A San Francisco Weekend Itinerary for First Timers, from a Local
It’s getting harder and harder to take time off to travel, so I wanted to share itineraries that are friendly for full time workers looking to get a weekend away. What better way to start than with my own city, San Francisco!
As someone who grew up near the city and lived here for the past couple of years, I came up with a 2-day or weekend itinerary for those who can’t take extended amounts of time off but still want to see San Francisco.
The itinerary below is a balance between the touristy go-to’s and local spots to enjoy spending time in. There are tons of other places I recommend as well, but this is a great place to start and get a holistic view of SF in a weekend.
One piece of advice before you go – BRING A JACKET. Even if it’s summer, the evenings get cold. Okay, here goes!
TLDR Itinerary
For those of you who don’t want the details, here’s the quick overview.
Day 1 TLDR: Tourist & Local Twist
- Ferry Building Farmer’s Market
- Fisherman’s wharf
- Lunch at either Surisan or In-N-Out
- Ghirardelli Square
- Sunset at Fort Mason/Marina Green
- Espresso Martinis at Balboa Cafe
- Dinner on/near Chestnut Street in the Marina neighborhood (Bagatella (italian), Ace Wasabi (great sushi), Nipon Curry (great asian food), or Hinodeya Ramen (great ramen))
- Drinking & dancing out on Fillmore St (Comet club, White Rabbit, Karaoke at Silver Clouds)
Day 2 TLDR: Little Italy & Chinatown
- Coffee and pastries at one of: Victoria Pastry, Stella Pastry, or Butter and Crumble
- Washington Square Park + Lombard street walk
- Cable car to Chinatown
- Golden Gate Cookie Factory to customize fortune cookies
- Grab boba at Yi Fang or Hi Sweetie Tea and Treats
- Dinner in Chinatown: ChinaLive or City View
- Get drinks upstairs at Cold Drinks Bar
- Cocktails at Moongate Lounge
- Li Po lounge for Mai Tai’s
- Dance at Kell’s Irish Pub
Day 1: The Tourist & Local Twist
Let’s put some facts down… everyone HAS to visit at least a few touristy spots when seeing a new place, even if the local spots are the true unique gems. So, let’s start the day with a few classics and end on a more crafted note.
Morning
Start your day at the ferry building. If you’re going on a weekend, they have the cutest farmer’s market on Saturday mornings. They also have it on Tuesday mornings. I personally love the momos stall, or if you’re brave, get the sandwiches from the stall with the line down the block. They have some cute snacks that you can grab to enjoy throughout the day. It’s the perfect way to start your day with a tourist spot full of locals (plus, it’s right along the water for a view of the Bay Bridge).
Next, take the street car to Fisherman’s Wharf. You can even walk if you have time. Enjoy the water, explore the area, and grab lunch. Boudin is famous, or you can go to one of the smaller shops to grab Clam Chowder. If you have kids, or if you are still a kid at heart like me, visit Pier 45 for some arcade time!
Lunch Time
If you want a sit down restaurant, I recommend Surisan. It’s right off of the wharf and has some great Asian fusion. It might have a line so try to reserve in advance or check ahead.
If you want a California classic, get In-n-out. They have a secret menu and if you’re vegetarian you can get it without the patty. Get the animal fries and if you’re a spice lover, you can ask for chopped chilies in everything!
Afternoon
Take a post-lunch walk to Ghirardelli Square. You can actually walk along the water from Fisherman’s Wharf or even the lunch places to get here, it should only be a 10-15 min walk. Get the classic sunday and enjoy the views.
Get views on views with sunset at Fort Mason Park. To walk the sugar off, go outside and straight toward the water. Walk along the water toward Fort Mason (on the left when you’re looking at the water). You’ll get great views of Alcatraz on the walk, and once you get up the small hill to Fort Mason, you’ll get to see the Golden Gate too! If you keep walking along the Fort Mason path, you’ll find a walking path to Marina Green, with a complete view of the Golden Gate. Stay there or come back to Fort Mason to enjoy the sunset.
Fort Mason holds a special place in my heart – it’s packed with people picnicking and partying on Saturdays if the weather is good.
From here, you could potentially get a ride to the golden gate bridge if you’d like to walk on it.
Evening
Walk over to Balboa Cafe to get some espresso martinis. They’re famous, so you might want to go early to avoid the lines. It’ll be a perfect way to get your energy back up after the full day of walking.
From here, grab dinner! Chestnut street is great to find restaurants. It’s the downtown of Marina, the neighborhood you’ll be in. Here are some of my favorites: Bagatella (italian), Ace Wasabi (great sushi), Nipon Curry (great asian food), or Hinodeya Ramen (great ramen).
Nightlife/Going Out
After dinner, if you’d like to experience the nightlife, you’ll either stay in the Marina or go out in North Beach. I’ll give the details on the Marina since you’ll be there.
Get more drinks at Campus. It’s a cute bar with great drinks – my personal favorite is the Lychee Martini.
Go to bars to drink more and dance on Fillmore street. This is the street that lights up at night and most younger adults go on a normal night out. Comet club and White Rabbit are good places for dancing, but they’ll likely be packed on Friday or Saturday. Silver Clouds is down the road and will also be packed, but is super fun for Karaoke.
Day 2: Little Italy & Chinatown
Morning
Grab coffee and pastries at Victoria Pastry, Stella Pastry, or Butter and Crumble. The first two have traditional italian pastries and they are DELISH. I personally love the chocolate croissant and Victoria Pastry, but they always sell out post 10am. Try to get to these places early, especially Butter and Crumble. They often sell out if you don’t get there to line up right when it opens!
Walk around Washington Square Park, then up Lombard street. You can even picnic in the park with your pastries! North Beach itself is such a cute neighborhood to walk around in, with tons of cute shops and stops. Lombard street is a short stretch away, and it’s worth going to see the curviest road in the world. The earlier you go, the better experience you’ll have!
Afternoon
Take the cable car to Chinatown. It’s easy to hop on the cable car at any point, just get a clipper card on your phone and fill it with $10-15. Hop on at any stop, and they’ll scan your phone with the card.
Customize your own fortune cookies. Hop on the cable car, take some pictures, and go to Golden Gate Cookie Factory. You can customize your own fortunes and make your own cookies!
Grab boba, it’s just so delicious in the Bay Area. I like Yi Fang or Hi Sweetie Tea and Treats, the second even has board games to use while you sit and chill.
Evening
Get some dim sum or Chinese food in Chinatown. I personally love ChinaLive, and even if there’s a wait you can check out their bar upstairs, Cold Drinks Bar. City View is another great dim sum place.
Nightlife/Going Out
Sip on cocktails at Moongate Lounge. It’s a vibe here, a great bar with a speakeasy vibe.
Go to Li Po lounge for Mai Tai’s. They’re strong, but delicious! It’s more of a dive bar experience so enjoy the drinks, talk up a few locals, and then go head to the next place if you’re looking to dance.
Dance at Kell’s Irish Pub. I know it seems counterintuitive to go out of Chinatown, but Kell’s has a big dance vibe later at night if that’s what you’re looking for. It does get packed so try not to get there terribly late!
Conclusion
This should encompass a lot in just 2 days, perfect for anyone trying to make the most out of their weekend in San Francisco. I hope that it gives you a good balance between both the touristy and local things, so that you get the best of all in one! For more about San Francisco, check out my other blogs about the city that’ll give you tips, hacks, and things to know before you come. It’ll help you make the best out of your experience. Cheers!
