I think when people imagine a picture of California, they see palm trees, girls in shorts eating ice cream, while listening to the OC theme song California by Phantom Planet – or at least that’s what I had in mind after all those years of binge-wathing the OC. However, Southern California is only part of the charm – a part I’ve yet to see for myself. But there’s also San Francisco and the Bay Area, a huge chunk of Northern California that has so much to offer, and a place you definitely shouldn’t miss!
We spent 5 + 2 days there, so I thought I’d share our itinerary with you guys, with tips on what sights I’d add if I had some extra time on my hand.
Where to stay & how to get around – a few disclaimers and tips
- San Francisco is definitely a great base for a NorCal trip, every place included in this itinerary can be reached within 2 hours.
- Instead of San Francisco, we stayed in Oakland, but it was rather by luck than choice as we were housesitting for a friend.
- Moreover, she let use her car while we were there, so it made getting around really easy and fairly cheap. We used the car for sightseeing in San Francisco as well, so other than riding the famous cable cars, we didn’t use any public transportation.
- When you rent a car, make sure it has a built-in Fastrak, otherwise you’ll have to stop at every gate and pay the bridge tolls one by one which is not really convenient when you have so much to see and do!
Day 0: Are you having fun in the Bay Area?
– asked the scary-looking but really nice cashier lady at the Safeway we first drove to after arriving to Oakland.
She wondered where we were from (if you don’t have a Safeway card, they know you must be from somewhere else, because it’s just too good not to use) and when we said Hungary, we added Europe as well, because otherwise the answer would have been something like ’Good for you’.
This was the end of Day 0, following our arrival at SFO and a never-ending Lyft ride to Oakland, where a cute apartment and Tigris the cat awaited us. When you’re looking for alternatives for a taxi ride, I’d definitely recommend downloading the Lyft app – it’s the Uber of the West Coast, so you might know why it’s more convenient than waiting in line to get a cab.
As it was pretty late in the afternoon when we got there, and we didn’t really know our way around Oakland, we opted for dinner at an In’N’Out (I know, I know) and bought some breakfast staples for the upcoming days – that’s how we ended up in the above-mentioned Safeway. I’ll write more about Oakland later, but for now, let’s go to sleep because tomorrow’s gonna be a long day!
Day 1: The highlights of San Francisco, Part I
Originally, we wanted to start our day hiking in Muir Woods National Monument, but we didn’t really plan ahead – BIG MISTAKE. Seriously, a quick Google search would have informed us that entering the area is only allowed upon online reservation – for the available time slots, see: https://gomuirwoods.com
Since Muir Woods is a 45-min/1-hour drive from Oakland, it took us the whole morning to get there, realize we cannot enter, then activate plan B and head back to San Francisco. For a smoother start, I’d recommend planning your whole day in SF and going to Muir Woods some other time when you want to get out of the city – as you’ll see we did a few days later!
Coming back from Muir Woods, our first stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. I did my fair share of research on the best spots near the GGB, and we ended up choosing the following two: Horseshoe Bay (Battery Yates and the Monroe Road Pier) and later on, Baker Beach. If you have more time, you could go all the way up to Battery Spencer for an even more dramatic view, but for us, the view from Battery Yates and the Monroe Road Pier was amazing as it was – the latter is also great when you want to see some seals! To reach both vantage points on foot, you can park on Sommerville Road for free.
Since you’re already there, why not drive across the bridge itself? This will get you to the Presidio district of San Francisco, where you can visit Crissy Field or the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center for more information and incredible views of the bridge.
As we were already pretty hungry though, we headed straight to Outer Richmond and had lunch at Hard Knox Cafe on Clement Street that included a Chicken ‘n’ Waffle, a Fried Chicken Pot Pie, a Juicy Lucy sandwich and a Jambalaya Pasta. Southern Style Cooking in San Francisco? Yes, please. If you end up going to Hard Knox Cafe, I’d recommend taking a stroll through Little Russia as well for its architecture, and only then going to Baker Beach.
Baker Beach can get pretty busy on a sunny day, as it was the case when we got there, but once you sit down in the sand, you can easily lose track of time. Spend the whole afternoon here, if you have more time on your hand, or stay for an hour and then head back to the car to do some more sightseeing as we did.
Our last stop for the day – or so we thought – was Alamo Square, a place I’m sure you’ll all recognize from postcards or from TV if you watched Full House growing up. The Painted Ladies were really charming, and the view of the city from the park was not bad either! Stay here for a while if you can, or wander around the nearby streets, it’s well worth the miles!
If you have more time on your hand, I’d recommend visiting the following areas:
- Castro District / Castro Street
- Japantown
- Haight-Ashbury and Buena Vista Park (also great views of the city!)
