trip planner bay area

BART (Official‪)‬ 4+

San francisco bay area rapid transit district, designed for iphone.

• 4.6 • 15.1K Ratings

iPhone Screenshots

Description.

The official Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) app has arrived. It’s the easiest way to plan your trip and get accurate real time train departures with data straight from BART, along with official service alerts. The BART app offers exclusive features for hassle free travel for daily commuters, infrequent users and tourists alike: -Plan your entire end to end trip with BART’s exclusive Trip Planner giving you the fastest route from your starting point to your destination using BART and multiple modes of transportation, including connecting transit, biking, walking and driving. -Step by step navigation with personalized preferences and saved favorite stations and trips. -Real time departures and schedule timetable. -Customized in-app notifications about BART service and announcements. -Contactless in-app Daily Fee parking payment -Service disruption information linked to your trip itinerary. -Report a Biohazard that needs addressing and access our BART Watch App for reporting crimes. -Escalator and Elevator advisories. -Fleet of the Future train tracker. -Cancelled trip notices. -Easily see the last train of the evening by station when you’re planning your night out or your trip home from the airport. -Station information (including if it offers a parking lot and secured bike parking). -Seamless connection to bart.gov and BARTable for deals, events, and fun. -It’s ad free; who wants to be distracted when looking how far away your train is? BART is working on future features of the app to enhance your BART experience... Tell us about the features you want.

Version 1.20.0025

Thanks for using the BART (official) app! This release includes enhancements and bug fixes, including: Added an option for riders to manually select a station for the Tap and Go parking when location service is not available.  Display credit card expiration date for user to differentiate between new versus old card.  Included a BART Watch link under the 'More' section for easy access.  Enhanced the display of advisory icon offering a clue to the rider when there is an advisory.   We hope these updates improve your experience with the app. If you have any feedback or encounter any issues, please do not hesitate to let us know. Thanks for riding BART!

Ratings and Reviews

15.1K Ratings

BART Real Time Terrible

BART Real Time is terrible both on the app and the stations, especially at Berryessa. The times on the app and the times on video monitors and the arrival displays have different information on each all at the same time. Example: I want to go from Berryessa to Hayward. The app says Daly City train not leaving for 40 minutes while there is a Daly City train in the station with doors closed. A Richmond train is coming into station saying 2 minutes to leave. I get on the train to Richmond, doors close and BART app says “leaving” (from Berryessa). 2 minutes later the Daly City train opens doors, lets passengers on and immediately leaves. I couldn’t get off the Richmond train to run over to Daly City train because the doors are closed. Richmond train doesn’t leave for another 15 minutes even though BART app says “leaving” the whole time. Meanwhile the Daly City train has left even though real time app says a Daly City train isn’t leaving for 40 minutes. The real time seems to work a little better from Warm Springs north. This needs to be fixed or a new app should be created.

Developer Response ,

End of line stations are prone to complications with real time because trains lay over as they await for the next run. We have engineers working to improve this.

Love Pay for Parking Feature!

This app has simplified my whole life. The online paying for parking is so easy to use. Every single day I had to pay $3 for parking & the machine ONLY accepts cash and if you don’t have exactly $3 they give you ONLY coins AND the machine doesn’t accept coins so basically the whole week you’re just walking around with a ton of quarters accumulating in your pocket (one time it gave me all dimes & 1 nickel and I almost snapped, also that’s def not the right amount of change but what am I gonna do, ask for 5 cents back?) and it is so awful. I am gen z and hate cash & hate going to the bank to get cash for the sole reason of parking at BART. My only complaint is that I thought it was offered for every station so when I went to another station I didn’t pay. Luckily I did not get a ticket but beware!!

Tries to be multiple features, doesn’t implement well for any

This app appears to be an attempt at merging several different apps that address different issues: Schedule, Live ETA of train arrivals, hazards reporting, and advisories/outages. It’s a good initiative but it experiences issues on all of those attempts. The scheduler and live ETA don’t work well after midnight but BART has trains up to an hour past midnight, so it is rough there. It also only provides ETA down to minutes while other apps like BARTPro provide updates down to seconds and are also hooked to the BART API for accuracy. Advisory and outages are okay, it’s about 80% accurate for reporting escalator outages, but not perfect. Hazards reporting is the worst, I have received no confirmation or replies each time I’ve reporting incidents from finding people taking residence in elevators to exposed injectable needles lying on seats. At least you would get a confirmation and often a live response back from a person when reporting via BART Watch app, so I’m not sure if my reports are going through. All in all, it’s a good initiative but the app is mostly not usable compared to other more reliable apps at this time for the different features.

Thank you for this feedback. Escalator outages are posted once an employee enters it into our system as being out of service. We are currently testing escalator and elevator remote monitoring and reporting technology to improve the work flow. You are correct that the report a biohazard feature (which is an exclusive feature to the official BART app) does not offer real time replies or notifications at this time. The report is sent directly into our case creation system for handling. We are currently working to include push notifications within the app and will explore this option to confirm receipt of biohazard reports. BART Watch allows you text with police dispatch.

App Privacy

The developer, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Financial Info
• Contact Info
• User Content
• Identifiers

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

English, Simplified Chinese, Spanish

• App Support
• Privacy Policy

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The Bay Area's Voice for Rapid Rail

Plan your transit trip.

It can be hard to figure out how to get from here to there on public transit in the Bay Area. Some three dozen separate transit providers have evolved to serve specific and sometimes overlapping geographic areas in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This page is here to help you save you lots of time, money, and headache.

On this page you’ll find tools and tips for planning your trip and obtaining schedules. You’ll also learn how to save time and money (see right sidebar) and travel with comfort on transit.

Schedules and Getting Started

Trip planning tips that only transit experts know, six things to carry or do — before you go.

• What to do While Riding

1) Use 511 SF Bay Area Transit Trip Planner

While at times frustrating to use, this web tool can help you find your most efficient public transit options.  Unfortunately it sometimes has trouble recognizing locations or place names that it should, and will occasionally produce sub-optimal itineraries that can take an hour or more longer than the best option.

The trip planner can help when your trip will cross agency boundaries. This is important because many agencies’ customer assistance departments aren’t very knowledgeable about connecting transit outside of their territory. If the tool is producing results that seem wrong or outrageous, or you need more information, call the transit agencies mentioned in the results for help planning your trip.

A handy list of transit agencies and connecting transit for each county

Google Transit trip planner is also a good alternative, but it doesn’t cover all transit agencies the 511 does.

2) Call 511

You can also get transit and travel information by dialing 511, even from cell phones within the Bay Area. The voice menu will let you connect to customer service for any transit agency in the Bay Area  –follow the voice prompts, or just say the name of the transit agency you want to reach if you already know it.

More resources:

Transit Unlimited Wiki   guide to transit in the Bay Area and beyond. See Caltrain for station information and local transit connections.

Popular Destinations Link   how to get to popular destinations via transit.

Getting to Mineta San Jose Airport (SJC) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

How to get to Silicon Valley sporting, shopping and cultural/ entertainment destinations such as the HP Pavilion   how-to guides prepared by the VTA Riders Union

MTC’s Getting There on Transit Guide This booklet provides an overview of transit agencies and routes throughout the SF Bay Area. The publication can be viewed on-line, but we suggest you order or pick up a printed copy as indicated to view the maps more easily. Contact individual transit agencies to get full-sized transit maps for the territories you travel most frequently.

Read these, and you’ll know too!

