San Francisco

Thu 3 Sep – Mon 7 Sep · 4 nights 3 people the whole time Labor Day weekend

Lands 15:13 from Honolulu on the 3rd. Departs for New York the morning of the 7th — Labor Day itself. Accommodation is booked but the property name is unconfirmed — this dossier assumes a Fisherman's Wharf/North Beach base; sanity-check distances once you know the address. Prices in USD with NZD in brackets, 1 NZD = 0.587 USD.

Orientation

San Francisco sits on a compact, hilly peninsula, about seven miles square, so most of this list is walkable, with cable cars and Muni buses/streetcars covering the rest — no car needed inside the city. Fisherman's Wharf itself is touristy and safe, more seafood-stalls-and-souvenir-shops than dangerous. The single biggest rookie mistake: walking a few blocks inland toward Union Square drops you straight into the Tenderloin, a rough patch that catches visitors expecting a shopping district.

Main list
#ThingTypeWhy it's worth my timeCostHoursBook ahead?Best time
1Alcatraz Island — Night Tour BookedExperienceReal prison, self-paced audio guide, cellhouse at dusk with a fraction of the daytime crowd$178.95 total for 3, paid2.5–3 hrs door to doorWeeks — alcatrazcitycruises.comFri 4 Sep, departs Pier 33, not Pier 39; arrive 30 min early
2Ferry Building & Farmers MarketFoodThe one Saturday in town (5 Sep) lines up with the weekly market — 100+ producers plus the permanent food hallFree to browse; food $5–20/item1.5–2 hrsNoSat 5 Sep, 8am–2pm; arrive by 9am
3Lands End Trail coastal loopWalkFree rolling coastal walk, cypress groves, Golden Gate views, shipwreck remains at low tide — same payoff as Muir Woods, no reservationFree2.5–4 hrs full loopNoClear morning; check tide charts for the shipwreck timbers
4Palace of Fine ArtsSightFull-scale Beaux-Arts rotunda and lagoon built for the 1915 world's fair, kept because locals refused to let it be torn downFree30–45 minNoLate afternoon light; combine with Lands End
5Powell–Hyde cable car + Lombard StExperienceEnds two blocks from Lombard's switchback and climbs Nob Hill on the way — the SF moment your family will remember$9pp one-way, $27 for 31–1.5 hrs incl. LombardSame day — board at Hyde/Beach turntable near Ghirardelli to skip the queueWeekday morning, before 10am
6Golden Gate Bridge — walk or bike to SausalitoWalkWalk the 1.7-mile span free; biking on to Sausalito turns it into a half-day with a ferry backFree to walk; bike $28–40/day + ferry $14.75pp1.5–2 hrs walk; 4–5 hrs bike+ferryNo for walking; same day for bikesMorning, before the afternoon wind
7Chinatown — Grant Ave & dim sumFoodOldest Chinatown in North America and still a working neighbourhood, not a recreationFree to walk; dim sum $15–25pp1.5–2 hrsNoLate morning, weekday, before the lunch rush
8Mission District murals & Dolores ParkWalkBalmy and Clarion Alley hold decades of political street art; Dolores Park is where the city actually spends a warm afternoonFree2–3 hrsNoAfternoon; pair with La Taqueria for lunch
9La TaqueriaFoodRegularly named the best Mission-style burrito in the city (Michelin Guide) — the meal to have instead of anything near the Wharf$10–13pp, cash only45 min incl. queueNo — no reservationsJust before/after the Mission walk; avoid 12–1pm
10Twin PeaksSightThe widest free view in the city — both bridges, downtown, the whole grid belowFree1–1.5 hrs incl. transitNoLate afternoon or sunset if not fogged in — check that morning
11Pier 39 sea lionsSightHauled out uninvited in 1989 and never left — the one genuinely free, genuinely SF-specific thing at Pier 39Free30–45 minNoAny time, year-round
12ExploratoriumExperienceHands-on science museum built for adults as much as kids, on the Embarcadero — a good fallback if the coastal walks get fogged out$36pp, $108 for 33–4 hrsDays — exploratorium.eduWeekday if possible; opens 10am
13Ghirardelli SquareFoodThe original chocolate factory building, now a sundae counter — a five-minute stop, not a destination$14–22 per sundae30–45 minNoAny time; smaller queue before 11am
14Muir Woods National MonumentDay-tripOld-growth coast redwoods, a different scale of tree to anything in NZ — but weigh against the free Lands End loopShuttle $4pp return + transport (guided tours ~$100–150pp)Half day, 4–5 hrs incl. transportWeeks — gomuirwoods.com, opens 90 days outWeekday morning if at all
15Apple Park Visitor CenterDay-tripAR model of the ringed campus, rooftop terrace — ~1hr south, opposite direction from the coastal walksFree entry; transport ~$70–100 one-way1.5–2 hrs on-site + ~1hr each wayNo entry booking; sort transport aheadWeekday, 10am–7pm
16Google Visitor ExperienceDay-tripFree campus space, 15 min from Apple Park — combine into the same car dayFree1–1.5 hrsNoMon–Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 10am–5pm
17Silicon Valley Bank (former HQ)Day-tripSVB collapsed March 2023, now a First Citizens branch — a building and a story, not a destinationFree15–20 minNoFold into the Apple Park/Google day
The Silicon Valley trio and Muir Woods point in opposite directions and both need a car. Doing all four out of 3.5 days costs you the free coastal loop or the city itself. Pick one car day, not both.
Skip list
ThingWhy skip itWhat to do instead
Pier 39's shops and arcade (beyond sea lions)Overpriced mall-style trap bolted onto a free attractionSee the sea lions from K-Dock, skip the rest, eat in North Beach
Wharf sit-down seafood chains (Bubba Gump etc.)Mediocre food at tourist prices, aimed at footfall not qualityWalk 10 min into North Beach, or eat at the Ferry Building
Wax Museum / Ripley'sGeneric chain attractions, nothing SF-specificSpend the time on the Lands End Trail instead
Any Alcatraz seller besides alcatrazcitycruises.comNot the actual concessionaire — inflated prices or invalid ticketsAlready booked correctly; ignore resellers
Doing Muir Woods and the full Silicon Valley trio in one tripBoth need a car/tour, eats most of a day for a middling payoffThe free Lands End + Palace of Fine Arts + Presidio + Baker Beach loop instead
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