Is San Francisco worth visiting?

rob316

So myself and the OH are going to go to Vegas next August to get married and we have planned to go Vegas - San Fran - Long Island (family) - Manhattan

We originally had LA in there too but felt it was too much travelling and a lot of people tell me your not missing much.
So that leaves San Fran, but I'm having trouble getting a decent hotel (by that I mean doesn't look like my grandmother designed it) for a decent price. The prices are astronomical in comparison to Vegas and New York.

I would like to see Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, but my question is it worth going to for the cost? I do like sightseeing.

Would anyone have any recommendation for a hotel in San Fran?

Cheers

iusedtoknow

I'm biased (i live here), but yes it is...within reason

Hotel's are expensive here, but it is worth coming, and not just for the bridge and alcatraz. There are some great neighborhoods to explore for good food etc. The GG park is great for a stroll from Haight Street right down to the Pacific ocean.

It really depends what you want from the city. Places like Pier 41 etc are tourist traps but it's a nice city to visit for a couple of days to stroll around.

The main sites are

GG Bridge
Alcatraz
Ferry Building
Colt Tower
Mission District
Chinatown
Little Italy
Cable Cars

ProudDUB

Inexpensive hotels in SF are hard to come by. Stayed in the Holiday Inn - Fishermans Wharf last Xmas and got a great rate. It's pretty plain as hotels go (no restaurants, no bar, no pool) but you couldn't beat the price, or the location. (It did have a 24 hour Dennys in the lobby though). It's not exactly a posh part of town, but it's a one minute walk to the touristy stuff & shops/restaurants in Fishermans Wharf & Ghirardeli Square. It's also very near the pier for boats to Alcatraz, the GG bridge tour, Sausaltio etc etc.

The FW area is also the departure point for the tour buses that do day tours of the wineries in Napa and Sonoma...hands down my favourite thing to do when I am in the Bay area. I bet they'd be gorgeous in August. You get to see some of the country side, as well as drink some vino. They usually stop in one of the picturesque towns for lunch, such as Yountville, which has more Michelin starred restaurants per square mile, than any other part of the world.

The cable cars and street car stops are near FW too, if you want to go shopping, or explore downtown & the other well known parts of the city like Chinatown, Haight Ashbury, the Mission District, the Castro area etc etc. But depending on what you are into, you may not think they are worth the effort, despite how famous they are. I was very disappointed by Haight Ashbury, as I have zero interest in the 60's counter culture movement, but if that's your cup of chai tea, you'll probably love it.

SF is VERY hilly btw, so I hope ye are a good climbers.

nungesser

i'm not much help on a hotel, but there is lots to do and check out in San Francisco. I have heard that Alcatraz can book out months in advance especially during the summer months. A cheap way to see the bay is to take the ferry over to Sausalito and back it has a little bar on board so you can have a beer/beverage and enjoy the views of the bay. a couple of interesting things to do at the west end of Fisherman's Wharf are the Musee Mecanique that features old 1900's penny arcade machines. The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park features some old ships including a ferry that was used for bay crossings before the Golden Gate Bridge was built. Great views of the Bridge by those places.
My fav bar is located on Columbus just south of Broadway its called "Specs" it across the street from beat poets Allen Ginsburg's City Lights Bookstore and up a little fifty foot pedestrian alleyway. "Specs" is owned by a fellow that used to be a merchant marine and has all kinds of strange and fascinating things adorning the walls

iusedtoknow

the other option is to stay over in downtown Berkley or Oakland - there are marriots and a couple of other nice hotels near BART stops that will get you into the city within 15 minutes and are in perfectly safe areas. Am on mobile at the moment but can post links

aaronm13

Avoid the King George hotel anyway. Stayed here on our honeymoon 4 years ago, the place is a dump, good location though. We came from the Belagio in Vegas so maybe we were a little spoiled but it's hands down one of the worst hotels I've stayed in. We had the same problem finding a decent hotel at a reasonable price, they were all crazy expensive and some even looked worse than the King George.

athtrasna

I've travelled a lot in the US and beyond and didn't enjoy San Francisco at all. Loved Alcatraz and the sights and the food. However the price of the hotel was astronomical relatively speaking and the proliferation of beggars was uncomfortable to put it mildly. I hated walking down the street.

Rashers72

Try Air BnB/VRBO. Used them for a 4 night stay in the summer. Family of 4, so got a 2 bed apartment, full kitchen, reception, with owner separate in main part of house. Huge house overall, so plenty of space in our section. Had own front door and back garden. Was based in Pacific Heights, right on regular bus route. Even bus driver commented, he never got tourists where we were, so he knew it was either relatives or Air BnB. Was about US$250 pn, but we got a lot for that. Never even met owner, did all via email. Loved San Fran!

iusedtoknow

just don't call it san fran and you'll be fine!