• You can specify how far you’re willing to walk in part 5 of MTC’s Bay Area Trip Planner.  The default is ½ mile. You can decrease or increase that distance depending on your health and ability to walk.  Specifying longer distances can provide you with more transit options.
• on BART, the rules change depending on when, where and in what direction you’re traveling (i.e. how crowded the train is or is likely to be);
• on buses and Caltrain there can be capacity issues during rush hour, where you may be denied boarding if all of the available bike spaces are already taken by other patrons.
• BART Shuttles
• Caltrain Shuttles
• ACE Shuttles
• VTA Light Rail Shuttles
• A number of cities also provide free or subsidized shuttle services. See the list at transit.511.org (scroll down to “ Other Shuttle Systems” ). On the Peninsula, the cities of Burlingame , Redwood City , Menlo Park , Palo Alto , and Stanford offer free city-sponsored shuttles.
• Consider taking the Greyhound bus for longer distance trips. For example, it goes from San Jose to Oakland in an hour, with some runs stopping in Hayward.
• If you plan to pay the fare with cash, prepare a stash of quarters and dollar bills to take with you. Buses do not provide change, and more than one hapless soul has been stuck begging strangers for change to avoid paying $5, $10 or $20 in order to ride the bus. If you plan to ride transit on at least an occasional basis, you should consider getting a Clipper fare card, which you can prepay the fare and enjoy various discounts available to Clipper card holders.
• Memorize or write down the endpoints of the transit lines that you’ll be riding. This will help you verify you’re boarding a vehicle going in the right direction instead of the opposite one.
• Pick up a copy of the transit schedule and pick one up. Transit schedules for most agencies (except Muni) are available at transit offices, colleges, hospitals, public libraries, BART stations, and on board the trains and buses. This could be very handy so you don’t need to use the trip planner or call in case you need to depart at a different time. As an alternative, you can download transit schedules apps on your smart phone.
• Plan ahead for your comfort. Buses other than Greyhound do not have restrooms, and there is a shameful shortage of public restrooms at some bus and rail transit centers. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks BART decided to permanently close public bathrooms at underground stations to reduce the possibility of bombs being placed there. Caltrain, ACE, and the Amtrak Capitol trains do provide handicapped-accessible restrooms on the train.
• Be prepared for changing weather and temperatures , for example carry a light sweater or jacket so that you don’t freeze if you happen to stay out later than you planned. Dress in layers.
• Bring a water bottle and carry an energy bar or snack. However, don’t eat or drink on buses (except for Greyhound and the Amtrak bus), and remember you can get a citation for eating or drinking on BART (it’s happened to a number of people). You may eat and drink on Caltrain, ACE, the Capitols and the ferries –just be considerate of your fellow passengers (e.g. don’t eat really smelly food, please clean up any trash and dispose of it off the train using the receptacles by the platforms, since the on-board receptacles are meant for smaller quantities of trash).

What to Do While Riding

If you plan to take the bus, pay attention to the destination sign on the bus before boarding at stops that serve more than one bus or train line. Don’t just mindlessly board the next vehicle that comes by — you may find yourself headed in an unexpected direction, or on an express bus when you wanted a local one if you don’t check.

If you plan to take Caltrain, make sure that you board the right train. During weekday peak hours, Caltrain trains do not serve every stop. Make sure that you check the train schedule to see whether the train makes your stop. For some trips, a transfer is required.

Every Caltrain trip has a train number , which is used by the train crews and other Caltrain staff. Train numbers are included in the train schedule and are often display on the electronic message board in case of a delay.

Unfortunately, Caltrain does not have any other display on the vehicle (other than the one by the engineer’s window visible from the front of the train) to show the train number of destination. In case of a delay, check with the conductor or fellow riders on board to see whether the train serves your stops.

When boarding at San Francisco or San Jose (they have multiple stations tracks), check the sign by the platform entrance (in SF) or inside the pedestrian tunnel (in SJ) to see which train is stopping at which platform. This would help avoid either boarding the wrong train or missing the train you want to take.

Also remember when you’re at a train station, an oncoming train may not stop at your station. So you need to step back away from the platform edge and expect the train running at high speed by the platform.

A few minutes before the bus or train arrives at your destination, start getting ready to deboard. Don’t wait until your vehicle has arrived at your stop to do this or you may miss your stop. Gather your belongings, start heading for the door and take a few seconds to look back around the area where you were sitting to make sure you haven’t accidentally dropped or left something. This habit will help you to avoid losing sunglasses, umbrellas or something more valuable.

Most buses have a front door and a back door. You should generally exit using the back door , unless you have a bike on the front rack (as you exit, inform the driver that you’ll be removing your bike), or need to use the passenger lift or ramp (i.e. wheelchair users and other people who have difficulty walking).  On some bus models, the back door  opens automatically when you step down; on others, you need to push a button or touch a marked area on the door to get it to open. When bus agencies switch vehicle models, this can confuse even regular riders. Look for instructions by the door. By exiting out the back door whenever possible, you help speed up the bus for everyone else by allowing other passengers to board right away through the front door, instead of making them wait for you to exit first.

If, after all this, you conclude that our public transit could be improved, you’re not alone. Check out our frequently asked questions ; and support our work and that of other advocacy groups to improve the integration of public transit into our communities

BART Routes

The Perfect 3 Days in San Francisco Itinerary (2024 Guide)

• Last Updated: February 4, 2024

Everything you need to know to plan the perfect 3 days in San Francisco itinerary!

Located in the Bay Area of Northern California , San Francisco is one of the most iconic American cities and home to some of the best things to do in California .

Known for its steep hills, pastel houses, vibrant culture, and funky weather, it’s a very unique city.

From the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley, this city has always been at the forefront of technology.

Some of the companies that call San Francisco home include Google, Facebook, Uber, and Airbnb.

Chances are you’ll use them all when planning a trip!

Speaking of planning your trip, let’s get into it!

Lace-up your walking shoes, charge those camera batteries, and get ready for an epic 3 days in San Francisco itinerary!

San Francisco Highlights

Table of Contents

When to Visit San Francisco

San francisco citypass, getting around san francisco, a walk on ocean beach, golden gate park, haight-ashbury, local parks, dinner & drinks, lyon street steps, the presidio, golden gate bridge, mission district, yerba buena gardens, museum of your choice, views galore, aquarium and cruise, alcatraz island, wine country (alternative day trip option), fisherman’s wharf, best hostel in san francisco – usa hostels, best mid-range hotel – hayes valley inn, best luxury hotel – hotel drisco, how to spend a perfect 3 days in san francisco itinerary, visiting san francisco travel tips.

Before figuring out what to do with 3 days in San Francisco, you’ll need to decide when to visit.

The city is famous for its unpredictable weather. It can be foggy and cold on the beach and scorching hot and sunny just a few blocks away!

If this is your first trip, one common misconception about San Francisco is that it’s always warm.

That’s not the case in the Bay Area of Northern California!

It actually gets pretty cold here between November and February.

Those months also see the most rainfall, which can definitely put a damper on your trip.

The warmers months are actually September and October, so that’s a great time to visit San Francisco.

Crowds are way smaller in fall than they are during the summer, so you can score some solid deals on accommodation and activities.

One thing we highly recommend is that you purchase the San Francisco CityPASS before you arrive.

Seeing as how you’ll be doing quite a bit of sightseeing in San Francisco, this is a worthwhile investment and the best way to see the gems of the city.

