I spent one day in San Francisco whilst on a Californian coastal cruise. San Francisco is on the west coast of the USA.
San Francisco is famous for the red Golden Gate Bridge, which I viewed from different viewpoints in San Francisco.
I was given a private tour by a friend and I could not personally not drive in San Francisco because of all the hill stops! I learnt to drive in a very flat area in the UK and hill stops are not my forte! So, my hat goes off to all the drivers in San Francisco!
Where to eat
We had lunch at Alioto’s restaurant in Fisherman’s Wharf. We had what they are famous for; crab and it was delicious!
From the restaurant’s window, we could see the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was covered by clouds! When we left the restaurant, the clouds had lifted and it was a bright sunny day, perfect for photos.
Viewpoints
The first viewpoint was to look up at the bridge.
Then we drove over the bridge and went to the viewing point beside the bridge.
The best viewpoint was just above the second viewpoint in an old military area just a few miles away up the hill. We could see all over San Francisco Bay and look down on the bridge.
We drove through the city to the steep roads that felt like we were on a 180-degree angle! The architecture was beautiful to look at the houses are all different colours and different styles. There are no high riser’s in the residential areas, just in the finance area.
The last viewpoint was on top on the mountain overlooking the whole city and the bridge.
I had a great time visiting San Francisco and I just saw the viewpoints, there is still so much for me to see in this vibrant city and I will be returning in the future to continue my sightseeing!
Essential Info
- Weather: 18*C – 27*C
- Currency: US Dollars
- Language: American English
- Recommendations: Bring your camera or smartphone to take millions of photos! Wear flat shoes as walking in some areas are difficult angles! The day I was there I wore jeans, tee, ballet pumps and sunglasses.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about San Francisco, please share on Facebook and Pinterest so your friends and family can read too. Sharing is caring!
Have you been to San Francisco? What would you recommend doing?
Happy Travels
Love Lucy x
wow, stunning pictures!
Author
Thank you very much Sami!
Lucy, you look great in your picture, with the SFO bridge as your background, just awesome. We must take a trip to SFO to check out the food and sights. Hello to Paolo.
Love, Peggy
Author
Thank you very much Peggy! You would love it! Love Lucy x
Golden Gate Bridge has always been on my bucket list. I am yet to go – California is so far away from where I live. Looking at your pictures I realise that I really need to lift my game to get there and check out all the different viewpoints. Bridges really have this strange fascination for me. Would have been nice to see the bridge in fog as you mentioned in your post. What was your most favourite viewpoint of them all?
Author
This bridge is fascinating and I loved seeing it at all the different angles. My favourite viewpoint was looking down on the bridge, as you could also see the all the city and surrounding areas. I wish I had got photo with the fog, but I was too slow! Hope you get to go and see for yourself soon!
Golden Bridge! I’ve heard so much about it and your pictures make me want to visit! Very nice perspective from that viewpoint, it’s very beautiful.
Author
Thank you very much! You should try to go one day and see for yourself.
You got some great shots of the Golden Gate – you were lucky to get a clear view of it cos it’s so often misty. We got married in San Francisco, so it has a special place in my heart. You’ll definitely have to go back to SF to see more, but you did a great job seeing so much in so little time!
Author
Thank you Hannah! What a lovely place to get married in! I can’t wait to go back and see more!
We lived outside of San Francisco for about 15 years, back at the turn of the millennia. It is quite bumpy there. We got to travel to London and the flatness surprised me. One of my favourite things from a photographer point of view was the Golden Gate Bridge, I’m glad you got to go on a nice day and get such good photos.
Author
Well done for driving there daily! I think I would have melt down everyday if I drove there! LOL! Thank you Rhonda for your photo compliment, especially as you are photographer.
San Fran is such a special location isn’t it! I was in awe of the bridge – really loved walking across it, and while being on the bridge doesn’t offer a very good viewpoint of the bridge itself, it was great for close up shots of the steel, and cars zipping across, and I really enjoyed the walk!
Author
It is, I loved it! I enjoyed driving over the bridge, I made a video of it, maybe I should put it on this blog post.
Its one of my favourite activities to locate unusual viewpoints in every big city we go to. It always amazes me when I think of how perspective changes everything, from our habits, to our approach in life, to our vision of objects and even whole cities. Your post reminds me of this.
Author
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed the photos, I love seeing cities from different angles.
The pictures are beautiful! Good to know about hill stop driving required here. Will keep this in mind when I plan my trip. Very informative post.
Author
Thank you very much!
San Francisco is a dream trip for me! I would love to see the Golden Gate Bridge that everyone tries to capture from the perfect angle. I will save your tips for my visit. I would love to try the crab as well! Sounds delicious 🙂
Author
The crab was fantastic! Hope you have a lovely trip soon!
I have not been to SF (yet) but it is definitely on the top of my wishlist! And of course I want to see the Golden Gate from as many viewpoints as I can, and also with different lights
Author
I wish I had captured a photo at night too, but forgot! Next time!
Golden Gate bridge is an engineering marvel. I have watched some documentaries on its construction on Nat Geo. I was amazed to know about it. Beautiful pictures and i think there would hardly be any person who wouldn’t visit The Golden Gate Bridge when in San Fransisco.
Author
Thank you! The bridge is amazing and it is hard not to spot it in San Fran!
Lovely photos. 😍
Author
Thank you so much Calysta!