We took my parents back to Oakland after Alamo Square, and this could have been the end of the day, but M and I really wanted to see Twin Peaks, so we headed back to SF just in time for golden hour. It was definitely the best part of the day, and if I could only recommend one must-see sight from Day 1, it would be Twin Peaks! Also, it’s just a short drive/ 30-min walk if you are in the Haight-Ashbury area, so it would be a shame to skip it!
Day 2: The highlights of the Pacific Coast Highway: Monterey Bay and Big Sur
The best of the PCH is included in this daytrip: Monterey Bay, Carmel-by-the-Sea and Big Sur. Buckle up!
Our first stop along the way was the 17-mile-drive that stretches between Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. This is a private route, so you’ll have to pay 10 USD to enter. Along the way, you’ll see some of the most stunning landscapes, including Spanish Bay, Point Joe, the Lone Cypress and the Ghost Tree, among others. Take your time, the scenery is beautiful and the seals, squirrels and birds will make you want to stay all day.
If you’re up for a fancy meal, have lunch at one of the restaurants of Pebble Beach Resorts. Since we wanted something more laid-back that day, we headed back to Monterey and tried some of the delicious fish dishes at The Fish Hopper. Visiting Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea has been a dream of mine since binge-watching Big Little Lies, so I was really excited to see all this and even more as we continued our way further down South towards Big Sur.
Now this day could be the day to see all that Big Sur has to offer (e.g. Pfeiffer Beach and McWay Falls, or you could even add an extra day by staying the night somewhere in the area. We had to compromise on both, as we were with my parents whose roadtrip limit we reached right after leaving Monterey. We only drove along Big Sur until the Bixby Creek Bridge, but still, the view was breathtaking! Since both M and I are US-enthusiasts, we knew it wouldn’t be our last time in California, so saying no to the rest of Big Sur was not even that big of a deal.
Day 3: The highlights of San Francisco, Part II
On Day 3, riding the cable car dominated our morning. We parked our car at the Hyde Beach Garage, grabbed a chai latte at the nearby Starbucks, and prepared ourselves for the long wait ahead at the Hyde St end of the Hyde & Powell St line. Get there as early in the morning as possible, you’ll spend about 45 mins in line at the least!
Even for us who use trams in Europe all the time, riding the cable car was really fun. It was my dad’s biggest wish aside from seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, so we made sure we had plenty of time to enjoy it. The one-way ride takes around 20 mins (and costs 7 USD), but by the time we got to Powell St, it was high time we had some lunch. Not having anything in mind, we headed to Nordstrom and up to the top floor, where we enjoyed a delicious pasta dish at Bazille with views over Market St.
Once again, we got in line at Powell St to head back to Fisherman’s Wharf, but the wait was much worse due to the amount of tourists and noise. I’d definitely recommend starting at Hyde St if you want to have a more relaxing experience. While the others were in line, I even took a quick detour to the nearby Sephora to escape all that crowd!
For my parents, the end of the cable car ride meant the end of the day, but once we took them home, we headed back to explore some new parts of the city. We started at Union Square, so if you don’t mind a longer day, you could skip the return ride with the cable car and continue your walk right from Powell St.
Our afternoon/evening stroll included the following:
- Union Square
- California St (pictured above)
- Chinatown
- Columbus Ave – City Lights Booksellers & Publishers (my favorite in town!)
- In’N’Out Burger back in Oakland – not part of the stroll, but we ended our day here to get some comfort food. Yum!
Day 4: Napa Valley & San Francisco Part III
Napa Valley was high on our bucket list, and initially we planned on staying the night. While doing my research though, I realized that one of us would have to drive back from the wineries to the B&B anyways, so why not go all the way back to Oakland? It was easier, and the road trip itself didn’t take long, so even if you’re short on time, know that a day trip is absolutely possible!
I chose two wineries with different characters: V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena for the old and classic, and Luna Vineyards along the Silverado Trail for the modern and chic. Booking in advance is recommended, although I’m pretty sure you could just pop by and get a glass of wine without reservation.
At V. Sattui Winery, you can choose from a wide range of tasting experiences depending on your preferences. We went to the Marketplace Tasting, which included 5 of their vintage and estate wines and cost 20 USD per person. The property itself is gorgeous and enormous, and they regularly do BBQ in the garden, so after the tasting, we grabbed a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc (and then bought some Merlot, Shiraz and Family Red) and some honey glazed barbecue ribs, and enjoyed the nice summer weather. Beware the gift shop though, you’ll want to take home everything they offer as they are seriously good! (We opted for a Napa Valley map chopping board and a mug that legitimizes day-drinking for me. Just saying.)
