Overview
Fisherman's wharf is known by a many locals as a tourist trap in the city of San Francisco, but it's that way for a great reason - there are many shops to explore, seals to see, food to try and overall, it just touches on a lot highlights for the cities waterfront that even some locals aren't aware of (like the Musée Mécanique and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park).
It's also lively every day of the week, so you can slot this itinerary in any day of your visit.
My personal highlights in this itinerary:
- Musée Mécanique: A really quirky arcade museum with a ton of retro machines.
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park: Considered part of the NPS, it's a great place to learn about the history of the city and the bay area
- Fisherman's Wharf: The main attraction of the day for seal watching and exploring shops
Itinerary Tips
You won't need a car for this itinerary, but it is highly recommended to sign-up for a month of Bay Wheels. Pay $26 (updated 2024) for a month of riding to get unlimited 45-minute bike rentals for the month, then cancel the membership before you leave the city. It's cheaper than parking and will allow you to explore this entire itinerary.
Have a car? Even so, park the car somewhere and go with Bay Wheels. Parking is an exercise that will leave you frustrated in the city.
Starting the day
This itinerary can be started in a few ways:
- You can take Bart/Cal-Train and get a Bay Wheels bike to ride up the Embarcedaro
- You can take the ferry from Oakland and start at the Ferry Building
- You can park in North Beach and take a Bay Wheels bike to start the itinerary at Pier 39
Rincon Park sits along the Embarcadero right by the water and at times can be caught under the shade of the Bay Bridge. This tiny slice of green space is most famous for the large bow and arrow sculpture known as "Cupid's Span." The sculpture was created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen and was installed in 2002.
It's position at the start of the Embarcadero makes it the best starting point for today's itinerary. Once you get here, grab a Bay Wheels bike to begin biking up the Embarcadero.
Further up the Embarcadero is the San Francisco Ferry Building. Aside from being a hub for the Golden State Ferry, the building houses several restaurants and shops.
I have many fond memories of being dragged here by Jen on Sunday hangovers to see the weekend farmer's market, which is a great place to grab some fresh produce and food.
Aside from food and architecture, the building stands as a famous landmark in the area with a 75m clock tower that stares down Market Street. Be sure to be at the Embarcadero Plaza just across the street for the best angle to capture the whole building.
My personal favorite shops here are the Epicurean Trader with their collection of alcohol and spices and Hog Island Oyster for their oyster happy hours.
Photo by Mathieu Le MauffI've marked this as optional because the Exploratorium can easily take up a half day to experience all the exhibits.
I would describe Exploratorium is a scientific funhouse with a ton of exhibits that will keep adults and children busy. Some of my favorite exhibits include the Tactile Dome, this weird sound isolation/telephone thing, and the Light and Sound exhibits.
If you want to save on the ticket price, check Groupon to look for discount codes.
Photo by Jake WeirickThe distance between Pier 39 and the Exploratorium and the Ferry Building is quite large, so I highly recommend getting a bike. You can sometimes find some people willing to bike you there in their carriage, which is a fun way to close the distance.
Pier 39 has a ton of shops to explore, most of which are very touristy but they are fun to nevertheless.
The main attraction here are the sea lions that have taken over the docks. They are a fun sight to see and are pretty active during the day. Me and Jen easily spent 30 minutes just watching the seals do goofy things, and to also take a break from all the exploring.
If you feel like exploring some of the attractions here, I highly recommend looking at Groupon beforehand to save a couple bucks.
Photo by Eric Broder Van DykeTucked away in Pier 45 just a short walk west on the Embarcadero from Pier 39 is the Musée Mécanique, which is famous for its exhibit of old machines collected by the owner Dan Zelinsky. These machines include antique slot machines and old arcade games among others, most of which are available to interact with. Just make sure you bring cash to turn into quarters 👍.
Once you've finished Musée Mécanique, get back on Jefferson Street and start walking towards the direction of The Cannary.
There are a lot of shops and restaurants to visit on the way here and on the way to the Cannary. If you're hungry, you can grab some clam chowder from the nearby restaurants, or you can save your stomach for In-N-Out Burger.
If you go to In-N-Out and love meat, I recommend getting a 4x2 (four patties with two cheese slices). It's not on the menu but it's my go-to order whenever I visit.
To me and Jen's surprise, the SF Maritime National park is considered part of the NPS, so make sure to not skip this when visiting Fisherman's Wharf.
The visitor center is located right next to the Cannery and is housed in an old warehouse. Inside, you can find exhibits of the old ships that passed through the bay and the buildings and tools that helped support them. You can even see the preserved ground of what SF used to look like back in the day.
Tip: If you're a park badge collector, they offer Jr. Ranger badges here after completing a notebook. I get embarrassed whenever I ask for it, but it's a great (free) souvenir to take home.
Across the street from the visitor center is the Hyde Street Pier, where several historic ships are permanently anchored such as:
- The Balclutha, an 1800s square rigged ship
- The Eureka, a 19th century paddle steamboat
- The Hercules, a 20th century steamboat
I've personally never done the tours, but I always stop by to take a look at the ships. They are a great way to learn about the history of the bay area and the city.
One of the must-visit places in Fisherman's Wharf is Ghirardelli Square. It's a fitting last stop for this itinerary since you'll be wanting to just sit down and relax after having traversed the San Francisco waterfronts.
Additionally, the square is home to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, which is famous for its chocolate and ice cream. Highly recommended to grab some treats or to pop open a beer to end the day - you deserve it!
