This guide of San Francisco in 3 days It has several routes on foot, by tram and boat, so you do not miss any important place in one of the essential cities of the United States.
During the first two days you will have visited the most interesting neighborhoods of San Francisco such as Castro, Fisherman's Wharf, Mission and Haight Ashbury, in addition to visiting the main tourist attractions such as Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate for this third day, we propose a route through the city center, a cruise on the bay and a visit to the beautiful town of Sausalito.
To design all the routes of the San Francisco in three days We have based ourselves on the four days we spent in the city during our trip through the National Parks of the Western United States in 25 days and by rental car.
Practical advice for San Francisco
This list of practical tips will help you prepare a trip to San Francisco:
- To get from the airport to downtown San Francisco or to your hotel, you have several options: subway, bus, taxi or this direct transfer to the hotel. For more information you have this post on how to go from San Francisco airport to downtown
- To sleep we recommend Grant Hotel, our accommodation during our stay in the city that in addition to an excellent quality / price ratio has a good connection with the points of interest of the city and the airport.
- At least 3 days before traveling to San Francisco you have to take out the ESTA, which costs $ 14 and allows you to enter the United States. Remember that it is very important to verify that you are doing it from the official website since in recent times there have been websites that are not the official ones and they do this procedure but for more than 80 dollars.
- As we always say, prevention is better than cure, and more in a country where the minimum medical operation can cost you more than $ 20,000. That is why it is essential to hire the best travel insurance for the United States, do not forget it!
- If it is your first time in the city it can be very interesting to book a free tour of San Francisco for free! or this more complete tour by minibus, both with a guide in Spanish.
- Check that you have completed this list of the 10 best things to see and do in San Francisco.
- Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot. You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
- If you want to have internet in San Francisco, a good option is to buy a Holafly SIM card, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, several GB of data, keeping your WhatsApp number and support service in Spanish. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader.
- If you are going to carry out several payment activities in the San Francisco in 3 days, it is advisable to check if they are included in the San Francisco Explorer Pass card or in the Go San Francisco Card, two cards with which you can save a lot of money.
For more recommendations you can consult this post of tips to travel to San Francisco essential.
First day in San Francisco
The first day of San Francisco in three days It starts early in the morning at the viewpoints of the fantastic Golden Gate, Battery East and Battery Spencer.
After taking hundreds of photos of this bridge, you will arrive by bus or car at Pier 33, from where the boats depart to visit Alcatraz, the famous San Francisco prison. Something very important to not run out of space, is to book in advance the entry on this official website or make this guided tour of the city with a guide in Spanish that includes the jail.
Alcatraz Jail
When returning from the visit to the island and before continuing with the visits, we recommend eating a soup clam chowder at any of the port's stalls or try one of these restaurants: In-N-Out, Bubba Gump or Crab House.
After eating, the San Francisco in 3 days Continue with the ascent to the Coit Tower viewpoint and the walk along Filbert Street and Napier Lane, before returning to the Fishermans's Wharf area, an old fishing district where we recommend you visit Pier 39 which has a large colony of sea lions , Pier 45 with several historic boats and the Musée Mecanique and then continue the route in Ghirardelli, where we assure you, you can try one of the best ice cream in the world.
Pier 39 at Fishermans's Wharf
After tasting that ice cream, near this area you can take the F line of the tram that stops at Lombard Street, the most winding street in the United States, which has become one of the essentials of the city and from where you can walk to the Little Italy neighborhood to tour Columbus Avenue full of Italian businesses and see the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, located in Washington Square.
In the final part of Columbus Avenue you will see the amazing Columbus Tower building and the skyscraper of the Transamerica Pyramid, before arriving in Chinatown.
In the Chinatown we recommend walking through Grant Avenue and Stockton Street, crossing the Dragon Gate and reaching the popular Portsmouth Square.
To finish in the best way this first day of San Francisco in 3 daysYou can dine at Tony's Pizza Napoletana or Sotto Mare Oysteria & Seafood, both located in Little Italy.
(Extended information of the first day's route here).
Map of the first day in San Francisco
Second day in San Francisco
The second day of San Francisco in 3 days start early in the morning taking a walk on Baker Beach with views of the Golden Gate and then approach the Golden Gate Park, which you can travel by bike or minibus, passing through the most charming places in the park, such as the garden Japanese or Shakespeare's.
