If you’re traveling to San Francisco you’re likely planning to visit the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Chinatown, Union Square, North Beach, all top tourist attractions in the City by the Bay.
But what if you’ve been there, done that, and are looking for a new adventure. How do you find those unsung gems that won’t be on every other travelers list? Whether it’s a new place to eat breakfast, or the perfect place for Insta-worthy photos, one of the best sources for San Francisco insider tips is hospitality professionals, and you can start with the concierge at your hotel.
Whether a five-star hotel or a bed and breakfast, hotel and hospitality pros always have the best insider tips. And, there’s a good chance they live in the city. Most welcome the chance to talk about something a little bit personal while doing their job, and being helpful at the same time. It must be refreshing to answer a question like, “What’s your favorite place to eat breakfast,” compared to, “How do I get to Chinatown?”
I asked the staff at the Hotel Nikko to share their favorite things to do and insider tips and they graciously complied. Keep reading for some tips I’m sure you’ve not read about anywhere else.
Contents
- 1 Walking Tour with a San Francisco Local
- 2 Where To Board A Cable Car
- 3 Best Site For Alcatraz Tickets
- 4 Free Yoga On Nob Hill
- 5 Best Cioppino in the Bay Area
- 6 Russian Hill Photo-op
- 7 Find Cheap Things To Do in San Francisco
- 8 Golden Gate Bridge Photo-op
- 9 Book An Event Through City Arts & Lectures
- 10 San Francisco Locals In The Know
- 11 Traveling to San Francisco
Walking Tour with a San Francisco Local
San Francisco is only 50 miles across, hence a great place for walking. The San Francisco library offers free educational walking tours by local volunteers who love the city, its history, lore and legends. The tour is free but donations are appreciated and accepted. Tours run daily. Please check the website www.sfcityguides.org.
Cable Car in front of the St. Francis Hotel, Union Square.
Where To Board A Cable Car
Cable cars are an iconic attraction in San Francisco. Usually, a cable car is boarded at the turnaround. The most popular place to hop on is the Powell Street turnaround.
To avoid the long line there, walk one block to the cable car stop in front of the H&M Store on Union Square. The conductor will usually reserve a few spaces for people waiting in front of the store.
Another option is to take the F Line which runs along Market St. and the Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf. Get off there, and walk to the cable car stop near Ghirardelli Square (the California St. line), where you can catch a ride all the way back to Union Square.
Alcatraz seen from Coit Tower
Best Site For Alcatraz Tickets
You’re going to love this tip–how to get tickets to Alcatraz. People are passionate about visiting Alcatraz Island and tours sell out very quickly. Go to this website Alcatraz Cruises several times a day to check for available tickets. Keep checking until you score a ticket.
Tour companies sell packages with advance-only tickets. Anything not sold for that day, or up to four days in advance is released back to the official website.
Grace Cathedra, Nob Hill.
Free Yoga On Nob Hill
Want to take your yoga practice to a new level? Visit Grace Cathedral, a beautiful gothic church with a labyrinth on Nob Hill. Grace Cathedral offers free yoga classes every Tuesday from 6:15 – 7:30 pm (donations are greatly appreciated).
Best Cioppino in the Bay Area
When I was in Monterey, California last year I visited Phil’s Fish Market, famous worldwide for their cioppino. Well, there’s a place in North Beach that gives Phil’s a run for the money, Sotto Mare. Sotto Mare is widely believed to be the best cioppino in San Francisco.
Reservations for groups of four or more are accepted. If you find yourself waiting for a table you can step next door to Gino & Carlo Cocktail lounge. They’ll let you take your cocktail with you if you haven’t finished it by the time your table is ready.
Russian Hill
Russian Hill Photo-op
San Francisco has a lot of famous parks and vistas but why not try one not so famous? Ina Coolbrith Park on Russian Hill feels like a secret garden and has killer views of the Bay Bridge and the City. Located at Taylor and Vallejo St.
My tip: Russian Hill is also where you’ll find the famous one-way stretch of Lombard Street, with eight hair-raising sharp turns. Some may say it’s too touristy, but if you’ve never been there it’s worth doing
Me at the top of Lombard Street in San Francisco.
Find Cheap Things To Do in San Francisco
One of my favorite insider tips was a referral to SF Fun Cheap, a website with tips on what is happening daily in San Francisco. It truly does live up to its name. Great site for off-beat suggestions.
View of the Golden Gate Bridge and the City from the Marin side.
Golden Gate Bridge Photo-op
Another great photo-op can be found at the Wave Organ located on the eastern edge of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
There is a panoramic view of the city across the narrow channel. On one side you can see the Golden Gate Bridge, and on the other, the city. Bonus: the park and trail to it are wheelchair accessible, with the trailhead at the Marina Green park.
Book An Event Through City Arts & Lectures
What do Yo Yo Ma, Tom Hanks, Patti Smith, Nancy Pelosi, and Trevor Noah have in common? They’ve all participated in the iconic City Arts and Lectures cultural series, now in its 44th year. Book a ticket for an illuminating interview with one of the most interesting personalities in America today. This series is hosted at the Sydney Goldstein Theater, built in 1920. This beautifully restored theater provides the perfect backdrop for a memorable evening in San Francisco. You can book tickets in advance on the website Sydney Goldstein Theater
San Francisco Locals In The Know
Many thanks to these fine folks at the Hotel Nikko for sharing their city with us: Theresa Vaillancourt, Concierge; Reggie Harris, Doorman; and Anne Estiva, at the Nikko Front Desk.
