San Francisco Travel Answers

Hi there - San Francisco is a wonderful city with so much to see and do. The trouble with making recommendations is that we all have different interests so what is on one traveler's must-do list won't even make it to the bottom of someone else's. Our members have written about all kinds and sorts of things to do in and around the city so spending some time with our San Francisco Travel Pages is a great place to start making YOUR custom-tailored adventure. You can find them here: San Francisco Travel Guide You can also click on the photo of any member who has written a review that you find particularly interesting and go their personal pages and see the rest of their SF insights. I am a fan of driving Wine Country but as you do not need (and do not want) a car in the city, a bus tour is an option if not wanting to hassle with a one-day rental - although we have members who can recommend the best way to do that. Goodfish is not a bus-tour type of girl so by car is definitely preferred. I'm a little confused about Tahoe: is that outside of the 5 days you've allotted to SF? No, it will be too cold there for any water sports if you mean IN the water. In fact, I read that the lake is cold most of the year. From a travel site about Tahoe: "Seasonal Variations / When to Go By April, the great thaw has arrived and the Lake Tahoe climate begins to show definite signs that spring is on its way. However, whilst daytime temperatures quickly begin to creep up to 20°C / 68°F on thereabouts, the evenings and nights can be very cold indeed, so if you are out and about at this time, you will definitely need to wrap up well." It has been an usually warm winter in the much of the US this year so maybe our local members can provide current climate info there. I was in San Francisco for a week two Aprils ago and while we saw some very nice days, it wasn't warm enough for in-water sports.

Hi there and welcome to VT. Kate is absolutely correct about the endless possibilities. A great option is to google "San Francisco things to do" and you will get the top things to do/see in San Francisco. You can then form a plan from there. Another option is to google: "San Francisco tours" and see what the professional tour guides are offering and then doing it on your own - extremely easy to do because of the wonderful transport system in San Francisco. I personally would rent a car for the day and go to Napa - leave early and come back late! I too would hope you're not talking Tahoe as part of the 5 days - entirely too much! Homer

We live between Tahoe and SF. Currently it is snowing in Tahoe and raining on me. The rest of the US has had an unusually warm winter but we have had a pretty normal one. It has been snowing for the past week and continues. Tahoe is at a higher altitude so they get lots of snow. You will not be doing water sports there in mid April even if most of the snow melts by then. It may or may not. We have had blizzards in April. I'm wondering if a trip to Tahoe is outside your 5 days because from SF to Tahoe is a bit of a trip. If I were doing it, I'd go on one day and return the next day. That takes two days of your trip. Why not save Tahoe for a future trip when you can spend a couple days there, possibly in the summer. Today (and much of last week) there were chain requirements for people driving to Tahoe. Most rental cars won't allow chains on the tires so you would be turned back. They stop everyone and check. It is always broadcast on the local television stations so it's not a surprise. San Francisco could keep you busy for 5 days, but a trip up to Napa would be reasonable. They have great public transportation in SF so don't rent a car unless you have to. I'm not fond of bus tours either, but for someone who doesn't know the roads and has a very limited time, it might be the easiest way to visit Napa Valley. You could do tasting too and you can't do that and drive. While in SF, you might enjoy the Academy of Sciences. It's a nature museum and great fun. It's also very popular. http://www.calacademy.org/ The de Young Art Museum is across the plaza from it and is another interesting place in SF. http://deyoung.famsf.org/ You will all enjoy the Golden Gate Recreation Area. http://www.nps.gov/goga/ Here is a trip planner web site for SF public transportation. tripplanner.transit.511.org/... Enjoy your trip.