The next stop on the route is the hippie neighborhood of Haight Ashbury, located a few meters from the east entrance of the park where you will see shops of all kinds, the old houses of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, venues with live music and numerous Victorian houses .
In addition to all these places, this neighborhood has several recommended restaurants such as Veganburg and Street Taco, in which we recommend you make a stop before continuing the route.
The afternoon begins with a visit to the Painted Ladies, the seven famous Victorian houses located in front of Alamo Square, where we are sure you will not stop taking photos and where you can enjoy a rest time in the beautiful park next to it.
See the Painted Ladies in San Francisco in two days
The next stop of San Francisco in 3 days It is the Mission Dolores parish, located in the Latin quarter of the Mission, which is the oldest building in the city. In addition to this building in the neighborhood you can see the graffiti of Balmy Alley, Clarion Alley, the mural of the Women's Building and the views of the city from Mission Dolores Park.
After this walk, we recommend you get to Castro, the city's gay neighborhood and with several points of interest such as 18th Street and its neighbors, the vindictive murals, the Castro Theater and the house where activist Harvey Milk lived.
After visiting this neighborhood and before nightfall, you can go by car or bus to Twin Peaks, the best viewpoint in the city. Going down this hill and if your hotel is near Union Square, you can dine at the Akiko's Sushi Bar or at the Hops and Hominy.
(Extended information of the route of the second day here).
Map of the route through San Francisco in 2 days
What to see in San Francisco in 3 days
The last day of what to see in San Francisco in 3 days It begins with a walk along the Market Street shopping street, which has a multitude of stores, the large Westfield Mall and an outlet like Marshall's and Ross Dress for Less.
Leaving Market St. on Polt Street you will arrive in a few minutes to the huge City Hall building that has the fifth largest dome in the world and was completely rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake. After visiting this building you can return to Market St. To get to Union Square, the most important square in San Francisco that is surrounded by historic buildings, art galleries, restaurants and large commercial stores such as Bloomingdale's and Macy's, the latter with good views of the square from its terrace.
The route of San Francisco in three days Continue at the old tram stop, Powell and Market, where you will see how they manually turn around an action that has become over time one of the attractions of the city that no tourist can miss.
Tram line F
In addition, for $ 2.50 each way or $ 5 per day, this historic F-line tram will take you to the Fisherman's Wharf jetty stop, going up and down steep slopes.
Upon arriving in this neighborhood, which you visited on the first day, you can go directly to Pier 43 1/2 to make this San Francisco Bay cruise for an hour and a half and that passes under the Golden Gate and with which you will enjoy another Incredibly attractive city perspective.
San Francisco Bay
At the end of the cruise we advise you to eat in the port area in one of the restaurants that we proposed the first day.
In the afternoon, the San Francisco in 3 days Continue with the visit to Sausalito, one of the oldest towns in California, located 10 miles from San Francisco. To get to Sausalito you can take a bus that takes more than an hour or this ferry that leaves Pier 41 that will leave you at the port of this coastal town in half an hour.
Once you arrive in this quiet and picturesque town you can take a walk along the main street Bridgeway with several original art galleries and shops or visit one of its other essentials such as the Main Dock houseboats and the Waldo Point Harbor area.
Sausalito
At sunset we advise you to take the ferry back to cross the bay while the sun sets and the city begins to light up and put the icing on it San Francisco in three days, tasting the fusion cuisine (Korean / American) in the Surisan restaurant or the clam chowder and the oysters au gratin from the Fog Harbor Fish House, both located in the Fisherman's Wharf area.
A more comfortable option for this day is to book this complete city tour that includes a visit to Sausalito or this day trip that includes Sausalito and the giant sequoia forest of Muir Woods, both by minibus and with a guide in Spanish.
If you have more days you can do some of the best excursions in San Francisco:
Map of the route through San Francisco in three days
Do you want to organize a trip to San Francisco?
Get it here:
The best offers of Flights to San Francisco here
The best hotels at the best prices in San Francisco here
San Francisco guide in one day
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Rent your car in the West of USA at the best price here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from San Francisco in Spanish here
Book your San Francisco Airport transfer here
The best offers of Flights to San Francisco here
The best hotels at the best prices in San Francisco here
San Francisco guide in one day
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
Rent your car in the West of USA at the best price here
Book the best tours and excursions in / from San Francisco in Spanish here
Book your San Francisco Airport transfer here
