San Francisco is one of the must-visit cities in California, USA, and a popular tourist destination. It is famous for its cool summer, romantic foggy city, rolling hills and mixed architectural styles.

This article will share how I arranged a rich and exciting trip to San Francisco. I will divide it into three parts.

*First article_Urban area

Most of San Francisco's tourist attractions are located in this area.

*Part 2_Bay Area, San Jose and Napa

Bay Area: The famous University of California, Berkeley in San Francisco is located in this area, and you can also arrange accommodation here, which has a high CP value.

San Jose: Located in the south of the city, an hour's drive from the city, it is the commercial and R&D center of Silicon Valley and the home of Stanford University.

Napa: Located northeast of the city, about an hour's drive from the city, it is a famous wine producing area in California.

*Part 3_Monterey, Yosemite National Park, Highway 1 Big Sur Coastline

A day trip can be arranged in the city. If you want to stay for two or three days, you can make arrangements to the above areas, or extend it further, you can arrange to visit Monterey, Yosemite National Park, or the Big Sur coastline on Highway 1 in the south.

Next, let’s start from the first article~~~~~

First article_Urban area

• Twin Peaks consists of two small hills. Climbing to the top of the peaks, you can have a bird's eye view of San Francisco. The entire city is in full view, making it a perfect start to a San Francisco tour. However, please be aware of the foggy weather conditions in San Francisco. If you see fog on the top of the mountain, it is not recommended to go there!

• The current San Francisco City Hall was built to replace the old City Hall which was completely destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It is in the academic architectural style. The huge dome ranks 5th in the world. It is one of the famous landmarks of San Francisco. Taking a photo with the City Hall is one of the must-do items when visiting San Francisco.

• Union Square – A shopping, hotel and theater district that occupies several blocks, it is home to major boutiques, well-known American brands and department stores. You will never go home empty-handed when you come here. In winter, the center of the square becomes an ice skating rink. Once, I was eating cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, a famous American cake shop, while watching people skating in the square. The atmosphere was great!

If you want to experience the San Francisco tram, you can also get on it here. The tram has been in operation since 1873. It is a manually operated cable car system with three routes. You can take the most popular route, the "Powell-Hyde Line", at Union Square. The route passes Lombard Street and the terminus is at Fisherman's Wharf.

• Lombard Street is a street with a very steep slope. It was originally designed for straight traffic, but was designed into its current form for the safety of drivers and pedestrians. There are eight sharp turns along the way, and the roadside is full of flowers. When the flowers are in bloom, taking pictures from the bottom of the hillside will present a beautiful scene. From the top of the hill, you can overlook a small section of the city and see the Coit Tower. It is less tiring to walk down from the top of the hill. The houses along the street are also very beautiful. Walking here feels particularly exotic!

• How should I arrange my lunch time? It’s best to go to Fisherman’s Wharf to stroll around the market, eat some seafood, drink a bowl of chowder, and feel the lively atmosphere of the wharf. There is also a very special place at Fisherman’s Wharf. Behind Pier 39, you can see a large group of sea lions lying in the sun. It’s super interesting!

Special introduction─Wharf crab meal

 Swiss Louis

Swiss Louis, located by the pier, is clean and tidy, spacious and packed with people. Everyone comes for the famous crab meal.

First of all, you must have a bowl of seafood chowder, which is a must-try at Fisherman’s Wharf. The chowder here is not simple. It is made with sourdough bread. During the San Francisco earthquake, it was this bread that saved many lives! The bread has a solid texture and goes perfectly with the Cheddar soup. For the main course, each person can choose a large crab. We especially recommend the "Garlic Roasted Dungeness Crab". The aroma of garlic combined with the crab is a real feast for your taste buds.

When dining here, you can also enjoy the view of the pier through the large windows, and see sea lions basking in the sun!

 Supreme Crab

This is a new restaurant that opened in 2019. The interior is spacious and bright, and the industrial style decoration is very special.

Of course, the appetizer must be a chowder soup with sourdough bread bowl. The soup is full of ingredients and it is super delicious! The main course is a seafood feast. In addition to crabs, there is also a combo bucket that you can combine yourself. The recommended sauce is Supreme Cajun flavor, which can be said to be a classic here.

• Take a harbor cruise to see the sights of San Francisco from the sea. To purchase tickets, go to the "Red & White Fleet" at Pier 43. The cruise lasts one hour and will pass by Alcatraz, Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge along the way. There are English guides throughout the journey. It is especially recommended to stand outside the cruise ship for an excellent view.

