San Francisco

Best time to visit San Francisco

The best time to visit San Francisco depends on what you're looking for in your trip. Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons of each season:

Summer is the warmest and driest time of year in San Francisco. It's a great time to enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and picnicking in Golden Gate Park. However, it's also the most crowded and expensive time to visit. 

Autumn is considered the shoulder season in San Francisco, with comfortable temperatures, fewer crowds, and lower hotel rates. The weather is usually sunny and dry, with occasional fog. This is a great time to visit if you want to enjoy all that San Francisco has to offer without the summer crowds.

Winter is the wettest time of year in San Francisco. It's also the least crowded time to visit. If you don't mind the rain, you can find some great deals on hotels and flights during the winter months. 

Spring is a beautiful time to visit San Francisco, with wildflowers in bloom and mild temperatures. However, it can also be a bit rainy.

Ultimately, the best time to visit San Francisco is whenever works best for you!

Discover San Francisco

San Francisco (Spanish for "Saint Francis") was founded on June 29, 1776 when colonists from Spain established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named after St. Francis of Assisi a few miles away. The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought rapid growth, making it the largest city on the West Coast at the time. Surrounded by the rugged Pacific coast, fascinating Silicon Valley and bountiful open roads, San Francisco is the perfect launch pad for your road trip around California. But it is also one of the most exciting cities around and not one to be missed.

There is so much to explore in San Francisco, the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge and the famous Alcatraz Island home to America's most notorious prison. Hop on one of the iconic cable cars and zip up some of the cities famously steep hills. Stroll around the Fisherman's Wharf and see the sea lions basking in the sun before enjoying some of the freshest seafood. Once you've experienced all the city has to offer escape to scintillating Sonoma’s wine country to sip bio-dynamic wines, sample delicious organic food and take in the stunning scenery.

Things to do in San Francisco

The Golden Gate Bridge

The most famous bridge in the world manages to impress even the most experienced travellers with its stunning 1.7-mile span. A pedestrian walkway also allows the crossing on foot and bikes are allowed on the western side.

Cable Cars

These have been transporting people around San Francisco since the late 19th century. The cars run on tracks and are moved by an underground cable on three routes. Their familiar bells can be heard ringing from blocks away. Tickets ($5) may be purchased at the cable car turnarounds at the ends of each route. Each one-way ride will provide spectacular views of the city’s celebrated hills as well as exhilarating transportation.

Union Square

This is the place for serious shoppers. Major department stores and the most exclusive designer boutiques line streets like Post, Sutter, Geary, Grant, Stockton and Powell. The Westfield San Francisco Shopping Centre houses the largest Bloomingdale's outside of New York and the second largest Nordstrom in the U.S.

Swipe left or right to learn more about what San Francisco has to offer.

Things to do in San Francisco

Fisherman’s Wharf

Home to PIER 39, a festive waterfront marketplace that is one of the city’s most popular attractions. A community of California sea lions has taken up residence on the floats to the west of the pier and visitors line the nearby railing to watch their antics. From there it’s a short walk to the Wax Museum, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and the famous crab vendors selling walk-away crab and shrimp cocktails.

Wine Country

For the wine lover in you, celebrate the good life at the superb wineries of Napa and Sonoma. Gentle rolling hills and vineyard-laced farmland make the area perfect for back-road driving or cycling. Along with famous chefs and cool shops, there's plenty of small-town appeal in towns such as St. Helena, Yountville, Sonoma and Healdsburg. Time may seem to stand still in the iconic countryside, but the luxury and sophistication here are thoroughly modern.

Alcatraz

The notorious former prison is located on an island of the same name in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Some of the United States’ most notorious criminals were incarcerated there. Though several tried, no inmate ever made a successful escape from “The Rock.” The prison was closed in the 1960’s and stories about Alcatraz are legendary. A visit to Alcatraz today is fascinating. Recorded cell-house tours are available, allowing visitors to learn about the prison as they explore the buildings and grounds. To reach the island, take an Alcatraz Cruises ferry from Pier 43.