Making your way over to the West Coast and not exactly sure what to do on your first day in San Francisco? Fret not! After reading this 1-day San Francisco itinerary featuring places to eat, tips on where to stay in San Francisco, and the best things to do in San Francisco in one day, the city will be number one on your bucket list! Here are my personal travel tips on how to get a taste of the Golden Gate City’s many flavors in just 24 hours with this one day in San Francisco itinerary.

So what are you waiting for? Scroll down now and start planning your perfect day in San Francisco!

San Francisco is an exciting city that embodies America’s diversity and hums with creativity. After hearing so much about this vibrant city I was excited to explore it myself. San Francisco is easily one of my favorite U.S. cities that certainly deserves four or five days in my opinion. But sometimes you just don’t have the time. Luckily, it’s absolutely doable to see quite a lot in a single day in San Francisco.

Best Things to Do in San Francisco in One Day

Travel Information for San Francisco

First things first, before you´ll find out about the best things to do in San Francisco I have summed up essential info about getting in and around San Francisco to make trip planning a breeze.

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Where to Stay in San Francisco

San Francisco offers a plethora of accommodation options from affordable hostels to eccentric luxury offerings. If you scour through the city, you will realize that it can prove to be a challenging task of finding a place in this cosmopolitan city. If you do not wish to break the bank during your trip, make sure to find some inexpensive budget accommodations that offer value for your money.

During my recent trip, I stayed in a hostel near Fisherman’s Wharf. I actually really liked it since it is one of the best hostels I have stayed at. Find out more about this nice hostel. It was one of the few times that I chose a hostel over a hotel or an Airbnb accommodation, and it was a great decision back then.

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However, now that I am a few years older, I would choose one of the budget-friendly hotels or Airbnb accommodation instead of the hostel.

Now, whenever I travel and I do not want to spend too much on taxis, I look for a hotel with a good review close to a bus or train station. Book your first stay on Airbnb via this link to get a discount.

If you’re looking for more budget-friendly hotels, check out Boston Hotel. It’s only 0.6 miles from San Francisco City Hall and some 20-minute walk from Union Square. The hotel offers a 24-hour front desk and luggage storage for guests. All rooms have a wardrobe and a flat-screen TV as well as free WiFi.

Alternatively, if you want to splurge a bit on accommodation, you may want to take a look at more luxurious accommodations that are part of the city’s rich history like the Fairmont San Francisco in Nob Hill or the Kensington Park Hotel that is a block away from Union Square. Both will provide memorable accommodations with the San Francisco style.

Things to Do in San Francisco in One Day: Best Of San Francisco In A Day

1. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Crissy Field & the Golden Gate Bridge

Start your first day in SF with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. This enduring symbol of San Francisco offers a plethora of options when it comes to taking picturesque snaps. Head to the Vista Point that overlooks the bay.

Then pay a visit to the Marina District and Crissy Field where you can see the majestic bridge up close. There you’ll come across the Warming Hut Cafe (983 Marine Drive) – a great place to grab a morning coffee and a pastry (it opens for business at 9 am daily).

You can spend most of the day taking postcard-worthy images at the location. The incredible architecture of this bridge doesn’t fail to enchant the visitors. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge to reach Battery Spencer – another good lookout point. If you don’t have a car or don’t want to pay a toll on the way back into the city, you can just walk to the first tower and back.

Tips For Crossing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge

How long is the Golden Gate Bridge

Total Length including Approaches: 1.7 miles, 8,981 ft (2,737 m), while roadway clearance at high tide is 220 ft (67 m).

How long does it take to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge

It normally takes around from one and one-half to two hours, depending on how many times you stop to enjoy the mind-blowing views along the way.

How long does it take to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge

Expect to spend roughly 45 minutes when it comes to biking across the bridge. A lot quicker than walking!

Where to Park Your Car: Keep in mind, the Southeast Side parking lot fills up quickly due to its close access to the bridge as well as the visitor center’s café, gift shop, and gardens. They currently charge .25$ per 15 minutes. Northeast Side parking lot is located off of the Vista Point Exit that offers incredible views of the bridge and city. The maximum time for a parking session is 4 hours, which gives you plenty of time to walk the bridge.

2. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Palace of Fine Arts

Once you’ve soaked up enough views of the Golden Gate Bridge, hop aboard the free PresidiGo shuttle that runs between Howard Street and Old Mason Street. After the quick ride, continue another block along Old Mason until you spot the Palace of Fine Arts to the right at Marina Boulevard.

The Palace of Fine Arts is an intricate structure built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition and rebuilt in 1965, the historic Palace of Fine Arts is an iconic San Francisco monumental structure inspired by the Greek-Roman architecture.

It is an attraction that needs to be seen from all angles! It offers a romantic outdoor setting at the foot of a lagoon that reflects the palace by daylight. Start with a walk of the perimeter, then head inside to marvel at impressive pillars, an elegant rotunda, statues, and cravings. If you have some spare time make your way back to the Palace of Fine Arts at night to get a view of it all lit up.

3. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Lombard Street

This one-way brick-paved street is only a stone’s throw away from the Palace of Fine Arts. Lombard Street is known for it’s eight sharp turns that were designed to create a road that wouldn’t be too steep for most drivers.

The outcome has become known colloquially as the “most crooked street” in San Francisco. Thanks to its interesting structural approach to the problem of traveling downhill, this street has become a major tourist attraction.

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If you travel by foot and only want to take a picture of the landmark, there are plenty of ways to do just that. Go to the cross street of Lombard and Hyde Street (at the top) and Leavenworth Street (at the bottom). Both ends offer an excellent view of the street. As a fully functional public road, you can visit it free of charge pretty much at any time. The only cost associated with this location comes from traveling to and from the area.

A frequent stop for travelers heading to Financial District and Nob Hill, Lombard Street is also filled with some splendid architectural delights. The residential neighborhood showcases some of the lovely architecture and hilly geography that makes the city of San Francisco one of the most beautiful in the United States.

4. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Fisherman’s Wharf And Pier 39

From the bottom of Lombard Street, it’s just a 10-minute walk along Leavenworth Street (downhill!) to famous Fisherman’s Wharf. Head north in the direction of the water – you can’t miss it. Then turn right on Jefferson to walk along the waterfront.

Even though the Wharf can be a tourist trap, there are a few things worthy of doing on a short visit. Get a glimpse of Alcatraz out in the bay, watch the weird street performers and take a selfie at the ship’s wheel sign on Taylor and Jefferson. The Wharf also houses plenty of family-friendly attractions and activities, including the Aquarium of the Bay, the San Francisco Dungeon and the Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

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If you are getting hungry at this point, plan for lunch at Boudin Bakery (160 Jefferson St.) where you can enjoy San Francisco sourdough. The classic dish every first-timer must try is clam chowder-in-a-bread-bowl. During peak tourist season lines can be enormous, but the experience is well worth the wait.

Beach Street and the Embarcadero have an upbeat vibe with street performers, gift shops, ocean view restaurants, and even sea lions.

These cuties are nearly always hanging out on the docks right next to Pier 39. If you go to the edge of the west side of the pier you can get an amazing look at them making incessant, raucous barking sounds and sometimes splashing about the water.

There is also the Sea Lion Center on the second level of the pier, which has lots of information about the sea lions and the history of the ones that hang out by Pier 39.

Keep in mind, there are many other charming piers to explore along the San Fransisco coastline!

5. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Alcatraz

1.25 miles (2.01 km) out in the San Francisco Bay and far from the soothing atmosphere of the Wharf sits Alcatraz Island – the most ominous and infamous federal penitentiary in U.S. history.

Closed since 1963, the former home of Al Capone and other notorious inmates, the prison is one of the most intriguing attractions in San Francisco because of its high demand.

Visiting this place involves some planning though. If you’re traveling to San Francisco for the first time, you may want to postpone your trip there because of its location.

However, if you have another day (or you’re just really fascinated by the dark history of Alcatraz) the prison is worth adding to your San Francisco bucket list.

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To get to Alcatraz you’ll need to book a tour at least three weeks in advance. It’s near impossible to get on an Alcatraz tour without having it booked beforehand.

Typically, Alcatraz tours start on land. You’ll board a ferry and once you arrive in Alcatraz your tour guide will provide you with some background information on the prison.

