Perfect Day in San Francisco

A perfect day in San Francisco would include Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Haight-Ashbury, and the California Academy of Sciences.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San FranciscoThe Golden Gate Bridge

There’s no doubt that some of San Francisco’s top sights are the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Haight-Ashbury, and the California Academy of Sciences. Your perfect day in San Francisco would include all of these, but can you fit them all into one day? You’re about to find out.

Tip: Wear comfortable shoes.

Perfect Day in San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge

You should start your perfect day with the Golden Gate Bridge. Not only is it the one thing you really must see when visiting San Francisco, but also the walking and cycle path that crosses the bridge opens really early. Aim to get there after you’ve had your breakfast, to give any morning fog the chance to start dispersing. 

Tip: Get a Visitor Passport, which includes public transport rides, the day before. You can get them for one day, three days, or seven days.

How you get to the Golden Gate Bridge depends where you’re staying, of course, but there are several buses that will take you there. Check out the schedules and maps here, and see our page of photos of the Golden Gate Bridge here. Hop on a bus back towards the city that will take you to Fisherman’s Wharf to catch the ferry to Alcatraz Island.

Our Pick of the Guides

Lonely-Planet-San-Francisco-2023.png

Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz

There’s plenty to do at Fisherman’s Wharf so don’t worry if there’s a wait for the next ferry. They depart every 30 or 60 minutes, depending on the day, so even if you have an hour to wait you won’t be bored!

There are buskers, sea lions at Pier 39, a mechanical museum, ships you can tour… and clam chowder to eat! By the time you’ve seen Alcatraz you might be ready for lunch, so grab some clam chowder then.

Alcatraz Prison in San FranciscoAlcatraz Prison

The ferries to Alcatraz go from Pier 33 and you should allow 2-3 hours for the whole trip, including travel time. There’s plenty to see on the island, and whatever you do don’t miss the audio tour of the prison itself. We were amazed how good it was, and the stories you hear.

You can also take an organized tour that will show you round the island. Whichever you choose, your perfect day in San Francisco is off to a pretty good start.

Haight-Ashbury

You can get from Fisherman’s Wharf to Haight-Ashbury in several different ways using the Caltrain, trams and buses, and you should only need to change once. Make sure you have a good city map, of course. 

Read our page about the amazing Magic Bus tours!

Logo for the Magic Bus music tour of San FranciscoHey - the Magic Bus!

In Haight-Ashbury you’ll just want to wander round and get a feel for the place, but don’t miss the Painted Ladies, one of the city’s most famous row of buildings. When San Francisco was the home of flower power back in the 1960s, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane all lived at various times in some of these beautiful houses.

California Academy of Sciences

Bird in a tree at the California Academy of SciencesCalifornia Academy of Sciences

From Haight-Ashbury you can get one of several buses to take you to the California Academy of Sciences. If it’s a fine day you could also walk it in about 30 minutes. It’s open every day of the year till 5pm (Thursdays 10pm) but make sure you’re there by 4pm, the last time for entries.

Tip: Buy your ticket in advance – it’s cheaper!

By now it’s probably mid-afternoon so should be good timing and you can spend 1-2 hours in the Academy. It has an aquarium, planetarium, even an indoor rain forest. You could spend at least half a day here and not get bored.

Chinatown

Take the Caltrain from near the Academy to the Montgomery stop, from where it’s a short walk into Chinatown. We suggest leaving Chinatown till last so you can have dinner in one of the district’s brilliant Chinese restaurants, a fitting finale to the perfect day in San Francisco.

Red lanterns in San Francisco's ChinatownSan Francisco's Colorful Chinatown

Where to Stay in San Francisco

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