You’ll find that the combination ticket gets you into five of the following attractions:

• California Academy of Sciences
• Blue and Gold Fleet Bay Cruise Adventure
• Aquarium of the Bay or
• Walt Disney Family Museum
• Exploratorium or
• San Francisco Zoo and Gardens

The San Francisco CityPASS saves you quite a bit of money (upwards of 45%) as it only costs USD$76 for adults and $56 for kids.

You can easily visit all of these places as part of your 3 days in San Francisco!

SPECIAL DEAL: Purchase your San Francisco CityPASS ahead of time to access all the biggest discounts for attractions in the city.

The cable car is one of the best ways to get around San Francisco. You can pick up a 3-day visitor passport for USD$32.

These are valid on the cable car, streetcars, and the Muni bus and metro system.

Some people prefer the convenience of the hop-on, hop-off bus over the cable car.

A 1-day pass costs USD$49 and will get you to such landmarks as Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman’s Wharf.

There are also plenty of public transport options to and from the city center and San Francisco International Airport, which is convenient.

Now that you’ve got some basic info on the city, let’s take a closer look at what to do in San Francisco for 3 days.

Book your ONE DAY hop-on hop-off pass and your TWO DAY pass here!

Day 1 – Morning

Wherever you decide to stay, make sure you have a big breakfast and fuel up with some caffeine.

You’re going to need all the energy you can get for a big first day in San Francisco!

To kick off 3 days in San Francisco, jump on the N Judah light rail. Ride it until the very end to the Ocean Beach stop.

To be clear, this isn’t a day at the beach. The water of the Pacific Ocean is often quite frigid here and the weather can change in an instant.

Ocean Beach is beautiful, though, and is a great place for a leisurely stroll along the Pacific Ocean.

Plus, you can go from the beach straight into the next stop.

Before we get to the Golden Gate Bridge, it’s time to check out the Golden Gate Park.

Golden Gate Park covers over 1,000 acres and is actually 20% bigger than Central Park in New York!

There’s so much to see and do in Golden Gate Park that you could easily spend the entire day there.

With just 3 days in San Francisco, however, you’ll need to move a bit quicker.

The Golden Gate Park has trails, picnic areas, lakes, gardens, playgrounds, and even a Dutch windmill.

It’s home to a conservatory of flowers, a Japanese tea garden, a fine art museum, and much more.

There’s a golf course and a disc golf course here. Golden Gate Park also has tennis courts, horseshoe pits, and a skate area for sports enthusiasts.

You can also rent a bike or join a bike tour to help you cover more ground.

If you bought the San Francisco CityPASS , you’ll want to stop at the California Academy of Sciences .

Read Next: Have extra time on the West Coast? Take the ultimate road trip from San Francisco to Seattle !

Tickets cost USD$35 otherwise. You can buy a ‘ Skip the Line’ ticket here to get you in quicker.

There’s a lot going on here, with an aquarium, planetarium, and even a rainforest!

It’s pretty amazing all the different things you can do in one park !

After making it the entire length of the Golden Gate Park, sit down and chill out for a bit on Hippie Hill.

It may not be the summer of love anymore, but the hippie spirit is still alive and well in San Francisco!

Day 1 – Afternoon

Whatever you decided to do while visiting the Golden Gate Park, chances are you’re getting pretty hungry and a bit tired at this point.

Thankfully, you’ll end up in one of San Francisco’s coolest neighbourhoods upon leaving the park. There are plenty of options for lunch here!

Back in the ’60s during the summer of love, the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco was the birthplace of the hippie counterculture movement.

Young people from all corners of the country flocked here and established a community centred around liberal ideals, music, and drugs.

The first head shop in the nation opened up here and was a popular meeting place.

While the original Psychedelic Shop is no longer around, there are plenty of funky shops here to peruse.

In addition to head shops, you’ll also find some pretty awesome record and clothing stores here.

Be sure to check out Amoeba Records, Buffalo Exchange, Decades of Fashion, and Loved to Death.

My personal favourite part of visiting this area is seeing the house where the Grateful Dead used to live.

710 Ashbury was home to the legendary band from 1965-68 and it remains a popular attraction for Deadheads from all over the world.

If you happen to be in town on a Friday, you can sign up for the Flower Power Walking Tour of the Haight.

Tours start at 2 PM and last about 2.5 hours.

It costs USD$20 per person and you can book online in advance.

Read Next: Tack on a few extra days in the area with a Northern California road trip !

When you’ve had your fill of the Haight, it’s time to check out another local park or two around the city.

The aptly named Buena Vista Park really gives you a buena vista (“good view”) of the San Francisco skyline.

A few blocks away, you’ll find Alamo Square Park.

This is the best spot to snap a photo of San Francisco’s iconic “Painted Ladies” – a row of colourful Victorian-style homes.

Known as “Postcard Row,” this block of houses really does make for some postcard-worthy images.

If they look familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen them before.

The homes on Alamo Square were used in the opening credits of the famous TV show “Full House.”

READ NEXT: Add these great things to do in San Francisco to your itinerary!

Day 1 – Evening

It’s been a busy first of your 3 days in San Francisco so I recommend taking it easy on your first evening.

After you explore San Francisco all day and cover some serious ground, it’s time to chill out a bit!

Read Next: With a little extra time you can have some fun on a handful of great day trips from San Francisco !

Once you finish your photoshoot with the Painted Ladies, you’ve got lots of options for dinner & drinks in the area.

You can stick around the Alamo Square Park area or walk a few blocks to the Lower Haight or Hayes Valley.

There are plenty of restaurants, breweries, and bars in the area from which to choose.

Take your pick from Mexican, Thai, Italian, Japanese, Greek, and more.

There are also craft breweries, Irish pubs, and quirky dive bars. The options are practically endless here!

If you’ve got any gas left in the tank and you’re up for it, there are several excellent music venues in the area.

There’s the San Francisco Symphony if you feel like classing it up a bit.

Other options include SF Jazz, the Fillmore, and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

I always check Jambase to see what’s playing when I’m travelling.

Day 2 – Morning

Our 3 days in San Francisco trip planner rolls on with day two.

Hopefully, you got some solid sleep and had a substantial breakfast because we’ve got another big day!

For those who like to kickstart their day with a little exercise, a visit to the Lyon Street Steps is a solid choice.

They’re located on the southeast corner of the large Presidio Park where you’ll be spending the morning.

You’ll have to walk up 332 steps here, but it’s well worth it for the epic views of the bay.

Be sure to bring your camera for this one!

While it’s worth a visit on a clear day, I should note that you can skip out on the Lyon Street steps if San Francisco’s infamous fog rolls in.

READ NEXT: Consider taking a trip to the nearby mountains after reading our post on all the great things to do in Lake Tahoe!

Whether you walk up the stairs or not, the rest of your morning should be dedicated to exploring the Presidio, especially if it’s your first time visiting San Francisco.

Once the site of a US Army post, it’s now a national park.

There’s a lot going on here and the park is quite large. So you’ll have to pick and choose what you do here.

If you start with the stairs, you can then walk along the scenic Lovers’ Lane trail.

Nearby is the Letterman Digital Arts Center. It’s home to Lucasfilm, the legendary studio behind the Star Wars series.

You can drop into the lobby during working hours to snap photos with life-sized statues of Darth Vader and Boba Fett.

Plus there’s also a Yoda Fountain out front. It’s definitely a necessary stop for all the Star Wars fans out there!

Next up is the Palace of Fine Arts. This beautiful Greco-Roman palace was originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition.

The Palace of Fine Arts is now a popular event space and a great spot for photographers to check out. It also showcases lots of, you guessed it, fine arts!