Overview
Fisherman's wharf is known by a many locals as a tourist trap in the city of San Francisco, but it's that way for a great reason - there are many shops to explore, seals to see, food to try and overall, it just touches on a lot highlights for the cities waterfront that even some locals aren't aware of (like the Musée Mécanique and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park).
It's also lively every day of the week, so you can slot this itinerary in any day of your visit.
My personal highlights in this itinerary:
- Musée Mécanique: A really quirky arcade museum with a ton of retro machines.
- San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park: Considered part of the NPS, it's a great place to learn about the history of the city and the bay area
- Fisherman's Wharf: The main attraction of the day for seal watching and exploring shops
Itinerary Tips
You won't need a car for this itinerary, but it is highly recommended to sign-up for a month of Bay Wheels. Pay $26 (updated 2024) for a month of riding to get unlimited 45-minute bike rentals for the month, then cancel the membership before you leave the city. It's cheaper than parking and will allow you to explore this entire itinerary.
Have a car? Even so, park the car somewhere and go with Bay Wheels. Parking is an exercise that will leave you frustrated in the city.
Starting the day
This itinerary can be started in a few ways:
- You can take Bart/Cal-Train and get a Bay Wheels bike to ride up the Embarcedaro
- You can take the ferry from Oakland and start at the Ferry Building
- You can park in North Beach and take a Bay Wheels bike to start the itinerary at Pier 39
Rincon Park sits along the Embarcadero right by the water and at times can be caught under the shade of the Bay Bridge. This tiny slice of green space is most famous for the large bow and arrow sculpture known as "Cupid's Span." The sculpture was created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen and was installed in 2002.
It's position at the start of the Embarcadero makes it the best starting point for today's itinerary. Once you get here, grab a Bay Wheels bike to begin biking up the Embarcadero.
Further up the Embarcadero is the San Francisco Ferry Building. Aside from being a hub for the Golden State Ferry, the building houses several restaurants and shops.
I have many fond memories of being dragged here by Jen on Sunday hangovers to see the weekend farmer's market, which is a great place to grab some fresh produce and food.
Aside from food and architecture, the building stands as a famous landmark in the area with a 75m clock tower that stares down Market Street. Be sure to be at the Embarcadero Plaza just across the street for the best angle to capture the whole building.
My personal favorite shops here are the Epicurean Trader with their collection of alcohol and spices and Hog Island Oyster for their oyster happy hours.
Photo by Mathieu Le MauffI've marked this as optional because the Exploratorium can easily take up a half day to experience all the exhibits.
I would describe Exploratorium is a scientific funhouse with a ton of exhibits that will keep adults and children busy. Some of my favorite exhibits include the Tactile Dome, this weird sound isolation/telephone thing, and the Light and Sound exhibits.
If you want to save on the ticket price, check Groupon to look for discount codes.
Photo by Jake WeirickThe distance between Pier 39 and the Exploratorium and the Ferry Building is quite large, so I highly recommend getting a bike. You can sometimes find some people willing to bike you there in their carriage, which is a fun way to close the distance.
Pier 39 has a ton of shops to explore, most of which are very touristy but they are fun to nevertheless.
The main attraction here are the sea lions that have taken over the docks. They are a fun sight to see and are pretty active during the day. Me and Jen easily spent 30 minutes just watching the seals do goofy things, and to also take a break from all the exploring.
If you feel like exploring some of the attractions here, I highly recommend looking at Groupon beforehand to save a couple bucks.
Photo by Eric Broder Van DykeTucked away in Pier 45 just a short walk west on the Embarcadero from Pier 39 is the Musée Mécanique, which is famous for its exhibit of old machines collected by the owner Dan Zelinsky. These machines include antique slot machines and old arcade games among others, most of which are available to interact with. Just make sure you bring cash to turn into quarters 👍.
Once you've finished Musée Mécanique, get back on Jefferson Street and start walking towards the direction of The Cannary.
There are a lot of shops and restaurants to visit on the way here and on the way to the Cannary. If you're hungry, you can grab some clam chowder from the nearby restaurants, or you can save your stomach for In-N-Out Burger.
If you go to In-N-Out and love meat, I recommend getting a 4x2 (four patties with two cheese slices). It's not on the menu but it's my go-to order whenever I visit.
To me and Jen's surprise, the SF Maritime National park is considered part of the NPS, so make sure to not skip this when visiting Fisherman's Wharf.
The visitor center is located right next to the Cannery and is housed in an old warehouse. Inside, you can find exhibits of the old ships that passed through the bay and the buildings and tools that helped support them. You can even see the preserved ground of what SF used to look like back in the day.
Tip: If you're a park badge collector, they offer Jr. Ranger badges here after completing a notebook. I get embarrassed whenever I ask for it, but it's a great (free) souvenir to take home.
Across the street from the visitor center is the Hyde Street Pier, where several historic ships are permanently anchored such as:
- The Balclutha, an 1800s square rigged ship
- The Eureka, a 19th century paddle steamboat
- The Hercules, a 20th century steamboat
I've personally never done the tours, but I always stop by to take a look at the ships. They are a great way to learn about the history of the bay area and the city.
One of the must-visit places in Fisherman's Wharf is Ghirardelli Square. It's a fitting last stop for this itinerary since you'll be wanting to just sit down and relax after having traversed the San Francisco waterfronts.
Additionally, the square is home to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, which is famous for its chocolate and ice cream. Highly recommended to grab some treats or to pop open a beer to end the day - you deserve it!