San Francisco 5-Day Itinerary

How this 5-day San Francisco plan works

SF + Napa + Muir Woods

Each day below is grouped geographically so you spend your time in San Francisco rather than in transit. BART reaches SFO airport (30 min to Downtown, US$10.75), Oakland and Berkeley. Muni Metro + iconic cable cars cover the city; Clipper card or contactless credit card taps everything. Uber/Lyft were invented here — cheap and everywhere. Rent a car ONLY for Napa/Yosemite/Big Sur — parking Downtown is US$50+/day and hills punish inexperienced drivers.

Day by day

• Day 1

  Day 1–3 — Full SF highlights above.

• Day 2

  Day 4 — Napa Valley: Domaine Carneros, Castello di Amorosa, Auberge du Soleil dinner.

• Day 3

  Day 5 — Muir Woods redwoods morning + Sausalito ferry back + Fisherman's Wharf farewell.

Where to base yourself

• Union Square / Nob Hill

  Central hotels, cable-car turnaround, shopping — Fairmont, InterContinental Mark Hopkins, Ritz.

• Fisherman's Wharf / Embarcadero

  Ferry Building food hall, Alcatraz ferry, waterfront hotels — Hyatt Embarcadero, Argonaut.

• SoMa / Yerba Buena

  Museums (SFMOMA), tech HQs, boutique hotels — St Regis, Four Seasons, W San Francisco.

• Mission

  Best restaurants (Foreign Cinema, Lazy Bear, Californios), mural walks, LGBTQ+ Castro extension.

Best time to run this itinerary

September–October is the sweet spot — warmest days (18–23°C), least fog, low humidity. May–August fog blankets the coast most mornings; bring layers year-round. November–March is cool (10–15°C) and rainy but hotel rates drop. Fleet Week (early October), Outside Lands (August), Pride (June) and Chinese New Year (Jan/Feb) are the peak-price weekends.

Before you go

• Pack layers year-round — SF can go 12°C to 24°C in a single afternoon as fog rolls in.

• Tipping 18–22% at restaurants + SF Health Mandate surcharge often on bill (already tip-inclusive-adjacent).

• Never leave valuables in parked cars — smash-and-grab is the #1 tourist issue city-wide.