Port of San FranciscoImage by Author

You only have a day, so make it count

If you are lucky, you may have two days in this amazing port. Many cruise ships overnight in San Francisco, giving you at least 24 hours. There is still too much to do on one cruise, so let’s get started.

The sail-in

It doesn’t matter which direction you take on your cruise, both the sail-in and sail-way will pass Alcatraz and go under the Golden Gate Bridge. Depending on the time of day and weather, this can give you some of the best photo ops in San Francisco.

San Francisco at NightImage by Author

Pro Tip:
Some cruises will time their arrival to get to the dock very early. Early arrival means sailing under the Golden Gate at or before sunrise. This can be a fantastic photo opportunity, or a complete bust, depending on the low-light capability of your camera, the weather, and how early the ship passes the bridge.

Night or day, plan on being out about two hours before the docking time to catch the view. Be on the port side (left) of the ship for pictures of the bridge and Alcatraz. Or stay on the starboard side to catch the bridge with the city in the background.

Walk Along the Waterfront

Whether you have half a day or two days, this walk is a must-do for any visit to San Francisco, whether it’s your first time or not. They will dock at the cruise ship terminal, which is Pier 27. The piers are all numbered starting from Pier 1 down the Embarcadero to your left as you are leaving the cruise ship. Pier 39 is to your right as you leave the terminal, and that is the way we are heading.

The first point of interest is Pier 33, which is where you would catch the ferry to Alcatraz. If you have never been, this is worth doing, but it can eat up three hours of your day, so plan accordingly.

Your main destination on the walking tour is Pier 39, which is about a half-mile. You can enjoy the view of the city to the left, with Transamerica and Coit towers dominating it. There isn’t much to see on the bayside of the walk as terminal buildings block the view. This would be an excellent time to catch a trolley if you don’t want to walk.

Pier 39Image by Author

Pier 39 is the heart and soul of the waterfront with shopping, food, and beautiful views. You can easily spend the day there, but don’t, there’s plenty more to see.

Pro Tip:

At the end of the pier on the left side are some old docks completely covered in seals of all types. Also, upstairs at the very end of the pier, you can look back and get a great shot of the city with the two towers in the background and the carousel in the foreground.

Seals on PierImage by Author

Tear yourself away from Pier 39 at some point as we have some more sites to see. Another quarter mile or so, you will come to more two landmarks, Boudin Bakery and Fisherman’s Wharf. If you didn’t fill up at Pier 39, stop in here for lunch or a snack. If you do nothing else, grab a sample of the fresh-baked sourdough bread. Fisherman’s wharf is just that. Watch the boats come in and unload their catch. There are also a couple of places to eat here.

Another quarter mile down the waterfront, you will pass Hyde Street Pier, where you can see some historic ships docked. Just past this is Maritime Park, with beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge. And just up the hill above you is our last stop on this tour, the famous Ghirardelli Square. This huge building contains many more shops, restaurants, and of course, Ghirardelli Chocolate.
You can head back along the other side of Embarcadero for many more shops and restaurants or catch a trolley to take you back to the ship.

What about the other way?

There isn’t as much in the other direction except for a couple of things worth noting. About a half-mile up the Embarcadero is the old Ferry Building. It is a beautiful old building with a clock tower that is a definite photo op. Inside are (you guessed it), more shops and restaurants. They also have a farmer’s market full of local goods. Next to that is the Ferry Plaza with lovely views of the Bay Bridge. The ferries here mostly go to Oakland and Berkeley.

Ferry BuildingImage by Author

For the hearty (and hungry)

If you are up for it and want to see more of the city, follow this guide instead of the waterfront. Be prepared for a lot of hills, although the middle third of this route is all downhill. Don’t worry, we are going to end up at Ghirardelli Square and you still have the full waterfront to pass on your way back to the ship.

From the Embarcadero, straight in front of the terminal, take Battery Street about six blocks to Broadway. Or, you could include a walk to the Ferry Building and pick up Broadway at the Embarcadero about halfway back. In either case, walk up Broadway (and I do mean up) to Columbus.

Stop. Rest. Breathe. Look around.

Coit TowerImage by Author

You are in the heart of the city with fantastic views all around. To the southeast, down Columbus is an excellent view of the Transamerica Tower. To the north, up Kearny, you can just see Coit Tower. You are also on the edge of Chinatown. If you want to explore more of Chinatown, head toward the Transamerica on Columbus and take a right on Kearny. Take Kearny to another right on Washington, then Stockton, back up Pacific to Columbus, or stay on Stockton to Broadway.

Once you’ve had your fill of dim sum, find your way back to Broadway and Columbus. Now you can begin your trek northwest down (literally) Columbus. You will pass through the Italian section and walk past many beautiful parks and churches. Columbus dead ends at Beach Street, in sight of the corner of Ghirardelli Square, where you can reverse the above course back to the ship. I have done this whole route in an hour and a half without stopping, but of course, stopping is the point.

Further Afield

There is a ton of stuff to see nearby, but you need more time for most of it. If you are overnighting in San Francisco, I would recommend the Alcatraz Island tour, a tour of Muir Woods, which is amazingly beautiful, or take a ferry from Pier 39 over to Sausalito.

Muir WoodsImage by Author

Whatever you decide to do in San Francisco, you will enjoy it. You will want to come back on another cruise or plan a land holiday here. It is a beautiful city full of wonderful sights, food, and people.

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