The venue is open from 10 AM-5 PM from Tuesday to Sunday and you’ll need about an hour to check it all out.

An alternative approach to the Lyon Street steps is starting your visit off on the coast at Baker Beach.

From here, you can access the nice Batteries to Bluffs trail along the shoreline.

That’s not all, though. The Presidio is also home to a few museums, lots of public art, plenty of scenic overlooks, and a few beaches.

One of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge is possible from the Golden Gate Overlook.

You could definitely spend all day here, but we’ve got a busy San Francisco itinerary ahead of us still!

Day 2 – Afternoon

As far as lunch goes, you’ve got a few options.

There are a few cafes and restaurants in the park, including the Presidio Social Club and The Commissary.

If you’d rather sit outside and save some money, you can do that instead!

There are plenty of picnic areas in the Presidio, so you can always just pack a lunch.

Next up is the most iconic image of the city – the Golden Gate Bridge.

It’s listed as one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World and attracts over 10 million visitors each year!

To learn more about this engineering marvel, you can drop into the Golden Gate Bridge welcome centre.

They’ve got some informative exhibits on the Golden Gate Bridge and some great views of it as well.

While you can just take in the views from an overlook, the best way to really experience the Golden Gate Bridge is by walking across it!

This should definitely be high on your list of what to do in San Francisco.

It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to walk across the 1.7-mile bridge.

You could also opt to rent a bicycle from a nearby shop and ride that across.

Once you get to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, you’re in Marin County.

Seeing as how you walked all the way across the bridge, you must see the view of San Francisco from that side of the water.

There are a few trails and viewpoints on the Marin side of the bridge, as well as Kirby Cove Beach and the Presidio Yacht Club.

The latter is home to Travis Marina, a chilled-out bar with cheap drinks and awesome views across the San Francisco Bay.

Day 2 – Evening

After that huge day, you might want to chill out back at your accommodation for a bit.

With just 3 days in San Francisco, you need to squeeze in a break every now and then!

Have a shower, get changed, and head out for a big night out on the town.

When it comes to nightlife, few areas do it better than the Mission District in downtown San Francisco.

Before we get to the partying, though, you’re going to need some food in your belly.

This part of the city is home to a large Hispanic community, and that means plenty of awesome taquerias to choose from.

Actually, there’s a special variety of burrito that originated right here!

Burritos are more than food here. They’re a part of the culture. Be sure to come hungry, because these Mission District burritos are no joke!

La Taqueria is one of the most popular spots to try this famous burrito.

With a belly full of delicious burrito goodness, it’s time for a drink.

The Mission District is full of excellent bars, from classy cocktail lounges to old-school dives.

If you’re feeling a bit too full for beer, some of the best places to get a cocktail include ABV, Dalva, and Trick Dog.

The latter has received the honour of “best cocktail menu in the world,” so you’ll definitely want to check it out!

So what else is there to do in the Mission District?

You can walk around and check out the street art as you do a bit of bar hopping.

There’s always live music doing on here, so pop into wherever sounds good and rock out.

If you’ve got room for dessert after burritos and drinks, this neighbourhood is also famous for its ice cream.

Bi-Rite Creamery, Smitten, Garden Creamery, and Xanath are all within a few blocks of each other, so take your pick!

Day 3 – Morning

This 3 days in San Francisco itinerary has been huge so far, and we’ve still got one more day to go.

For the final day, you’ve got some important choices to make.

Unlike other days, I’m going to recommend a light and quick breakfast today.

Trust me, you’ll want to be hungry for an early lunch today!

After a light breakfast, head over to the Yerba Buena Gardens.

This is the perfect place to ease into your third and final day in San Francisco.

The gardens feature a memorial waterfall to Martin Luther King Jr., plenty of public art, an ice skating rink, a bowling alley, and more.

There’s definitely something for everyone here.

While you’re over here, you might as well check out one of the many museums around the garden.

If you bought the San Francisco CityPASS , a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is already included.

If not, it’s USD$25 for adults and free for kids.

Speaking of kids, if you’re travelling with little ones you might want to head to Children’s Creativity Museum.

This interactive museum is fun for the whole family and a great way to spend a morning.

Other choices include the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, and even the Museum of Ice Cream.

Next up, hop on the cable car and ride it up to San Francisco’s Chinatown.

This is the oldest Chinatown in the US and it’s also the largest Chinese enclave outside of Asia.

Of course, one major reason to come to Chinatown is for the food.

I advised you to take it easy at breakfast for a reason today!

Noodles, dumplings and more await you here in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Snap a photo of the Dragon Gate, do a bit of window shopping, and check out the Transamerica Pyramid. It’s definitely one of the funkiest skyscrapers around.

In such a hilly city, there are lots of places to go for some awesome views in San Francisco.

Hop back on the cable car from Chinatown and head north to Columbus & Lombard Street, the famous crooked street of San Francisco.

From here you’ve got a few options for taking in the scenery of San Francisco.

Head west and you’ll find the stretch of Lombard Street that’s famous for its hairpin turns.

Walk up the steep Lombard Street which is full of landscaped flower beds and you’ll get to George Sterling Park, where you’re rewarded for your efforts with a great view.

If you have a car while exploring San Francisco, don’t miss the opportunity to drive along Lombard Street. Just drive carefully, of course!

If you’d rather take the easy way out, head east from the cable car station to the Coit Tower. Walk out to the observation deck to enjoy 360-degree panoramic views of San Francisco.

Tickets for the Coit Tower cost USD$9 for adults and $6 for children.

When you head down from the tower you can walk down the Greenwich Steps for even more views.

Another scenic spot in San Francisco is Union Square. As the heart and soul of the city, Union Square has lots of hotels, entertainment, shops, and restaurants in the area.

Day 3 – Afternoon

How your afternoon goes on day three depends on your interests and whether or not you bought the San Francisco CityPASS.

Those who picked up the CityPASS will want to make sure to get their money’s worth.

You’ve still got two items left to check off, and they’re conveniently located right next to each other.

Head on over to Pier 39 on the fringe of Fisherman’s Wharf. Here is where you’ll get to watch tons of sea lions sunbathing on the pier.

After observing the sea lions, you can pay a visit to the Aquarium of the Bay.

There’s a lot to see here, with the highlight being their Under the Bay exhibit.

This immersive exhibit takes you through long tunnels filled with rays, sharks, and more.

Tickets run USD$28.25 for adults and $18.25 for kids if you don’t have the CityPASS .

Skip the lines at the Aquarium of the Bay with this ticket !

Next up, you can embark on a Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise.

This narrated hour-long cruise takes you around the bay and Alcatraz Island.

Speaking of Alcatraz, that’s another day trip option for this afternoon.

If you’re wondering what iconic things to do during you 3 days in San Francisco, this next one is for you.

It really doesn’t get much cooler than taking a day trip to Alcatraz Island.

Once upon a time, this island in the San Francisco Bay was home to a maximum-security prison.

It was here that those who caused trouble at other prisons were sent.

These included notorious criminals like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly.

If you’re taking the Blue & Gold Cruise and have a San Francisco CityPASS, you have the option of just paying five bucks extra for a tour around the island.

Otherwise, you’ll want to check out the different tours available from Alcatraz Cruises .

Their day trip is a solid choice to really take in the sights of Alcatraz. It includes a round-trip ferry, an audio tour, and optional programs & exhibits.

One of the best ways to end this part of the day is to pop into Ghirardelli Square for some world-famous delicious chocolate concoctions.

