San Francisco Weekend Getaway, Girls Getaway Weekend

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San Francisco Weekend Getaway

A San Francisco weekend getaway is a great girls getaway weekend. From Fisherman's Wharf to Union Square, there's tons of shopping, sightseeing - and food! - to share with your friends.

San Francisco is a great place to enjoy quaint, Victorian-era hotels and lots of walking. Yes, the hills can be rough, but there's no better way to see this relatively compact city.

Getting There

If you're in the area, you can certainly drive into the city - but be prepared to deal with traffic. Flights are easy to find if you're coming a distance, and it's easy to arrange transportation from the airport. If you're coming from the midwest, Amtrak has a great scenic route through the Rockies, but it will take a lot of time. Amtrak would be a good option from Reno or Sacremento, however.

Where to Stay

For an affordable hotel right in the Fisherman's Wharf area, The Tuscan Inn, a Best Western, is a good choice. It's certainly not fancy, but the rooms are comfortable and the lobby is quite charming. And you can't beat the location!

For another affordable option, near historic Union Square and the nearby shopping and theater districts, consider The Hotel Rex. It's a boutique hotel from the Victorian era, so the rooms may be small, but it makes up for it in charm. This would be a great place to start your San Francisco weekend getaway.

For a splurge, try The Hotel Drisco in Pacific Heights. Another Victorian charmer but renovated to provide modern amenities and a bit of luxury.

Compare prices on all San Francisco hotels and read what other travelers have to say about them at TripAdvisor.

Things to Do in San Francisco

Fisherman's Wharf is, of course, the most famous tourist area of San Francisco. But it's worth a couple of hours to explore. You can see the sea lions, the buskers painted silver, and pick up your souvenirs. And while you're at the wharf, head over to Ghirardelli Square for some great shops; it's just a few blocks from the wharf and has great views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Then explore a few other areas of the city. There are plenty of options for getting around the city, from the famous cable cars to electric buses.

For shopping, the area around Union Square has plenty of upscale shops (and the Gap flagship store!). You'll also find plenty of department stores, boutiques, and an FAO Schwartz, just for fun!

The theater district is near Union Square, too, and there are plenty of theater and opera options for your evening entertainment.

You can get half-price tickets to theater, concerts, comedy and sports during your San Francisco weekend getaway with Goldstar.
Just sign up for half-price offers on tickets and lots more!

Coit Tower is worth seeing, if only for the Depression-era WPA murals inside. And the views from the top are unbelievable!

Your San Francisco weekend getaway should include North Beach, Japantown and Chinatown - these are great places to wander, and to eat! There are food tours of both areas, but I especially like the "I can't believe I ate my way through Chinatown!" tour (which starts at breakfast and ends "when someone explodes!").

Where to Eat

Well, obviously, North Beach and Chinatown are good places to start. North Beach is predominately Italian, but there are several other ethnic restaurants in the area as well. For breakfast, you can't beat Mama's on Washington Square.

Also in North Beach, Trattoria Pinocchio has great pasta and outdoor seating to enjoy on a nice evening.

Great Eastern Restaurant in Chinatown has very good dim sum, and the Golden Gate Bakery has Chinese buns and desserts. Not your typical Chinese-American food!

To take some of the sting out of the prices, Buy Restaurant.com Gift Certificates! You can purchase a $25 certificate for $10 (or as little as $2-3 when they're having a sale) - buy a couple before your trip and you can save a bundle!