• Sausalito, known as the back garden of San Francisco, is a seaside town with many artistic shops and cafes. It is very comfortable to stroll on the streets by the harbor, accompanied by a strong holiday atmosphere.

In addition to driving to Sausalito, you can also buy a boat ticket from Pier 39 "Blue & Gold" and then take a boat to Pier 41. Confirm the schedule before boarding the boat. The sailing time is about half an hour to reach Sausalito!

• The red Golden Gate Bridge is a famous landmark in San Francisco, but San Francisco is often foggy, so you need some luck to see the Golden Gate Bridge. I took the Tourist Service Center as my starting point, where they sell Golden Gate Bridge souvenirs and a variety of Golden Gate Bridge-related merchandise. Afterwards, we walked along the bay, slowly admiring the Golden Gate Bridge and the bustling scenery along the way, and finally climbed up the Golden Gate Bridge. Every time a car passed by, I could feel the floor vibrating, but I really liked the various flavors of the bridge from different angles.

• The Palace of Fine Arts was originally built for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. It is a Greek Corinthian-style building with artistic sculptures everywhere. The dome and towering columns surround the artificial lake, which is very spectacular. The beautiful scenery here has become my favorite attraction. I watch the swans and ducks paddling leisurely on the lake, walk along the circular trail, and when I get tired, sit on the grass to look at the scenery and the sky. It is full of exotic atmosphere, and there are different scenery on sunny and cloudy days.

Following the first part of my San Francisco travelogue, which introduces the city's attractions, the second part will introduce the Bay Area, where Berkeley University is located, San Jose, the Silicon Valley technology park, and Napa, the hometown of wine.

Part 2_Bay Area, San Jose and Napa

I usually arrange my accommodation in Pleasanton and Fremont, which are not far from the city center and the overall CP value of the hotels is also high.

Special recommendation hotel─Doubletree Pleasanton

The hotel is located in the Pleasanton area, about an hour's drive from the city center. The hotel has a high overall CP value and is a three-star hotel. The interior is spacious and bright, and the rooms are large and very clean. It is considered an above-average hotel. It is worth mentioning that the buffet breakfast is rich and a good day starts here.

In addition, the Bay Area can also arrange a visit to UC Berkeley. The easiest way is to take a free guided tour of the school.Portal

If you want to visit by yourself, you can refer to my map as follows:

• Starting from the Koret Visitor Center, walk west along "Bancroft Way" and you will reach "Lower Sproul Plaza". This square is the birthplace of the Free Speech Movement and is still an important speech venue on campus. Many student groups also do propaganda here.
• Then walk north to "Sather Gate", the ancient bronze gate is a famous landmark of the University of California, Berkeley.

Walk a little further and turn right to arrive at "South Hall", which is the only building preserved since the founding of the school. It has stood since 1873 and is currently the location of the School of Information. The University of California, Berkeley uses the bear, the symbol of California, as its emblem. The bear can be seen everywhere on campus, and South Hall is no exception. If you look carefully above the entrance, you will see the smallest bear in the school.

Then we arrived at the "Sather Tower", which is a famous clock tower on campus. The bells will ring every hour. You can overlook the entire campus by climbing up the clock tower, but there is a fee!

The next stop is the "Berkeley Libraries". To the north is the East Asian Library, which is said to have the largest collection of East Asian books in North America. To the south is the main library, the "Doe Memorial Library", which is the fourth largest library in the United States. There is a statue of Mark Twain at the door and a statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, above the main entrance. Legend has it that if you enter here, Athena will give you the power of knowledge, but you have to leave through the side door, otherwise your wisdom will be taken away.

• Go to "California Hall", the whole building is neat and tidy, in Beaux-Arts style, and is one of the earliest classical revival buildings on campus. The principal's office is located in this building. During the Free Speech Movement, students were dissatisfied with the principal's ignoring their needs, so they removed the door handle of the office. Now only the door without a handle is left.
• Then we came to the "Valley Life Sciences Building". The most special thing about it is that there is a paleontology museum inside. You can see a Triceratops at the entrance of the library. There is a huge Tyrannosaurus fossil placed in the spiral staircase in the hall. Of course, there are fossils of other dinosaurs, and there are also displays about human evolution.

If you take BART to UC Berkeley, you can visit the university in the reverse direction. If you have extra time, you can take the school shuttle bus or stroll to the botanical garden on the mountain. The botanical garden features a greenhouse for cultivating cacti and orchids, a collection of up to 324 different plant families, and a Chinese herbal medicine area, which is very special!

