One-Day Trip Guide to San Francisco for First-Time Visitors

The Golden Gate Bridge view from the Battery Spencer

We’ve visited San Francisco a couple of times. In fact, every time we have friends and families coming over, we play tour guides in San Francisco. I would say you would need a week to see most of the attractions and unique places that this beautiful city can offer. But I know not everyone has one week to spare. So, I thought I would come up with a list of the classic worth-visiting places in San Francisco if you only got one day to explore the city. 

It's easy to drive around San Francisco. If you are not bringing your own car, there are still tons of ways to travel around the city. San Francisco has a public transportation system called MUNI that has buses and metro. If you are only visiting the city for a couple of hours (flight layover or a side-trip) or a just for a day, I would highly recommend renting a car or using an Uber/Lyft to help you get around the area much faster. 

P.S. Regardless of what time of the year it is, San Francisco tends to be chilly due to the city’s proximity to the bay. Make sure to bring your jacket to keep yourself warm. 

FIRST STOP: SEE THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
About 35 minutes from the SFO airport depending on traffic. 

If you have never been to San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge should be on top of your must-visit places in the city. This famous landmark was opened in 1937 and since then became the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. American Society of Civil Engineers, in fact, declared the Golden Gate Bridge as one of the Wonders of the Modern World. 

You can explore the Golden Gate Bridge in two ways; you can do the one-mile walk across the bridge or drive across it (you have to pay the toll fee). I recommend going to the bridge as early as you can as this architectural piece looks prettiest in the morning sunlight. 

There are many ways to enjoy the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

1.      Battery Spencer. (This is our favorite spot. A short hike from the parking lot, you’ll see the ruins of the old artillery battery, built in 1897, that sits on the cliff overlooking the bridge.) 

2.      Kirby Cove 

3.      North Vista Point

4.      Fort Point National Historic Site

5.      Crissy Field

6.      Baker Beach

TAKE A SELFIE AT THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS

Address: 3601 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123

10 minutes drive from the Golden Gate Bridge (3.6-miles), you'll find this impressive architecture that was originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. They rebuilt this in 1965 and now has become one of the most beautiful historical monuments in San Francisco. 

If you are an animal lover, you’d be happy to see many forms of wildlife in the lagoon such as swans, geese, turtles, frogs, and raccoons. I was actually happy to know that they somehow made the lagoon an animal sanctuary.  

HEAD TO ALAMO SQUARE TO SEE THE PAINTED LADIES

Address: Steiner St &, Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117 

Located just 2.4 miles from The Palace of Fine Arts (about 18 minutes drive), you'll find these Victorian and Edwardian houses (also known as “Postcard Row”) that were built in the 1800's. These houses are famous for appearing in opening credits of the television series Full House. 

Aside from seeing these houses, you can also enjoy a nice stroll around the park. We saw a couple of families having picnic in the park and a couple of dog walkers. Yes, the park is dog friendly. 

HAVE A CLAM CHOWDER AT FISHERMAN’S WHARF

Crowded ― that’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. But I have to say, you can’t miss this place. Clam chowder is a must try here. But if clam chowder is not your thing, there are a lot of other dinner options, mostly seafood, that can be found throughout Fisherman’s Wharf. 

If you are not hungry, you can skip this and just head to PIER 39. 

P.S. Parking can be challenging in this area. Last time we visited, which was a week ago, we had to pay $40 for the public parking. 

SEE THE SEA-LIONS AT PIER 39

I highly recommend seeing the famous sea-lebrities of San Francisco for a couple of minutes! You’ll see these lovely sea lions camping out in Pier 39's K-dock in West Marina. They make weird sounds and sometimes play with each other which make them more entertaining. 

Aside from the sea lions, Pier 39 also has a lot of restaurants and souvenir shops. 

EXPERIENCE THE ICONIC CABLE CARS

One of the historic symbols of San Francisco are the cable cars. These old-looking rides offer real working transportation up to the steep hills of San Francisco. Riding one truly makes your California trip a memorable one. 

The last time we visited San Francisco, the cable car fare was $7. You can also avail the all-day passport for $14. 

P.S. If you are coming from PIER 39, head to Hyde Street Pier to grab a cable car ride. Hyde Street Pier is roughly about 4 minutes walk from Fisherman's Wharf and PIER 39. 

WALK DOWN THE STAIRS OF THE LOMBARD STREET
Address: Lombard St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Lombard Street is claimed to be the “crookedest street in the world”. You can take a cable car ride from the Hyde Street Pier (4 minutes walk from Pier 39) to get to Lombard Street. If you don’t feel like riding the cable car, you can rent a car or hire an Uber and experience driving through the eight hairpin turns of Lombard Street. 

You can also walk down the stairs on the side of the street, and see the view from the bottom. We tried both, driving and walking, and we had so much fun. 

The view from Lombard Street.

Again, here’s the rundown of the abovementioned locations for the one-day trip guide to San Francisco.

1.      Golden Gate Bridge

2.      The Palace of Fine Arts

3.      The Painted Ladies

4.      Fisherman’s Wharf

5.      Sea Lions at Pier 39

6.      Cable Car Ride

7.      Lombard Street

Here are some additional suggestions if you have some extra time to spare. 

Try to do the short tour to Alcatraz Island. But I highly recommend booking your tour in advance as they are always fully booked. 

A visit to Chinatown is also a suggestion, as well as a hike to the Colt Tower. If you feel like shopping, Union Square would be the best place for that. 

If you feel like doing a longer hike, I highly recommend heading to Mount Tamalpais. 

That’s all for my one-day trip guide to San Francisco. If you are visiting the city for the first time, I hope you’ll find this post helpful. Thank you for reading!