Top Places to Visit in San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco happens to be one of my favorite places to visit. It’s like no other place, the sites are unforgettable from every angle of the city and of the bay. The history of the buildings is fun to explore as you discover the architecture.

I shared with you a few months ago that I got the chance to escape for the week with my husband to this famous area. Here’s our visit to Half Moon Bay, trust me a place you’ll want to visit too!

Top Places to Visit in San Francisco Area

Here are a few spots if you’re in San Francisco you don’t want to miss. I’ve linked them up to their destination sites for easy reference when you’re picking a location to visit.  

Many are free, we also used our complimentary CITYPASS to visit quite a few of our favorite spots!

Travel Tips for a San Francisco Weekend Get Away 

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to stay for the weekend in a very special hotel with my husband. We were invited by the owners, brothers Tom and Robert Field, to the San Remo Hotel on Mason Street in the local North Beach Neighborhood. Built after the famous earthquakes of 1906, it’s a famous Victorian Style Hotel with unique charm. 

It’s not very often when you can feel like a part of a community while on vacation but this spot does just that. Plus it was so convenient to everything near Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 we could walk everywhere!

Stepping Back in Time in San Francisco Bay

San Remo Hotel has this unique Old World feel to it with Victorian Heirloom furnishings and hallways that are a walk through history with pieces hand-selected. You can tell that the owners put great thought into it as they renovated it.

Every day we started bright and early and were out the door for our next adventure walking down to the bay, the Cable Car, or the Sight Seeing Buses, so convenient! The hotel staff was so welcoming no matter what time you passed by the front stairway to head to the street you were greeted with a friendly smile and hello.

There’s no technology in the rooms just charm and history and a fun way for couples to reconnect and share your favorites from the day’s adventures.

We had never stayed so close to the San Francisco Bay before and were pleasantly surprised with how convenient it was to be there without a car. 

The City of San Francisco Visitors Bureau was very welcoming to their city with a top notch website that makes finding just the right spots to visit easy to find.

Here are some of my favorites that we were able to walk to from our Hotel quite easily.  

• Pier 39
• Fisherman’s Wharf
• Boudin Bakery
• Ghirardelli Square
• Aquarium of the Bay
• Lombard Street 
• Blue and Gold Fleet (Don’t miss the photo opportunity at the end of your trip, I love the informational book that comes with the package about the Bay.)

Take the SightSeeing Buses in San Francisco

One of the best things we did was use our Pass to the City SightSeeing San Francisco Tour Bus. We appreciate that they extended a media pass to us to explore how their tour bus line works.

Before on my trips to San Francisco I had always driven the city and had honestly no idea what I was missing by handing over the steering wheel and enjoying the ride throughout the city.

Places to Visit by the San Francisco Bay

If you’re stopping by the San Francisco Bay my favorite spots we were

• Crissy Field
• The Presidio
• Palace of Arts
• Exploritorium
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Painted Ladies at Alamo Square  

Day Trips from San Francisco

We were even able to enjoy a Day Trip Adventure by bus to

• Sausalito
• Meir Woods
• Napa Valley 

You could also consider taking a rental car to

• Half Moon Bay
• Yosemite

Sites to Visit in San Francisco Area

The next few days we explored around the San Francisco Area even more. These are some of my favorite places to visit.

• Golden Gate Park
• California Academy of Science
• Tower at de Young Fine Art Museum
• Lands End Trail
• Sutro Baths

Are you ready to schedule your trip!

Take advantage and use this guide Visit San Francisco and the Virtual Visitors Guide.  If you’re looking for a budget friendly and memorable experience take a look at the San Remo Hotel and book your visit.  

Don’t forget to check out the Official San Francisco Pinterest Board with tons of ideas for where to visit with gorgeous pictures.  Love using Pinterest to plan my trips!  

Here’s the link.  http://www.pinterest.com/onlyinsf/ 

What place would you visit first in San Francisco?

Tell me in the comment section!

If you liked this trip, you may also enjoy our Trip to San Diego.

Follow The Educators’ Spin On It’s board Places to Travel and Tourist Spots to Visit on Pinterest.

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Disclosure:  This post was not sponsored.  We did however receive a complimentary stay at San Remo Hotel for two nights. The San Francisco Visitors Bureau gave us complimentary CityPASSes, Pier 39 Passes and City SightSeeing Tour Bus passes. All opinions are 100% my own and my husband’s and our many travels to the bay area.