Part 2_San Jose

When you come to San Jose, your first stop can be a visit to Stanford University, the strongest science and engineering school in the United States, followed by a day trip to Silicon Valley. If you have time, you can go outlet shopping and have dinner.

Stanford University

Stanford University is one of the 14 founding members of the Association of American Universities and is ranked as one of the world's most prestigious institutions of higher learning for its academic reputation and entrepreneurial atmosphere. Stanford University has trained many famous people, and Stanford alumni have also founded many famous companies and organizations around the world, such as Google, Yahoo, TSMC, etc. Such an excellent educational place is worth a campus tour.

The Hoover Tower is an 87-meter-high building that houses the archives of Herbert Hoover before he became the President of the United States. It collects a large amount of information from the early 20th century. There is an observation deck on the 14th floor of the building. You can see the entire campus from the top of the tower. There is a map on the wall indicating the location of the building, but you need to buy a ticket to climb the tower!

Stanford Memorial Church was built by Mrs. Stanford in memory of Leland Stanford, who was also a founder of the church. It is a Romanesque building. It is also the venue for weddings and memorial services. There is a large mural on the exterior of the church depicting stories from the Bible. The interior has a Byzantine-style round vault. Many stained glass and mosaic art forms show that the Stanfords admired European religious paintings. The church uses many golden mosaics, which is magnificent. Here you can feel the vastness and beauty of religion.

The Cantor Arts Center is a famous art museum at Stanford University. Its most famous work is "The Thinker", a work by French sculptor Rodin. Rodin created several statues of The Thinker, and the Cantor Arts Center is the largest one. It also houses more than 200 of Rodin's works, and no tickets are required. It is recommended to come here to feel the atmosphere of art.

Stanford Shopping Center: In addition to the above-mentioned distinctive buildings and art galleries, there is also a very nice shopping center on campus. It is a large shopping district composed of several department stores, with many brands stationed there, as well as the extra-large Studio A and Microsoft stores. If you have time, you might as well arrange a few hours to stroll around here!

After leaving Stanford University, the next stop is Silicon Valley, where you can take a technology tour to the famous headquarters of Facebook, Google and Apple.

• Facebook does not allow tourists to enter, but you can take a photo with the thumbs-up sign at the door and upload it. One very special thing is that there is a road here named Facebook Way!

• The second stop was the large Google Visitor Center. Although the interior of Google is not open to the public, you can buy related souvenirs here, including Google and YouTube T-shirts, and other small items. Google fans will definitely like this place. The colorful art installations outside the campus also make the Google campus full of vitality!

• Then we went to Apple headquarters. The Apple headquarters visitor center, decorated with transparent glass, is worthy of being one of the leaders in contemporary technology. You can buy all kinds of Apple products in the visitor center. The little surprise is that they sell limited products that can only be seen at the headquarters!

If you have time after visiting Silicon Valley, you can drive to Livermore Premium Outlet. One of the must-do things in the United States is of course to visit outlets! Livermore Premium Outlet is designed as a large square and has hundreds of brand-name discount stores. The abundance of stores and discounts will easily make people linger. If you don’t have much time, you can search online for the stores you want to target!

Article 2_Napa

Napa and the nearby Sonoma are famous wine producing areas in the United States. There are hundreds of wineries in this area. The scenery of the valley is beautiful, and there are vast hinterlands and vineyards along the way. The following are three wineries with their own characteristics:

• Jacuzzi Family Vineyards is a winery founded by the Jacuzzi family from Italy. The winery looks like a small castle, made of coffee-colored Italian tiles, giving it a lively and cute feel.

There is a free tasting event here, and each person can choose 5 wines from the menu to taste. You can also take part in the winery's guided tour (tickets required), where the tour guide tells the story behind the winery, and then visits the winery's vineyard. The entire vineyard is very healing, and if you visit here in autumn, the gradually yellowing leaves also exude a different atmosphere.

In addition to growing grape vines, the winery also grows olives. There are many olive oils, vinegars and other products available for purchase in the winery’s shop!

• Sterling Vineyards is located in the northern part of NAPA. It is the only winery in NAPA with a cable car.

There are two types of wine tasting packages (Sliver experience / General admisson) and packages for visitors under 21 years old to choose from at the ticket office. The two wine tasting packages differ in the size of the wine glasses. In addition, the Silver experience allows entry into the Main tasting room. After purchasing the ticket according to your needs and preferences, you can take the cable car to the top of the 300-meter-high mountain. The green scenery looking out from the cable car is particularly enjoyable.

At Sterling Vineyards, you can take a self-guided tour. This time I chose the General admisson package, which will take me to the first wine tasting station along the guided tour to enjoy my first glass of wine. Then we headed to the second wine tasting station, where there was plenty of outdoor seating to sit back and enjoy your second and third glass of wine.

