13 Best Day Trips from San Francisco

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1. Sausalito, Muir Woods, Tiburon and Angel Island: This is where you want to go with your one vacation day set aside for getting out of the city.

It ranks No. 1 because it’s close and amazingly beautiful, and we assume you like beautiful places that don't take the whole day to travel to. Begin with brunch in Sausalito, a famous former fishing village. Check out the waterfront dining and prices on houseboats. A short drive from Sausalito takes you to beautiful Belvedere Island's tiny, hilly streets. Cruise slowly, admire the many mansions and gardeners' trucks and see if locals stare at you. If you don't get locked up for trespassing, attempted burglary or stalking, take the short drive to ultra quaint Tiburon (sort of a mini Sausalito, but cuter, with a much slower pace). There you can take the ferry over to Angel Island, which is all natural, with stunning views of the bay and SF skyline. It's a great LONG walk or bike ride on paved trail, about a 6-mile loop. Finish the day at Muir Woods, relaxing among redwoods – assuming you have reservations. Do not blow off Muir Woods the way this capsule does.

 

2. Napa Valley: Again, this ranks high because it’s closer than other great day trips, and because it's so pretty and so, well, so San Francisco. Also because we equate tourists with wine lovers. Bring your credit cards and a designated driver, the wineries are endless, the vineyards go for miles and miles. So do the drunk drivers. You can get drunk and stomp some grapes if you want, as long as you pay first. Don't go full-blown trespasser on them or anything. The Silverado Trail, with its famous golf resort of the same name, is worth a slow drive, especially slow if you're stuck behind a tractor hauling barrels of wine. Also watch for bicyclists, wildflowers and adorable shops and restaurants on the valley’s beautiful “back roads.” Seeing Wine Country from an air balloon is popular, but not cheap. Yountville, with its famed restaurants including the French Laundry (also not cheap), is among the Napa area’s most unforgettable towns. Don’t miss St. Helena and Calistoga, quaint towns among the stops on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Feel free to detour to Sanitarium, Calif., just outside Calistoga, if necessary.  In Rutherford, don’t miss an outdoor seat with vineyard views at Auberge du Soleil, one of the world’s top-rated restaurants. Sonoma Square also should be on any agenda.

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3. Monterey and Carmel: It's hard to beat the gorgeous coastline, the marine sanctuary and bike trail. It’s hard to beat them – anywhere. Just ask a sea otter. They never leave. It’s that good, with its whales and seals and rock formations et al – until you get cold. The wind and fog make you think it’s real cold. Try September or October for the most warmth and you will love the area, from the downtown to the wharf and Cannery Row. A stop at neighboring Pacific Grove is a must, especially in spring, when the rocky coast is covered in an awe-inspiring carpet of pink flowers. Definitely see the 17-Mile Drive and Carmel-by-the-Sea, absolutely one of the world’s most gorgeous seaside villages. It's a painter's dream, has the highest tier of quaint shops, and it comes with perhaps the best beach in California, at least north of L.A. Also, nearby Pebble Beach, Asilomar Beach and Spanish Bay are very Instagram worthy. Watch the surfers at Asilomar and walk its terrific boardwalk over sand dunes. Bring a jacket.

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4. Pacific Ocean drive, south to Santa Cruz: Begin with stops in picturesque Pacifica (especially its pier, if not foggy), and then Half Moon Bay, where you can walk a cute main street and maybe see the largest pumpkin in the world. Pacifica has the world’s loveliest Taco Bell – on the beach. Try horseback riding on the beach and trails leading down to it. Both places have pretty beaches (don't miss the Pigeon Point Lighthouse area), but the gem of the ride is the end – the Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk and its alluring Cliff Drive, its rocky shore full of birds, surfers and expensive homes. Santa Cruz remains a hippie haven. They’re cool. Trade weed for some surfing lessons. South of there is the ultra colorful seaside village of Capitola that is certain to please any Instagram following. Apparently architect Andy Warhol was in charge at some point. Or someone else on acid. If you're not too stoned, perhaps a contact high from walking busy Pacific Ave in downtown Santa Cruz, then it’s a 2-hour drive back to San Francisco if you go inland through Silicon Valley. Or, if you feel froggy and want to make a long day of it, keeping going to Monterey.
 

5. Silicon Valley: It’s hard to say where Silicon Valley begins or ends, but it once began in the Palo Alto-Mountain View-Menlo Park area, and there it continues to prosper. Google, Facebook and Apple (just south in Cupertino) call the place home, so it can’t be all bad, unless you are opposed to Teslas. Stanford had a large role in the valley’s beginnings, and its campus could be the best of all the sights in “Silicon Valley,” which just about includes the whole Peninsula and South Bay now. University Avenue in Palo Alto and Castro Street in Mountain View are great destinations for food, shopping and walks. Palo Alto also has a beautifully designed upscale mall. Tie in a stop in Foster City, a man-made Venice. Perhaps watch the windsurfers near the San Mateo Bridge. Across from Facebook headquarters, in Bayfront Park, go closer to the bay to glimpse a large colony of skunks. No, really, just a glimpse. 

