Must do's in a 5 day trip to San Francisco (Berkeley: rent, good hotel)

[raidgirl]

What are the must see-must do things in 5 days in this vibrant city ?
Any good hotel suggestions in the city center area ?

Looking forward to the trip

[80skeys]

King George Hotel on Union Square.

Must do's:

Visit Golden Gate Bridge
walk around the Castro neighborhood
check out Lombard street

[mayorhaggar]

- wander around North Beach, Chinatown and Telegraph Hill
- shop around Union Square if you want to shop (disregard this if you're like me and hate it), the Westfield Mall at Powell and Market has a great underground food court if you get the munchies while shopping.
- walk through the Haight if you want, then wander around Golden Gate Park if you want
- go to Valencia Street in the Mission and look at used books and eat a burrito
- go to Downtown Berkeley on BART and walk around Telegraph if you're so inclined (pretty similar to the Haight, just cheaper to buy stuff or go out to eat because the students keep prices low)
- go to Japantown and eat Japanese food

Other than that I can't really think of anything, it depends on what kind of tourist you are and if you're most happy going to museums or prefer wandering around urban neighborhoods sampling local delicacies.

[UrbanAdventurer]

If I had 5 days I'd probably get a boat ride in there somewhere. Alcatraz or Treasure Island.

[bmw335xi]

I just finished showing my friend around San Francisco for 5 nights.

Get a hotel in Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf and buy a 7 day MUNI pass for $27 because it will give you unlimited access to pretty much everything besides BART and Caltrain.

Visit all the districts such as Fisherman's Wharf, Castro, Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach etc. San Francisco is compact enough that you can see most districts in 5 days.

Some of my favorite restaurants...

San Tung - korean/chinese - chicken wings
R & G Lounge - salt & pepper crab legs
Mama's - breakfast and lunch
Brenda's Soul Food - go for breakfast - beignets and southern food
Inn N Out - California's famous fast food chain
Boudin Bakery - half sandwich & clam chowder in sourdough bread bowl
Harris - steakhouse - expensive, but very high quality
Osha Thai - good and cheap thai food
El Tonayense - authentic cheap tacos

There's so many good restaurants, you can use yelp.com to find more, these are some of my favorites though.

Some things to see or do...Exploratorium, rent bikes in Fisherman's Wharf and ride them to Golden Gate Bridge, see the view from Twin Peaks and Coit Tower, ride the cable cars (to avoid the long lines, wait at a stop along the route rather than waiting at the main stations), tour Alcatraz, go across the Golden Gate Bridge to see the different views, have a bonfire on Ocean Beach, visit a gay sex shop in Castro, check out Lombard St, rent kayaks near AT&T Park, rent paddle boats in Golden Gate Park, and simply just walk around and you'll come across interesting things.

[raidgirl]

Thank you all

Mayarhaggar , I am more of " prefer wandering around urban neighborhoods sampling local delicacies."

[Snort]

Tartine Bakery - Mission - San Francisco, CA

Expensive bakery, but well worth it. Mission District.

[mayorhaggar]

Yeah Alcatraz is worth doing, it's a bit expensive but the audio tour they give you is really well done. Make sure you get your tickets way in advance, they sell out fast.

[Isebiel]

The high points of my trip in the spring were the Maritime Museum (especially the Balclutha) and the Exploratorium (especially the Tactile Dome).

I am, however, a huge nerd. It's possible other people do not enjoy old sailing vessels and crawling around in dark, cramped tunnels with strangers as much as I do.

[Nineties Flava]

Definitely these:

-ride the trolley
-see Alcatraz
-see Haight St. (Hippie center of SF)
-Pier 39
-Palace of Fine Arts & Marina Beach
-Land's End Trail (one of the most beautiful trails anywhere; great views of the GG and of Marin County along with the stunning scenery on the trail itself)

There's a whole lot more but if this is your first time then I'd definitely do the above.