5-Day San Francisco Itinerary

Arrive and ride BART downtown

Take BART from SFO to Powell Street in about 30 minutes, check in and drop your bags.

Union Square and Chinatown

Walk from Union Square through the Dragon Gate into Chinatown for dim sum, tea shops and temple-lined alleys.

Powell-Hyde cable car ride

Ride the Powell-Hyde line over Nob Hill and Russian Hill, past the top of Lombard Street, down to the bay.

Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square

Try clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl or Dungeness crab in season, then grab a sundae at Ghirardelli Square.

Alcatraz Island

Take an early ferry from Pier 33 (booked weeks ahead) and do the cellhouse audio tour narrated by former inmates and officers.

Pier 39 sea lions

Walk along the Embarcadero to Pier 39 to watch the sea lions lounging on the docks, especially active in winter and spring.

Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill

Climb the Filbert Steps through hillside gardens to Coit Tower for murals and a 360-degree view of the bay.

Dinner in North Beach

Settle into a classic Italian spot or cafe in North Beach, then browse City Lights, the landmark Beat-era bookstore.

Bike Crissy Field and the Palace of Fine Arts

Rent bikes near Fisherman's Wharf and pedal the flat waterfront path past the Marina and Crissy Field, with layers on for the wind.

Cross the Golden Gate Bridge

Ride or walk across the 1.7-mile span, then stop at Vista Point on the Marin side for photos back toward the city.

Sausalito waterfront

Coast downhill into Sausalito for lunch by the water, gallery browsing and a stroll toward the houseboats.

Ferry back at sunset

Load your bike onto a ferry back to the Ferry Building or Fisherman's Wharf, passing Alcatraz and the skyline as evening falls.

Drive north to wine country

Pick up a rental car or join a guided tour and head about 1 to 1.5 hours north to Napa or Sonoma.

First winery tasting

Start with a reserved tasting at a Napa Valley Cabernet producer or a relaxed Sonoma Pinot Noir estate.

Vineyard lunch and a second tasting

Have lunch in Yountville or on Sonoma Plaza, then enjoy one more tasting; two or three in a day is plenty.

Mission burrito dinner

Drive back to the city and refuel in the Mission District with a foil-wrapped burrito from a local taqueria.

Muir Woods redwoods

Use your parking or shuttle reservation to walk the boardwalk loop under 250-foot redwoods. No reservation? Drive to Half Moon Bay's bluffs instead.

Lunch in Mill Valley

Stop in the leafy town of Mill Valley for lunch at a cafe or bakery near its small downtown plaza.

Marin Headlands and Battery Spencer

Drive up to Battery Spencer for the postcard view looking down on the Golden Gate Bridge with the city behind it.

Sunset at Ocean Beach

Head back across the bridge to Ocean Beach or Lands End to watch the sun sink into the Pacific; bring a warm jacket.