America has many different cities that are great to visit during a city trip. San Francisco is one of these cities. If you want to explore the West Coast of America more, start your journey of discovery with a city trip to San Francisco.
San Francisco is a very popular city that attracts many international tourists. There is a lot to do and see. Visiting the Golden Gate Bridge, taking a trip to Alcatraz, and riding the cable car are activities you must undertake during your city trip to San Francisco.
But there’s much more. You can also enjoy nice hikes and explore the city by bike. We are happy to tell you more about it.
Flight to San Francisco
You can book a direct flight to San Francisco from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport every day of the week. Currently, Delta Airlines is the only airline offering a direct flight. Several airlines fly daily to the West Coast of America. Think of American Airlines, KLM, and Scandinavian Airlines. They will all make a stopover.
Cost of flight to San Francisco
You can fly to the West Coast of America for around €500. It partly depends on how far in advance you book and whether you book a direct flight or not. Flight prices can rise to €1300 for a return ticket.
Top attractions in San Francisco
In San Francisco, you’ll be amazed every day. There’s always something happening. It is a dynamic, international city with many expats. The city is a real melting pot of various cultures, which gives the city an extra fun atmosphere. There is also a lot to see, do, and experience in San Francisco. You should not miss these attractions during your city trip.
The Golden Gate Bridge
You can hardly miss the Golden Gate Bridge when you visit San Francisco. It is the most popular attraction. The bridge was built almost a century ago, in 1937 to be precise. The name of the bridge might be a bit confusing. The Golden Gate Bridge is not Gold but has a rusty brown-orange color. This color was deliberately chosen. Because the city can be quite foggy, it is important that the bridge is always clearly visible. By choosing this brighter brown-orange color, they ensured that the bridge would always be visible.
Besides the roadways, there are sidewalks on both sides of the bridge where you can walk and cycle. If you prefer to view this attraction from a distance, there are also many viewpoints where you can do this. You can reach these viewpoints by taking a long hike up or by taking a taxi to the viewpoint. Popular viewpoints, also known as fourpoints, are Battery Spencer Lookout, Marin Headlands Vista Point, and Fort Point.
Alcatraz
If you visit San Francisco, you really can’t skip visiting Alcatraz. Alcatraz is a prison island where all the naughty and dangerous criminals of the city and surroundings were once housed.
Alcatraz is one of the most famous (former) prisons in the world. It is so famous and notorious that it has been the location for many different Hollywood films. You can book a tour, where you sail on a boat to the island and can walk around freely. You visit the cells, the common areas, and see how bleak the prisoners’ lives must have been. During the excursion, you also learn everything about The Rock, as the prison is commonly called. You will be surprised at how many escape attempts were made here. Yet, to this day, it is one of the few high-security prisons worldwide from which no one has ever successfully escaped.
Admire the unique Painted Ladies
Do you remember the American series Full House? This series made the Painted Ladies world-famous. The Painted Ladies are colorful Victorian Houses that were featured in the intro song of this series. To this day, fans visit Alamo Square and The Painted Ladies. In front of the houses, there is a large lawn where you can freely picnic and enjoy the beautiful and idyllic view. Even if you’re not a fan of this series, it’s a fun attraction to visit.
Explore San Francisco by bike
Cycling through San Francisco is cool and can be a challenge in some places due to the steep hills. But it’s a challenge you should definitely take on during your city trip to San Francisco.
If you don’t feel like tackling the steep hills, take a different kind of bike tour. Baja Bikes offers the San Francisco Bike Tour: Golden Gate Bike Tour.
During this bike tour, you cycle to and over the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge and visit various attractions. You will cycle past the following San Francisco attractions.
– Fisherman’s Wharf
– Presidio National Park
– Fort Mason
– The Marina
– Golden Gate Bridge
– Sausalito
– Vista Point
If you prefer to explore the city on your own, you can also rent a bike through us.
Fun facts about San Francisco
Are you already excited to discover the city even better during your city trip to San Francisco, but still want to learn a bit more about this destination on the West Coast of America?
We have listed some extra fun facts for you.
1. The Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is 20% larger than Central Park in New York. Yet people often think that Central Park in New York is larger. Central Park may be more well-known due to series like Friends and Law and Order, but the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is bigger.
2. San Francisco can be very foggy. That’s why the Golden Gate Bridge was given a striking color that can be seen through the fog. The locals have become so accustomed to the fog that they have even given it a name. They call the fog Karl. If you’re walking around in San Francisco and someone mentions Karl, you’ll know it’s not a person but a fond reference to the fog. The fog is even so popular that it has its own Instagram account with over 260k followers.
3. Initially, they wanted to paint the Golden Gate Bridge black with gold, but this was eventually abandoned. Because this would affect the visibility of the bridge, they chose a brighter, more striking color.
4. Like many American cities, San Francisco has its own Chinatown. The Chinatown in San Francisco is also the oldest and longest-standing in all of North America.
5. Before Alcatraz was turned into a prison, it was used as a base by the American military.