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6. Pacific Ocean drive, north to Jenner: The beginning point of the drive is north of Muir Woods and Muir Beach, and the first stop is Bolinas, with its eye-catching lagoon, bay and beach. Then head out onto Point Reyes Peninsula to one of the most memorable lighthouses anywhere. You really don't want to miss it. The drive itself is along water and filled with sightings of elk and deer. Stop in Inverness by the shipwreck and pier, then head up Route 1 to quaint Bodega Bay, and eventually to Shell Beach (quiet with fine bird watching) and Jenner, a great place to spend the night by the ocean. The drive back south on 101 is about 2 hours. If you want to turn back at Bodega Bay, stop in the picture-worthy town of Sebastopol before you get back to the freeway in Santa Rosa. If you leave early and want a long day of driving, stretch this trip to see the Humboldt redwoods.

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7. Big Sur: This is a very long day, but for some it’s worth it. You’re driving 3 hours before you get to Big Sur, and there is much driving to do if you want to cover all of the world-famous coast in one day. An overnight stay is highly encouraged. Going halfway is wise too, just beyond McWay Falls for that important photo op. Bixby Creek Bridge and Point Lobos, just north of Big Sur, are musts for photographers too. Go far enough south to see the purple sand at Pfeiffer State Beach.

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8. Yosemite: It’s everything you hear it is, everything Instagram shows it to be, but it’s a long drive for one day. That’s why it’s not No. 1 on this list, despite the world-class mountains, valleys, lakes and waterfalls of Yosemite. Hire a car or consider an overnight stay. Two or three nights would be needed to cover all of the park, with much of the highlights requiring hikes. Go for the waterfalls. Go for the fresh air. Go for the bears, if you like. They’re always hungry.

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9. Lake Tahoe: It’s really THAT blue. And folks insist you keep it that way. Except for all that car exhaust from long lines of traffic encircling the lake on summer days, not just on weekends. It’s been swamped in recent years and the locals aren’t happy about it. Go anyway and don’t miss Emerald Bay and consider kayaking it. For those bold enough to drive over the mountains in winter, the skiing is among the best anywhere. The famous Olympic village of Squaw Valley (now Palisades), Northstar and Heavenly get top reviews among the resorts that are seemingly everywhere. Casinos and tours by helicopter and air balloons are offered. It’s a long day round-trip. Otherwise it would rank higher on this list.

 

10. Berkeley: The university is one of the country’s prettiest and the area around it has a lot to explore, including public parks where puff, puff, pass is still a way of life, half a century after the place was a mecca of hippies and social protests. Nowadays they still give you a piece of their minds. Chat up the locals as you watch sunset at the Berkeley Pier. Telegraph Avenue is a busy place, where students often planned boisterous outings, including at the historic Cafe Mediterranean. Take a look around Moe’s Books across the street from the cafe. At the end of Telegraph Ave, don't miss Sproul Plaza on the UC campus, which has been home to so many political rallies over the years, including important movements for free speech and against apartheid. The eucalyptus grove on the UC campus is an especially delightful part of town. 

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11. San Jose: Once the capital of California (also once a bunch of orchards), San Jose is now called the Capital of Silicon Valley. It deserves the crown; it has a gazillion tech companies, a gazillion more than any anywhere else. To visit without a tech itinerary leads to the gorgeous shops at Santana Row, a revitalized downtown along Santa Clara Street with a healthy nightlife, and to the Rose Garden, one of the biggest and finest in the nation. San Jose State has been reborn in ways and is a good place to stroll around, camera in hand. If you’re a hockey fan, the San Jose Sharks are the NHL’s Bay Area team, and they have a rockin’ house at SAP Center.  The 49ers play just outside the San Jose limits in Santa Clara, and the MLS Earthquakes are a big hit in San Jose.

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12. Oakland: Lake Merritt is a gem, one of the prettiest urban lakes in America, and the city has a lot of colorful culture, as well as a bad reputation for crime. Stick to the lake area and downtown in the daytime and Jack London Square, which has waterfront nightlife. The zoo and old Fox Theater are great things to do, as is Chinatown and a walk or bike onto the Bay Bridge via the new trail onto the eastern span. An A’s game at the Coliseum is always fun; good seats are always available. Day games are best. People get killed in that area at night. For a safer dose of the local culture, visit the Temescal neighborhood in the daytime.

 

13. Sacramento: You came to San Francisco, do you really want to go to Sacramento? Well, yes, if you love politicians or must see every capital. There is a nice big yellow bridge and a fabulous Old Town area, if you insist on going to what was often called a cow town. Sacramento does have an array of impressive street murals, some 12 stories high. If you’re visiting in July, go for the State Fair. It’s a cow town, you know.