Book your Alcatraz cruise in advance on Get Your Guide

If Alcatraz doesn’t really interest you, but vineyards and wine does, you could also consider a day trip to Napa Valley or Sonoma Valley .

These are two of the USA’s most famous wine regions, and they are both only about an hour away from the city. So they are great day trips!

Napa Valley in particular is extremely famous around the world for its Cabernet Sauvignon wine and its scenic, rolling green hills.

But Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley both are stunning and have a multitude of beautiful vineyards for wine tasting.

Booking a guided tour is best for wine-tasting trips unless you have a designated driver. You want to be able to sample all the wine without worrying about driving!

There are lots of wine tasting day trips from San Francisco that visit both Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley.

Read Next: Check out our post on all the best things to do in Napa Valley !

Day 3 – Evening

Just like that, 3 perfect days in San Francisco is coming to an end.

Thankfully, you don’t have to go far to reach our next stop once you get back on land.

One of the most famous places to visit in San Francisco is Fisherman’s Wharf in the North Beach neighborhood.

This San Francisco Bay waterfront area along Jefferson Street is the centre of the city’s fishing industry and is home to several excellent seafood restaurants.

After a whirlwind tour of San Francisco in 3 days, I’d say you’ve earned a nice seafood meal at Fisherman’s Wharf with views of the San Francisco Bay.

There are lots of places to choose from, including Scoma’s, Pier Market, and Fog Harbor.

The latter is the first 100% sustainable seafood restaurant in the area and a great place for your last dinner in town.

Yes, Fisherman’s Wharf is touristy and yes it can be a little on the pricey side. But it’s worth making the trip here at least once.

If you’ve got any energy left after dinner, the world is your oyster as far as nightlife goes.

You can hit a comedy club nearby Fisherman’s Wharf, check out some more live music, go bar hopping, or just enjoy some good old fashioned people watching.

There are few places better than San Francisco to do that!

Where to Stay in San Francisco

Now that you’ve got a jam-packed itinerary for 3 days in San Francisco, it’s time to figure out where to stay.

Some of the best neighbourhoods to stay include Nob Hill, Union Square, Haight-Ashbury, South of Market (SoMa), and the Mission District.

San Francisco has hostels, cheap motels, quaint B&Bs, luxury hotels, and everything in between.

And you can easily get to all accommodation using the cable car and a bit of walking.

There’s something for every style and budget when it comes to accommodation.

Here are a few recommendations to suit all budgets:

Our pick for the best hostel for where to stay in San Francisco goes to USA Hostels.

With over 7,000 reviews and a rating of 9.1 on Hostelworld, you know that this place is doing something right!

There’s a lot to love about this hostel.

First of all, their dorms are only 4 beds, so you don’t have to worry about sharing a room with 15 snoring strangers. They’ve got super comfy beds here as well!

Meeting people is easy here thanks to their large lounge area and the various activities they run.

From free walking tours to karaoke nights, to hostel dinners, it’s a very social place.

If you want a place in a great location without breaking the bank, Hayes Valley Inn is a solid choice.

Hayes Valley Inn is located near Union Square in the city center, so it’s a great base for all the San Francisco attractions mentioned in this itinerary.

This is a true B&B where guests are served breakfast each morning.

It’s a very homey place and definitely has more character than your generic chain hotels.

You’ll find basic but comfortable rooms and the bathrooms are shared.

For the price (under $200 a night) and the location, this place is a steal in San Francisco.

The people have spoken, and Hotel Drisco is the top choice on Trip Advisor this year.

It’s located in the Pacific Heights area of the city, just a short walk from the Presidio.

Guests here get to enjoy Egyptian cotton linens, a gourmet breakfast buffet, chauffeur service, and much more.

This is definitely a place to stay if you are looking to splurge and enjoy some of the finer things in life during your 3 days in San Francisco!

As you might expect, staying in this lap of luxury comes with a pretty hefty price tag.

This is San Francisco, after all. Rooms start at just over $400 here.

That about wraps it up for this guide to a perfect 3 days in San Francisco itinerary. I hope it helps you have an amazing trip to the Bay Area.

It’s definitely one of our favourite cities to visit in the US!

Sasha and Rachel

Hi, We’re Alesha and Jarryd!

We’ve been traveling the world together since 2008, searching for the planet’s best destinations and adventures.

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Mobile Apps

Below are some unique free and commercial applications created by third-party developers. If you try these resources or have other apps to suggest for inclusion, please  let us know your thoughts .

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Best Parking

Locates and steers drivers towards the cheapest and most convenient parking garages and lots in 42 cities and 79 airports. Visit Website

Category: Parking

California Road Report

Check CalTrans road conditions, CHP incidents and find rest stops in California. Visit Website

Category: Traffic

City Mapper

Multimodal trip planner with real-time departures, transport maps, and real-time disruption alerts.  Visit Website

Category: Transit

Cyclemeter GPS

Track your cycling with maps, graphs, splits, intervals, laps, announcements, zones, training plans and more. Visit Website

Category: Bicycling

Helps you find the best fuel prices closest to your location -- complete with maps and turn-by-turn directions on how to get there. Visit Website

Rent cars by the hour from people around you. Rent out your car and earn cash. Visit Website

Category: Car Sharing: Peer-to-Peer, Vehicle-Sharing

Gig Car Share

Car share in Oakland and Berkeley. Visit Website

Category: Vehicle-Sharing

Google Maps

Compare driving, transit, biking, and walking. Visit Website

Category: Multi-Purpose

Lobby Transit

Create a real-time transit display in a lobby or office space using an iOS device. Visit Website

Free trip planner, transit services alerts, and crowd sourced changes or updates to your trip. Visit Website

Muni Alerts

San Francisco Muni bus and train schedules. Bookmark routes and stops. Arrival predictions down to the second. Arrival Alerts. Visit Website

My Bus Times

Real-time transit information for your Apple Watch and iPhone. Visit Website

Find real-time ETA for nearby stops instantly and find location of stop(s) and vehicle(s) on live map. Visit Website

Real-time transportation options that are available right now. Get all transit, bus, bike, taxi, car share, rideshare, parking and walking directions in one view. Visit Website

Routesy Bay Area

Real-time transit information for MUNI, BART, Caltrain and AC Transit. Visit Website

Real-time road speeds, traffic reports, and roadside traffic cameras. Visit Website

Spare the Air

Spare the Air Day Alerts, air quality forecasts, tools and podcasts Visit Website

Category: Go Green

  Find, reserve and pay for parking in San Francisco. Visit Website

Transit App

Real-Time App for Bus, Subway and Metro. Visit Website

Multi-modal door-to-door directions and time tables. Visit Website

Turo (RelayRides)

Rent cars from real people, or make money renting out your car. Visit Website

On-demand private driver. Visit Website

Category: Carpooling

Way offers a fast and convenient way to book airport parking, hourly parking, monthly parking, and more! Find, pay and reserve guaranteed parking spaces. Visit Website

A community based mapping, traffic, and navigation app. Use Waze to outsmart traffic, save time, gas money, and improve daily commuting. Visit Website

Drive cars by the hour or day. Gas and insurance included. Visit Website

Category: Car Sharing Company, Vehicle-Sharing

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Trip Planner

How to use the live map.

At a glance: See train locations, direction of travel (red arrow) and service type by color (gray, yellow, red). Stations are in white boxes.

Click on a station to go to the station page, which provides next train info, transfers and other helpful info.

Click on a train icon to see a pop-up with service type, train number and upcoming stops.

