San Francisco Vacation

If you are traveling to San Francisco and have never been, this article is a must-read! There are many sights to see in San Francisco. Whether you have a short amount of time to spend on your vacation or you will be there over a week, there are plenty of things to do and many places to see.

San Francisco is beautiful. The California weather is perfect and great for being outdoors. People say there is no need to rent a car when traveling to San Francisco because tourists should walk everywhere, but if you rent a car, there is much more you can see. You are not limited to the San Francisco area and you will not have to pay high dollar to take a tour to surrounding areas. The only downfall to renting a car in San Francisco is parking it. If you hotel doesn't have a parking valet or garage, you will spend time looking or parking in most cases when you return to your hotel.

You will definitely want to visit the famous landmarks in San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge has a park nearby where you can take some beautiful pictures with the bridge behind you. Also, further down the road you can walk across it or just walk a few steps around it and snap some great pictures of the city.

If you decide to drive across the bridge to the other side, you can see some of the charming neighboring towns such as Sausalito. Also across the bridge is the famous Muir Woods where there are towering trees and gardens that are a must see.

It is necessary to take a tour of Alcatraz Island. It is inexpensive and well worth the price for the audio tour. You can go at your own pace and see everything you'd like to see. Also, there is usually someone on site who was a prisoner at Alcatraz at some point who is more than willing to share insights and experiences from their stay there and the reason they were prisoners. Also, on the boat ride over there you can get amazing pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city from the bay.

Visit Fisherman's Wharf for fabulous San Francisco shopping and stop in to eat at one of the great restaurants. Fisherman's Wharf also offers several bay area cruises tourists can take to see some of the other favored attractions. In walking distance is Ghiradelli Square, Anchorage Center as well as the USS Pampanito submarine museum.

It is worth driving to what is known as Postcard Row to see the "Painted Ladies." If you are not familiar with these houses, they are a must see. These are Victorian houses built between 1850 and 1900. The Painted Ladies have been restored and are typically shown in pictures referencing San Francisco. There is a beautiful park area right across the street where you can take great photos. Also, tours are offered if you'd like to go inside one of these houses. The tours only run during the day though.

While in San Francisco, if you decide to rent a car, you'll have easy access to all of the amazing sights. Across the city, everything is about 10-15 minutes away. You can park your car in an area and walk to the surrounding sights you'd like to see. Lombard Street, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, Hippie District, etc, are all great things to see in town. You can also use the famous cable cars as your transportation. If you rent a car, you have access to see many more things across the city and in the neighboring areas which are well worth seeing!