The adventurous and quirky quintessence of San Francisco is showcased in its restaurants, shops and architecture sprinkled throughout the city. It’s hard to resist the Painted Ladies, the zigzagging streets and the Golden Gate fading into the mist. But truly, it’s home to a little bit of everything. Fortunately, San Francisco is a quick flight for us, coming from San Diego so we decided to take advantage of the three day weekend and visit the Fog City. Unorthodox, jovial and oh so fun! Here is an hour-by-hour guide for a 3-day visit to the city by the bay!

Day 1

12pm After checking in to our hotel, we hit the town! Lunch was at Swan Oyster Depot in Nob Hill. This fresh seafood dig has a simple menu but you can’t go wrong! Everything is delicious and it’s quite a dining experience!

2pm Next stop – Lombard Street! The zig zag incline road is a neat stop and perfect picture opp (aside from the dozens of other tourists)! On our way there we stopped at Swensen’s Ice Cream for a tasty afternoon treat.

3pm After, we headed to Fisherman’s Warth. We walked around for a bit and rented bicycles and peddled our way towards the Golden Gate Bridge!

4pm Honestly if there is only thing you do from this list – this is the one!  We rode our bicycles through the Golden Gate Bridge, wind blowing in our hair, not a care in the world! It’s a truly amazing experience. Be sure to pack some water bottles as there isn’t anywhere to buy some! We rode all the way to the end of the bridge and back.

7pm After our ride, we worked up quite an appetite and headed to Telegraph Hill for dinner at Sotto Mare that boasts the best damn Cioppino in San Francisco! Side note: the wait is usually more than an hour but the great part is their buzzers reach a few blocks so you can easily grab a drink or two while you wait (which is exactly what we did at beer lounge, Church Hill, right next door).

10pm A fun,relaxed atmosphere, 15 Romolo has delicious craft cocktails.

Day 2

8am Early start to the day at Blue Bottle Cafe. Really tasty coffee and pastries. If you love a good cup o’ joe, there’s several locations throughout the city!

9am We made our way to Chinatown for a morning stroll! This is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia so it is definitely worth a visit.

12pm For lunch we headed to the Mission District. With a line wrapping almost around the corner, we figured we found a great spot. Taqueria El Farolito has delicious homestyle Mexican food but, trust me, order the burrito!  It’s a cash-only dig and the line goes fast!

1pm Haight-Ashbury District is an absolute must-visit in San Francisco. This neighborhood arguably epitomizes everything that The Golden City offers. Diversity, bright, colorful shops, humor and good ol’ debauchery. So much to see and do here. Cutest shops ever and some of the best vintage stores I’ve visited. Wasteland is ah-mazing!

3pm The picturesque and world-famous Painted Ladies were our next stop. These multi-million dollar Victorian homes are great for photos and a quick stroll. And having grown up in the 80’s, I also had to make a stop at the house from the show Full House. My inner 13-year-old was squealing.

5pm From there we headed to Valencia District and stumbled upon Latin American restaurant, Pica Pica Arepa Kitchen. Incredibly tasty, casual spot that definitely hit the spot.

6pm The Mission District Murals is an outdoor art gallery full of, well, vibrant murals. Throughout the neighborhood, hundreds of walls and fences are adorned with colorful works of art boasting cultural and social political statements. Best viewed on foot, take a stroll over to these locations for an up-close experience.

Day 3

9am In the Tenderloin district, Brenda’s French Soul Food serves up absolutely scrumptious cajon style breakfast. Your waistline won’t thank you but your tastebuds will!

12pm Union Square is a bit (ok, a lot) touristy but if you want to do a bit of shopping, SF’s largest shopping district is the place to do it!

3pm Next stop – Castro neighborhood! One of the first gay neighborhoods in the US so inevitably you’ll find chic boutiques, trendy eateries and well-dressed socialites. Stop by ZGO Fragrance and Apothecary for the most beautiful fragrances and souvenirs.

6pm Dinner was delicious Banh Mi Vietnamese sandwiches from Dinosaurs that we chose to carry out and enjoy at Dolores Park.

7pm Dolores Park is an awesome spot to people watch and enjoy a picnic or other (ahem!) libations sold by locals. Surprisingly, we spent longer than we expected here just laying on the grass and mingling while the sun set!

8pm If you are a fan of delicious ice cream then you will definitely want to join other ice cream fanatics and get in line for Bi-Rite. The Honey Lavender flavor is so delicious!

Have you been to San Francisco? I’d love to hear what your favorite spots were! Let me know!