Zoom: Use the +/- buttons in the top left corner to zoom in and out. Can pinch-zoom on mobile devices.

Star Button in the top right corner accesses your location and locates the map to your position.

Fullscreen Mode (desktop only): Click the square button in the top right corner to see the map full screen. Use ESC to return to browser.

Service Alerts

Alerts on twitter.

Get Real-time 24/7 delay information on Twitter, @CaltrainAlerts

Find real-time data by selecting a Station below or the ​​​​​ Live Map tab .

• Special Service 6/25 (PDF)    
• Printer-friendly PDF Schedules
• Visit  BART's Millbrae Transfer  page
• Visit the Caltrain Holiday Service page for holiday service information.

You can plan your trip by choosing your starting point and destination from the options below. You can also select the schedule for weekdays or weekends by using the dropdown menu.

Details Editor

Facilities:

Contact Info:

NOAA Marine Forecast Zone:

• Details Editor Help

Show only the YourCoast points which match all of your Yes or No selections below . Features marked '-' are ignored.

Measuring distance along a track

• Click to add another point .

• To finish the track, either double-click the final point, or type Enter/Return .
• To finish the track without adding the current rubber-band segment, type Escape .
• To refine the track, drag any of the white circles. Dragging a solid white circle repositions an existing bend or endpoint. Dragging a translucent white circle creates a new bend.
• To extend the track without moving any of the existing bends, drag either endpoint a short distance, release, and continue drawing. You may combine this with click and hold or the Shift key, as described above, to extend the track with a curved path .
• To delete a segment of the track, double-click either the translucent white circle at its center or the solid white circle at its "to" end, or mouse over one of the circles while holding down the Delete/Backspace key.
• Click the Start Over button, or double-click anywhere outside of the track, to erase the current track and start a new one.

Working with Coordinates

• Click the + button to zoom in . You may also zoom using the mouse scrollwheel.
• Click the – button to zoom out . You may also zoom using the mouse scrollwheel.

• Street View (below the Zoom controls) : Drag the little man onto the map to show Street View at the dropped location (if available).
• Traffic button (below Map type selector) : This shows the current traffic conditions of major highways.
• Google Maps link (lower-left corner of the map) : Click the multicolored "Google" to bring up the the same view in Google Maps, either in the Maps app (on a smartphone or tablet) or in your web browser. This feature is provided by Google, so it may change in future versions.
• Keyboard shortcuts: list the available keyboard shortcuts for navigating the map (if your system has a hardware keyboard).
• Scale: click to switch between kilometers and miles.
• Report a map error: click to send a bug report to Google. Please use this only for problems with the map itself. For errors in the pushpins, send email to [email protected] .

Click on the map for a popup showing a detailed readout of the current near the clicked point (the exact location is indicated by a small red square). You have your choice of either a particle animation (the default) or static arrows, selected by radio buttons in the popup.

Click on the map for a popup showing a detailed readout of the wind near the clicked point (the exact location is indicated by a small red square). You have your choice of either a particle animation (the default) or static arrows, selected by radio buttons in the popup.

• Weather tab : The NOAA marine forecast for the selected icon is displayed. Some links at the top bring you to the NOAA point forecast for a nearby location, the Magic Seaweed surf report (for coastal sites), and the Windy.com wind forecast.
• Details tab : A brief description of the selected location. For put-in and destination locations, the description may include facilities listings, photos of the site, and links to external web pages. For tide and current stations, you'll see the TCD data on which predictions are based.
• Directions : Get driving directions from the specified location to the selected map marker, or vice-versa. Directions will be displayed in a separate Google Maps window. The From input defaults to "Home", which will work if you've registered your home address with Google. Click the My location button to fill the From input with your current physical location. Note: To use the My location button, you must set privacy preferences in both your OS and your browser to allow bask.org to access your location. You will be prompted to do so if necessary.
• Search for tides or currents : In conjunction with the Tides tab, you can search for tidal extremes (max ebb, low tide, etc.) within a specified time period, at the tide or current station selected on the map. A period of one, three, six, or twelve months starts on the date selected in the Tides tab. You can restrict the search to certain days of the week, hours of the day, and a given tidal range. Optionally, you can look for sequences of high and low tide, or max ebb and flood within the specified hours. All matching days are displayed in a table. Click on a date in the table to see that day's tides displayed in the Tides tab.
• List of Chart on Every Deck charts : This is a complete list of all the downloadable chart PDFs offered by the Chart on Every Deck project. If you click a name in the list, its outline will be visible on the map, and a download button will appear.
• Measure tab : Measure distances along a track, and get coordinates of points on the map. See instructions in the Measure tab of the Info panel.
• Help tab : You're looking at it now!
• Map button : This isn't a tab. It switches you to full-window Map View in which only the map and its controls are visible. In Map View, there's a button in the upper-right corner, labelled with the name of the last tab you visited, which will bring you back to that tab of the Info Panel .

Need More Screen Space?

• Use Map View : Click the Map button at the top right of the Info Panel to show only the map and its controls. When viewing only the map, the blue button in the upper-right corner brings back the Info Panel. The keyboard shortcut for both of these is m .
• Minimize the tide graph : In the Tides tab, click the × in the top right corner of the graph to hide the graph and some of the text below it. Click the + to bring them back. The keyboard shortcut for both of these is g .
• Hide the page header and disclaimer text : Click the × in the upper-right corner of the disclaimer text (at the bottom of the page, under the Info Panel ), to hide both the disclaimer and the header bar at the top of the page. Click the + to bring them back. The keyboard shortcut for both of these is h . Note: The disclaimer and header are automatically hidden in Map View .

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Plus and Minus , i.e. = and - : zoom in or out. These shortcuts are built in to the Google map.
• Shift-plus and Shift-minus , i.e. + and _ : change the map magnification level (see magnify in Map > Map key ). You may also magnify by holding down the Shift key while using the scrollwheel.
• Shift-zero , i.e. ) : reset the map magnification level.
• Arrow keys , i.e. ↑ , ↓ , ← , → : move the map view by a small amount. These shortcuts are built in to the Google map.
• [ and ] : move the time cursor (vertical red line) on the tide graph by six minutes.
• Shift-[ and Shift-] , i.e. { and } : move the time cursor (vertical red line) on the tide graph to the previous or next hour.
• m : enter/exit M ap View.
• g : hide/show the tide g raph.
• h : hide/show the page h eader and disclaimer text.
• i : hide/show the i nfo popup above the selected station on the map.
• T : Enter the T ides tab.
• W : Enter the W eather tab.
• D : Enter the D etails tab.
• I : Enter the D I rections tab.
• S : Enter the S earch tab.
• M : Enter the M easure tab.
• H : Enter the H elp tab.
• m : Enter/exit m ap View.
• Delete or Backspace : delete a point from the track.
• Shift : automatically add points to the track without clicking as you draw (hold the Shift key down).
• Enter or Return : finish the track.
• Escape : finish the track without adding the final segment.

From saving on gas to driving with kids, here's your ultimate road trip planner

"Easy Travel” is a 10-part series focusing on how to reduce bumps during vacations, anticipate roadblocks and be ready when things aren’t going your way. If you'd like to contribute to our future reporting and share your experience as a source, you can click here to fill out this quick form .

Ina Daly has spent most of her life on the road.

“My dad was a truck driver and that led me to becoming a truck driver,” she said. “What we do in a day, on a daily job would be like a long road trip to most people.”

