San Francisco Travel Forum

Hi i have 3 nights in SF before picking up a car and driving down to Carmel, from there were off to Yosemite.
Any suggestions what to see in SF and is there anything to stop off and see on route to Yosemite, although we need to get to Yosemite in a day.
also were driving back to SF airport to drop off the car any suggestion for a stop on route back for lunch.

Hi!
First, you don't need a car in SF. Parking in the downtown area is expensive. You - if you are in good shape - can easily walk in the Metro SF area. Buses and the subway system called BART are also excellent. With a little help, you will be able to get where you want to go in the city.

Go to Chinatown to shop, walk around and see the sites, have a meal.If you keep walking north from there you/ll be in North Beach - the Italian part of town where the food is marvelous. There are shops for food, books, etc. North from there is Fisherman's Wharf. There are many seafood restaurants. Be sure to get some fresh French bread and crab. You can see the boats docked in the Bay, there are scenic areaa to photograph. The Cannery is close by and to the west with Ghiradeli Chocolate factory there, shops and restaurants. Pier 39 is ast of there and it is a pier with shops and restaurants all on the water. You'll be happy doing any or all of the above. Stick with this agenda if you only have 3 days. Take your time in each of these areas, see all there is to see and have a good time!
You can take a Cable Car to all of these areas from downtown on Market street of catch it somewhere along the line. Ask anyone and they can point you in the direction for all of these areas. Stay out of the "Tenderloin" area - porno shops, etc; and Hunter's Point. If you stay in the touristy areas I have described, you'll be fine. There are a lot of panhandlers in SF so beware.
Hope this helps!

Andrea

Welcome to VT. If you will list your travel interests, you will get more specific suggestions for things to do. As the previous poster has stated, a car is actually an expensive burden within The City. I think I would do Yosemite before going to Carmel. Since you only plan to spend a short while at the park, you might wish to do a bus tour from San Francisco instead of driving. There are many such trips offered. You would then only need the rental car for the San Francisco-Carmel-San Francisco portion of your trip. Gary

When I'm in SF, I prefer exploring some of the little neighborhoods rather than all the tourist traps. Here is a really good guide to the neighborhoods:

http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/sf/neighborhoods/

I recommend checking out Hayes Valley, Cole Valley, and The Mission. There are lots of things to see in SF. What are your particular interests? I recommend North Beach for some great Italian food. A hike up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower; don't miss the murals inside. Walk down the Filberts steps to the other side.

Badger

Just returned from a 2 day stay in SF and was able to cram a lot into that time, thanks to VT replies. My daughter and I are "foodies" and really enjoyed an eating tour of North Beach. We walked thru the neighborhoods and then took the 29 bus to the Golden Gate bridge. We also went the the Ferry Bldg Market. We drove down Highway 1 to Carmel. Lots of pretty coastline. We stopped at Ano Nuevo to take a tour and see the elephant seals. Great fun!

The pickins are slim for food on the way to Yosemite, but the Iron Door in Groveland is kind of fun and the food isn't bad. There's a Mexican restaurant - I think it's called Robertito's - in Oakdale, but mostly there's fast food. I usually have a big breakfast at the Ahwahnee (the only meal I can afford there) and drive back to the bay area for lunch.