Around 2 PM, we continued our wine tour at Luna Vineyards in Napa. Most of the wineries close around 5 PM, so plan accordingly if you only have a day in Napa Valley. Luna Vineyards is a smaller, family-owned winery, with award-winning Pinot Grigio, that’s why we chose them. The Estate Tasting cost 30 USD per person and included 5 of their selected items. We enjoyed the laid-back yet chic vibe, and Matt our somelier was very knowledgeable. In comparison, however, the items we tasted in V. Sattui were more to our liking.
For us, that was all for the Napa Valley day trip, but if you can squeeze in an extra day here, I’d definitely recommend staying in the area to do some more wine tasting and consider the Sonoma Valley for the pastime.
After a short stop in Oakland, we continued the ritual of our evening stroll in San Francisco. This time, all I wanted was to see ‘some cute houses‘. We ended up on Lombard St, followed by a walk along Chestnut St, Larkin St, Polk St and Green St. We definitely found cute houses, and some of the views even included Alcatraz Island and Coit Tower. A very photogenic area indeed!
Day 5: Muir Woods, Point Reyes National Seashore, Oakland & Stanford University
Learning from our own mistakes, we reserved a time slot at Muir Woods National Monument for our last full day in the Bay Area. The parking fee is 8.50 USD per vehicle, and there’s also a 15 USD-per-person entrance fee. Visiting Muir Woods could easily be the only activity for the day, but we only spent the morning here, not wandering too far from the main path. The monument preserves one of the last remaining redwood forests in the area, and I’d recommend a visit even when you’re only planning a solely urban weekend in San Francisco!
For full disclosure, if we had two extra days, we would have probably opted for a trip to Yosemite National Park and may have skipped Muir Woods, but with only 5 days in the area, it was still a dream! There’s always a next time, and I hope Yosemite will be waiting for our return.
From Muir Woods, it was a 1-hr drive to Point Reyes National Seashore, so obviously, we couldn’t miss it. Our first stop was at the Point Reyes Shipwrecks in Inverness:
To be honest, I had no idea this was something worth seeing until M showed me some pictures, and maybe I wouldn’t have gone for solely this view. But when he told me about the Cypress Tree Tunnel, which was our second stop, I knew the extra miles would be worth it. Just look at this place:
After exhausting ourselves with this trip, we decided to head back straight to Oakland, and treat ourselves with some late lunch at Belcampo Meat Co. It’s a restaurant and butcher shop, serving the finest quality California-raised meat – their Belcampo burger and Steak Carrottes are seriously the best!
After lunch, we walked over to Jack London’s Cabin in Jack London Square, and had a sneak peak into Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, a bar that’s been serving sailors and locals since 1884. Since my dad is a huge Jack London-fan, he really enjoyed seeing his cabin’s replica, along with a wolf statue in front of it, and it’s definitely something I would recommend visiting if you are in town!
As we still had some time left of the day, M and I headed to Palo Alto, to visit Stanford University. I know, we are probably crazy, but we got there just in time to roam the Stanford Bookstore, buy some memorabilia, and then take a walk around campus. It’s beautiful, but for us it felt like we visited a Latin American spiritual resort and not a university. Weird, huh?
Day 6: Alcatraz Island and saying goodbye
On our last day in the Bay Area, we only planned a visit to Alcatraz Island, as it took half a day to do and we also had to make it to the airport in the late afternoon.
Now this we had to plan ahead, we bought our tickets a month in advance, and this was our last chance as the calendar didn’t let us choose a closer date anyway. We selected the Alcatraz and Angel Island Green Tour at Alcatraz Cruises – the combined ticket costs 78 USD but you can skip the Angel Island tour if you want to head back to SF any time of the day – the return ride is included with your ticket even if you’re not going with your initial group. Make sure you buy your ticket to the Green group though, as the Yellow group starts at Angel Island.
Without ruining the adventure, let me tell you that the tour is incredibly informative and it’s narrated by former inmates and guards, which just gave me goosebumps. Also, one of the last former inmates alive, who wrote a book on his years in Alcatraz (he was there for tax evasion), was doing a book-signing, so we bought his book and waited in line to meet him. We didn’t want a photo, but M asked him what he remembered the most of his years in Alcatraz and he said “The friends I made here“.
This trip to Alcatraz Island marked the end of our week in Northern California, and soon we headed back to SFO. It was definitely a jam-packed week, but I think we made the most of it! By sharing our itinerary, I hope I could help you plan your own trip to the Bay Area. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions, I’m available here and also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travelifesto/