As mentioned above, AirBNB may be the way to go - a lot of people do it as their career. Our company actually encourage people to use it when they visit. There are some "dodgy" neighborhoods so be careful where you go. The safest areas in no particular order

1. Cole Valley (near Haight Street..but far enough away)
2. Noe Valley (near Castro/Mission..but far enough from both)
3. Inner Sunset/Richmond (near the park)
4. Marina
5. Little Italy

Stay away from apartments in the Tenderloin, Dogpatch, Mission (a great neighborhood to visit but has uhh...issues). SOMA and FIDI are dead at night/weekends.

munster87

I enjoyed San Francisco but felt I saw everything that I wanted to see in a few days and wouldn't need to rush back. 3/4 full days was enough for me personally. I stayed in the Baldwin hotel, basic hotel but in a good location and had no issues. Nothing special at all in comparison to most of the hotels in vegas! They do fold your towels into animal shapes if that's any consolation!

Valentina

I stayed in Hotel Drisco a few years ago and lived it. It's a former mansion converted into a hotel, a little old fashioned but tasteful.and beautiful. Does a complimentary breakfast each morning and wine and cheese in the evening. It is a little out of the way from very touristy areas but we didn't mind this and chose to walk almost everywhere.

I'd recommend renting bikes and cycling over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausolito then getting the ferry back. We didn't get to do Alcatraz as it was already booked up the days we were there so book in advance if it's something you want to see.

Darkest Horse

Stayed in a beautiful little Japanese boutique hotel called Hotel Kabuki for $180 per night, though they did upgrade us to a nice room. Not 100% sure how we got that price but might be worth a try. 2km from Union Square.

Daisy 55

We loved San Francisco, but difficult to say why! Plenty to do and just a lovely atmosphere. Bring warm clothes though!

TimeToShine

I think it would be madness to miss out on it if you can get over the accommodation prices. Airbnb is a very viable alternative.

InTheTrees

rob316 wrote: »

So myself and the OH are going to go to Vegas next August to get married and we have planned to go Vegas - San Fran - Long Island (family) - Manhattan

Do you drive?

Las vegas to LA to SF is probably the most popular tourist sight seeing route on the west coast.

You're getting married. Rent a convertible and enjoy the spectacular drive instead of sitting in some city. There's numerous hotels along the way, you can avoid LA entirely too and just drive up the pacific coast.

Its just a thought. The Western USA is so much about the beauty of the landscape.

granturismo

How many days do you have in SF?

We went and spent some time with friends but I much preferred the few days we spent on our own, driving north of SF.

One of the biggest thrills for me was driving over the golden gate bridge, childish, but for some reason I loved it. We took it easy for a few days around the Russian River Valley and Bodega Bay.

rob316

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, we booked yesterday with the travel agent. Spending 4 nights in SF and staying in the hotel rex on Sutter St, looked grand no idea how much it cost as it was inclusive in the overall price.
Looking forward to it.

Daisy 55

Muir woods is amazing as is yosemite NP and sequoia NP. Didn't think much of the Napa valley!

Snoopy1

I loved San Francisco so much, much better than vegas.
I stayed in a lovely hotel, and went travelling around napa etc
I woukd book Alcatraz as early as possible

Hrududu

I stayed near Union Square and found it dead at night. Alcatraz and cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge were my highlights. But I didnt love the place and would be in no rush back. The sheer amount of crazy people on the streets gave the whole city a sketchy vibe.

iusedtoknow

Hrududu wrote: »

I stayed near Union Square and found it dead at night. Alcatraz and cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge were my highlights. But I didnt love the place and would be in no rush back. The sheer amount of crazy people on the streets gave the whole city a sketchy vibe.

Union square is the center of the Business area, not much actually happens there in the evenings/weekends. Same with SOMA (other side of Market street). The best areas for stuff going on are:

The mission
North Beach
Hayes Valley
Upper Haight/Cole Valley
Castro

Outside of those areas, the town is pretty dead. It isn't a big city.

As for the crazies - it's gotten worse in the 3 years we've been here. I try and avoid downtown as much as possible.

Sonnenblumen

iusedtoknow wrote: »

I'm biased (i live here), but yes it is...within reason

Hotel's are expensive here, but it is worth coming, and not just for the bridge and alcatraz. There are some great neighborhoods to explore for good food etc. The GG park is great for a stroll from Haight Street right down to the Pacific ocean.

It really depends what you want from the city. Places like Pier 41 etc are tourist traps but it's a nice city to visit for a couple of days to stroll around.

The main sites are

GG Bridge
Alcatraz
Ferry Building
Colt Tower
Mission District
Chinatown
Little Italy
Cable Cars

That's a pretty thin list of reasons but probably accurate with the obvious omission 'Homeless capital of the world'. I have never encountered so many and they are everywhere. Most mind their own business but there are plenty who will hustle especially tourists for money etc. The city suffers terribly with I was very disappointed with SF at night, mediocre.

The GG Bridge is probably the highlight, but had a great time spinning around SF Bay area.

Generally I found it overpriced (next best rip off prices to Australia), otherwise overhyped and overboring.

In comparison give me NYC any day.

If you're going to SF, bring plenty of dollars and watch them melt in your hands!

BailMeOut

My favourite thing to do in San Fran is renting one of those 'Blazing Saddles' bikes for a day and cycle over the golden gate over to Sausalito. You can take the bike on a ferry from there back to the warf again if you are too tired cycling but it's a brilliant experience cycling over the bay bridge.