the side streets, especially the serpentining Lombard Street!
Muir Woods – time spent: 1 hour
After a fun day exploring San Francisco on Friday, we rented a car through Getaround and headed out of the city to see Muir Woods and wine country! If you are visiting for more than two full days, I’d definitely recommend getting out of the city to see one or both of these sights. Muir Woods was breathtaking. As a girl who loves trees, I was in heaven. You could send more than an hour here if you check out some of the longer trails, but an hour will allow you time to walk the main path and stand in awe of these amazingly, tall, beautiful trees.
Sonoma / Napa Valley – time spent: 5-6 hours
This is enough content to write a dedicated post about, which I will do at a later date! Overall, we visited three wineries and had an amazing time.
Land’s End Trail – time spent: 1.5 hours
This is an awesome trail right in the middle of the city. The path is carved out a hill along the shore. There are amazing views of the bay, ocean and Golden Gate Bridge! Take pictures and explore some of the side trails! This is a good activity to Uber too and from since the trail doesn’t wrap back around to the start.
Painted Ladies / Alamo Square – time spent: 1 hour
The Painted Ladies are the iconic San Francisco homes. While there will be many many tourists snapping photos, they are still fun to see and the Alamo Square is a fun place to visit even without these homes. We were there on a beautiful afternoon, so the square was full of people playing with their dogs, taking walks, and spending time with friends. We took some time to just sit in the park, relax, and enjoy the views of the city.
Haight-Ashbury district – time spent: 1 hour
The Haight-Ashbury district was the birthplace of hippie counterculture. The area is home to fun and interesting boutiques, bookstores, record stores, and restaurants and has a very unique feel. We almost didn’t come here, but were nearby on Sunday night and decided to check it out. I am glad we did!
San Francisco was definitely a great place to visit, and I can’t wait to come back someday!