Seven San Francisco highlights

We had three nights here in July on our way to the UK and it ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. Beautiful weather, staying right by the ocean, views of the Golden Gate Bridge, and an epic day watching the Giants play the Dodgers. And those were just a few of the memorable moments. Here’s a quick recap.

Getting here

San Francisco is in California, America. It’s a 12-hour flight from Auckland, we booked with Air NZ and flew with their partner airline, United. We pre-booked a shuttle to pick us up from the airport and stayed in an area called Fisherman’s Wharf, about a 20-minute drive from the airport.

Staying here

We booked three nights at the Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s close to Pier 39, a major tourist hot spot, and it includes a buffet breakfast each day. And that was a real highlight. They run it super efficiently, pumping hundreds of people through, but everything is clean, there’s a huge range of food and drinks, and the staff are lovely. The rooms were good too, comfy beds, and location-wise, most things were in walking distance.

Playing here

We packed a lot into our time there and there were still so many things I would have loved to do, but we ran out of time. Here are my highlights:

Pier 39 - so many things to see here. Attractions, bars, restaurants, shopping, events, and seals! 

Crab House - if you love seafood, have a meal here. It’s known for its world-famous “Killer Crab®” and its five stars. We had the Killer Combo sizzling iron skillet, the cocktails are also sensational, and the service was exceptional.

Bay Cruise - we did this one-hour boat trip to sail underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, past Alcatraz, and to see amazing views of the San Francisco skyline. Even though it was a stunning day, parts of it were insanely windy so wear something warm!

Baseball - watching the Giants play the Dodgers at Oracle Park was an absolute bucket list activity for me. We bought tickets through the MLB site the week before we arrived. Our seats were right up in the stands but had amazing views of the bay. The crowd was awesome, there were so many food and drink options, heaps of merch, and the Giants won so that was epic. Would recommend it to everyone. 

Cable Car - have you even done San Fran if you haven’t taken a trip in one of their iconic cable cars?! They have ticket machines located at the stops. We grabbed a day pass which also included buses and trams and took a trip around the city.

Big Bus Tour - a great way to see the major sites if you don’t have a lot of time. We did the day tour which included Union Square, Chinatown, the Embarcadero, Palace of Fine Arts, Haight Ashbury, the painted Ladies, Ghirardelli Chocolate factory, and of course the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Like the bay cruise, it can get super windy up top so wear something warm.

Sausalito - spent the morning here before we flew out. It’s over the Golden Gate Bridge, or you can get the ferry there, and is a cute little seaside town. Lots to see and do. It’s also near the Muir Woods Redwood Forest which is on my list for next time!

Day trips - ran out of time but if I was there longer, I would definitely visit places like Napa and Sonoma Valley, and Yosemite National Park. 

Kiki’s top tips

• We booked most of the sightseeing activities through Get Your Guide. It shows the price in NZD which made it easier.

• Pack an extra layer in your bag. We heard that the weather can change quickly and that often fog will just suddenly roll in. It can be windy at times so always have a warm layer, even when it's sunny.

• Beat the jet lag by using the Timeshifter app. I swear I had either no jet lag, or only very mild effects of jet lag on this trip. Game changer.

• If traveling with a group like I was, use the Splitwise app. It allows you to each add the things you pay for during the trip and then it splits out who owes what to who at the end of the trip so you’re not having to constantly fix people up for things.