San Francisco has pretty mild temperatures all year long. While that means you won’t be too freezing or too hot, don’t be fooled by the lore of “sunny California.” San Fran does tend to be on the chilly side, especially at night or when the wind gets blowing. Bring some extra layers in case you need them. Most people are surprised to find it’s colder than they expected.
A lot of this beautiful city can be accessed via public transportation, but the city is small enough that many attractions can be walked to. It’s not a tiny city, so you may be walking quite a bit, but that’s what we love about San Fran. While you are walking from one place to another you come across a lot of interesting things. You’ll get to know this fascinating city in a way that you’d miss by taking the bus or train. In short, bring your walking shoes. You won’t regret it.
San Francisco has a high standard of living. Food and lodging costs are fairly high but equivalent to other major cities, such as New York and Chicago.
If you want a tour of Alcatraz Island you may want to book it online before you arrive. The tours fill up quickly and are often sold out a week in advance. If you only have a few days here and plan to get tickets when you arrive you may be sadly disappointed when you can’t see the island. Take it from us, we were sad. 🙁
When flying into San Fran you may want to consider Oakland International Airport (OAK) in addition to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Sometimes you can get better flight times or fares. Oakland is not that far away from downtown San Fran, you just grab a taxi to your hotel.
If you can’t imagine being in sunny California and not visiting the beach, there are some fabulous beaches near San Fran. For instance, Santa Cruz is not too far south of the city.
Wine connoisseurs can take trips north into wine country. Visit Napa, Sonoma, and many other wine destinations. There are many wineries to visit and interesting towns to see, not too far from San Fran.
For theatre buffs, in Union Square, TIX Bay Area is a walk-up box office that sells half-price tickets on the day of a performance and full-price tickets in advance to select events.
San Francisco is sunny, with an average of 260 clear days, and only 105 cloudy days per year. So bring your sunblock!