With nearly 40 years of driving for freight transportation services provider XPO and numerous industry accolades under her belt, including grand champion at this year’s Arizona Truck Driving Championship , Daly is a pro. She’s also a mom and a grandmother who’s happy to share her experiences to make everyone’s road trips better.

“Some of the things I'm telling you are what we truckers tell our family members,” she said. “I've had a lot of accomplishments in my career and going to the National Truck Driving Championships (this month) is a reward, but the bigger reward is being able to share some things … that have the potential to save lives.”

What to do before a long drive

“Make sure that your vehicle’s road trip ready,” Daly said. ”Really pay close attention to your tires, your coolant, your fan belt.”

She notes tire dealers often offer free inspections to ensure tires are properly inflated and undamaged.

AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz advises getting the whole car serviced before hitting the road.

“If you're a car person and you can, do that yourself at home, by all means,” she said. Otherwise, she recommends getting the oil changed and battery and tires checked professionally. 

To save time and avoid stress, Diaz also suggests filling up on gas the night before leaving and making hotel reservations well in advance, noting that many hotels allow cancellations without penalty up until the day beforehand. 

What do you need before a road trip?

It’s always good to keep an emergency kit with supplies like first aid, a flashlight and extra batteries, and basic tools in the vehicle.

“You want to make sure that if you do have a tire issue, you have the proper tools and jacks in your vehicle to be able to change it,” Daly said. She said warning signals like reflective triangles can also warn other drivers to steer clear in the event of a breakdown.

For road trips, both she and Diaz recommend shelf-stable snacks like protein bars that won’t melt and plenty of water. “Don't think that a bottle or two for everybody is enough,” Daly said. “You've got to have, you know, five or six bottles for everyone.” 

Diaz also recommends wet wipes, blankets during the winter, and any time-sensitive medication or pet food that might be needed in the event of an extended delay.

“These things ideally wouldn't take up too much room in your trunk but they're just good to have in case of an emergency,” Diaz said. “Just think, ‘If I were stuck for a long time, what would keep me comfortable until I was able to (get) help?’”  

A printed map and a general sense of the route can also help in case there GPS hiccups or a phone dies.  AAA’s free TripTik planner can help travelers plot their trips in advance and find rest stops, lodging, food and gas along the way. And its free Gas Cost Calculator can help locate the cheapest average gas prices for drivers when it’s time to refuel.

'Get out there': This mom is using a never-ending road trip to inspire Black family travel

What I should know before a road trip?

“Everything can be a distraction in the car – the radio, the kids, etc. But the phone is a big one,” Daly advised. “When you’re driving, that thing should not ever be in your hand.”

More than 3,500 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2021 because of distracted driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . 

Daly also recommends watching out for distracted drivers.

“You can tell a distracted driver by their fluctuating speed,” she warned. “They're drifting in their lane. Their head is looking down instead of focusing on the road. You want to give those people a wide berth.”

How long will a road trip take?

Road trips always take longer than expected because of traffic, construction and other things that arise en route.

Diaz says to expect at least an hour longer than whatever the GPS predicts. Daly recommends leaving at least two hours early.

“You don't want that stressful drive,” Daly said. “You’re hurrying. That lends to bad driving behaviors like tailgating and speeding, which leads to accidents. Don’t put yourself in that situation.”

How many hours a day should you drive on a road trip?

“It just varies so much from person to person, how long they’re comfortable driving,” Diaz said. “We want to err on the side of safety. We want people to be safe on the roads and drive the speed limit and not rush it, but everybody's different.”

Switching out drivers can lighten the load, but no matter who is driving, Daly said, “If you're starting to feel a little, less attentive, maybe a little fatigued, it’s time to take a break.”

What time is best to drive?

“We always recommend, especially during the holidays, leave early in the morning,” Diaz said. “The later you leave in the day, the worse it's going to be because a lot of times during the week … you're going to mix with those commuters on the road.”

“Some people enjoy night driving,” she added. “Once you get to like 8 p.m., 9 p.m. traffic comes down a lot.” 

However, she noted drivers who leave in the evening should watch out for fatigue and plan to drive less than if they started fresh in the morning.

How do you take a good road trip with kids? 

When possible, Daly recommends having a designated passenger to help with kids so the driver can focus on the road.  

Another important thing is to keep seatbelts on the whole way.

“Kids have a tendency to take those off,” Daly said. “Make sure they stay buckled up. I've seen some horrible things out there.”

'I just want to see more of us': The importance of seeing people like you while traveling

What do kids need on a road trip?

Entertainment helps pass the time, but it doesn’t have to be digital. There are all sorts of screen-free road trip games . 

Diaz recommends printing a map or list of sites or cities for kids to watch for along the way.

“You know, yell it out or mark it on your sheet,” she said. “Have some crayons in the car with them so they're following along on the trip, and they feel like they're part of it.”

“Point out historical landmarks and scenery; enjoy nature,” Daly echoed. “That's one of the things that we truck drivers love about our jobs is we get to see the country and nature.”

Stop at points of interest every few hours or simply for everyone to stretch their legs.

And for those times when kids are on screens, make sure to pack car chargers.

What is the best way to save gas?

Don’t speed. 

“Fuel economy peaks at around 50 miles per hour on most cars, and then it drops off as the speeds increase,” Diaz said. “You think, ‘OK, if I just go 70, I'm going to get there faster, and it'll be better,’ but essentially, you're just wasting gas at that point." Fuel economy can be increased by as much as 15% by reducing highway speeds by 5 to 10 miles per hour, she said.

Don’t idle unnecessarily either, like at rest stops.

“Your car engine consumes about a quarter to a half a gallon of fuel per hour while it's idling,” she said. “But a warm engine only takes about 10 seconds’ worth of fuel to restart, so if it's safe to do so, just shut off your engine.”

Story continues below.

What happens if my tire blows out?

“When you blow a tire, kaboom, it freaks you out. Do not panic,” Daly said. “Don't slow down abruptly or brake hard or jerk the wheel because that will cause you to lose control and have an accident.”

“Just focus on steering,” she added. “Slow very gradually, off to the side of the road in a safe area, and you won’t have any issue from your blown tire.”

How do you drive around semitrucks?

“Be aware of our needs and limitations,” Daly said. “You know we’re big. We need a lot of space around us. We have big blind spots. … If you can’t see the truck driver’s face in the mirrors of the truck, the truck driver can’t see you.”

She advised against passing on the right. 

“If you have to pass quickly, don’t linger over there. We see people driving over there for the shade (and it) puts us in a very dangerous situation,” she said. “And don’t cut in front of us and then hit your breaks. People don’t like to follow a truck because they can’t see around us, so they pass us and then cut in front of us.”

“It takes away that safety cushion we leave in front of us,” she added. “When you see all that space in front of a truck, that's not for your convenience so that you can pass us and cut into it. That’s for our safety and yours.”

By the same token, she advised fellow drivers to leave plenty of space in front of their own vehicles, so they have enough room to stop quickly in an emergency. If another driver cuts into that space, she suggested, “Take a break. Slow down again. Recreate that space. Bite your tongue and think pure thoughts.”

That last tip may not be so easy.

What has been your best or worst road trip experience?

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Transfers from Hanoi presumably are not included - should we organise this with the boat company or do this ourselves, and if the latter, do you have any suggestions for reliable companies with decent transport please?

Thanks for any helpful suggestions or recommendations.

