San Francisco, California, USA

San Francisco is a coastal city at the west coast of the United States. As of 2025, the city has a population of approximately 800,000 people. Considering its size, I highly recommend spending at least three days exploring the city. The weather in San Francisco is generally mild throughout the year, but it can get pretty cold during the nighttime hours.

Arrival

I arrived at the San Francisco airport at 2 AM because my plane had been delayed by over an hour. (Thank you Delta!) Unfortunately, the trains only operate until midnight, but I managed to catch a night bus that took me to downtown. Make sure to arrive at the airport before midnight, or take an Uber! The bus was quite run-down, and there was an urine odor inside. It was also filled with weird people, some of them seemed to be experiencing a bit of a psychedelic phase. At least the bus was free... I arrived at my hostel at 3 AM called ITH Pacific Tradewinds, which I can highly recommend.

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is the most famous symbol of San Francisco. When it opened, it was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world. If you’re there, you should definitely walk across the bridge and take a photo at Golden Gate Bridge Vista Point. You’ll get an amazing view of the bridge and the city skyline. You can also get a great view of the bridge from Lands End.

Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge from Lands End
Golden Gate Bridge from Lands End
Me walking across the bridge
Me walking across the bridge

Lands End

Lands End is a park in San Francisco. You’ll get amazing views of the coast and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Lands End Coastline
Lands End Coastline

Golden Gate Park

The Golden Gate Park is a massive urban park in the city. It has a lot of nature, museums, and even a beach on the coast.

Golden Gate Park Windmills
Golden Gate Park Windmills
Bison Paddock
Bison Paddock
Somewhere near the Presidio
Somewhere near the Presidio
Beach
Beach

Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden is inside Golden Gate Park. The entrance fee is $21.75 for adults, which I personally don’t think is worth it. However, you can enter the garden for free from 9 AM to 10 AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The garden itself is quite small, but it’s still a lovely place to stroll around.

Pagoda
Pagoda
Buddha Statue
Buddha Statue

Botanic Garden

The SF Botanic Garden is right next to the Japanese Tea Garden. The entrance fee is $20.75, but it’s totally worth it. It’s one of the most beautiful botanic gardens I’ve ever seen, and you could easily spend an entire morning there.

Botanic Garden (1)
Botanic Garden (1)
Botanic Garden (2)
Botanic Garden (2)
Botanic Garden (3)
Botanic Garden (3)
Botanic Garden (4)
Botanic Garden (4)

Alcatraz Prison

Alcatraz Island is a small island next to downtown, and it’s where the prison used to be. The prison closed in 1963 and is now a popular tourist attraction. You can book a day tour for $53.25, and a ferry will take you to the island. You’ll learn a lot about the prison and its history, so I think it’s worth it. The island is now also a huge bird nesting place, so you'll see lots of birds.

Cell Block
Cell Block
Prison Escape Attempt
Prison Escape Attempt
Dark Cell
Dark Cell
Kitchen
Kitchen
Bird Nesting Place
Bird Nesting Place
Entrance
Entrance

Muir Woods

Muir Woods is a national park near San Francisco. The park is home of Redwood Trees, tall trees with a soft bark. You can get there by bus, but I took an Uber instead because of the poor experience I had on my first bus ride in the city. The ride was quite expensive, but I went there with a friend so we could split the bill.

Redwood Treetop
Redwood Treetop
Redwood Tree Bark
Redwood Tree Bark

Lombard Street

The downtown area of San Francisco resembles a typical American city. If you’ve visited several other places in the U.S., it's nothing special anymore. However, there’s this unique curvy road called Lombard Street that I found quite interesting. It may not be too spectacular, but I took a few photos.

Lombard Street (1)
Lombard Street (1)
Lombard Street (2)
Lombard Street (2)

Conclusion

I had an awesome time on my trip! The city itself is rather mid and the public transport isn't great, but the nature around it is amazing and the weather is almost always perfect.