We just got back from a family weekend getaway to San Francisco. We saw a lot of stuff, but there were some major things we missed. And if I’m being honest, this is probably the first time we’ve traveled as a family where I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the vacation. Don’t get me wrong, spending time with my guys, no matter where we are, is the best. And we love to travel, child included. But sometimes, upon reflection, the trip just wasn’t as great as it could have been. Here’s what not to do to avoid having a bad trip to San Francisco.
10 Things to Avoid on your Trip to San Francisco
1. Don’t stay in Berkeley if everything you want to do is Downtown
We always stay at Holiday Inn Express. We like the beds and pillows, the breakfast is usually good, the price is in the budget, and we like the loyalty program. This time, we didn’t book the hotel until the week we were travelling, so there weren’t any rooms available at the Holiday Inn Express near Fisherman’s Wharf where we wanted to stay. Instead, we went with the Berkeley location because it had a room available for us. The hotel was nice, but so far from everything. It took us an hour to get anywhere, and getting back was usually a nightmare because evening traffic was terrible! In hindsight, we should have booked earlier so that we could find the hotel room we wanted in the downtown area so that we weren’t crabby and cranky by the end of the day.
2. Don’t forget to buy the CityPass
We definitely messed up here. We completely spaced out and didn’t even think about the
3. Don’t try to do too much in one day
We are always guilty of this when we travel, and this trip was no exception. But I think this trip really hammered it in for us. We make our trips worse by trying to see it all and do it all in too limited of a time. It also ties in with number 1, because since it was such an ordeal to get into the city, we wanted to stay there as much as possible! Take breaks and make sure you’re not cramming too much into one day. This will allow you and your family to really enjoy the experience instead of remembering the trip as everyone being in a icky mood.
4. Don’t try to navigate public transportation without some general info
Our family really loves using public transportation when we travel. It’s so nice to be able to just sit back and let someone else do the driving. We thought that since we used subways and busses all over Europe that we didn’t need to do any homework for San Francisco. WRONG! Turns out there are a lot of options. If you plan to use public transportation in San Francisco, do a little research first. Google things like Muni (San Francisco busses), AC Transit (Berkeley busses), Clipper Card (reloadable fare card), Bart (subway) and cable cars. It’s not a fun feeling when all the locals are breathing down your neck trying to get home and you’re trying to figure out what the heck you’re doing. (I may write a post specifically about this in the future. If I do, I’ll link it here!).
5. Don’t walk all day with no major breaks
Because our home base (hotel) was so far away, we didn’t plan for breaks. We thought we’d be able to handle spending full days wandering around and taking breaks at a park or restaurant. It didn’t work out that way, and we paid for it dearly when we experienced some meltdowns. Either we never found a park where we were or we just thought we could push through. It didn’t work and we regretted it. Next trip we will definitely have planned break time.
6. Don’t forget to research food options and when places are open
I didn’t research dining before the trip. We do try to be spontaneous and like to wing it and find unique places while exploring. My husband and I were surprised to learn that many restaurants in downtown San Francisco were closed on Saturday evening. We assumed that since that area was close to the touristy stuff that there would be plenty of places open. Instead of having a nice dinner in San Francisco, we ended up walking forever until we found a place we could agree on. Let me tell you, when LT and I get hungry, we get cranky. Not a good combo when we’re both cranky at the same time and have been walking around aimlessly all day!
7. Don’t carry a shoulder bag
This was definitely a DUH moment for me. I forgot to switch my purse contents over to LT’s backpack (which serves as our day pack when we travel). We were so excited to get going that I didn’t realize it until we were on the bus. Oops! My shoulders were so sore by the end of the day. Madewell makes some really cute totes, but they kill after a full day of walking around and carrying everyone’s stuff. Bonus for carrying a backpack? EVERYONE takes turns with it (which they were not willing to do with my purse haha!)
8. Don’t go to Muir Woods without reservations
On Sunday morning we decided to hit up Muir Woods on the way out of town. Uh, yeah, you have to have parking reservations and we didn’t have any. If we knew this ahead of time instead of just being spontaneous, we could have purchased our tickets ahead. We could have gone if we wanted to wait until 3 PM that day. However, we had a 7 hour drive home in addition to however long we’d have spent at Muir Woods. So bummed we missed it!
Make Muir Woods reservations here
9. Don’t forget to drink lots of water and eat vegetables
This is not just a San Francisco tip, but works for everywhere, even (especially?) at home. Dehydration leads to headaches and swelling. Eating too much fried, starchy, fatty, sugary junk food leads to bloating and tummy aches. All of that leads to bad moods. We know this. Yet we learn the hard way every single trip. Just drink the water and eat the veggies!
10. Don’t stick to the main roads
This is actually a mistake we DIDN’T make! We wandered around so much that we went deep into Chinatown. It’s pretty cool to see the authentic stuff just off the beaten path. And then when you compare it to the “touristy” side of the neighborhood on the main roads, it’s so obvious. The hustle and bustle of the roadside markets in Chinatown is really fun to experience. Be sure to check it out! Go past Pier 39 (where you’ll find chain places) to Pier 45 to find a more unique lunch experience.
Here’s a list of things that you should do when you plan a trip to San Francisco:
- Ask the kids what they want to do. Gather a list of 1 MUST DO/SEE for each person and incorporate it into your plan.
- Try to plan ahead and do some basic research. Most of our issues would not have happened if I hadn’t just thrown this trip together on a whim.
- Definitely visit the Exploratorium and plan to spend an entire day there. We thought it was going to be like any other children’s museum. No way! It’s really fun for adults too. Everything is interactive and there’s literally so much to do. We spent 4 hours there and barely made a dent. Definitely worth the money (especially if you get the
CityPass !) - View the Golden Gate Bridge from Battery East. There weren’t very many people there and there was TONS of parking. When we drove across the bridge, we noticed the Vista Point on the North side was packed with people. If you want your pics to include the city in the background, you’ll need to go over there. We were happy with our choice, and the boys got some energy out by running around to open areas. Be sure to go through the little tunnel to get another bridge view as well!
- Grab my free checklist of the family friendly stuff to do in San Francisco!
Many of our mistakes are not specific to San Francisco. They mostly have to do with not doing any research. I love planning out our travel, but I was honestly trying to show my family that I could be spontaneous. I think maybe they learned something as well…that my planning helps them have a better trip! Are you the travel planner in your family, or do you just see where the road takes you?
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