Before heading to the third stop, you will first pass by a souvenir shop where you can purchase your favorite items, which are also suitable as gifts for family and friends. Then you will come to the winery’s winemaking area to see modern winemaking machines. There are also signs explaining some small knowledge about winemaking.

Finally, we arrived at the third wine tasting station on the outdoor terrace and tasted the last two glasses of wine in the sunshine, ending the visit with satisfaction.

• The Castello di Amorosa winery is also of great significance. The winery's exterior is spectacular, with a castle-like shape made of stacked bricks. There is a moat next to the castle, and there are beautiful views everywhere inside the castle.

There are two packages to choose from for the guided tour. General Admission allows you to taste 5 glasses of wine, or pay an additional fee to taste an additional glass of limited edition wine, and you can also visit the following areas.

• The Chapel occupies a very important position in the winery. It was the first part to be built. Here you can see many antiques collected by the winery owner from all over the world.
• The Courtyard is the courtyard of the castle. Standing here gives you the feeling of going back several centuries. Some of the bricks of the castle are flat, while others are messy, showing the different appearances under different backgrounds of good public security and wartime.
• The Great Hall is the activity center of the winery. The walls are covered with paintings and there are also some antiques. It can accommodate many guests and is very grand.
• In the winemaking room, you can see different winemaking utensils for red wine and white wine. Red wine is fermented in wooden barrels and has a wood aroma, while white wine is fermented in iron barrels.

Another option is to join a Guide tour, where you can taste 5 glasses of wine or purchase an additional limited edition wine. In addition to the areas that General Admission can visit, the tour guide will lead you to the basement and storage cellar and give a detailed introduction. The cellar is very large, and you can see a lot of impressive stored wine, as well as several small rooms, some of which are filled with antiques such as weapons and interrogation equipment. Finally, we passed the souvenir shop to the private tasting room to enjoy five selected wines.

The above three wineries each have their own characteristics, and you can choose the winery you want to visit according to your preferences. If you have enough time, visiting multiple wineries can make your trip to Napa more fulfilling.

* Part 3_Monterey

Monterey Bay, located in central California, about two and a half hours' drive from San Francisco, is a seaside town that has experienced both prosperity and decline. In the early days, this place was an important economic center, but as the gold rush caused a lot of population outflow, it became a deserted town for a time. After that, the town began to develop the fishing industry, and the canning industry once again reached its heyday, but it declined again with the outbreak of World War II.

However, after the 1800s, many artists settled here, adding a strong artistic atmosphere to the town today. The former canning factory has now been transformed into a wide variety of stores and souvenir shops, and the town has once again become a bustling tourist destination.

The first attraction you should visit when you come to Monterey is Fisherman’s Wharf, which is the earliest developed wharf in California. There are many yachts parked next to the wharf, which gives you a holiday feeling. Walking along Fisherman's Wharf, you can eat at seafood restaurants, or visit souvenir shops, candy stores, etc.

Continue walking for about 20 minutes and you will reach Cannery Row. This factory area that has experienced ups and downs has now become one of the most lively areas in Monterey. The most classic building is the red container house with MONTEREY CANNING COMPANY printed on it. There are a few more shops here than Fisherman’s Wharf, and there’s also the first American chain restaurant, Bubba Gump!

Further down the street is the Monterey Aquarium, which was once a cannery! The aquarium is home to more than 35,000 species of animals, including many rare species, exotic-looking fish and shellfish. The jellyfish hall is also a highlight of the aquarium. Different species of jellyfish swim gracefully in the aquarium, and the scene is both beautiful and healing. There is also a balcony in the hall where you can overlook the beautiful scenery of Monterey Bay.

There is a place you can’t miss on the Monterey Peninsula─the town of Carmel. In the early days, more than half of the residents here were artists. The houses here have no house numbers and are very cute in shape. The dreamy atmosphere also earned it the name of a fairy-tale town. Every store here is worth spending time visiting, including candy stores, dessert shops, art galleries, gift shops, etc. However, there is one thing to note: a tourist once sued the town because he accidentally fell while wearing high heels. Therefore, the town has a rule that high heels are not allowed to be worn to avoid disputes. Such a unique town is very popular.

* Part 3_Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park was designated a national heritage site in 1984 and is internationally recognized for its magnificent streams and waterfalls and diverse flora and fauna. In the early glacial period, the ice thickness in the valley could reach 1,200 meters. Later, the downhill movement of large blocks of ice cut into the current U-shaped valley landscape, which is the most beautiful scenery in Yosemite.

