San Francisco
I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2005, and 16 of those 20 years have been with kids in tow. San Francisco is a destination that draws travelers from around the world. The city sometimes gets accused of being hostile to children, but that's mostly because it is just so expensive to raise kids here. The reality is that San Francisco and the surrounding area have a multitude of family-friendly things to do.
Are your kids dying to ride on a cable car or tour the world's most famous island prison after dark? What airports are best to use for a San Francisco vacation? After two decades of exploring the City by the Bay, I've got a lot of advice to share.
Tips for Traveling to San Francisco
- Pack and wear lots of layers. The weather is highly variable between day and night (and between different neighborhoods) the vast majority of the year.
- Add a Clipper Card to your smartphone wallet. It can be used to pay fares on all of the Bay Area's transit systems.
- Uber and Lyft work well, but for a very futuristic SF experience, take a Waymo - the city's driverless cars.
- Skip the rental car. Parking is hard to find and expensive. If you need a car for a day trip, there are lots of rental car companies with locations near San Francisco's major hotels.
- Beware the hills and thinking "the map shows it's only a few blocks away - let's walk." Sometimes those blocks can be essentially vertical.
Top 10 San Francisco Posts
- 21 Very Best Things to Do in San Francisco with Kids (by a Local Parent!)
- Getting Around San Francisco: Complete Transit & Transportation Guide
- Flying to San Francisco: Complete Guide to Bay Area Airports
- 17 Best Family-Friendly Hotels in San Francisco
- San Francisco 1 Day Itinerary: Best of the City in 24 Hours
- Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco: 9 Top Things to Do (by a Local)
- Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco: The Ultimate Guide for Families
- Visiting San Francisco’s Walt Disney Family Museum with Kids
- Christmas in San Francisco 2024: 22+ Things to Do with Kids to Celebrate the Holiday Season
- 25 Free Things to Do in San Francisco with Kids (with Map)