Well, maybe just the main highlights, Golden Gate, Alcatraz, ride a trolley, lol? Then drive along the coast, would LOVE that more than anything. How long would it take to do that??
Do listen to those that said to bring a jacket, you can tell the tourists that didn't because it's summer not realizing how cold it can get or how it doesn't even warm up.
What's funny is that after years of living in the Bay Area, it's impossible to convince me that I don't need to pack several cardigan sweaters whenever we go on vacation somewhere tropical - I'm always convinced I will need one in the evening no matter what the temperature during the day. Then I get there and realize how stupid that thought was. But the next trip I turn around and do the exact same thing. One day I'll break myself of that habit! LOL
This! Driving SF is an adventure in itself. And not the fun type. And parking is SO expensive in the city. If you're bringing a car & on a budget make sure to research your parking costs ahead of time. If you're not bringing a car you'll need a rental car to enjoy any portion of PCH at your own pace but consider picking it up after you've enjoyed your time in the city (or dropping it off after arrival in the city if you do SF at the end of your trip). And if you get tired of walking up another hill? Uber like a local!I would narrow down what you are looking to do and I wouldn't rent a car until you need it, there's no reason to try and navigate the city in a car if you aren't familiar with it. Too many hills, cable and street cars, expensive parking and weird street parking rules.
Do listen to those that said to bring a jacket, you can tell the tourists that didn't because it's summer not realizing how cold it can get or how it doesn't even warm up.
I would narrow down what you are looking to do and I wouldn't rent a car until you need it, there's no reason to try and navigate the city in a car if you aren't familiar with it. Too many hills, cable and street cars, expensive parking and weird street parking rules.
Sounds great!!We did this last year on a 5 day trip and had a blast! We flew into San Francisco about 1pm, drove by the Golden Gate on the way out of town (encountered very heavy traffic in the afternoon).
We headed up Mendocino for 3 nights, driving through wine country. With Mendocino as our base, we went up to see the Redwoods and drove up the coast. On the way back to San Franciso, we drove Route 1. We had a full day in San Francisco; took our trolley ride and did the touristy stuff and lunch, then took the ferry back over the bay to Oakland. We boarded the California Zephyr in Emeryville for a cross country train trip.
For us, one full day in San Francisco was plenty. I much preferred the drive up the coast.
Have a great trip!
I reI went last year, last week of October as part of my honeymoon. We did just one day in San Fran. It was my husband's second trip and I only wanted to see the major sites. We didn't visit Alcatrez but we stayed outside the city and saw it on our ferry ride in. We took the trolleys to tour the city, stopped by a few historic sites, hung out at the wharf, went to ghiradelli, ate lunch at an awesome local restaurant etc. We went to visit a park the next day to take in the bridge on our way out of the city onto Napa. Another issue was cost. Rooms is the city were very expensive that week so we stayed outside the city, but then we had to pay for the ferry and be on a schedule. For that reason one solid packed day was the best way to see it.
What part of the coast do you want to see? You could easily spend 1-2 days driving down. We broke it up into legs as we didn't want to spend all day in a car, but it is rather barren in certain parts so you have to map it out. We also ended our trip in Anaheim, but if you end your trip earlier or just do a small loop you could do it in maybe 1 day.
Oh wow, didn't even think about rock slides. We are thinking of Labor Day weekend time frame. But I also have a friend interested in late August.October is a nice month. It's like Indian summer there. As to how long, that's hard to say because it depends on what you want to do/see and how long you want to spend at each spot. Driving along the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) takes longer than the other routes, especially Big Sur area. It's slow go. Need to be aware of rock slides in Big Sur because that certainly closes it down. Also, wild fires. Big Sur had one not too long ago and there was no driving through. I lived on Monterey Peninsula for 16 years. I know the area well (Carmel, Pebble Beach, Carmel by the Sea, Carmel Highlands, Big Sur), if you want more info regarding specifics I'd be happy to share. Another nice stop would be Santa Barbara and Solvang. Solvang is cute. Have a great trip. P.S. Several years ago friends of ours did the coast drive from LA to SF, they spent a minimum of 10 days.
Exactly, just want to say we did it. Haha!My daughter and I stopped there for 2 days on our road trip last year- I could not believe how cold we were in August!! We ended up having to buy fleece jackets that say Alcatraz on them because we were so cold!
We took the cable car once just to say we did it and the rest of the time we just ubered around the city and left our car at the hotel.