What to do in San Francisco in 48 Hours

Hi and Welcome (back) to Mackinaw Road! I recently was able to tag along with my husband to San Francisco. I had two days to wander around solo (although, honestly, what I did could be condensed into one day) and then we were fortunate enough to head out to Sausalito and Sonoma. 

San Francisco:

Much of the sightseeing within the city was done solo… Here is what I did…

Walk around the Ferry Building– there are several restaurants, coffee shops, and cute stores to browse. 

Head up to Nob Hill. This is a workout in and of itself. From there I was able to see Coit Tower. (There are also steps on the other side up to Coit Tower should you decide to go that route).

Since I hadn’t been to San Francisco in almost 20 years, I was perfectly happy to go get my tourist photo of Lombard Street…

… and of course head to Ghirardelli Square…

The Bay area by Ghirardelli Square was a great place to stroll and take photos of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

From there, it was a short walk to Fisherman’s Wharf… again very touristy but I was okay with that. The sea lions were still there two decades later. 

Where to Eat:

Boulettes Larder & Boulibar: This is a cute restaurant in the Ferry Building. It is smaller but you can make reservations on Open Table to ensure a spot. Pizza is their main speciality and it is delicious. They also have about 3 main courses (I’m guessing they change regularly), appetizers, and desserts.

Flores: This was a fun Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood of Cow Hollow. (I have to say that this was my favorite neighborhood we visited.) The food and drinks were excellent, and it was such a nice night that we were able to eat at tables right out on the street. 

Dirty Habit: A good place to grab a happy hour drink or a quick bite. Dirty Habit has a cozy atmosphere and, as seems to be fitting with places associated with Viceroy Hotels, plenty of unique decorating ideas. 

Coffee:  On our way out to Sausalito and Sonoma, we grabbed a quick coffee from Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters. This appears to be quite a popular spot in Cow Hollow (and is completely dog-friendly). 

We had a very good traditional breakfast at Perry’s San Francisco. The service was great and we were able to stroll the Embarcadero afterward. If you are staying in the area, I would highly recommend it.

Candy: Don’t forget to get some gifts for those back home (and maybe a little treat for yourself as well) at See’s Candies. There are several stores sprinkled throughout the city and in the airport as well.

Sausalito:

Driving into Sausalito was one of the favorite parts of this trip (you can also take the ferry from the Ferry Building or Fishermen’s Wharf). The hillside homes and adorable town are a perfect place to spend a lazy Saturday or to grab breakfast before heading out to wine country. CIBO was a great spot to get some avocado toast and a second (okay, third) cup of coffee for the day.

The views back on the city were unbelievable…

Sonoma:

Admittedly, I should not be giving advice about wine country. This was a somewhat last minute decision so we really were not super knowledgable nor did we make it that far into the county. We did enjoy the views from Viansa Sonoma (The perfect place to propose. Someone did. She said YES.)

TIP: This is an obvious one, but we still made the mistake. When traveling to wine country from San Francisco, check the weather and layer your clothing. It was significantly warmer in Sonoma than it had been in San Francisco.

 

We loved the fact that Sebastiani was only about a 1/2 mile from town so we could walk to explore Downtown Sonoma.

We popped into Pangloss Cellars, which was decorated so tastefully that we wished we could have stayed longer.

On our way back into the city, we stopped at Gloria Ferrer to grab one last photo. (There was a private event so we weren’t able to actually go into the winery.)

TIP: Most of the wineries close at 5pm so plan accordingly.

Here is a pin:

Looking for more California inspiration? The Central Coast of California is my favorite and, if you have similar interests/travel habits, I would highly recommend it. You can read all about it by clicking here. And Dana Point/Laguna Beach wasn’t too shabby either (read: it was amazing!).