San Francisco Day Trips: 7 Truly Awesome Excursions from the City

Our Top Day Trips from San Francisco on a Map

To help you get your bearings right away, let’s start with a map of our seven day trip destinations from San Francisco.

Sausalito

Sausalito is the perfect San Francisco day trip when you need to get out of the city — a vacation within a vacation, so to speak.

This coastal town gives you a genuine beach vacation feeling and has nothing in common with a typical American metropolis. You can stroll along the promenade, soak up the sun at Sausalito Beach, and grab some ice cream in the charming side streets.

Sausalito is seriously picturesque: colorful houses are tucked into the forested hillside, so you get ocean views from almost everywhere.

One thing you absolutely have to check out is Sausalito’s houseboats. It’s honestly amazing how luxurious some of these floating homes are. Just be respectful and keep in mind that real people actually live here.

How do you get to Sausalito?

Sausalito is only about 20 minutes by car from San Francisco. A great option is to take the ferry from Pier 41 — along the way you get a stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

Or you can go on a bike ride and cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito. This is one of our top picks for tours in San Francisco. You can rent bikes all over the city.

Book a ferry ticket to Sausalito

Book a guided bike tour to Sausalito

Yosemite National Park

You’ve definitely seen this shot on Instagram: the view of the world-famous rock faces Half Dome and El Capitan from the Tunnel View overlook in Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite is without a doubt one of the most impressive national parks in the USA and even made it onto our list of the top 11 national parks on the US West Coast.

Here you can see giant sequoias and waterfalls hundreds of meters tall, like the Yosemite Falls. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a black bear.

In short: Yosemite National Park is a paradise for outdoor and hiking enthusiasts.

How do you get to Yosemite National Park?

The most convenient option is a guided tour. You’ll be picked up from your hotel and won’t have to worry about park tickets. A guide will share information about the park and show you the way on the hike — so you can just focus on taking it all in.

Book a guided day tour to Yosemite National Park

Alternatively, you can rent a car and go on your own. In that case, you’ll need to buy the park ticket yourself for $35. You can find more information on the Yosemite National Park website.

Monterey Peninsula and Carmel

The Monterey Peninsula is just under two hours by car from San Francisco. The drive alone is worth it — it takes you along the famous Highway One with breathtaking views of the Pacific.

The excursion starts in the town of Monterey and continues along the 17-Mile Drive to the coastal town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The route is renowned for being one of the most beautiful stretches along the coast of California, with rugged rocks, wild beaches, and fresh ocean air.

You’ll spot seals here fairly often, and with a bit of luck dolphins and whales will appear offshore too. You’ll also pass Pebble Beach, a popular photo spot where a lone cypress tree stands — one that even appeared in Hitchcock films.

How do you get to Monterey?

Guided tours are available for the Monterey Peninsula, with pickup from your San Francisco hotel. One big advantage: you can focus entirely on the scenery since you don’t have to drive yourself.

Book a day tour to Monterey and Carmel

Alternatively, you can drive with a rental car. In that case, you’ll also need to pay a $10 toll for the 17-Mile Drive.

Silicon Valley and Stanford University

Have you always wanted to see the garage where HP was founded? Or the house where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak developed the first Apple PC? In Silicon Valley, you’re up close and personal with the success stories of the most legendary tech visionaries of our time.

Facebook, Google, Apple, Intel and many more — all these renowned tech companies are headquartered in Silicon Valley. At some of them, like the Google Campus, you get a great glimpse into employees’ daily lives. Others, however, are much more closed off.

Make sure to check out the Apple Infinite Loop. The building is striking and seriously impressive.

Just a short distance away in Palo Alto is Stanford University — one of the best universities in the country. The campus is truly beautiful and steeped in history, and it’s right on the way to Silicon Valley anyway.

How do you get to Silicon Valley?

Silicon Valley is easy to explore on your own. By car, just follow Highway 101 toward San José. Alternatively, you can take the L2 train to the Mountain View station.

Muir Woods

Just half an hour by car north of San Francisco lies Muir Woods National Monument — home to the famous coast redwoods, reaching heights of up to 80 meters with some being more than 1,000 years old.

Various loop trails run through the park, taking between 30 minutes and an hour to complete.

The forest is a real peaceful retreat and offers fantastic photo opportunities — especially when fog drifts between the trees and individual rays of sunlight break through the canopy.

The best time to visit is early in the morning on a weekday. The parking lot at the entrance fills up fast, as many locals come here too. Admission to the park costs $15.

How do you get to Muir Woods?

Lots of combination tours are available for Muir Woods. You don’t need to set aside a whole day for it, so the trip pairs really well with other activities nearby — like Alcatraz or Sausalito.

Book a combo tour: Muir Woods + Sausalito + Bay Area Boat Ride

Book a combo tour: Muir Woods + Alcatraz + Sausalito

Napa and Sonoma Valley

No other US state produces as much wine as California. The name Wine Country is totally fitting for the region north of San Francisco — and this is where the world-famous wine-growing regions of Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are located.

Sonoma Valley alone is home to a staggering 400 wineries! Wherever you look, you’ll see green hills covered in grapevines — absolutely gorgeous.

When you visit a winery, you’ll first learn about wine production and the history of winemaking — including how wine was smuggled illegally during Prohibition. And then comes the best part: sampling some of the fine vintages.

How do you get to Wine Country?

Tours are available to both Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. We’d recommend Sonoma. It’s not quite as well known as Napa, but it’s just as beautiful and a little less touristy.

On this tour, you’ll drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and then along Highway 101, with a stop in Sausalito on the way back. We love this route and can recommend it for a road trip with a rental car too.

Book a wine tour to Sonoma Valley

Bay Area

Last but not least, here’s a shorter outing: a sailing trip in the Bay Area from San Francisco. This is the ideal San Francisco excursion when you’re short on time but want to see a lot.

The Bay Area is the bay that lies north of San Francisco, framed by the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge.

The catamaran departs from Fisherman’s Wharf and passes by some of San Francisco’s most popular attractions: Alcatraz, Angel Island, Sausalito, and of course the Golden Gate Bridge. You can take some seriously amazing photos on board — and you even get a chance to steer the catamaran yourself.

The trip lasts about 90 minutes, and drinks are available on board.

A boat ride through the Bay Area is also included in the San Francisco city passes — not on a catamaran, but if you’ve already decided on a city pass, that might be the more budget-friendly option for you.

How do you get to the Bay Area?

The great thing about this outing: you simply head to Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf. You can get there from downtown either on foot or by taking the streetcar to the Beach and Stockton Street station.

Book a catamaran ride through the Bay Area