Summer in San Francisco on a Budget!

Being in San Francisco is a deal in itself: the culture, the history, the diversity, the Bay (the Fisherman's Wharf!), and even just the surrounding cities make it the ultimate travel destination if you are on a budget. Contrary to the notion that San Francisco is an expensive city, there are several things you can do that don't require a big budget. Here are a few:

1. Get lost in San Francisco Chinatown. It's not a tourist spot for no good reason. You can spend an entire day here and not spend more than $20 per person. A walk through the blocks of Chinatown offers travelers and tourists a myriad of goods and products: from Chinese umbrellas and slippers to herbal medicine to jade and pearl jewelry to everything else you can imagine. You can have lunch for $5, picking on stuffed white buns, dim sum, and noodles. Chinatown is also a great place to get your cheap but fun souvenirs such as San Francisco car plates with personalized names (about $3 each), SF t-shirts, caps, and other novelty items such as hand-painted cards and posters featuring San Francisco landmarks. If you don't want to spend more than a quarter on souvenirs, you can always find one of those vending machines that transform your quarter to an embossed metal featuring the Golden Gate Bridge!

2. The Fisherman's Wharf. Another popular tourist spot, the Fisherman's Wharf offers great food (read: scrumptious seafood), an aquarium, affordable one-hour cruises, and plenty of great sight-seeing. You can easily spend a fun-filled day at the Wharf. You can start by visiting the Aquarium of the Bay where you can leisurely explore the richness of our ocean; they also have a small section where you can touch and interact with some of the marine life. After about an hour exploring the aquarium, you can walk around Pier 39 and check out the novelty shops including a sock store, a knife shop, and their souvenir store. Once you've had your shopping fill, you can now fill your stomach and eat at one (or more!) of the restaurants at the pier. I personally recommend Bubba Gump, a seafood restaurant inspired by the movie Forrest Gump. Expect to spend about $15 per person here. A cheaper alternative is getting a crab meal from one of the several food stalls and eating it while watching one of many street performers at the Wharf. Now that you're full and satisfied, you can take your time and let the food go down as you watch the seals get their tan under the SF sun. Spend about half an hour just taking photos and enjoying the seals' antics before you walk some more and explore the Wharf. Once the food has gone down, you're ready for a short cruise around the Bay. While there are several options for a cruise, the Blue and Gold Fleet Ferry never fails. Try their San Francisco Bay Cruise Adventure to get a fun ride with a pirate narrating your tour around the Bay, under the Golden Gate Bridge, and passing by Alcatraz.

3. The Embarcadero. A stroll along the Embarcadero by the Ferry Building is always relaxing and a classic San Francisco spot. The Ferry Building-Embarcadero area is located at the foot of Market Street, not a hard place to find at all. Once here, you can enjoy the outdoors and the water, and also explore the inside of the Ferry Building. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, you can enjoy the produce and other goods sold at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. From good food to good views, the Embarcadero is a relaxing place to enjoy an afternoon with family and friends or by yourself.

Special Tip: For an all-around companion to visiting San Francisco on a budget, you can always get a San Francisco CityPass. Inclusive of free limited MUNI and Tram passes, this booklet provides tickets to top tourist attractions in the city, all for $59.