San Francisco, my 2nd favorite town in the U.S. after my home town of Chicago. I've been to SF numerous times over the past 25 years and I'll give you a few of my favorite things to do. I'm not a water sports person and you DO NOT want to do anything in the SF Bay unless you own a very good wet suit. You don't mention how old your daughter is but if she is young or young at heart you could go to the Walt Disney Family Museum. I haven't been there personally, but my future daughter-in-law who is in her 20's and a big Disney fan really liked it. I always suggest riding the Cable Car. Some people ride it once and that's it, but I love the sound, smell and humor of some of the drivers. I find riding it in the day and evening are 2 completely different experiences. For food go down to the Italian North Beach area. I've never had a bad meal there. There is somewhat of a touristy place called The Stinking Rose which you might want to try out especially if you want to stay away from vampires (just kidding). Also we enjoyed Bi-Rite Creamery on 18th Street in the Mission District for some really good ice cream on our last trip back in 2010. My other suggestion is to take the Ferry across the bay from San Francisco to Sausalito and walk around town and have lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants there. If you are into architecture we discovered the Rick Evans Tour last time we were in town and really enjoyed it. More information on my San Francisco pages for you to check out if you like.

As others have said there is so much to do in San Francisco that it comes down to a matter of taste. Unique experiences to me include walking across the Golden Gate Bridge and taking a night time tour of Alcatraz. Unless you plan on visiting several wineries for tasting there is relatively little to see in the Napa Valley. Nearly all of the tours are oriented to wine tasting. If you decide you really want to get out of San Francisco and see some of the surrounding area, the area south of San Francisco down to Santa Cruz via Highway 1 contains some spectacular scenery including Devils Slide and Half Moon Bay plus Ano Nuevo State Park which is a great site for watching birthing seals and sea lions. This would be just a day trip and either returning the car to SF the same day or spending the night along the water in Half Moon Bay or Santa Cruz. Renting a car in San Francisco is much cheaper if you do it between Friday noon and Monday noon. It is also is cheaper to rent downtown than it is at the airport.

@TooTallFinn24 "Unless you plan on visiting several wineries for tasting there is relatively little to see in the Napa Valley." I'll disagree with that statement a bit. My wife and I are not big wine drinkers at all and enjoyed exploring some of the little towns, going on a couple of wine tours and just riding around the countryside."

Just throwing this out for opinions from our local experts We've done wine country twice in the fall and once in July and found fall preferable: was very pretty at that time of year. I'm not sure if it's as attractive in April? Just asking as that may make a difference?

Rich- I was considering that they have a daughter. Much more to see in San Francisco than the towns in the Napa Valley. Calistoga, Sonoma, and Napa are cute to walk around but not sure what their daughter would enjoy. However that's just my opinion living in and around the area.

Good point!

We don't know the age of the daughter and that might make a difference. Our daughters love the Napa/Sonoma area but they are adults. We did take the kids to Napa when they were middle-school-age and they liked it then too. There is Old Faithful Geyser, tourist trains, picnic grounds, parks, kid stores, ducks in the Sonoma Town Square, the California Sonoma Mission State Park . . . lots of things for kids. We go over fairly often and have never done a tasting. We go to visit all of the above, eat in the marvelous restaurants and I love to take photos of the magnificent scenery. BTW, there is a castle too and any kid would love that. www.castellodiamorosa.com/ Of course if you take a tour, you go where they take you so shop carefully. We have a car and can go where we like.

Thanks to all of u for suggestions....I really appreciate.my daughter is 2 1/2 years old.

Thanks to all of u for suggestions....I really appreciate.my daughter is 2 1/2 years old.

2 and a half . . . I wouldn't advise a tour of Napa in that case. They won't do kid-friendly things on a tour. Either rent a car and do the Old Faithful Geyser, the castle and let her play in the town square in Sonoma or (better yet) skip Napa and do it when she's a bit older. In SF for sure do the Academy of Sciences; kids love it. There is a neat zoo she would love and lots of things in Golden Gate Park. Check the SF web site for kid-friendly things to do. There is a lot and you'll have a grand time. If she is anything like our kids, she will need a bit of rest too so schedule that in as well and 5 days will zip by. Have a great time.

Now knowing she is 2 1/2 she might like Train Town in Sonoma. My Sonoma page has a discussion of it along with some pictures. Good suggestions Sally for other activities a child might enjoy also in the Napa Valley.