Spotlight On San Francisco – Where I Left My Heart!

I thought I would give you an overview of this beautiful and vibrant city, which I was lucky enough to spend time in recently.  I will concentrate on modes of transport and how easy it is to navigate around.  Especially if you are planning a pre cruise stay here.

We were there for 4 nights, staying close to Union Square. This is a central location, and where you can pick up various means of transportation.  All the different Hop On Hop Off Buses are located here, with their staff hawking for business.  So if you havent prebooked a sightseeing tour, believe me, there’s plenty of buses and plenty of room!

We had prebooked a 72hour HOHO bus combined with a trip to Alcatraz.  We found this suited our needs as it gave us the opportunity to explore all that this city can offer, and revisit places  within the 72hours timeframe.  You also get 4 different routes, including a night tour of San Francisco.  Routes that took you over the Golden Gate Bridge in order to visit Sausolito, an upmarket arty town.  Nice place for lunch and a stroll around the shops, with beautiful views across San Francisco Bay.

From Union Square, you get to visit The Embarcadero  along the city’s eastern shoreline. This is home to several waterfront attractions. With its iconic clock tower, the 1898 Ferry Building is a major food lover’s draw,  gourmet shops and a popular farmers’ market.                   A series of piers offers ferries to Alcatraz Island, science exhibits at the Exploratorium, restaurants and Bay Bridge views.  This is also where the Cruise Terminal is situated at Pier 35, just a short walk from Pier 39 which is a must see visit!  You would probably know it better as Fishermans Wharf.  However since the last time I visited SFO, this area has had a major refit, with lots more shops, restaurants, street entertainers.  It has a great vibe, and well worth spending some time here.  We also picked up our Bay Cruise and our Alcatraz Boat Trip from The Embarcadero.  Also at Pier 39 you can expect to see a large family of Sea Lions which have made this particular beauty spot their home.

We also jumped on an Olde Worlde Street Car, which runs on tracks (Not to be confused with the famous Cable Cars of San Francisco)  which are great fun to ride, and cheap!   It cost $2.75 (no change given – have exact fare) and the ticket lasts around 3hours so you can use it as much as you want within that time.  The ‘F’ Line runs from Twin Peaks all the way to Fishermans Wharf along Market Street which takes you past Union Square, the Financial District & Shopping area.

The best mode of transport though was of course the Cable Cars.  They cost $7.00 each ride. so if you wanted a return journey, its $14.00. Mainly used by the tourists, hence the inflated prices, but hey! if you’re visiting SFO its a given that you need to ride a Cable Car.

We used the California Cable Car Line as there were less queues and also this is used in so many of the TV programmes & films which I remember seeing as a child.  It takes you all the way to the top of Nob Hill.  We jumped off here and went to the Restaurant at the top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel, where you can sit and have a drink/snack/meal and have a 360 degree view of San Francisco and the Bay. Absolutely stunning!

From San Francisco Cruise Terminal you can visit Alaska, Hawaiian Islands, Mexico & Panama Canal. Princess Cruises have a great selection of departures to choose from!

More on my road trip next time!