Our three-day San Francisco itinerary, best things to do on a small budget

It may not seem like a long time, but trust me you can see plenty! We didn’t do a tonne of forward planning and had a pretty tight budget, but still had no trouble getting around or finding things to do – so don’t let the cost put you off (there’s more to San Francisco than just Alcatraz…). Read on to see our three-day San Francisco itinerary on a budget.

When we first decided to go travelling, we decided pretty much straight away that Australasia was going to be one of our first destinations, so the question was, how to get there? Yes, obviously by plane (someone definitely thought it), but to travel east and stop in Asia or go west and stop in the US. Usually for us, it’s cheaper to fly east, however, a little internet wizardy from Han found us a route going west from London to Sydney via San Francisco and Hawaii, all for less than the cost of a direct flight to Sydney. Decision made.

If you're just here for the headlines, I've added a bulleted list of our itinerary at the end of the post. Click here to zoom down to it.

Welcome to California

We arrived in San Francisco with no firm plans of what we were going to do (that’s typical of us just FYI), but that’s how we prefer to travel anyway. We were also pretty jet-lagged at this point, so decided to take a few hours kip in the hotel, before heading out fresh for the evening. We were staying at the Palihotel in the Financial District, a retro style hotel but with a contemporary feel – something a bit more interesting than your standard chain and I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a comfortable stay without breaking the bank. The transport links were also top-notch, with a bus connection literally outside and Powell Street train station a seven-minute walk away. Make sure you get yourself a Clipper card if you’re planning to use public transport, you can top it up as you go and it covers pretty much everything, including the ferries. You can pick these up for $3.00 in any BART (subway) station, but the easiest way is to add it straight to your Apple or Google wallet on your phone for free (it literally takes seconds). I’d do this before you arrive as, though it sounds pretty simple, in our jet-lagged state it took us a fair while to work it out… Anyway, cue thirteen hours of sleep later (I may have turned the alarm off) and at 6am the next morning we were ready to get going (first time for everything).

Three-day San Francisco itinerary: Day one

There’s nothing quite like heading out early in a new city. No bookings, no deadlines, just the day ahead of you and the freedom to wander any way you feel like. That was us on that first morning in San Francisco. Our only mission as we left the hotel, find good coffee. With that in mind, we happened across Blue Bottle Coffee (which we later realised was a chain, with shops all over the city) which hit the spot perfectly. Fully caffeinated, we headed down towards the Embarcadero, the boulevard that runs along the waterfront and is a hub of shops, businesses and tourist attractions.

One of the highlights is definitely the Ferry Building. This iconic structure was opened in 1898 as the city’s main transport hub, but later went through phases of disrepair, and a conversion to offices. Now though, after a four-year restoration, it’s a thriving marketplace for independent shops and restaurants. Those on a budget though may opt to browse only, as the glamorous setting comes with a pretty hefty price tag…

Speaking of price tags, if you’re looking to keep costs low, a walk along the Embarcadero is a great way to spend the morning/afternoon. Walking north from the Ferry Building, you’ll eventually come to the iconic Pier 39, one of the busiest tourist attractions in the city. Think fairground meets circus meets shopping centre and that’s kind of the vibe here. I wouldn’t describe it as particularly authentic and it's certainly not where you’d find locals, but when in Rome… er, do what the tourists do? If carnival stands and packed restaurants aren’t your thing, it’s still worth taking a look at the sealions that call Pier 39 home. It can be pretty busy with gawping, selfie-taking tourists, but wait a few minutes and you’ll soon find some space so you too can gawp and take endless blurry photos like the rest of us (iPhone zoom just ain’t it).

One of the great things about San Francisco is how walkable the city is. Still a little drunk on jet lag, we headed back to our hotel for a rest stop and then decided to walk west, across the city towards Golden Gate Park. Yes, it’s a pretty lengthy walk, but what better way to get a feel for a place than to walk around it eh? That’s how I convinced Han anyway…

If you’re going to walk through the city though, I would advise planning your route around the Tenderloin district. Homelessness and drug use were apparent pretty much everywhere we visited in the city, but this is the area with the highest concentration, and it can be a little uncomfortable to walk through. We were of course aware of the socio-economic problems before we arrived, but hadn’t factored in that Google maps favours speed over scenery… That said, we actually walked through the heart of the Tenderloin, and more than anything, it’s just quite sad to see so many people living on the streets. No one approached us, we weren’t bothered in any way, but the sheer number of people clearly out-of-it can be a little intimidating for a tourist…

Anyhow, we ploughed on and a million or so steps later we hit Golden Gate Park, exactly what you would expect of a lush green space in the heart of Silicon Valley; manicured gardens, outdoor yoga classes, airpod-adorned jogging millennials, little league football, a cornucopia of canine characters, and a botanic garden. In short, it’s well worth a visit.