It takes about three to three and a half hours to drive from San Francisco to Yosemite. The first stop is Tunnel View, where there is a parking lot next to it. On the left side of the U-shaped valley is El Capitan, and in the distance in the middle is Half Dome, both rocks are popular among climbers. In spring, when the snow melts and the water is at its most abundant, you can see the Bridal Waterfall on the right, which embellishes the scenery and is as beautiful as a painting.

Then we went to Yosemite Valley for a short break and got off at Yosemite Valley Lodge. There are souvenir shops and food courts here, but the food sold there is not very cost-effective. You can buy some food before entering the national park and enjoy lunch while resting in Yosemite Valley.

Yosemite also has the highest waterfall in North America, Yosemite Falls, located near Yosemite Valley. The trail to the waterfall can be divided into three sections: upper, middle and lower. It is recommended that you arrange the simpler lower trail (Lower Yosemite Fall), where you can see the entire Yosemite Falls between the cedar trees.

After driving from San Francisco to Yosemite, it is almost time to return after visiting the above attractions. If you want to continue south to Las Vegas or Los Angeles, you can stay in the town of Fresno that night and continue driving the next day to avoid spending too much time on the journey!

*Part 3_Highway 1 Big Sur Coastline

If you travel from San Francisco from north to south, in addition to going to Monterey, you can also go further south to Big Sur. Big Sur originates from Spanish, which means the big south. It is a mountainous coastal area on the central coast of California from Carmel to San Simeon, with a length of about 145 kilometers. It is famous for its beautiful scenery and was selected by National Geographic magazine as one of the 50 must-see attractions in a lifetime.

Here are some of the attractions worth stopping at on this long coastal road from north to south:

• The first stop is near Garrapata State Park. It is said that the calla lilies are in full bloom from March to May every year. In spring, you can stop the car to take pictures while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the coast.

• Then walking south, you will pass Bixby Bridge, a famous landmark of Big Sur. It is a bridge about 200 meters long and 60 meters high, standing between the sea and the mountains. This bridge is very imposing and has appeared many times in car commercials. You can go to the roadside parking lot to take pictures of the beautiful scenery of the steep mountain walls, the sea and the bridge.

• Continuing south, you will pass Andrew Molera State Park, the largest state park on the Big Sur coastline. There are many trails in the park. You can choose the simple Beach Trail and walk along the Big Sur River to the beach. In summer, you can see many surfers chasing the sea on the coast.

• Pfeiffer Beach is a great place to watch the sunset and is also a favorite spot for many photographers. As the sun sets, golden light shines through the hole in the middle of the natural rock, which is extremely dreamy. Sometimes as the color of the sky changes, the beach will also reflect different colors.

• Next we came to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, which was named in honor of Julia Pfeiffer Burns, a pioneer who dedicated her life here. There is a special famous attraction here, McWay Falls, a waterfall flowing into the sea. This was originally private land, but later the owner of the land razed the house and donated the land to the California government so that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery.

It takes about 10 minutes to reach the viewing point. It is beautiful with the blooming wild flowers in spring. The beach under the waterfall is very clean. I personally like this place very much.

• Finally, we arrived at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, known as the Little Yosemite. Many giant redwoods can be seen in the park, and many people choose to camp and hike here. You can also choose hiking trails based on the difficulty of the challenge you want to take. Here are two simple trails recommended.

One is the Nature trail, which takes only 10 to 20 minutes to go back and forth. There are many tall redwoods and streams along the way. It is a relaxing and lovely trail.

The other is the Valley View and Pfeiffer Falls Trail. It takes about 2 hours to complete both trails. Follow the tall fir trees and turn left at about 750 meters from the starting point to the Valley View Trail. This trail offers views of the valley. Turn right at the same fork to reach the Pfeiffer Falls Trail. At the end of the trail you can see a 19-meter-high waterfall, but please note that the waterfall is not open in winter.

If you want to visit all the above attractions in one day, the time will be too tight and the trails cannot be completed in one go. It will be easier if you plan two days so that you can walk and see slowly.

Going south from Big Sur, along the coastal highway you will reach Hearst Castle, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, etc. all the way to Los Angeles. You can refer to our other travelogue─The Sixth Journey to the West of Little America, USA.

The above are the attractions that can be arranged around San Francisco. Choose the place you want to go, estimate the length of stay and driving time, and the number of days you will stay to assemble your own unique package itinerary. Of course, there are more places to visit and stay in each area above, but the attractions I introduced are classics that cannot be missed!