Avoiding Tourist Traps in San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities to visit as a tourist in the United States. It’s dramatic landscape is scattered with gorgeous neighborhoods of Victorian homes, landmarks, and breathtaking views.

If you’re visiting the city and only relying on tourist websites to plan your vacation; you’re doing it wrong! Here are my suggestions for equally accessible (and more exciting) alternates to the typical tourist attractions.

Tourist Trap: Twin Peaks
Instead, Try: Corona Heights Park

Corona Heights Park is situated on a rocky hill 520’ above sea level.

It has stunning, unobstructed views which extend from the Financial District to Twin Peaks. On a clear day you can see all the picnics at Mission Dolores Park!

Tourist Trap: The Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center
Instead, Try: Fort Point

Fort Point is located on the south side of the Golden Gate, nearly underneath the Golden Gate Bridge (which it predates by decades! Fort Point was completed just before the Civil War.).

The fort was operational until the early 1900s and now is a National Historic Site.

Tourist Trap: Big Bus Tour
Instead, Try: GoCar Tour

Why would you sit on a bus with 30 other tourists, listening to a pre-recorded description of the city when you can whiz along the San Francisco coastline, stop whenever you like, and have a hilarious time in your tiny yellow car?!

I rented a GoCar when a friend visited from out of town and we had the absolute best time seeing the city at our own pace.

Tourist Trap: SF MoMA
Instead, Try: California Academy of Sciences’ NightLife

The California Academy of Sciences (a Renzo Piano building!) is a fascinating natural history museum with a planetarium, bio dome rainforest, aquarium, green roof, and albino alligator (Claude). The best way to see it is during NightLife, a 21+ event, with food and drinks.

Tourist Trap: Cruise to Alcatraz
Instead, Try: Cruise to Sausalito

Okay, yes. Alcatraz is cool. But if you’ve already done the tour, consider taking the ferry to Sausalito. It’s more affordable than a private sunset cruise and you get to spend the day in sunny Sausalito! Plan your return trip to catch the sun setting behind the bridge.

Tourist Trap: Powell & Hyde Trolley
Instead, Try: California Street Trolley

Why ride the tourist line when you can ride the less packed, equally scenic, California Street line?

Tourist Trap: Big Sur
Instead, Try: Land’s End

Okay, Big Sur is absolutely incredible, BUT if you are in San Francisco for a limited amount of time, consider a hike through Land’s End.

Take a few hours to walk along the coastline, see the Golden Gate Bridge, and experience the ruins of Sutro Baths.

Tourists Trap: Muir Woods
Instead, Try: Big Basin Redwoods State Park

To summarize, the trees at Big Basin Redwood State Park are just SO much more impressive than those at Muir Woods! See my original blog post here.

Tourists Trap: Golden Gate Park
Instead, Try: Salesforce Park

Salesforce Park samples all of the gorgeous flora of California and condenses it into a walkable experience- smack dab in the middle of a bunch of skyscrapers!

This is another topic I have covered before; see my original post here.