East is East, West is San Fran. 48 hours in San Fran.... The must do's
Stretching across 7 miles there is so much to do in San Fran from historic sites to seals, painted ladies and cable car rides.
We found ourselves in San Fran for just two nights and for those that have been there before know there is an abundance to do and see there. It goes without saying that Alcatraz is a must for a first time visitor to San Fran, as this was not our first time here is what we did on a budget and with limited time.
Fisherman’s Wharf: Free to go to, street performers everywhere, lots of ‘I love San Fran’ memorabilia and most importantly so so many seals! See and hear the seals with a beautiful back drop of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Ride a cable car: Known as San Fran’s moving landmark enjoy a journey up and down the city streets, this is often on peoples bucket list and a single ride is just £3.
Cycle over Golden Gate Bridge: Such an icon image, most of us have seen the Golden Gate Bridge in films and we can definitely say in real life it’s even more breath taking, especially on a sunny day. We opted for the city bikes (costing roughly £7 for the whole day) and had a magical day cycling across. Surprisingly even though you expect it to be flat it is a bit of an uphill cycle, so prep accordingly!
Sausalito: A small town (with a house boat community) across from San Fran, with stunning views looking back at the city. We stopped here for a coffee after our cycle over Golden Gate Bridge. If your feeling rather tired after your cycle and you have money left in your budget there are bike taxis ready and waiting to take you back to the city. (Our driver managed to clip our 5 bikes to the back of his car with two jump ropes)
Lombard Street: Between Leavenworth and Hyde a section with 8 sharp turns is a must stop. Many people enjoy driving down this as a stop in San Fran. We walked it and took many insta worthy shots.
Painted Ladies: Located on Steiner Street, near Alamo Square Park, Victorian and Edwardian houses worth going to see, all painted in a variety of colours. To note there is actually a tiny museum on the top floor of one of the houses containing a lot of the houses history.
Vintage clothing shops: There are numerous vintage clothing shops all over San Fran but check our Haight Street area where there are loads with some really cool clothes at reasonable prices.
Check out some of the vintage shops here:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/may/25/top-10-vinatge-secondhand-stores-san-francisco