We arrived by driving into the city from Berkeley, which is great by the way, through some extremely heavy traffic. I've heard people say California traffic is bad - trust me, it really is!
Hi San Fransisco City Centre Hostel, just on Ellis Street was where we stayed. The hostel was around $200 for a 5 night stay, it was clean; quirky inside and had a bar attached that served till 12. The staff are pretty strict about you showing your badge when you enter the building and often won't allow you entry or ask you to go and get it. To be fair, I don't blame them the area is pretty shady, it's not safe to walk around at night on your own. In fact, a few of our uber drivers warned us not to and insisted if we did want to head out a night then we should order a taxi.
Day 1
After grabbing a free bagel and fruit from the hostel, we walked into downtown which takes about 30 minutes from Ellis Street. However, being tourists we took the trolley part the way. It cost us $7.50 for about 3 stops and it was good fun, even more fun when you get to stand outside - deffo a good photo op!
Pier 41 was where we were heading, this is where the ferry to Angel Island departs from - you can buy your tickets at the pier (it was much, much quieter than the ferry to Alcatraz) there was no problem buying them on the day. Take a jacket for the ferry, seriously! It was a really warm and clear day but when you are sailing through San Fransisco Bay, there is a cold breeze. On the ferry, you get really great pics of the Golden Gate Bridge, be camera ready.
Angel Island has so much history, it was an immigration station for people trying to enter the States for a better life, majority from China. Inside the immigration station, you can see how new arrivals were expected to live. The station is really informative and well worth a visit. It took around 1 - 2 hours for us to complete the tour.
After the immigration station, it's well worth wandering around to take in the views and just generally chill. The views are beauts, particularly on a clear day.
There are several water fountains and a shop, if needed. Do be sure to check the ferry schedule, if you miss the last one you'll be participating in some outdoor camping.
A short ferry ride took us back to the pier, we then headed to the famous Lombard Street after grabbing some food. It's about a 30 minute walk from pier 41. Wear trainers/sneakers, seriously, San Francisco has some fierce hills!
Lombard Street was pretty cool, there are loads and loads of tourists though. We arrived at about 5:30, (mid rush hour) probably not the best idea. If you want to see the street when it's quiet I'd advise getting there early.
Day 2
Once again, after a free bagel and coffee we ventured down to the pier, 39 this time. From there we boarded the ferry to Alcatraz. You will need to book your tickets early for Alcatraz - as in a couple of months early. We went in June and booked them at the end of April, even at that point it was starting to get booked up.
Make sure you eat before you go as there is no food or drink available in the Island; there are just a couple of water fountains.
Alcatraz is an awesome place to visit, you get the
audio tour included in your ticket and it takes you around telling stories of inmates and guards; as well the history of the Island.
There are great views of San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz, a very good photo op.
The tour can take as long or as short as you like; the ferry takes about 20 - 30 minutes each way by the time you are off. They are very busy and are filled to the brim. We were there around 4 hours, we didn't rush nor did we saunter.
Day 3
Bikes! It was incredible renting bikes and cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge. We rented ours from Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals and Tours. We paid $100 deposit for each bike and were charged $65 for the day, which included the ferry back from Sausalito, it seemed pretty steep but after doing our research most places were a similar cost.
The cycling path takes you all around the Bay area towards the Golden Gate Bride, the views are honestly phenomenal!
Be warned though, the native San Fran bike riders zoom past and will often yell, "On your right/left," they don't like it if you don't make way for them to come through. The bridge is really busy so do keep in as much as you can.
Oh, and signal or look behind you to check it's clear to pull over for a picture, I was yelled at a couple times for that!
After cycling the bridge, follow the signs for Sausalito - there are some great places for lunch and/or ice cream. When you get to Sausalito, cycle a bit further down past the town as there are a lot more bike lock ups that are free (we were in a group of 5 so it took us a bit longer to find spaces). For lunch, we ate at Sausalito Bakery and Cafe, the food was really fresh and decent priced - the salads were delicious. In the town, there are also lots of cute shops where you can buy San Francisco souvenirs and California merchandise.
We were pretty tired so decided to get the ferry back from Sausalito, to Pier 41, we then returned the bikes. You are able to cycle further on or cycle back to San Francisco via the bridge. We had a full day - rented the bikes at around 10 and returned about 4:30.
