Trips around San Francisco
♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA
There are many tourist sites near San Francisco. Below are the main ones, located within a drive of up to 90 minutes from the city.
Sausalito
This is an artist town located in the San Francisco Bay north of the city. It is reached via the Golden Gate Bridge. You can also get there by ferry (see the transportation section). The town has a pleasant blend of sea life and bohemian influence. Its houses are built in a rural style on the hillsides and its alleys are winding. From many places in the town, there are spectacular viewpoints of San Francisco.
It is pleasant to walk along its main street, Bridgeway Ave, enter the shops and galleries, or sit in one of the cafes. In "Village Fare," located at 777 Bridgeway Ave, there are artist workshops, antique shops, and souvenir stores. On weekends, many art stalls are set up on the street. Every year in early September, a large art festival is held in the city. The town has a visitor center (Bay Model Visitor Center) with a scale model of San Francisco and all the bay cities around it. Open every day except Mondays, from 9:00-16:00. In the winter months, it is also closed on Sundays. Admission and parking are free. Address: 2100 Bridgeway. Another attraction for marine animal lovers is The Marine Mammal Center. This is essentially a hospital for marine animals where they rescue marine mammals in distress, sick or injured, treat them until full recovery, and release them back into their natural environment. The number of animals in the center varies from season to season. Usually, in the spring, the number of marine animals is the largest. Admission is free. A recommended cafe in Sausalito: Fred's Coffee Shop, address: 1917 Bridgeway Blvd, Sausalito, CA 94965.
Guided tours in the San Francisco area:
Muir Woods National Monument
Muir Woods is a forest of Redwood trees, which are the tallest trees in the world, growing only in western California. A visit to Sequoia or Yosemite National Park is even more impressive, because here the trees "only" reach heights of 50-70 meters.
But if this is the only opportunity to walk among these giant trees, it's a shame to miss it. There is a visitor center on-site, and from there comfortable walking paths for all ages depart. The reserve is located only 27 km from San Francisco and is reached via the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway 1. Open daily from 8:00 AM until sunset. Due to the high popularity of the park and the limited number of visitors, you are required (especially in the summer months) to reserve parking spaces for the park in advance; otherwise, you will not be able to visit.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is a charming seaside town between San Francisco and Monterey on Highway 1. It features a nice amusement park on the pier called: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
An old casino building was converted there into a family entertainment center with dozens of amusement park rides, shooting ranges, mini-golf, bowling, a laser maze called THE VAULT Laser Maze, and other attractions. In the summer, it is open daily from 11:00-22:00, and during the rest of the year only on weekends and holidays. Admission is free. The price for a ride on each facility ranges between 3-6 dollars. You can purchase a ticket that allows free entry to all facilities. A more special attraction is the Mystery Spot, located inside a Redwood forest, where they will try to prove to you in every way that the laws of gravity and physics do not work there. An interesting place recommended for the whole family. It is located about 4 km down Market Street, which becomes Branciforte Dr. A guided tour accompanied by humorous explanations and demonstrations on the audience departs every half hour between 9:30-17:00 (in summer until 19:00). Admission is for a fee. In summer and holidays, it is recommended to book places in advance. For nature, landscape, and hiking enthusiasts, it is recommended to visit the state park adjacent to Santa Cruz: Wilder Ranch State Park. In the park, which is open from 8 AM until sunset, there are excellent hiking trails. Especially recommended for families: Old Cove Landing Trail to Ohlone Bluff Trail, an easy 4 km path starting from the park's parking lot with cliff and bay views along its entire length. The park also has excellent trails for cycling.
Another recommended easy walk in the area is at Natural Bridges State Beach, address: 2531 West Cliff Drive near Swanton Blvd., Santa Cruz. From the beach, rocks and cliffs with arches are visible.
Pescadero
On the road leading from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, about 20 km from San Francisco, is a unique nature reserve called: Ano Nuevo State Reserve. The reserve has various types of wildlife, but it is famous for the many elephant seals that live there. Most of the time elephant seals are in the ocean and are hard to spot, but during the breeding season starting in December-March, they can be clearly seen on the beach. The males, whose weight reaches two and a half tons and length is 4.5-5 meters, conduct battles for control and territory. The winners are those who fertilize most of the females. The best time to watch mothers and their pups is in February until early March. The adult elephant seals leave the reserve in early March while the pups remain until the end of the month, sunbathing and learning to swim. Organized walking tours of about two and a half hours over a walking distance of 4.5 km take place in the reserve. Reservation is required in advance at: 1-800-444-7275. In the summer, you can take independent tours of the reserve and watch the adult elephant seals shedding their upper fur. For this purpose, you must obtain a "Visitor Permit" at the entrance of the reserve. You must leave the reserve by 17:00 at the latest. Not suitable for families with very small children, but highly recommended for nature and wildlife enthusiasts.
