San Francisco is such a cool destination!
There is so much to see and do! From taking the audio tour at Alcatraz to riding a cable car. From walking or driving the Golden Gate Bridge to visiting the Madame Tussaud’s wax figure museum. You really need at least a week to live the whole San Francisco experience.
In my case, I went with my two toddlers, my mom, and my sister in a one day road trip. Since we were in a budget, we handpicked the Top 5 places we wanted to visit depending on how affordable and toddler friendly they are.
We had so much fun!
So, if you dream about going to San Francisco but you are in a budget or have kids, take notes, it’s totally doable.
Here is our Top 5 list.
Lombard’s Street crooked part
It’s located in the Russian Hill between Leavenworth and Hyde streets. It has turns so sharp that the signs suggest driving at 5mph. The view from up there is AMAZING!
Ghirardelli Square
Walk around, take pictures, and visit the Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop. This is probably the one place that my girls enjoyed the most. But then again, who doesn’t enjoy Ghirardelli’s Ice Cream? We tried the Banana Split, plain vanilla ice cream and Strawberry shakes with pieces of dark chocolate. We also tried the Ghirardelli Square chocolate samples that they give for free. If you have kids, mark my word, this is a MUST.
The Fisherman’s Wharf
Just walking around and enjoying the street performers and musicians is quite an experience. The view of the bay is simply astonishing! You can see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.
My favorite is the Pier 39 boardwalk which has marked places recommended for photos. We took a couple of good ones!
There is lots of shops and good places to eat. We highly recommend Pier Market for good seafood. It has a great view of the marina and the atmosphere is very enjoyable. They have kids friendly menu and the restrooms are equipped with changing tables.
Next time, if I have more money to spend, I would totally try the Aquarium of the Bay including the Sea Lion Center.
Golden Gate Bridge
This is one of San Francisco’s iconic landmarks. We drove around Presidio and later parked aside the Bridge where we took pictures very closed to it. You haven’t been to San Francisco if you don’t visit the Golden Gate Bridge.
Drive Around
Just drive around and you will be able to see landmarks like the Coit Tower, the Transamerica Pyramid, Chinatown, among others.
Coit Tower 
Stairs 
Transamerica Pyramid 
China Town 
Marketplace
We hope you have enjoyed this post. Drop a comment and let us know, what’s your favorite place in San Francisco? We would love to visit again and add new sites!
Great list! Will definitely keep it for visiting San Francisco!
Glad to hear! I hope it’s helpful! You will love San Francisco! Thanks for stopping by Jenn!
Thanks for this insightful blog. When I start making big money blogging. My family and I can make a visit there and know where to go. In addition while I am out there I can visit my cousin that lives out there. Blog On! And maybe we will cross paths some day.
That would be so awesome! Globetrotters meetup! LOL Thanks for your comment Mark! And keep going places! 🙂
It looks like you packed a lot of site-seeing into one day! My husband and I have visited San Francisco several times and love it. When our boys were 2 and 4 we took them to San Francisco while my husband was there on a work trip and we had a great time. They loved riding the cable car, seeing the sea lions, and going to the zoo. Thanks for sharing photos of your fun day!
We certainly accomplished a lot in one day, I think the key was to make research before hand and going there with a plan. Thank you so much for visiting and leaving your comments. 🙂
Good for you, travelling with two toddlers! San Francisco is on my top places to visit. Appreciate the insights!
Hello Aileen! San Francisco is one of my favorite destinations! I hope you can go soon! Thanks for stopping by! 😉
I have never been to San Francisco but have been to San Diego, I want to visit SF but love southern CA so much that we usually go down there to visit. Definitely on my bucket list. I have two small ones also and also on a budget. love learning how to have fun without spending too much money!
Hello Tammy! I haven’t been to San Diego but I have been told I will love it. It’s in the top of my bucket list. If you decide to come up to NorCal you should include SF but also Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe and Old Town Sacramento. I will post blogs about those three places and as a single mom of two toddlers I’m always in a budget so stay tuned! 😉 Thanks for visiting my blog!
Thanks for sharing. SF is on the bucketlist now for sure!
Awesome! I’m sure you will love it as much as we did! Thanks for reading and leaving a comment! Come back soon!