4 replies to this topic

Hi Alicia A,

=> They all do Lan Ha Bay . This area is smaller but less touristic & more pristine

2. I believe all these have around the same number of cabins (which look lovely in the photos)

=> Yes, around the same number of cabin, different cabin space, Mon Cheri has the most spacious cabins. Peony & Lily has 20 cabins each & Mon Cheri has one with 18 & other with 24 cabins

3. All cruise companies provide shuttle bus/limousine with extra charge or if you wish a private transfer, you can arrange it in advance with a bit higher cost

Though weather is changeable now, normally it is getting warmer in Mar rather than it is in Feb

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Bay to Breakers: Course map, road closure information

By nbc bay area staff • published 39 mins ago • updated 39 mins ago.

Grab your best costume and lace up your running shoes, Bay to Breakers is this weekend!

The annual race across San Francisco is scheduled to take place on Sunday.

The 7-mile course begins near the Ferry Building in the Financial District and comes to an end at Ocean Beach.

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Race coordinator Kyle Meyers said runners have all kinds of ways to take part this year.

"We've got our elite race up front; our centipede division, which is 13 runners tied together," he said. "New for this year is the two-person relay. We also have the Bay to Breakers bonus, which is an extra 3K on the Great Highway. We also have a corporate teams division as well."

There will be some road closures in effect, including by the finish line starting Friday. Closures near the starting line kick in at 7 p.m. Saturday. All other race related closures take effect at 6 a.m. Sunday.

Visit baytobreakers.com for more information.

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Garden tours, plants sales and more ways to spend time among flowers

Visit Maine's botanical gardens or get a sneak peek of what your neighbors are growing in their back yards.

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One of the loveliest ways to ease yourself fully out of the post-winter blahs and into springtime is to quit being a wallflower and instead surround yourself with living, blooming plants.

From botanical gardens to plant sales and garden tours, it’s time to make like the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” and while away the hours, conferring with flowers.

The waterfall at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay. Photo by Tory Paxson, Courtesy of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

TOTALLY BOTANICAL

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay is open for the season, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Maine Days are May 31 to June 2, when anyone with a Maine driver’s license or state ID gets in for free. Ditto for dads/father figures on Father’s Day (June 16). Advance registration is required. With more than 300 acres of gardens and natural spaces, including a waterfall, there will be plenty to see, smell and bask in the scenery.

Here are more things to do in Boothbay

A tour group walks on the boardwalk at Viles Arboretum in Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Viles Arboretum is a botanical garden in Augusta with 6 miles of trails and more than 20 botanical collections. It’s open daily from sunrise to sunset, and admission is free. There are 224 acres with all sorts of flora and fauna to discover. Leashed dogs are welcome, and the visitor center is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Viles Arboretum offers medicinal plant walks, and although the May 18 session is full, you can still register for the June 15 and Sept. 14 events, lead by herbalist, homeopath and flower essence practitioner Debra Bluth. Tickets are $25. Advertisement

The Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve has four areas to explore on its property in Northeast Harbor: the Asticou Azelea Garden (dawn to dusk daily), the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden (noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday from July 9 to Sept. 8, reservations required), Thuya Garden (dawn to dusk daily, June 15 to Oct. 14) and Little Long Pond Natural Lands (hiking trails and carriage roads open dawn to dusk daily). On June 26, at the Wildflowers of Little Long Pond event, participants can wander around the garden’s fields and forest, spotting wildflowers along the way while practicing how to identify them.

Joyce Saltman, right, and Beth Anisbeck embrace a tree for 60 seconds during a tree hugging event sponsored by Portland Parks and Recreation, at Deering Oaks Park last year. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer

TOURS AND MORE

2nd Annual Tree Hugging 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Deering Oaks Park, Portland. portlandmaine.gov The tree hugging is a family-friendly community gathering to celebrate Portland’s many trees. Park ranger Liz Collado will lead a sensory awakening and forest bathing session. Along with tree hugging, there will be a storytime, and you can touch a forestry truck and meet naturalist Noah Querido and Portland city arborist Mark Reiland. Just down the road, you’ll find Fessenden Park, on the corner of Brighton and Deering Avenues. The tulips have arrived, and it’s worth a visit to see them.

McLaughlin Garden Lilac Festival 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 24. McLaughlin Garden and Homestead, 97 Main St., South Paris, $5. mclaughlingardens.org You’ll find more than 125 varieties of lilacs at the McLaughlin Garden Lilac Festival. Explore on your own or take a guided tour led by a horticulturist. There will also be family-friendly activities, and you can shop for native and unusual plants.

4th annual Woodfords Community Garden Tour 1-4 p.m. June 8. Woodfords Corner Community in Back Cove, Deering Highlands, Oakdale and Deering Center, $20 suggested donation. woodfordscorner.org Presented by Friends of Woodfords Corner, this self-guided tour features at least 10 gardens. As you make your way down the list, you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised by all of the hidden havens bursting with flowers, plants and impressive yardscaping elements.

Peony Society of Maine 23rd annual Garden Tour 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 8 and 15. Both tours start at 1348 Ohio St., Bangor, $5 donation. peonysocietyofmaine.net You’ll visit multiple gardens in Bangor, Winterport, Ripley and St. Albans, and your senses will be filled with countless peonies. A peony plant will be raffled off at the end of each tour. Advertisement

Hidden Gardens of Historic Bath 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 22. Sagadahoc Preservation Inc., 880 Washington St., Bath, $40. sagadahocpreservation.org The Hidden Gardens of Historic Bath house and garden tour features several homes in North Bath. Every stop on the tour will be a treat for your senses and may motivate you to make some of your own magic when you get back home.

Garden Conservancy Open Garden Days 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 29. Beckett Castle Rose Garden, Singles Road, Cape Elizabeth, $10. gardenconservancy.org You’ll see plenty of roses as well as ocean views at Beckett Castle, which sits right on the water, with views of five lighthouses. The castle was built in 1871, and its rose garden features more than 70 varieties of heirloom roses. A 50-foot stone tower doubles as the rose arbor entrance to the castle.

PICK A PLANT SALE

Tate House Museum’s Annual Plant and Herb Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18. Tate House Museum, 1267 Westbrook St., Portland, 207-774-6177.  tatehouse.org The wide selection includes perennials divided from the museum’s 18th century reproduction garden. Visitors can also make their own “seed bombs” and get a sneak peak at a new installation by artist Ashley Page from 10 a.m. to noon.

Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland Spring Plant S ale 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. May 18, Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, 217 Landing Road, Westbrook, 207-854-9771.  arlgp.org   Perennials, house plants and more will be on sale, and plants that don’t have specific pricing are “name your own fee.” Anyone interested in donating plants or pots to the sale should send a message to [email protected] .

Taking Root Plant Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 1, Tom Settlemire Community Garden, Maurice Drive, Brunswick, 207-729-7694.  btlt.org This annual sale is organized by the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust. Proceeds benefit the Common Good Garden, which provides food and gardening education for the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program. Master gardeners will be on hand to help shoppers choose their best options.

Scarborough Land Trust Native Plant Sale and Spring Festival 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 1, Broadturn Farm, 388 Broadturn Road, Scarborough, 207-289-1199.  scarboroughlandtrust.org Visitors will find native plants, food vendors, local artisans, guided nature walks and activities for kids. To preorder plants, visit the Scarborough Land Trust website.

Maine Audubon Society Native Plants Sale and Festival 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 8, Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth, 207-781-2330.  maineaudubon.org More than 75 species of native wildflowers, shrubs and tree seedlings will be available, along with workshops, info tables and experts.

Staff writer Megan Gray contributed to this report.

Related Headlines

Headed to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens? Here’s what else to check out in Boothbay

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