By this point, the sun was setting so we headed in search of something to eat. We walked to towards Hayes Valley, a trendy neighbourhood with plenty of independent boutiques, coffee shops, bars and restaurants. This is the kind of area you would consider living in, but isn’t necessarily the most obvious stop for tourists. It was a great change of pace from the CBD and gives a small flavour of what it would be like to live in one of the cooler, liberal districts. I’d definitely recommend checking it out if you have time. So, appetites satiated, feet aching and jet lag looming, we headed back to the hotel for some well-earned shut eye.

Three-day San Francisco itinerary: Day two

The plan for our second day was to get out of the main city and cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge (shout out to my barber, for this solid recommendation). We had a look online and booked a couple of bike rentals that morning (we were up at the crack of dawn again). It’s pretty inexpensive to rent bikes for the day and there are plenty of operators to choose from so you can spend as much or as little as you’d like (be prepared to spend a lot more if you prefer to e-bike). We booked with the imaginatively-named Golden Gate Bridge Bike Rentals as they were closer to the bridge itself, so you can focus on the scenic part of the ride and less on dicing with death in city traffic. Two bikes cost us $72.00 (around £55.00).

If you are heading to that part of the city to collect a bike, I'd definitely take the iconic cable car from Powell Street up towards Fisherman's Wharf. You can pay with your Clipper card or using MuniMobile, but bear in mind you'll need to book in advance if you're boarding at Powell & Market, Bay & Taylor, or Hyde & Beach (basically the first stop of each line). It's easy to book, we did it literally one minute before we hopped on.

If you're looking for a tasty breakfast option before picking up your bike, I'd recommend stopping at Café de Casa on Beach Street for a coffee and a pastry. This Brazilian coffee shop is off the beaten track but has a queue out the door - enough said (they have two other venues across the city too).

Cycling in San Francisco is certainly not for the faint hearted. The roads are huge and the drivers unforgiving but you're only on the road for a short while before you hit a cycle path that leads all the way to the bridge. The ride itself isn't difficult (one steep hill aside) but probably isn't suited to anyone who's not a confident rider. The views from the bridge are incredible though so it's well worth a go!

Once you're over the bridge it's all downhill to Sausalito (physically, not metaphorically). This cute seaside town is full of independent shops, ice cream parlours and art galleries. Definitely worth spending a few hours exploring or treating yourself to a bouji lunch. For the nerdy amongst us (me included) the Bay Model Visitor Center is well worth a look. It houses a huge scale model of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta System - watch this for a more detailed look.

The ferry back is a breeze and even has spectacular views of Alcatraz on the way back to the city. Bear in mind, the cycle back to the bike shop is a bit longer on the home stretch and may involve tango-ing with some heavy traffic.

Three-day San Francisco itinerary: Day three

For our last day, we opted for something a little more relaxed. Breakfast at Honey Honey - a classic American Cafe & Crepery in Lower Nob Hill had every fathomable egg-based breakfast option and set us up for the day. A quick stop back at the hotel to pack up and check our bags in at reception and we headed back towards Fisherman's Wharf. This is probably the most tourist-heavy spot we visited, but it's a fun place to have a look around, with a plethora of shops and over-the-top tourist attractions (think museums of pointless tatt or Madame Tussauds). The Boudin bakery is worth a look, with its ceiling-mounted sourdough conveyor belt and there's a whole store dedicated to Biscoff for those who enjoy that biscuity goodness (so everyone really).

And with that, our time in San Fran was up! We had the best time exploring the heart of Silicon Valley and would definitely recommend visiting. Of course we couldn't get to everything - I know you're scrolling back to find when we visited Alcatraz - but at the start of a year-long trip budgets are tight! And anyway, it's always good to have something to come back for.

Our 3-day itinerary:

Day 1

• Grab coffee and a pastry (we went to Blue Bottle Cafe)

• Take a stroll along the Embarcadero (start at Oracle Park Stadium so you have more food/drink options when you get peckish)

• Shop, eat and drink at the Ferry Building

• Head west towards Golden Gate Park and soak up some rays in the botanic gardens

• Walk to Hayes Valley for dinner and drinks

Day 2

• Head out early and catch the cable car North towards Fisherman's Wharf

• Enjoy a Brazilian Breakfast at Cafe de Casa on Beach Street

• Collect bikes and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge

• Have lunch or an ice cream in Sausalito

• Visit the Bay Model Visitor Centre

• Catch the ferry back to the city

Day 3

• Walk to Lower Nob Hill and stop for breakfast at Honey Honey Cafe (if you love a big breakfast you can't go wrong here)

• Take a walk through Fisherman's Wharf and take in the tourist sites (including the famous sealions)

• Back to the hotel, collect bags and leg it to the airport (or stroll if you're not running late)

If you've made it to the end of this post then thank you for sticking with it! I'm planning to make future posts shorter and more specific but please leave a comment and let me know what you think - critical feedback welcome!

Bye for now,

Connor