Things to do in San Francisco
North Beach beats, Mission burritos, and one dinner worth the bill.
This is a San Francisco for people who'd rather eat a pork bun at a Chinatown counter than wait for a reservation. Three days cover the city's older, quieter pleasures: Beat-era streets, muralled alleys, a proper pasta dinner, and bars with actual history. It suits anyone who wants the real texture of the city without spending like a tech conference attendee.
Day 1: North Beach, Chinatown, Coit Tower
Start on espresso and Kerouac, eat your way through Chinatown on pocket change, climb the Filbert Steps for views and wild parrots, then spend what you saved on a genuinely good French dinner.
- 9:30 AM
Caffe Trieste
Classic North Beach espresso den, steps from Vesuvio, the original Beat-era caffeine stop.
Map - 10:15 AM
City Lights Booksellers & Publishers
Beat-era indie bookstore right across the alley from Vesuvio, still working, still essential.
Map - 12:30 PM
Good Mong Kok Bakery
Cantonese bakery in Chinatown loved by locals, dim sum bites and BBQ pork buns at counter prices.
Map - 2:00 PM
Coit Tower
Climb the Filbert Steps, spot wild parrots, and earn panoramic Bay views plus WPA murals inside.
Map - 7:30 PM
Verjus
Wine bar from the Quince team with a long list by the glass and a short, rich French menu; book ahead.
Map - 9:30 PM
Vesuvio Cafe
The legendary Beat bar itself, end the night with a drink where Kerouac and Ginsberg drank.
Map
Day 2: Golden Gate Park to the ocean
Golden Gate Park and the de Young's free tower in the morning, Burmese lunch on Clement Street, the Lands End cliffs above the ocean, then dinner at Nopa.
- 10:30 AM
de Young Museum
Ride the free elevator up the Hamon Tower for a view over the park to the ocean; the galleries are ticketed.
Map - 12:30 PM
Burma Superstar
Tea leaf salad mixed at the table and the rainbow salad with 22 ingredients; lunch daily from 11:30.
Map - 2:30 PM
Lands End Trail
Cliff trail through cypress to Golden Gate views, starting by the ruins of the Sutro Baths; it's free.
Map - 7:30 PM
Nopa
Wood fired pork chop and the Nopa burger at the big communal table; book ahead or sit at the bar.
Map
Day 3: Mission morning to night
Ritual coffee, the city's oldest building, a burrito at El Farolito, an afternoon in Dolores Park, Flour + Water pasta and a last drink at True Laurel.
- 9:30 AM
Ritual Coffee Roasters
Valencia Street roaster with a long bar; grab an espresso and a seat in the front window.
Map - 10:15 AM
Mission of San Francisco de Asis
Founded in 1776, its 1791 adobe chapel is the city's oldest building; Clarion Alley's murals are a short walk.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:00 PM
Mission Dolores Park
Sunniest spot in SF, skyline views, grassy slopes, perfect post-lunch wander.
Map - 7:30 PM
Flour + Water
Acclaimed Californian pasta in the Mission, the one memorable dinner the day calls for.
Map - 9:30 PM
True Laurel
Cocktail bar from the Lazy Bear team, a block from Flour + Water; order off the seasonal list.
Map
Where to stay
Parker Guest House
A converted Edwardian guesthouse two blocks from Dolores Park: good value, genuinely charming, and central to Day 3.
San Francisco Proper Hotel
Mid-Market location puts North Beach, the Mission and downtown all within reach, and the design is worth the rate.
Make San Francisco your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Alcatraz Island: weeks ahead
- California Academy of Sciences: a few days ahead
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: a few days ahead
- Angel Island State Park: a few days ahead
- Exploratorium: a few days ahead
- Oracle Park: a few days ahead
Skip these
- Fisherman's Wharf as a destination beyond ten minutes with the sea lions.
- Driving Lombard Street crooked block instead of looking from the bottom and walking the steps.
- Chinatown on Grant Avenue only, when Stockton Street is the locals shopping street.
- Golden Gate Bridge in summer fog with no backup plan. Check the bridge cams that morning.
The full San Francisco travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around