7 Fascinating Sights to See in San Francisco

San Francisco is a very charming city!  I love its vibrancy, rich history, steep roads (but not for walking, of course), cute, vintage street cars, and stunning views. ♥  Best of all, there’s a lot of AMAZING but expensive seafood dishes and beautiful sights to see in San Francisco.  
*Disclosure: Business Traveler’s Wife receives compensation for purchases made using some of the links below.

Before your trip to San Francisco, buy your tickets online.  It’s cheaper and it’s less cash to bring.  Usually, online tickets are cheaper because of the promos which are not offered at the actual site.  Just make sure to purchase from official websites.  Official San Francisco CityPASS  offers discount on packages or multiple attractions  (SAVE 45% on 4 attractions and 7-day Cable Car and Muni Bus Passport with unlimited rides)

7 Fascinating Sights to See in San Francisco

1.   Golden Gate Bridge (Viewed from Fort Point)

Commute:  2 bus rides (included in the Muni Passport) from Fisherman’s Wharf to Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center.  Total bus ride of 30 mins.  From there, you have to walk for more than 1 km or around 20 mins. to go down to Fort Point.  You wouldn’t notice the long walk, though, because of the gorgeous view!
Drive:  Less than 20 mins. to drive from Fisherman’s Wharf but parking is limited.

Tips for visiting the Golden Gate Bridge: 

• Visit the Golden Gate Bridge on a bright and sunny day.  We didn’t know that the fog could get so thick that it can actually cover the bridge!!
• Bring a sweater.  It’s very windy in this area and the breeze is chilly.
• It’s also an amazing experience to cross the bridge and drive/bike through the fog!

I was surprised by the majestic beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Before seeing it in person, I thought that it might be a little overrated.  As soon as we reached the overlooking area, I realized that I made the wrong assumption.  As we made our way to Fort Point, the scenery around the bridge kept changing but it still looked as spectacular and breathtaking as I’ve first seen it.

It was so foggy when we arrived.  The bridge was covered by the fog in most of our pictures.  Luckily, the fog cleared for a while when we were about to leave.  The 20-min walk down to Fort Point was worth it!  It gave the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge. ♥

2.  Alcatraz

“Break the rules and you go to prison, break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz.”

Commute:  8-min bus ride (included in the Muni Passport) from Fisherman’s Wharf to Pier 33 (The Embarcadero) where Alcatraz Cruises is located.
Drive: 8-min drive from Fisherman’s Wharf.  There’s no parking on Pier 33.

Tips for visiting the Alcatraz:

• Ticket – $33/adult
• Buy your tickets in advance (and don’t forget to print it!).  Alcatraz tickets can sell out several weeks in advance.  As of today, the next earliest available ticket is for the next month already!
• Buy your Alcatraz tickets online from the Alcatraz Cruises’ official website.
• If you plan to purchase the CityPASS, you can replace the Blue & Gold ticket with the Alcatraz Island Day Tour ticket you purchased from Alcatraz Cruises.
• Allot approx. 2.5 hrs for the whole Alcatraz experience.
• Take the audio tour of the cellhouse.  It’s great and very captivating unlike the usual audio tours.

Alcatraz is one of the most interesting sights I have ever seen!  I highly recommend it.  As the ferry approached Alcatraz, I was already getting the eerie vibe of the island’s shrouded mystery.  Maybe it was the fog enveloping the island or knowing that some of America’s most notorious criminals once lived in this island.

Alcatraz is rich with history which makes it so captivating.  Before it became the prison it’s famously known for, it once served as military fortress and prison.

The audio tour couldn’t get any better as the stories were told by the inmates and correctional officers who stayed in Alcatraz.

Stories were told of how prisoners tried to escape (some failed, others succeeded), their work and recreation inside the prison, and the most notorious inmates. These are the most coveted cells in Alcatraz because of the sunlight.  Inmates also prefer these cells because during New Year, they could hear the celebrations held in the city.

Another thing that stood out for me was the food intake of the prisoners.  Alcatraz fed its prisoners well – canned salmon, roast turkey for Thanksgiving, beef stew, sausages, steak, and daily individual desserts.

I find it ironic that this infamous prison could have beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay.  Maybe it shows the beautiful kind of life the inmates could have had. It remained a paradise which they could not live.

