Planning a trip to San Francisco?

When you travel somewhere, you want to visit some touristy places, the ones that you see on TV and everyone talks about, but you may also want to hang out in cool neighborhood and enjoy life as a local. To me being able to experience a little of the local life, that is the real experience.

San Francisco CityPass
Alright, so here’s my free plug for CityPass, the San Francisco edition, which I think provides a good compromise to fulfill your tourist visits and let you discover the city on your own.

First, I want to make the point that I am recommending the San Francisco CityPass because I have actually used it, and it is the only one of the serie that also provides a pass for one week of free commute in the city. This is very convenient because it’s basically pretty much all you need to get around, and that how the locals do it, too! Also, it includes unlimited rides on the historical Cable Car. A one way cable car ride costs $5, and a weekly bus pass is $15, the CityPass cost $54. Already, this is a deal!

Note though, the attractions of the pass are valid to use within 9 days, and the commute pass is valid for 7 days only.

Getting around San Francisco: ride the Muni!
San Francisco is a very compact city, where people tend to prefer taking public transportation rather than driving. Reason being that parking is a real pain, as a result, the commute system, the Muni as it’s called, serves the city very well. Frequent buses that can get you pretty much anywhere you want in the city in a timely manner.

So before finding lodging, check out the Muni maps, and try find a stay near the main Muni stations. This way you’ll optimize your time in the transportation and have more time to enjoy the city!

Also, to figure out your route from one point to another, just go their Trip Planner!

On a sidenote, you may have heard of the BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit. It’s the subway system that runs through the Bay Area, but if you intend to visit the city onnly, there is really no reason to take it. It really has nothing worth paying the ride for. If you plan to visit Berkeley or Oakland in the East Bay, then, you will want to take it.

So here we go, let me help you get prepared for San Francisco.

1st Task: Get a card of the city
There is a tourist information center at Powell station, located downtown. I recommend going there to grab all the pamphlets and other information you may be interested in.

The Bay City guide booklet, includes some maps of the city, so grab one of those. The maps are also online so you can download and print them ahead.

2nd Task: Get a CityPass
You can either buy it online or get one at the locations listed on the website.
*Note: if you buy it through Alcatraz Cruises, you will get a pass to the Alcatraz island. A tourist must see! This is new(!), and I recommend it!

3rd Task: Plan what you want to visit! Aim to come the first week of the month!
Thanks to the Internet, and the online information age, you can start planning your trip before coming!

So first, you’ll want to locate where you are staying, then locate the places you want to visit. Make sure to check the business hours of the attractions as some of them are only open during the day, or not during the weekends.

Try to come the first week of the month, many museums and attractions offer free admissions during that time, and will allow you even more combinations of fun with your CityPass.

*What to visit?*
Ok, so let’s go through what’s offered in your CityPass.

1. Blue & Gold Escape from the Rock: this is a nice boat ride in the bay and around Alcatraz. A nice quick getaway. Enjoyable despite the crowd!
2. Aquarium of the Bay: so you are done with the boat ride, nice! Now you can walk around the pier and grab something to eat before visiting the Aquarium, located just a couple steps from the Blue & Gold ferry terminal. The aquarium, is rather small, but still enjoyable if you haven’t visited this kind of place in a while. At the end, you can even touch some small sharks, at least I did.
3. The de Young Museum / Legion of Honor: two museums that you can visit if BOTH are visited on the same day. Note that both are also Free the First Tuesday of each month. I actually do not recommend visiting both on the same day because the commute from one to the other is not convenient, and both locations have much more to enjoy than just the museum. Those are both art museums, so depending how much you will enjoy will really depends on your quality of appreciating arts. Nonetheless, the architecture and surroundings of both museums are worth checking out.
4. Exploratorium(First Wednesday of each month Free): this is a fun place for the mind, especially if you are into science. Go there to have fun and just goof around with all the little hands-on experiment available for you to play. Also, check the schedule of events. I happened to go when a yoyo contest was going on. Who knew you could so much with yoyos?
5. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art(First Tuesday of each month Free): located downtown, it’s Modern Art, what else can I say? Love it or hate it. I am not too much of an art person, but still, I enjoyed looking at some nice paintings and other artsy works.
6. Asian Art Museum(First Tuesday of each month Free): the museum offers exhibits from all the different parts of Asia. Interesting for those into Asian studies and art. Also, it is located in the Civic Center, and right next to it is the San Francisco Public Library Main Branch, definitely a place to check out(!) to see what an american public library is made of.
7. CityPass Extras: some freebies, See’s Candies and Boudin Museum & Bakery Tour are only worth noting for. Get a free lollypop from See’s Candies and maybe a chocolate if you are nice with the person at the counter ^_^. As you walk through the piers on the Embarcadero, stop by the Boudin Museum, learn small tidbits about Boudin and San Francisco, and enjoy sample of their bread at the end.
8. New Alcatraz Option: as mentionned above, if bought through the Alcatraz Cruises, you will be able to visit the actual Alcatraz Island. Make sure to reserve in advance, this is a really hot tourist attraction throughout the year!

Keep in mind that the CityPass is valid for 9 days, and if you plan it well, you can definitely do all the attractions without rushing, still have time to explore the surroundings, and take slow walk in the neighborhoods.

Still have some time left?
You can rent bikes and bike through the Golden Gate bridge. On a sunny day, it is a really fun thing to do, and you will also discover Sausalito, another part of the Bay Area. Be careful though! Some bike rental places will also give you a ferry voucher that you will have to pay if you use it. However, the actual ferry ticket to go back to San Francisco is actually cheaper than the cost of the voucher, so do not use it! Pay the ferry fare from your pocket and return the voucher with the bike.
Another way to discover San Francisco is through their Free Walking Tours. Get to know the different neighborhoods of the city through the locals. I have personally not done it yet, but it started in 1976 and is still going on!

So those are my advices to visit the city of San Francisco with a CityPass. It is merely just a way to get you started planning, as I have not mentioned the Golden Gate park, Japanese Tea Garden, Chinatown, North Beach, Castro, AT&T Park, Embarcadero,  Saturday’s Farmer’s Market etc… I will let you customize according to your taste!

Hopefully, you will enjoy discovering San Francisco, and get a little taste of what life would be if you lived there!

Any questions? Let me know! (hahaha, that sounds so much like a customer service email!)