One day in San Francisco offers you just enough time to see the main sights in this Northern Californian metropolis and absorb its diverse flavor.
With its roots in the Gold Rush and its present-day significance as a tech hub, San Francisco has seen passages of great change regularly roll over it, like the famous sea fog. Since its founding in 1776, life amid the city’s gentle hills and island-specked bay has been shaped by forces that include the San Andreas Fault, immigration, and the Summer of Love. And all of this within only 49 square miles, fitting into New York City roughly six times.
San Francisco
San Francisco also punches above its weight in eclecticism. Beneath the Transamerica Pyramid and Salesforce Tower-dominated skyline, you’ll find the most billionaires per capita in the world, Lombard Street, “The Crookedest Street in the World”, and the profound Keith Haring altarpiece in Grace Cathedral.
With such an array of things to see, a San Francisco one-day itinerary should read like some of the more experimental Beat poetry you could uncover at renowned City Lights Bookshop. There’s truly something for everyone here, and that’s doubly the case when it comes to the food culture.
Read on to learn what to see (and consume) during one day in San Francisco.
8 a.m.: Have Breakfast at Tartine Bakery
Tartine Bakery Photo by Edward on Flickr, licensed under CC BY 2.0
There’s no dearth of fabulous breakfast and brunch places in San Francisco; this is a city worshipping at the altar of quality cuisine. But James Beard-award-winning Tartine Bakery has been a flour-dusted leading light in San Francisco’s world-class baking scene since 2002.
Its success has seen it spread to multiple locations, but the original is on Guerrero Street in the Mission District, usually with a small line outside. Step inside, breathe deep, and pick up a zesty, sugary morning bun, still warm from the oven. Pair it with an aromatic cup of Tartine’s sustainably sourced own-brand coffee, and you’re set.
Mission District Photo by PierreD on Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Now it’s westward, through the Mission District’s colorful streets in the direction of Golden Gate Park. This Latin quarter is one of the city’s oldest and most handsome neighborhoods with an 18th-century link to the original Spanish explorers in the snow-white form of Mission San Francisco de Asis.
While the Mission District’s modern-day culture was born off the back of a postwar influx of Latino immigrants and ‘70s punk culture, the dot-com boom heralded an era of gentrification. Thankfully, the area retains much of its charm, concentrated in places such as indie shopping artery Valencia Street.
9 a.m.: Explore Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
As locals will be quick to let you know, Golden Gate Park is larger than New York’s Central Park. At just over 1,000 acres of space, it appears on a map as a long and narrow rectangle of greenery on the western fringe of the city, its bayside border edged with yellow.
A public space since 1870, the area was transformed from a sandy wilderness into a cultivated idyll, perfect for a relaxing jog or an intense game of ultimate frisbee. But it’s also home to an array of activities, and those on a compact “one day in San Francisco” schedule may look to rent a bike (online in advance) or join a Segway tour.
Shakespeare’s Garden, Golden Gate Park
Among winding pathways and graceful fountains, you’ll come across the superb 19th-century de Young museum of fine arts, with its Hamon Observation Tower. But linger too long amid the international collection of oils, and you’ll miss subtler delights such as Shakespeare’s Garden, planted with foliage that took a bow in the Bard’s oeuvre.
Next, to Spreckels Lake, besides which a herd of bison contentedly swish their tails in a paddock. If the weather’s good, you’ll join the exodus west, like the Gold Rush wagon trains of yore, until you strike the spacious sands, surf, and honking sea lions of Ocean Beach, one of the best beaches in San Francisco.
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10:30 a.m.: Walk the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Presidio
After you’ve explored Golden Gate Park, it’s time to visit the iconic bridge that California is known for. Of course, you’ll probably have spotted it from a distance already, but as you make your way through the Golden Gate Presidio, it’ll come into spectacular focus backed by the rugged Marin headlands.
The nearly two-mile-long bridge, spanning the point where the Bay meets the Pacific Ocean, was built over a four-year period that began in 1933. Initially, it wasn’t without its detractors, who feared the proposed cantilever-suspension hybrid bridge wouldn’t survive a significant seismic event.
Golden Gate Bridge
The design changed to a suspension span with the capability of swaying up to two feet in high winds. Despite the challenges of building the first bridge support in the open ocean, the famous structure with its art deco towers and “International Orange” color has come to be the world’s most photographed bridge.
You’ll find the path onto the bridge on the bayside. Depending on the time of year, it could be that the fog has rolled in; it’s heaviest in the summer. The fog won’t burn off until the afternoon, so return later if you want the far-reaching views of the city skyline—one of the best skylines in the world—and the sailboat races in the bay below rather than the moody, atmospheric quality of the fog.
Sausalito
Once you’ve breathed in the Golden Gate experience, consider heading on to Sausalito. Easily reached by bike or car, Sausalito is a bohemian quarter of San Francisco famous for its houseboat community. Exploring the docks of this arty enclave is a peaceful afternoon activity. Little wonder Otis Redding wrote “(Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay” while visiting.
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1 p.m.: Enjoy a Feast in Chinatown
Chinatown
The Chinatown district in downtown San Francisco is the oldest and largest in the country, offering 24 blocks of Sino-US culture, history, and magnificent take-out. Plan to enter beneath the main Dragon’s Gate paifang, or archway, from Grant Avenue into Chinatown’s aromatic, lantern-strung streets.