If you love a hotel with a Japanese aesthetic you’ll love Hotel Nikko. Check their site to book direct and check Expedia rates here and Hotels.com
Traveling to San Francisco
If you’re already in the United States you can fly direct to San Francisco from most major cities. American Airlines and United have a lot of flight options from across the country. Also check Southwest Airlines. Or, make it easy and go to kayak.com
You can also fly to Oakland which is the second most convenient airport for this destination.
Once you arrive in the city you don’t really need a car as public transportation is excellent via Uber, taxis, trains, and cable cars.
Now I’d love to hear from you! Do you have some great tips to share about San Francisco? Leave a comment.
30 comments
Over the years, I have found that if asked a local especially someone, where you’re staying, can give you very valuable advice. It has worked for me and happy to see you have the same feeling.
Neat travel tip! I always ask the hotel receptionist of where I’m staying “Where to eat for dinner?” LOL. Anyways, thinking of doing a California trip soon and will keep this in mind!
Great! Check out my other California content.
What a great idea to ask the hospitality workers for advice & insider tips! We did that when we visited Niue in the Pacific and our waiter drove us around to a few places over the weekend! Locals know best – and hospitality workers are easy to talk to!
so true. I almost always have the best conversations with the staff or waiters.
You are so right! Getting inside tips is so helpful while traveling. Thanks for your advice. I always ask the staff while I’m traveling too. They know the best places to go.
thanks for the comment
Oh awesome tips, thanks for sharing them. I am heading out to SF early January to visit my brother….so I am definitely going to check out the SF Cheap site, AND the Ina Coolbrith Park! Thanks for the inside scoop!
have a great time!
These are great tips and nice to go beyond the famous attractions. Good to know where to find the best cioppino:) Noted the SF funcheap.com for my next trip to San Francisco. Thanks for sharing!!
yes SF funcheap.com can’t wait to use it myself!
These photo tips are so helpful! Its so important to come home with perfect pictures…memories you can rewind and relive anytime, always without having to go back. Lovely post.
Thanks for the compliment on the photos.
There’s absolutely nothing better than asking the locals about what to see and eat in a city. I’m so glad that you pointed this out as we had a similar experience in Switzerland and it made the trip all the more special. Lovely list of places to see and things to do…thanks
thanks for the comment!
As long as I have lived and visited Cali I haven’t made it up that way. 2017 I will make it happen. I will keep this info in mind if I don’t go with one of my local friends.
I love this city. It is so free-spirited and beautiful.
Thanks for the great tips. Agree so much on talking to locals and asking for insider knowledge and local favorite place and restaurants to visit. Glad you included some tips on scoring tickets for Alcatraz, it’s such an interesting place to visit with or without kids.
Hey Claudia, I thought the Alcatraz tip was one of the best!
Very cool insider tips for a city I love! Excellent idea to ask the hotel staff about recommendations. I hadn’t heard of cioppino before but it sounds scrumptious.
Oh you’d love it!
Public transportation is always the best way to see and get a feel for the people in the city. I also love asking the people who work at hotels for advice. I especially like to chat with the doormen and the people who DON’T work at the desk as they tend to be less about the commercial places to visit and recommend places where THEY eat and hang out. Different demographic usually and it gives me a much wider experience.
Yup! I follow that advice all the time – ask a local. I talk to not only the hotel desk people but also the door men and people in lesser paid positions. I know that they’ll share the REAL off-the-beaten (and often less expensive) spots with me. I want a range of experiences…not just the guide book suggestions.
Great tips! I totally agree – I’ve always maintained that one of the best sources of local information is the hotel front desk or concierge – easy access to locals when you’re staying in a new place. We love San Fran, and it was from asking our hotel front desk that we found out about the parking lots for walking across the Golden Gate Bridge – not much info available online, but the lcoals knew where it was at 😀
And the locals in SF are soooooo friendly!
I was going to suggest Lombard Street, but went back to review your post and see that you didn’t miss it. That’s a good one.
I love all your posts. I think it is fun that you are open to additional comments from your readers. Did you ever mention the Alta Mira Hotel in Sausalito for gin fizzes, on a hill overlooking the bay, or that one of the mayors of Sausalito was a brothel owner, and had a place just off of Bridgeway?
No, I haven’t mentioned Sausalito at all. In fact don’t know a lot about it other than you can take a hop on hop off bus there and it’s over flowing with tourist traps and junk shops along the waterfront. The Alta Mira Hotel is now closed and has been for some time so no slo gin fizz there. The restaurant that was owned by the former mayor was Valhalla and is also closed. Bummer! I’ve just discovered the best way to get to Sausalito is by taking the Golden Gate Transit Ferry. You board at the Ferry Building down at the Embarcadero and it drops you off in downtown Sausalito. Have you been back recently?
You can sail the Marin side to Angel Island. That is fun to do also. i don’t remember if they have a ferry.
Yes, San Francisco is a great walking city (as long as you don’t mind hills or take the long way around). We often will walk from the Marina District down to Fisherman’s Warf and along the Embarcadero to the Ferry Buiding and up Market Street to the Westfield Center. Then we hop the #30 bus and ride back. It’s a great walk.
Great tip Brenda. Thanks for sharing. The hills take no prisoners! 🙂