If you only have one day in SFO and especially if you are a first timer I would recommend taking one of the hop on hop off bus tours. I took the red route HOHO of big bus tours. Some people might argue that you can cover the places on your own too. I will list down the stops where I hoped off and explored so if you are up for it, can plan those spots without the bus too.
Also, it is very important to start your day early because you have lots to cover. The buses usually start at 9 am so try to catch one at the earliest. You can chose any of the stops to get on as per your stay location and buy the tickets on the bus itself. For the red route I paid 50$ per person for the single day tour.
Spots that I covered:
- Embarcadero Center – I started the tour from this spot. There’s a Bart stop just a few blocks away from the bus pick up point. Full of sky scrapers and large business complexes, you can see lot of suits walking around. Once you get on the bus, the commentator of the tour will tell you about various buildings and the effect of 1906 earthquake around that area. It gives a general feel of the busy and fast running city.
- Union square – Name any fashion label and you can find a shop here. There is a beautiful park in the center of all these shopping hubs. If you do not want to shed huge number of bills, just take a walk around the park streets, do people watching, take a cable card ride and enjoy the vibe.
- Haight Ashbury – The house to 1960s hippies and the birth of the hippie culture is right here. Victorian homes, high end boutiques, chic cafes, collectibles shops, anything & everything related to music shops, amazing graffiti and whatnot.
- Golden gate north bridge – This doesn’t need an introduction. One of SFO’s most popular spot and an engineering marvel. Take as many photos, just look at it for a while and appreciate the beauty. I was jumping with excitement when the bus went on the bridge. If you have more than one day, biking on the bridge is highly recommended. Check the video here.
- Pier 39 fisherman’s wharf – Another famous touristy place. This was the last stop in the last red route bus so you can get down here in the evening. Lots of restaurants along the waterfront, a little pricey though. Good for taking a walk especially with all the lights during the late hours. You can see seals down the pier. From one end it has a good view of the city bay lights.
- Lombard street – The crooked street you saw in one of the Hitchcock’s movies. The bus will just pass through the area so you need to hop off here to see the windy street and take some pictures.
Though the day will be pretty much done with above spots but if you still have time or planned to skip some of the above locations, here are some more that you can explore.
7. Chinatown – I think this is one of the biggest Chinatowns in the States. It is a predominant Chinese neighborhood and has lots of Chinese restaurants, souvenir shops, bars.
8. Golden gate park – This is a huge park and can easily take up half a day if you try to cover it all. It has museums, hiking and walking trails, many hidden statues. These statues are pretty interesting and you should read up about them here or any of the sites and check some of them out.
Again there’s a lot to see and you need to pick what excites you the most. Big no no to “Too much in too less.”
Happy travelling.
xoxo
Miss Weary Shoes 