This guide of what to see in San Francisco in one day It will help you organize the routes on your first or only day in the city, making the most of your time.
The first thing you should keep in mind is that you have only 24 hours, it is a short time to get to know San Francisco, although it is also true that with a well organized and optimized route, you can visit some of the main points of interest such as the Golden Gate and have a first vision of one of the most beautiful cities in the United States.
In addition, San Francisco is a European-style city with low-rise buildings that occupy a large area and large slopes, which will make it necessary to combine public transport with walking routes.
Based on the 4 days we spent in the city, during our trip through the National Parks of the Western United States, we have made this guide to get to know the best of San Francisco in one day. We start!
How to get from San Francisco airport to downtown
San Francisco has a large international airport located 20 kilometers south of the city, with 4 terminals connected by a free elevated train called Air Train.
The best means of transportation to transfer to the center or to your hotel are:
- Meter: The yellow BART line will take you from the International Terminal to several downtown stops (Civic Center, Powell Street, Montgomery Street and Embarcadero) in 30 minutes for about $ 9.
- Bus: lines 292, 398, KX and 397 (night) of the SamTrans will take you to several downtown stops (Union Square) in one hour for $ 2.25.
- Private transport: When booking a direct transfer a driver will be waiting for you at the exit of the terminal and will take you directly to your hotel.
- Cab: The price of a taxi to the center is about 55 dollars.
For more information on the transfer you can check this post on how to go from San Francisco airport to downtown.
Recommended accommodation
Our recommended hotel to make a route through San Francisco in one day It is the Grant Hotel, which has good communication with the airport being located 5 minutes walk from Union Square and a few meters from a tram stop.
In addition to its excellent location to tour the entire city, the hotel has parking and a good quality / price ratio, something essential in a city where accommodation is quite expensive.
Tips for traveling to San Francisco
Following this list of recommendations can help you in your first contact with the city:
- Complete this list of things to see and do in San Francisco essential.
- Remove the ESTA from this official page that costs $ 14, at least 3 days before entering the United States. Remember that lately there are many websites that hide after deceptive titles and carry out this procedure for more than 80 dollars when it is something that you can do directly online and for only 14 dollars. Before following any link, even a blog recommendation, check that it is really the official page.
- Book a free tour of San Francisco Free! With a guide in Spanish to learn about the history of the city and not miss anything important in the center.
- Bring adapters for type A / B plugs.
- Taking the best travel insurance for the United States, in a country where medical services are very expensive, can cost a simple visit to the doctor 500 dollars and several thousand for any operation, we believe it is essential. We always travel insured with Mondo And he has always been the best travel companion.
- If you only have one day it may be a good option to book the tourist bus, which stops at the main attractions of the city and has comments in Spanish.
- 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.
For more recommendations you can consult this post of tips to travel to San Francisco essential.
What to see in San Francisco in one day
The route of what to see in San Francisco in one day It starts arriving early in the Golden Gate, the great icon of the city. This 227 meter high bridge that crosses San Francisco Bay, can be seen from several viewpoints scattered around it and although you can reach the Golden Gate by bus or bike, the best option if you want to see the bridge from different Prospects without wasting much time, is to use a rental car.
If you do not have a car and you only have one day, we recommend you stop alone at the Battery East viewpoint and walk a part of the bridge.
Golden Gate from Battery East
If you have a car or more days, you can cross the entire bridge and climb a small hill on the left, where Battery Spencer, our favorite viewpoint of the city.
After making hundreds of photos of this vermilion orange bridge, you will head to Pier 33, from where boats leave to Alcatraz Island where the most famous prison in the world is located, remembering that to visit it it is necessary to book the entrance well in advance on this official page or book this city tour that includes the visit, if you don't want to run out of space.
The total time of the visit to the jail including the transfer by boat is usually between 2 and 3 hours and during the tour of the jail with audio guide in Spanish, you will see the halls, courtyards and cells of the most famous prisoners, such as the one was Al Capone or that of the prisoner who escaped and on which the film was based "The escape of Alcatraz", starring Clint Eastwood.
Alcatraz island
After the visit to Alcatraz Island, the San Francisco in one day Continue with the visit to Fisherman's Wharf, the old port and fishing district. But before starting a route through this area we recommend you approach one of the many places that serve the clam chowder, one of the most typical dishes of the city. Although if you feel more like sitting down to eat in a restaurant, we recommend the crabs from the Crab House, the delicious In-N-Out burgers or the prawns cooked in different ways from Bubba Gump, in which you can also make yourself outside a photo in a reproduction of the bank that came out in the movie Forrest Gump.
Fisherman's wharf
After this stop to eat and before continuing to discover the Fisherman's Wharf neighborhood, you can approach the 64-meter Coit Tower, one of the best viewpoints in the city, which closes at 5 pm to get off the tower heading towards Pier 39, going down the Filbert Street stairs and passing the beautiful Napier Lane.
Pier 39 is the best known in the city as it has a colony of sea lions that usually sleep on wooden planks and where there is also an outdoor shopping center with several souvenir shops that will take you to another time.
Pier 39 at Fishermans's Wharf
The next interesting pier in the neighborhood is Pier 45, where the USS Pampanito submarine and the SS Jeremiah O'Brien ship, which participated in World War II, are docked. As a curiosity you can enter the Musée Mecanique for free, to see the large collection of recreational machines of all time.
The walk through Fisherman's Wharf ends up going through the Hyde Street Pier and having a delicious chocolate ice cream in the recommended Ghirardelli, one of our favorites in the city.
The route through San Francisco in one day Continue on a historic tramway of more than 150 years to reach Lombard Street, the most winding street in the United States, with eight sharp bends and a 27-degree drop that is another of the city's essentials.
Lombard Street
A 10-minute walk from this street is Little Italy or North Beach, a small neighborhood with numerous colorful Victorian houses, graffiti, shops and Italian restaurants where you can start an itinerary through the neighborhood from Columbus Avenue to Broadway Street, Stopping for a while to rest in the relaxing Washington Square, where on one of the sides you can't miss the church of San Pedro and San Pablo, where Marilyn Monroe married baseball player Joe DiMaggio.
Following Columbus Avenue you will reach the Columbus Tower, one of the most beautiful buildings in San Francisco, with a certain resemblance to the New York Flatiron and a few meters away from the amazing Transamerica Pyramid, the second tallest skyscraper in the city.
Columbus Tower
Without realizing it, the route will take you to Chinatown at sunset, a good time to see this neighborhood where one of the most numerous Chinese communities in the world lives, at which time the posters of Chinese restaurants and stores will begin to light up, the red lanterns that adorn the streets, while the street activity becomes more frantic.
Some of the most essential places in Chinatown are Grant Avenue, Stockton Street, Dragon Gate and Portsmouth Square, a place where tai chi is practiced and locals play Chinese chess and other board games.
Chinatown
Another more comfortable option for this day and with which you will know better the history of the city is to book this complete tour with guide in Spanish by minibus.
To finish the San Francisco route in one dayIf you don't like Chinese food very much, we advise you to return to Litle Italy to eat a good pasta or soup with seafood at Sotto Mare Oysteria & Seafood or a delicious pizza at Tony's Pizza Napoletana.
If you have more time you can follow this San Francisco guide in two days.
Map of the route through San Francisco in one day
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
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
San Francisco guide in two days
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
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here
San Francisco guide in two days
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