3.   Muir Woods National Monument

Commute:  It’s difficult to commute from San Francisco to Muir Woods National Monument.  From Fisherman’s Wharf, 3-4 bus rides are needed with a total of 2 hrs commute time, one-way.  Muir Woods provide free roundtrip shuttle services to & from 3 destinations: Pohono St. Park & Ride, Sausalito Ferry (Bay & Bridgeway), and Marin City Bus Hub (Donahue & Terners Bus Stop).
*For more info on the shuttle, click here.
Drive: 35-min drive from Fisherman’s Wharf.  Parking is very limited.

Tips for visiting Muir Woods:

• If you plan to commute:
  • Pohono St. Park & Ride (Route 66) and Sausalito Ferry (Roue 66F) are better options than Marin City – Donahue & Terners (Route 66F) because the shuttle will pick up passengers from Sausalito Ferry before going to Marin City.  They are strict with the seat limit of the shuttle so when it arrives at Marin City, it might already be full with passengers coming from the Sausalito Ferry.  In our case, our bus stopped at Marin City so we took a bus to transfer us to Pohono St. Park & Ride.
  • You have to ride the Sausalito Ferry at least once!  It gives an astounding view of Sausalito and the other side of San Francisco Bay.  We rode the bus to Muir Woods and rode the Sausalito Ferry back to San Francisco.

• If you plan to drive: For parking convenience, arrive between 8-9:30am.
• Entrance fee: $10/adult
• NO CELL PHONE RECEPTION in Muir Woods
• Observe the surroundings, we were able to spot a couple of deer!

You might recognize Muir Woods from Star Wars and Planet of the Apes.  It is popular for its giant redwood trees.  Aside from the park’s beauty, I enjoyed its tranquility and fresh air.  Despite the large number of tourists, the park remained peaceful.

4.   Lombard Street

Commute: Ride the famous Powell-Hyde cable car (finally!) up to Hyde St & Lombard St.  Cable rides are included in the Muni Passport.  
Drive: 5-7 min. drive to Lombard St.

Tips for visiting the Lombard Street: 

• Prepare yourself to share this sight with TONS of tourists.  Lombard Street is overcrowded with tourists to the point of creating traffic.
• Please be mindful of the traffic since this is an actual road after all.  🙂  When we visited, several tourists were blocking the pedestrian lane at the bottom of the crooked street to take pictures, disrupting traffic.
• Explore the other streets near Lombard Street.  These are less crowded and some provide a more picturesque view of the city and the bay.

Lombard Street is an iconic landmark in San Francisco.  This street is famous for its crooked sharp turns and steep slope.  Sharp turns were created to decrease the danger of this very steep street.  The view was absolutely breathtaking!  From the top, you will see the city and the San Francisco Bay.

5.   Fisherman’s Wharf – (seafood, In-n-Out Burger, Boudin Bakery, street performers)

Commute: 20-min bus ride or Powell cable car (both are included in the Muni Passport).  I prefer riding the cable car because it’s like a fun tour of San Francisco.
Drive: 13-min drive from Downtown (Union Square)

I’ve read multiple times in different blogs and reviews that most of the food in Fisherman’s Wharf are tourist traps, expensive but mediocre quality.  Just a precaution!  You don’t have to settle.  There are plenty of excellent choices outside Fisherman’s Wharf.  Check my post on where to eat in San Francisco.

Fisherman’s Wharf is a popular tourist attraction.  It is a bustling location that includes Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Boudin Bakery, In-N-Out Burger, seafood restaurants, The Codmother Fish & Chips, and street performers.

Pier 39

Ghirardelli Square

Seafood along Taylor Street

(Chowder, lobster bisque, seafood cocktails, steamed crabs)

Boudin Bakery

USS Pampanito

6.  Ferry Building Marketplace

Commute: 10-min bus ride and 6-min walk from Fisherman’s Wharf
Drive: 10-15 min drive from Fisherman’s Wharf.

I love this kind of marketplace!  If we weren’t pressed for time, I could’ve spent a long time in this building just wandering around the shops and trying their products.  It has an amazing collection of artisan food (cheese, bread, pastries, chocolates), fresh seafood, local produce, restaurants and cafes.  The popular seafood restaurant Hog Island Oyster Company is also located at the Ferry Building.  My other favorite finds are the macarons from Miette Patisserie and empanadas and alfajores from El Porteno Empanadas Argentinas.  Check my San Francisco food post here.

7.   Downtown

We rode the cable car all the way from Fisherman’s Wharf to San Francisco Downtown.  It provided a great view of the streets and shops in downtown. It was a very fun 20-minute ride which also served as a brief tour of Downtown.

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There are many more beautiful sights to see in San Francisco!  For food tips on San Francisco, check my post on 6 Amazing Places to Eat in San Francisco.

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