Visiting Alcatraz Island was by far one of the most rewarding experiences of San Francisco. However, you MUST plan ahead if you want to visit, it’s almost impossible to buy tickets during your stay. Reservations and booking tickets need to be purchased in advance (tickets are made about 3 months in advance). There are day and night tours available. Tickets can be purchased online and run about $40 per adult after all fees are calculated.

Alcatraz tickets are all inclusive. The ticket price includes the ferry transportation service provided by Alcatraz Cruises and a cellhouse audio tour. During the audio tour, each visitor gets their own player and headphones. Just be sure you and your friends/family press “play” at the same time so you can travel through the prison together. The tour will direct you around the cellhouse and give you detailed information about Alcatraz’s history, its prisoners and interesting facts. The rest of the island is self-guided, however, the cellhouse is the most exciting since it is where the inmates spent most of their time. Some of the cells are open and you can actually walk inside! Others, are locked but filled with items that belonged to inmates.

Obviously you can’t visit San Francisco without visiting the Golden Gate Bridge. Since that’s a given, you should also visit Twin Peaks which offers breathtaking 360-degree panoramic views of the beautiful city, the bay, and beyond. You do need a car to get to see this view whether through a rental, public transportation/Uber, or a tour bus. Besides the view, there are also hike trails to enjoy.

Notably the largest Chinatown in North America and full of so much to do! You can literally spend a whole day here shopping and eating. The streets and some buildings like the local bank are decorated/designed with the Chinese culture in mind.  Tons of cheap little gift shops to purchase souvenirs and other knickknacks. If driving, plan your parking (the garage is the cheapest and safest).  Be sure to bring cash, many stores are cash only or require a minimum in order to use a card. The Dragon’s Gate entrance isn’t far from Union Square or Market Street which are great spots to experience modern San Francisco and do some more shopping.

San Francisco’s largest park which in comparison, is much larger than New York’s Central Park. With so much to do and see, you will have to decide what you plan to visit. Since I’ve been to San Francisco more than once, I’ve been able to visit a number of the attractions in the park. If you look online, you can find out which locations offer free or discounted visits for specific days of the month or times of the day. For instance, every 2nd Tuesday of the month, the outdoor botanical garden offers free admission and the Japanese Tea Garden offers free admission if entered by 10:00AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I’ve visited both gardens and enjoyed the beautiful plant life. Besides gardens, the park is also the home to two museums, De Young Art Museum and the California Academy of Sciences. I personally visited the California Academy of Sciences which is a bit pricey ($35.95 per adult and $25.95 for a child) but again, there are always opportunities to save by visiting weekdays or by purchasing a Go San Francisco Card. The museum includes an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and a natural history museum. Other great locations to visit include Stow Lake where you can rent paddleboats and rowboats, view the Golden Gate Bridge and see a resident buffalo herd, and so much more!