In the days before Zoom calls cluttered our calendars, Seattleites regularly hopped down to San Francisco for a business meeting, there and back the same day.
But the City by the Bay isn’t just for quick work trips, it should be at the top of every Seattle family’s getaway list. The flight is a mere 1½ hours. Tickets are cheap (mine were $75, less than the cost of a dinner out). And there’s so much to see and do with kids.
Like Seattle, San Francisco saw the pandemic upend its downtown core and its reputation tarnished. A 2024 Nielsen survey found the number of visitors from Seattle plummeted by 21%, the sharpest drop of any vacation destination.
Waiting in line at San Francisco’s Ferry Building, the woman in front of me was a local — and a Husky. COVID turned the city into a ghost town, and she said she was glad to see the tourists return. She could have been describing Seattle.
San Francisco is a gorgeous city on a small peninsula. Go visit the classics like the Golden Gate Bridge and the cable cars, then try newer additions like Tunnel Tops and Waymo. Here’s what to do while you’re here:
San Francisco’s cable cars are 151 years old. Photo by JiaYing Grygiel
To see iconic San Francisco
Fisherman’s Wharf stretches from Pier 33 to Ghirardelli Square, and you will find the most quintessential San Francisco landmarks between these two bookends.
Catch the ferry to Alcatraz Island at Pier 33 and see the crumbling cell house where Al Capone and other notorious criminals were incarcerated. The prison is now a national park with surprising access; you can even try out a solitary confinement cell. The Alcatraz trip will take a couple of hours, and it’s best to buy tickets in advance.
Kids will love the Musée Mécanique at Pier 45. It’s free to enter, and there is a change machine if you don’t bring quarters. The Musée Mécanique contains an impressive collection of antique arcade games, including some that might raise eyebrows today. (The opium den? French execution?)
Go for a ride on the 150-foot-high SkyStar Wheel for a view of the city. Then, eat clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at the flagship Boudin Bakery, and pick up a baby turtle-shaped loaf. Stop by the historic Ghirardelli building (now a shopping center) for a free chocolate sample. Get burgers at the city’s only In-N-Out.
When you’re done with Fisherman’s Wharf, head to the famous cable cars at the Hyde Street turnaround. San Francisco’s cable cars are 151 years old, and it is the only cable car system operating in the world. At the free Cable Car Museum on Nob Hill, you can see the machinery that powers all the cable cars in the city.
Artist Scott Weaver uses toothpicks and Elmer’s glue to make sculptures at the Exploratorium. Photo by JiaYing Grygiel
If you love museums
The California Academy of Sciences will absolutely knock your socks off. Enter a rainforest greenhouse, where you’ll meet free-roaming macaws, bats, and giant spiders. Butterflies dance at the rainforest canopy. Then, take an elevator down below the water, where an entire aquarium awaits.
You can play with more than 650 hands-on science activities at Pier 15’s Exploratorium. We met artist Scott Weaver, who builds toothpick sculptures, made a cloud, and found our birthdays in the number pi. Bonus: the Exploratorium is free with a Pacific Science Center membership.
If you think art museums aren’t for kids, you haven’t been to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. You will be shocked at how exciting it is. Not throwing shade on paintings on a wall, because I do love paintings on a wall. But at SFMOMA, there is artwork to lay down and listen to, artwork to walk through, and even artwork to touch. Yes, touch.
Salesforce Park is a public park in the sky in downtown San Francisco. Plantings include agave plants. Photo by JiaYing Grygiel
If you love green spaces
San Francisco is investing in gorgeous public parks, all of it free to visit.
When an earthquake damaged a highway leading to the Golden Gate Bridge, the city used the opportunity to build a tunnel for the highway and put a beautiful public park over the top. Presidio Tunnel Tops opened in 2022, and it is stunning. Take the free Presidio GO shuttle from downtown to get there. Check out the nature-inspired playground and jaw-dropping views of the bridge. Nearby Crissy Fields is a lovely sandy beach where you can watch kiteboarders take off.
Salesforce Park is an oasis in the sky. It sits on the roof of the transit center downtown and stretches over four blocks. Take the free gondola ride up and stroll through 13 different botanical ecosystems. Our favorite feature is the bus fountain: every time a bus passes below, it triggers a sensor that shoots up jets of water in the park.
Golden Gate Park (which, despite its name, is not anywhere near the Golden Gate Bridge) is like the Central Park of San Francisco. Highlights of this enormous park include the California Academy of Sciences, the car-free John F. Kennedy Promenade, and the bison paddock.
If you want a challenge
One of the most rewarding things we did was to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge with a Blazing Saddles tour. We clocked 8 miles by riding all the way to Sausalito. The bridge alone is 1.7 miles long, windy and exhilarating.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana in North Beach won best pizza in the world. Photo by JiaYing Grygiel
If you love to eat
North Beach is San Francisco’s Little Italy, and it’s home to the world’s best pizza. Literally — Chef Tony Gemignani is an 11-time world pizza champion. Walking into Tony’s Pizza Napoletana is like being wrapped in a big, delicious hug. Save room for the cannolis.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana anchors one corner of Washington Square. Other must-eats along the square are Victoria Pastry for Italian cookies by the pound and the legendary focaccia at Liguria Bakery.
Belly up to the Ferry Building, a food emporium located along the Embarcadero. On Saturday mornings, you can catch the famous farmer’s market there. A few steps north, we savored fresh and bright seafood at La Mar Cocina Peruana.
San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest and largest Chinatown in the country. Photo by JiaYing Grygiel
If you love to shop
Union Square is known as a shopping mecca: Cartier, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton… all my favorite stores, ha! My boys cheered up when we found a quiet spot, PLS on Post, for yummy burgers and shakes.
Cross through the Chinatown gate at Bush Street, and you enter an entirely different world. San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest and largest Chinatown in the country.
Kids will love browsing the trinket shops lining both sides of Grant Avenue, where prices are in line with kid allowances. Stockton Street, which runs parallel to Grant, is filled with fruit stands, fish markets, and bakeries. When you reach the north end of Chinatown, stop for sheng jian bing at China Live, a marketplace-meets-restaurant where you can watch the chefs cooking.
What to wear
Layers. There’s a reason people say, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” While the rest of the country roasted in a heat wave, we needed jackets in San Francisco.
The Palace Hotel’s stately Garden Court, with marble pillars and Austrian chandeliers. Photo by JiaYing Grygiel
Where to stay
Staying at Fisherman’s Wharf is like staying at Pike Place Market — right in the middle of the action. We loved Hotel Zoe because it was a 5 to 15-minute walk to many attractions, but the hotel itself is quiet and has an exquisite seafood restaurant on the first floor.
For a splurge, the Palace Hotel lives up to its name. You will feel like royalty here. We got a full dose of old-world splendor, staying in a luxurious suite with a connecting room. The historic hotel was rebuilt in 1909 after the city’s big earthquake and fire. Start your day with breakfast in the elegant garden court under Austrian chandeliers, and finish with a swim in the glass-domed indoor pool.
How to get around
If you stay in the city, don’t bother renting a car. Parking is a hassle, and the hotels charge steep overnight fees. If you road-tripped down, don’t leave anything in the car.
It’s easy to get around with rideshares or public transportation. You’ll see self-driving Waymos zipping around the city; just download the app to take a ride. The hop-on, hop-off Big Bus stops at major landmarks, like the Painted Ladies and the crooked Lombard Street.
Like other would-be visitors from Seattle, I was deterred by all the (unwarranted!) bad press surrounding San Francisco. Instead, we found a vibrant and welcoming city on this family trip, just one naptime away.
