The best way to experience San Francisco is not always by visiting the city’s top 10 attractions. Sometimes it’s the simple things that matter more.
Our favorite experiences from places we visit don’t always match the traditional top 10 lists. Although we use those lists as a starting point, we find more enjoyment in simple or unexpected things. San Francisco is no exception. Read on for the top 10 experiences we love the most from our trip to Bay Area city.
(Truth be told, we felt compelled to create a traditional Top 10 List of our own. Check out the Most Amazing Things to Do In San Francisco)
10 Most Incredible Ways to Experience San Francisco
- Getting Lost
- Nature Time
- Street Art
- Simple Pleasures
- Alcatraz Island Night Tour
- People Watching
- Coffee Breaks
- Sourdough
- Slowing down
- Fitness
1. Getting Lost
The first thing we do as soon as we arrive in any new place is to get out there and explore. We have a general idea of where we want to go and what we want to see, but don’t always follow it. For the most part we let ourselves wander and get lost down side streets and alleyways. Our wanderlust over the years has gotten us lost and led us to some of our best experiences. The best places to get lost and truly experience San Francisco are: The Mission District, Castro, Little Italy and Chinatown.
2. Nature Time
Spending time outdoors in nature is very important to us. It rejuvenates and calms the mind, body and soul. There are many benefits to spending time in nature including boosting mood, reducing stress levels, even lowering blood pressure. Early on in our travels we spent a lot of time in nature but it’s easy to forget when in a big city. We make an extra effort to get outside and explore as many parks, trails, forests, etc. as possible. San Francisco provides ample opportunity to soak up that valuable time in nature.
3. Street Art
If we had to narrow it down to our favorite city sightseeing activity, without a doubt mine would be exploring street art. There is so much amazing art throughout San Francisco, I imagine it would be hard to view it in all even if you lived there. The Mission District and in particular Balmy Alley is a popular destination for street art and graffiti, but you will find it everywhere in the city.
To see more on Street Art in San Francisco check out San Francisco’s Colorful Streets: A Guide to Mission District Murals.
4. Simple Pleasures
My love affair with Trader Joe’s (I’ll admit, slight obsession) began years before I ever stepped foot inside of one. I knew it was the grocery store for me, it was love at first sight (first sight being posts on Instagram). The beginning of 2023 marks the start of my physical relationship with Trader Joe’s during our visit to New York in the spring. In San Francisco I was delighted to compare the offerings on either coast, reacquaint myself with my favorite products, and try new ones. I could wax poetic all day on my love of Trader Joe’s (TJ’s, as we affectionately call it now), but I will save that for a potential stand alone post in the future.
Simple pleasures, which includes Trader Joe’s, is number four on the list as a reminder that it’s often the little things that make something memorable and that become the big things. For us that’s watching Friends in the hotel room or drinking Nespresso in bed or getting excited about a grocery store we don’t have in Canada. Simple experiences have a huge impact.
5. Alcatraz Island Night Tour
I mentioned above that I initially wasn’t excited about touring Alcatraz Island but made a concession in order to appease my husband. If you are like me and don’t think a tour of a maximum security, inescapable prison is for you, I highly advise you give it a shot. It was informative, engaging, heartbreaking and thought-provoking. There is something for everyone with incredible stories of the strength of the human spirit, beautiful landscapes and impeccable architecture. The night tour has added bonuses of special talks and interpretive sessions scattered throughout the grounds, as well as a view of the sunset coming back.
6. People Watching
There are so many things I love about people watching. It offers several benefits, both in terms of personal development and entertainment purposes. It can provide cultural insight, help with empathy development, enhance social awareness and provide an opportunity for reflection of human nature. However, for the purposes of this list, I want to focus on the more entertaining aspects. Two of the greatest things I take away are storytelling or imagination, and fashion inspiration. We love observing others and their interactions and imagining who they are, what they do, where they are going and everything in between.
I also love watching people, particularly in San Francisco, for their fashion. There is a diverse and vibrant array of styles and forms of expression mixing every imaginable genre of fashion you can imagine, and everyone looks amazing. I’m envious, inspired and impressed, all at the same time.
7. Coffee Breaks
If there is one thing we will always spend money on when out gallivanting, it is good coffee. We love the experience of visiting new coffee shops or cafes. The ritual of sitting down with a cup of coffee, talking about our next move, and watching the world go by is the best. Every day we travel we stop at a new coffee shop at least once a day, sometimes two or three times depending on where we are and what we are doing. It’s a priority “splurge” for us. Ahead of visiting a new city, as we did with San Francisco, we search for lists of the best coffee shops and star them on Google Maps so no matter where we are we have an idea of where our next caffeine buzz will be.
8. Sourdough
When I think of the best way to experience San Francisco, I think of sourdough bread. This is all because during my first visit in 2013 I remember the Boudin Bakery in Fisherman’s Wharf and the intricate sourdough bread figures they had in the window. 2023 these figures were sea turtles, a crab and teddy bears. I’ve always liked but rarely had sourdough until recent years when I became slightly obsessed, so visiting Boudin Bakery again was a highlight for me. We ate our weight in sourdough every day and I regret nothing.
9. Slowing Down
We are the type of people who are on the go at all hours of the day, especially when traveling. We are both high energy and want to see and do all the things, all the time. Throughout the years, and as we’ve gotten older, we’ve come to enjoy mixing in more purposeful relaxation time or periods where we consciously move at a slower pace. To experience San Francisco properly, this includes picnics in the park and lingering at coffee shops. For example, we spent over an hour in Dolores Park. Luke took a nap as I watched the world go by (including the people). Sometimes it’s better to slow things down and savor your experiences then continually move on to the next.
10. Fitness
We are no strangers to getting our steps in during a holiday. Our highest step count to date, not including hiking, is 40,000 in spring 2023 in Toronto. Although we didn’t reach that number in San Francisco, what we lacked in distance we made up for in elevation. By the end of each day our calf muscles were on fire from walking up and down the hilly streets but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Walking is one of our favorite ways to explore, and getting the extra burn and leg workout from mastering the hills just meant we could skip leg day at the gym that week.
Do you identify with any of the things we listed as our top experiences? Let us know in the comments section below!