Vallejo
This city is located in the North Bay, about 50 km from San Francisco via the Bay Bridge. It can also be reached by ferry departing from Pier 39. The main attraction here is: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, which is a combination of a safari, marine world, and amusement park. The park is divided into seven main habitats for sea, land, and air animals. Many shows of whales, dolphins, sea lions, tigers, chimpanzees, birds are held on-site, as well as water ski and boat shows. It is also recommended to visit the shark aquarium, the elephant area, and the butterfly world. Stop to feed the giraffes and other animals. The park has several roller coasters for the daring and action-lovers, such as V2 and "Medusa" which develop massive acceleration at huge slopes, but also classic amusement facilities suitable for the whole family and a large playground called: "Looney Tunes Seaport," which is actually a designed playroom with plenty of slides, ladders, mazes, and surprises. Open daily from late May until early September. In other months of the year, it is open only on holidays and weekends. The park belongs to the largest amusement park chain in the USA: "Six Flags." Those who prefer a water park to refresh in will find Six Flags Hurricane Harbor about a 20-minute drive south of Vallejo, in a city called Concord. This is a classic water park with facilities at all levels. Among the exciting rides, you will find a facility called "Tornado," where you will spin at high speed in a tube for four people down a steep slope. The park is open during the summer months only. From Vallejo to "Wine Country" in Napa Valley, the distance is quite short, only about a 20-minute drive. Nearby is another attraction particularly suitable for children: a tour of a jelly bean factory: Jelly Belly’s.
There is no child who will not be interested and enjoy seeing the colorful production line of the candies. The place also has demonstrations and tastings and, of course, a factory store. Address: Fairfield, One Jelly Belly Lane, open daily between 9:00-16:00. Tours depart every quarter of an hour. The tour is free. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, January 1st, and Easter.
Napa Valley
"Wine Valley" is located about 80 km north of San Francisco. In this area, which stretches from the town of Napa to Calistoga, many picturesque wineries that produce California's best table wines are concentrated. In most wineries, you can take guided tours including wine tasting, free of charge or for a symbolic fee.
Read more about this valley in my article: Napa Valley
San Jose
This city is the "capital" of Silicon Valley, and people of many nationalities reside there and in the nearby towns, including Israelis involved in the computer industry. San Jose is located about an hour's drive south of San Francisco on Highway 280. The city has several small museums, including a children's museum, an observatory, and more, but the most popular attractions for children are:
Winchester Mystery House
This massive and strange house, which has 160 rooms, 2000 doors, 10,000 windows, and 13 bathrooms, was built for a very wealthy woman, Sarah Winchester, who believed in ghosts and spirits and therefore built secret passages against them, doors leading nowhere, and further complications to confuse them. The house is so complex and tangled that even the owner and her servants had to use a map to find their way around. A guided tour is held in the house, where the eccentricities of the late owner are explained in a rather comical way. The place also has a small museum with some of the owner's collections and a souvenir shop. The house is surrounded by gardens where you can take an independent tour. You can join another guided tour called: Behind-the-Scenes Tour, which allows a glimpse into places that could not be visited for 75 years. During the tour, you will learn how the massive estate was operated. The tour includes visits to the stables, the plumber's workshop, the basements, etc. This tour is intended for ages 10 and up. Tickets can be purchased separately for each tour, or a combined ticket (at a discount) for both tours together. Open daily between 9:00-16:00. Closed on Christmas. Address: 525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose.
The Tech Museum Of Innovation
A modern museum with an impressive interactive display of over 250 exhibits from the peak of technology, divided into galleries with permanent and changing displays dealing with the fields of computing, space, genetics, innovations, and inventions. Over the years, the exhibits are renewed so that the museum, dealing with the dynamic, constantly renewing high-tech fields, continues to maintain innovation and progress. The site has a huge hall where IMAX films are screened. Address: 201 South Market St. Open daily except Mondays between 10:00-17:00. Opening hours are extended in the summer. Closed on Christmas and February 22nd.
Raging Waters Water Park
The largest water park in Northern California with many daring slides; especially recommended is Dragon’s Den, where you spin in a tube in a huge centrifuge and fall from a great height, a large wave pool, a river for slow tube floating, and a wet and amusing play facility called: "Pirates Cove." Opening hours vary according to the season and you should check the website. Address: 2333 South White Road, San Jose.
California's Great America Amusement Park
This is a large amusement park with many modern rides. The park belongs to the "Paramount" park chain. The park has roller coasters of all types but alongside them are also calmer facilities suitable for the whole family. The most attractive facilities (for the brave only): Flight Deck and Demon: roller coasters of various types with 360-degree turns, high accelerations, and other terrifying features; Drop Zone: free fall from a 68-meter tower; Whitewater Falls: a stormy and wet ride for water lovers. The most exciting facility in the park (opened in summer 2018) is RailBlazer: a roller coaster considered revolutionary (one of only two roller coasters of this type in the world). The exciting ride starts with a climb to a height of over 30 meters, followed by a 90-degree vertical dive. The track length is almost 550 meters, and the train travels at a speed of over 80 km/h. The park also has a lovely area called: Kid Zville, suitable for small children and the less daring, with many facilities and pleasant surprises. This is the home of "Scooby-Doo," the "Flintstones," and other television characters. Another popular attraction is a 3D movie called: SpongeBob SquarePants 3D. Many entertainment shows suitable for all ages take place in the park. In the summer, there is a nightly parade featuring favorite characters from the Nickelodeon channel. The park also includes a water park called: Boomerang Bay with a large wave pool, a tube course, and several slides. Discounted tickets can be purchased through the park's website. The park opens at 10 AM. Closing hours and park activity days vary according to tourist seasons. The park is located 45 minutes south of San Francisco and 10 km north of San Jose, in the city of Santa Clara, between highways 101 and 237.
Tour of the Oracle Arena in Oakland
Basketball fans should not miss a tour of the Oracle Arena where the best NBA team in the world plays: The Golden State Warriors. The stadium is located in the city of Oakland across the "Bay Bridge," address: 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621. The tour lasts about an hour and a half. Of course, during the NBA season (October to April), it is highly recommended to watch the legendary team (book seats a long time in advance!)
Accommodation:
For travelers in San Francisco and its surroundings: Recommended accommodations in San Francisco