San Francisco is one of our favorite places to visit with the kids. It is also where my husband proposed to me in 2009, so the saying "I left my heart in San Francisco" is fitting. This city is very close to my heart. But now with kids, there are many factors in involved in making sure you have a great time without going broke! With it being one of the most expensive cities to live and visit in America, we are always on the look out for free or cheap things to do. Check out our experience and how we were able to explore many popular sites of this amazing city while on a budget, reminisce about old memories while making new ones with our kids! How we scored a cheap hotel and parking walking distance to Pier 39 and Guirardelli Square.I am always searching for the best deals on hotels for our next family trip. My criteria consists of: family oriented, close enough to attractions and public transportation and comfort. One thing I like to use when we are on a budget is Pricelines Express Deals. It allows you to pick which area within a city you would like to stay and the star rating of the hotel for a locked in rate. For example; I wanted to stay near Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 with at least 4+ star rated Hotel. So I found one for $89 before taxes. The catch with Priceline Express Deals is that it doesn't tell you which hotel you are staying in until after you pay for it. It is non-refundable so always make sure to double check everything you are looking for in a location, amenities, star rating. I always read the hotel description and look at the comparable hotels listed at the bottom of the page before purchasing. I usually look at pictures of the cheapest hotel they have listed because most we won't end up with the nicest one and I've purchased through Priceline multiple times. If I am okay with staying at the cheaper hotel listed then I will book. If you want to know exactly what hotel before booking then this is not a good choice for you. But, we like to gamble a little bit. In San Francisco there are a few things you have to think about when booking a hotel with kids. If you want a breakfast buffet, you are usually going to have to stay in a lower rated hotel or pay a hefty price for a room with breakfast included at a really nice hotel. So a big reason why we decided to look into staying near the Fisherman's Wharf is because a lot of the hotels have a pool, which is plus for my wild boys. We usually like to have breakfast included but we knew that it we would have to settle with one or the other. Also it is easy to walk to Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square, which is a plus considering parking city wide is very pricey. over pricey. We ended up booking the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf Hotel, which we loved! It was conveniently located, just a 5 minute walk to Pier 39 and only a 10 minute walk to Ghirardelli Square. It had an IHOP right across the street where we had breakfast and a 7-11 around the corner making it easy to grab water and snacks for the kids. The pool was nice and heated all year round, which the kids enjoyed in December! Since parking was $65 over night, about average price for parking at any hotel in the city, we looked elsewhere. We found a parking garage right across the street which cost us about $22 for 24 hours. You can't miss the parking on Beach St. In the Enterprise Rental Car garage. Just remember they lock the garage overnight at 11pm. If you want to get to Union Square without having to re-park, take the F trolley which comes right outside the hotel or across the street from Pier 39. If you have a hard time finding where the stop is just ask a local or a Hotel Clerk. It cost $2.50 for adults and $1.35 for 5 years and up. You can only pay in cash and they do not give change so make sure to get exact change or close to it. Also, try not to hop on in the early morning when everyone is headed to work and between 4:30-6:30 when everyone is headed home from work. Unless, you don't mind being crammed in a tiny space with your kids. Overall, San Francisco during Christmas was a delight. The main areas of attraction will be busy but the outlying areas like the Piers and Embarcadero were not too crowded. Things to do in San Francisco for free or cheap.PIER 39 is a must when in San Francisco. Yes, everything is overpriced and there are tons of tourist but it is a fun place to walk through with your kids. There are always street performers, which our boys love to watch. If you go to the end of the Pier you can watch hundreds of seals hanging out on the docks. There is also a huge World War 2 Submarine and Ship that you can take pics in front of or if you want to tour them, there are little stands on the pier to pay to get on. There are a lot of places to eat on the pier that can be pretty pricey, except a little Mexican Restaurant on the Pier, Mango's Taqueria which was decently priced for the area. One of our favorite places to eat is Boudins Bakery and Cafe. You can watch them make the bread from the front window and there is a free self guided factory tour on the second floor. We like to just get a couple personal pizzas to share and it is always more then enough for our family. If you are looking for a some souvenirs the pier is loaded with them in every store. We always like to grab a magnet to add to our fridge, from all of our family trips. Ghirardelli Square is my personal favorite place to visit in San Francisco because I have "little" bit of a sweet tooth. Ghirardelli Square was a short walk up the road from our hotel. A side from having the best chocolate in the states, in my opinion. It is super kid friendly with a boccie ball court, a ping pong table and a corn hole game up the stairs outside in the shopping center. There's also plenty of room for your kids to run around and get their energy out. Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate.... After you go into the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop and Ice cream Parlor, there will be somewhere to greet you with a free sample of chocolate. You order Ice cream from the register counter. After you find a table, while waiting for your ice cream, there is a self guided chocolate factory tour towards the back of the shop. You can watch the chocolate being mixed and poured on to a conveyor belt. Then sit down and enjoy your ice cream... it is heavenly! Golden Gate Park is filled with things for a family to enjoy. It is located on over 1,000 acres, which I found out is larger than Central Park in New York City! And we've been to Central Park, which is hug in itself! So, you can imagine how big it is. There are museums, playgrounds, Japanese gardens, trails, large ponds and so much more. We only had a couple hours before we had to head out of the city so we decided to rent a family bike for $35. It had two seats in the front and 3 in the main cabin. We found Parkwide Bike Rentals in the center of Golden Gate Park, its the only bike rental company located in the park. We did a 2 mile loop and stopped at a playground for the kids to play. It was mostly flat except for a small uphill where we had to get out and push it because it was too hard to peddle. I would highly recommend renting one for the family, our kids loved it. Pink Ladies is a perfect photo opp in San Francisco. If you have watched the famous show, 'Full House' you will recognize these beautiful homes. There is a huge grassy park in front to picnic, walk or just roll down the hill like my boys. It's a great stop for them to get their energy out. These were all the activities that we had time to fit in on a weekend. But San Francisco has 100's of things for a kids to do on a budget some include:
I hope this helps you plan your next family getaway to San Francisco. Feel free to ask any questions or leave a comment with any other activities your family likes to do while in the City by the Bay.
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Welcome to Boys Beyond the Border! We are the Kuresas... Emily, Tyson and our 3 boys, Aiden, Connor and Emmett. Join us as we go exploring to find new exciting things to do as a family. We share what we have found to be the best travel advise, things to see, food to eat and most importantly most kid friendly activities. Follow along and watch my family experience new cultures, try new foods and make friends along the way.
Emily Kuresa
Mother of 3 boys• with an itch to travel• culture my kids• experience life to the fullest• try new foods• |