The gate was a present from the Republic of China to commemorate the significance of this area in the broader Chinese consciousness. But let’s not get distracted by the history of this storied neighborhood. We’re here to fuel up for the second half of our San Francisco one-day itinerary.
Chinatown
Head for a dim sum-style sit-down with white tablecloths in Sam Wo or City View. Or pick up something to go from the Hong Kong-style Washington Bakery; the BBQ pork buns here are avidly sought by local workers. If you’re in the mood for something more rarefied, find Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s or head to the modern Cantonese of Empress by Boon.
Afterward, pop into the Fortune Cookie Factory on Ross Alley and pick up a snack bag of handmade fortune cookies from this historic one-off.
2:30 p.m.: Visit Alcatraz
Alcatraz
Few prisons loom as large in the collective consciousness as Alcatraz, set on a craggy island in the San Francisco Bay. “The Rock”, as Alcatraz is informally known, is a federal penitentiary with a chequered history and a raft of thrilling escape stories. It remains the city’s most popular attraction and a must for a San Francisco one-day itinerary.
Its history began in 1775 with Spanish explorer, Juan Manuel de Ayala, who named it for the colony of pelicans dwelling there (alcatraz means “pelican” in archaic Spanish). After the United States won California in its victory over Mexico in 1846, the island became a military barracks before it morphed into a military prison.
Alcatraz
The inmate roster of Confederate sympathizers, Hopi Indians, and court-martialed soldiers changed in the 1930s when Alcatraz was converted into its final guise: a maximum-security facility. Famous gangsters such as “Scarface” Capone checked in alongside complex psychopaths such as Robert Stroud. Today, Alcatraz is prisoner-free and a national park.
To access the eerily empty cells, you’ll need to hop on the ferry that leaves from Pier 33 at the Embarcadero, just south of Fisherman’s Wharf.
4:30 p.m.: Hop on a Cable Car
Cable car
The maroon and mustard cable cars of San Francisco are almost as much a symbol of the city as the Golden Gate Bridge. With one day in San Francisco, it’s imperative that you hop on to these elegant city transports and experience the world’s last operational manual cable cars.
Introduced to the city in 1873, the cable cars were modeled on mining technology where a cable or conveyor belt was used to haul heavy loads along a track. Designed by Andrew S. Hallidie, the city’s cable car networks were soon in operation throughout the city, to the delight of the hill-weary populace.
After the 1906 earthquake, the network began a slow deterioration, threatened by new methods of transportation. The city stepped in to ensure the preservation of these beautiful historic workhorses decorated with inlaid wood and gilt numbering.
California Street
Powell Street is the best place to hop aboard a cable car, connecting with sights such as Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s a delight to hear the rattle and squeak of the car while you’re inside. If you’re on a Powell car approaching California Street, try to sense when the car “drops its rope” and simply coasts, untethered, down the hill.
5:30 p.m.: Call Into Grace Cathedral
Grace Cathedral
Another landmark of this vibrant city, Grace Cathedral owes its existence to the 1906 earthquake that devastated San Francisco. With the city’s largest episcopal church in ruins, the wheels began to turn to create a replacement. Nearly 60 years later, Grace Cathedral stood completed.
Amid Nob Hill’s mansions, Michelin-starred restaurants, and luxury hotels, Grace Cathedral is a French Gothic anomaly, and all the more dramatic for it. Its ornate bronze doors are World War II reproductions of Ghiberti’s Gates to Paradise. Further medieval reproductions found both inside and out are the two labyrinths, copied from the 12th century version of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres in France.
Grace Cathedral
Within this peaceful sanctuary of the city, the light falling through ornate stained glass, you’ll be able to see Jan Henryk De Rosen’s celebrated mosaics decorating the interior.
More poignant is the Keith Haring Altarpiece, a white gold-leaf triptych, placed within what was the first AIDS Memorial Chapel established in San Francisco. This was the artist’s last work before his death from AIDS in 1990. The cathedral will certainly prove to be one of your more reflective stops during one day in San Francisco.
6:15 p.m.: Feel the Love at Haight-Ashbury
Haight-Ashbury
A name synonymous with 1960s flower power, Haight-Ashbury is the geographical fulcrum of both a characterful neighborhood and the counterculture movement of the late ‘60s. It was in this district that the spark for the Summer of Love was ignited by a coming together of youth with shared countercultural ideas.
What remains today is one of the most unique places to visit in California, brightened by murals celebrating the Sixties, as well as independent tattoo parlors, vinyl record stores, and vintage clothing shops with bright racks of tie-dye essentials.
You can join a walking tour that will offer a deep dive into the history, to the point that you can almost hear Jimi Hendrix playing guitar. Music fans should be sure to pass by the legendary band addresses, now private residences, of the former Grateful Dead House at 710 Ashbury Street, as well as Jefferson Airplane’s old digs at 2400 Fulton Street.
Afterward, be sure to see the brightly-colored Victorian houses known as the “Painted Ladies”, their bold colors so of their time and yet so quintessentially San Franciscan through the ages.
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San Francisco
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