Where to stay in San Francisco
Are you looking for accommodation in San Francisco and you feel a little bit lost? In our post about where to stay in San Francisco we answer all your questions! You''ll're goint to find the 5 best areas with pros and cons of each, recommended hotels, and a super-detailed map. We also tell you which areas to avoid!
If you want to get straight to the point, you can find all the accommodations in San Francisco here, but below are our five favorite hotels in the city for their good value for money:
Things to do in San Francisco in 2 days
It's time to see the best of San Francisco in 48h! The days would be organized as follows, but later on we'll give you the details of each day with public transportation options in San Francisco and a map:
- Day 1: Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, Lombard Street, Chinatown and Union Square
- Day 2: Golden Gate Bridge, Alamo Square, Haight-Ashbury and El Castro
🧐 Do you have more or less time? Take a look at Things to Do in San Francisco in 24h or this 3-day San Francisco Itinerary.
2-day San Francisco Itinerary: Day 1
Start your itinerary in style by visiting Alcatraz Prison. To see the most feared prison in the world, where Al Capone was once prisoner, head to Pier 33. This pier is the only place where ferries depart for Alcatraz Island. To get there, you can take the F cable car or one of the buses that stop here.
💡Recommended: How to get around San Francisco |Complete transportation guide|
Based on the fact that you're going to take the standard tour, taking into account the ferry ride and the time it takes to explore the prison, you'll need around 3 hours. Remember to book in advance (especially in high season) through the official website, as this is the cheapest way to do so. Know more in our Ultimate Guide to Visit Alcatraz.
After the tour, walk to Fisherman's Wharf, the oldest part of the harbor and the liveliest and most touristy area of San Francisco. There're some sights you can't miss, such as the USS Pampanito submarine, the SS Jeremiah O'Brien ship, and the sea lion colony at Pier 39. Their sounds are unforgettable!
You can also visit the Musée Mécanique, which is free and has lots of old arcade machines. They are all still working if you put some coins in them, so it's like going back to your childhood.
🍲We're sure you're hungry by now, and Fisherman's Wharf is the perfect place to eat. The star dish is clam chowder, a soup served in a bread bowl that is also typical of other cities such as Seattle. You'll find several places where taste it, although Chowder's is one of the most popular. Another very famous restaurant is Bubba Gump, with its breaded shrimp and fish and chips. Otherwise, there are many other restaurants!
You are a 15-minute walk from Lombard Street, San Francisco's most popular street due to its zigzag incline. To see this exact spot, you must go to the intersection of Hyde St and Leavenworth St. Take advantage of the opportunity to stop by Ghirardelli Square on the way. Did you know that here you'll find the best chocolate in the city? 🍫
From here, we recommend taking one of the oldest forms of transportation in the United States: the Cable Car. You can catch the Powell & Hyde line right on Lombard Street (at the top of it). This line offers the best views of the three, and you'll enjoy a ride with great scenery as you cross the Nob Hill neighborhood, which is located on one of San Francisco's large hills.
Get off at any of the stops in Chinatown and stroll through one of San Francisco's most charming neighborhoods. Home to the second largest Chinese community in the country, it has a lively atmosphere, with buildings decorated with lanterns, shops selling traditional products, restaurants, dragon-adorned streetlights, and monumental entrance gates such as the Dragon Gate.
End your tour at Union Square, the heart of the city and the shopping district par excellence, as well as one of the best areas to stay in San Francisco. Department stores such as Macy's and other shops await you around Powell St and Stockton St. If you go to the intersection of Powell St and Market St, you can see the turnaround of the Cable Car: two men push hard to turn the direction 180º, so that it can continue its journey.
2-day San Francisco Itinerary: Day 2
Today is a big day! You're going to see the Golden Gate Bridge up close 🤗 Get up early to head to San Francisco's most iconic landmark! You can take the bus and get off at the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center (the Visitor Center with a viewing platform) or go to Golden Gate Beach (a beach with beautiful views next to Crissy Field).
If you have the time and inclination, you can cross the bridge on foot, as there is a dedicated pedestrian lane. On the other side, several spectacular viewpoints await you, such as Battery Spencer.
💡If you decide to cross the Golden Gate Bridge with a rental car, remember that there is no toll to leave San Francisco in the direction of Sausalito, but there is a toll to re-enter. The price is $9.25, and if you're traveling with a rental car, check with your company to find out how to pay this toll (through their FasTrak account or by making the payment yourself online).
Once you've finished photographing it from every angle, we suggest heading to Alamo Square. To get there, you'll need to take two buses, catching the first one in the Palace of Fine Arts area and transferring at the intersection of Lombard St and Fillmore St. 🚕 If not, Uber is always an option!
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Once you arrive, walk towards Steiner St, where you'll find San Francisco's most famous Victorian houses: The Painted Ladies. There are other houses of this style in the area, but these are the ones that attract the most attention because they have appeared in films and TV series.
Next to the houses stands Alamo Square Park, a park from which you'll have a unique view of the Ladies with the city skyline behind them.
The next stop is one of the most original and psychedelic areas of San Francisco: the hippie neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury. A must-see when visiting San Francisco in 2 days! Walk there from Alamo Square and stroll down the main avenue in this area, Haight St. Along the way, you'll pass countless shops selling marijuana, stores with the most extravagant clothing, and very photogenic facades (like the one in the photo below). If you're hungry, there are plenty of restaurants here! 🤤
Haight-Ashbury is located next to one of San Francisco's most distinctive neighborhoods: El Castro. This is where your 2-day itinerary ends, exploring this area steeped in history and home to the city's LGBTQ community. 🌈 You'll soon notice that colorful crosswalks and flags adorn the streets, and that the ostentatious shop windows catch everyone's attention.
💡Recommended: What to See in El Castro: 10 must-sees
If you have time, nearby you'll find Mission Dolores (the oldest building in San Francisco) and Clarion Alley, an alleyway filled with street art.
We hope you enjoy all these things to see and do in San Francisco in 2 days!