Then you’ll get free time to wander around it. Explore the depths of the former prison before catching the ferry back to the city. A bonus of the ferry ride is that it offers magnificent offshore views of the SF skyline and Golden Gate Bridge.

6. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Chinatown

Riding the iconic cable cars is one of the best things to do in San Francisco. It really is a blast! The Powell/Mason cable car route originates at the corner of Taylor and Bay near Fisherman’s Wharf.

You can purchase a ticket from the ticket booth at the origination point of this line. Alternatively, save time by purchasing through the MuniMobile app on your smartphone to avoid long ticket-booth lines.

The cable car will get you to Powell and Bush Street, where you will hop off for a view of the famous San Francisco Chinatown Gate. The authentic pagoda-topped gate of dragons is just two blocks east down Bush at Grant Avenue.

If you have time to wander a few blocks in to Chinatown up Grant, you’ll get a distinct flavor of one of San Francisco’s many diverse neighborhoods. Don’t miss out on trying some exquisite cuisine at one of the small dim sum restaurants and sampling a few bites for a snack.

As the largest Chinese community outside of Asia, one can easily spend half a day here, watching the authentic life of the community go by, learning facts about hand-folded fortune cookies and enjoying delicious Chinese food.

Believe it or not, a staggering 75% of tourists visit San Francisco’s Chinatown making the neighborhood more frequented than the Golden Gate Bridge.

7. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Union Square

From the Chinatown Gate, turn right on Bush Street and walk for one block. Then turn left on Stockton Street to visit San Francisco’s shopping district, Union Square (333 Post Street). This is the main shopping district in San Francisco with numerous boutiques, department stores, art galleries, and luxury hotels.

This bustling square is the hub of the skyscrapers. If you look up and spin around, you are surrounded by the tallest blocks in the city. If you happen to be visiting Union Square during Christmas time, go ice skating at the pop-up rink that appears each winter.

Also, visit the lobby of the Westin St. Francis (335 Powell Street) on the square to view the castle of suites that the hotel’s pastry chef makes each year.

Union Square a hot spot in San Francisco due to the abundance of amenities, accommodation, dining and shopping options. Plentiful public transportation options can be availed from this square for exploring the rest of the city. I did not pay anything but strolling the streets is something I did not want to miss.

8. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Alamo Square & the Painted Ladies

A short Uber or Lyft ride will deliver you next to Steiner Street between Hayes and Grove Streets. The grassy Alamo Square is one of the prime picnic spots in San Francisco with abundant lawns and flowerbeds.

Here you’ll find the Painted Ladies – a set of colorful Victorian row houses in Alamo Square.

These Victorian houses, built in the 19th and early 20th century, are painted in all different pastel colors, boast large porches, and are between 2 and 3 stories high. They recently got facelifts, and are more attractive than ever. Visiting them is another popular thing to do in San Francisco since the houses have a starring role in the credits of the TV show ‘Full House’ aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

9. One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: A Night at the Theater

Not tired yet? There are various musical and theater performances (most are in Union Square or Civic Center areas) in San Francisco that you can enjoy even without a date!

There’s the San Francisco Opera, offering both new and classic dramatic acts, and San Francisco Symphony, a famed concert hall which can accommodate up to 2,700 people.

Meanwhile, at the Museum of the Legion of Honor, organ concerts are held usually during weekends. Whatever your taste in music or theatre, San Francisco has got you covered!

Hop on either BART, Muni, or the F-Market streetcar headed up Market Street. You can find most theaters a few blocks from this route.

Tips for Saving Money in San Francisco

San Francisco Mega Pass allows you to choose 3-5 of the city’s top attractions and receive a discount. This is a great deal if you want to visit museums or take a tour!

The Hop-On-Hop-Off bus is an easy way to get around if you aren’t familiar with the city’s public transportation.

The Go San Francisco Card also provides discounts to attractions.

And that’s a wrap, folks!

I hope you have some great ideas for what to do in San Francisco in a day, along with a few ideas on where to stay in San Francisco. Whatever you do on your first visit to San Francisco, I’m sure you’ll have a great time exploring. San Francisco is an amazing city, and with so much to do there, you know there will always be something new for you to see on every trip!

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What are your favorite things to do in San Francisco? Am I missing anything? What questions do you have about planning a trip to San Francisco?

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