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We visited San Francisco between September 12 and September 15 of 2008. Mainly there could be two ways to plan San Francisco trip. First, you only want to be in San Francisco and surrounding areas. In second option you want to see main attraction of the city but also wants to go to Napa Valley for wine tasting. Our trip was closer to second option with little imbalance in sense that we focused more on wine tasting. If you are going with first option, you can go any time of the year but if you do want to visit Napa Valley then I will suggest you to go in harvest season i.e. September through October, the reason you will get to see more such as wine making process, freshly harvest grapes and so on. And will also avoid heat of the summer as it gets pretty hot up there. But for both the options you will find following information helpful.

The first thing is to decide how to reach the city, there is no problem if you are driving but if you want to fly then you must be wondering which is the closet airport and all other issues. The simple answer is either SFO or Oakland airport depending upon the deal you are getting by airline or reservation site. If you want to know more on topic (Click here). And please do not get confused by traffic information everyone seems to be giving. I have no idea what these people are talking about because in our three day trip we went to Napa Valley two times and the traffic was absolutely normal, we reached to the places in less time than what it was suggested in the map-quest. The only key here is leave early, avoid rush hour traffic.

The second issue is accommodation. For both the options, I will highly suggest to find a hotel in San Francisco. and if you can, in downtown or union square. You can only not like it if you hate energy and liveliness. If you live there, going around the city becomes so easy. We stayed at Handerly Union Square Hotel and will recommend it anytime for the location and everything else. Keep lot of one dollar bills and then just hop in and out of the city buses or cable cars. You can get more information by clicking here or once you reach there, you can ask your hotel staff, generally they are good with this stuff.

Rent a car only if you are planning to go out of the city to Napa region or some other place. Inside the city the driving is not bad its the parking fee that will add up quickly. Now, lets talk about the attraction you should not miss if you want to get a feel of the city (For more information on attractions, please click on their name).

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE: I cannot say enough about it, you have to see to believe it. If you plan a picnic dinner there, we didn't and regretted it so much, you will like it so much. Pack some wine, a sandwich or salad from any local Deli, some cheese and crackers and thank me later.

Fisherman's Wharf: If you want to find out that something different about the city go to Fisherman's Wharf. Take a walk from here to Bay area (actually its the part of SF bay). Here you will find tons of restaurants, local stores, local artists, ghirardelli square and there shop, Boudin Bakery and many more things. Extend your walk little or hop in blue line bus and go to Palace of Fine arts, its a nice peaceful place just around the busy streets of SF. You will enjoy it after a walk in crowded Fisherman's wharf.

Union Square: You should not miss this one. I will highly recommend to have dinner at one of the many fine restaurants here. We went to Kuleto's and experience was marvellous.

The other way to see attractions could be to go for city tour, The one we were almost going take but couldn't due to timings was Mr. Todd's.

The other attraction we have not visited but are considered good : City Hall, Lombard Street, Alcatraz etc.

If you are wine connoisseur like my husband then you won't stop after looking at this place but I can tell you how my husband selected the wineries we visited. He made a list of all the different kind of wines he likes then sorted them according to region and lastly selected the winery based upon several criteria. He actually reads a lot and have books on the subject giving information about the region and the wineries history and so on, if you want to ask or discuss something please feel free to leave a comment.

If you are like me, who just wants to enjoy a good wine in quiet, relaxing environment then I will say boutique wineries are the way to go. I have nothing against big brand names like Robert Mondavi but there you will not find the homeyness of boutique wineries. But I must say in big wineries like Robert Mondavi, you can take tours, go to their plant and see the commercial method of making wines and that's an experience in itself. Do go to wineries such as Domain Carneros, Girgich Hills, Artesa Winery. 

If you are going to Napa Valley, I will highly recommend you to take U.S. 101 highway, it is the best scenic drive in the region. Just look outside and the fun will start as soon as you will get in the car. Be on a lookout for local restaurant and coffee shop, sometime they can bring nice little surprise to the plan. And do not worry if you don't find Big Mac or Subway on mapquest, you will find lot of places to eat. One such restaurant is Boskos where we had lunch.

Wish you a very happy vacation.

To look at our San Fransico trip pictures [Click here]