We all need a long weekend getaway sometimes. What better place for a girls weekend than San Francisco?! This area has so much to offer everyone: hikers, wine lovers, foodies, shoppers, you name it!

I went with my mom and sister-in-law for a week in March and here is our girls getaway guide! 

Napa Valley

If you are going to San Fran, you must go to Sonoma or Napa Valley! The minute we got off the plane, we rented our car and headed straight for Napa. I’d definitely suggest going to Napa on a weekday and avoid going Friday-Sunday. To get to Napa, traffic can be BAD. We flew in on a Monday, and there was no traffic thankfully!

We stayed at the cutest little bed and breakfast we found on airbnb just outside of Yountville. This town has so much charm, tasting rooms, and amazing food!

Wineries 

We took two private wine tours in Napa: Robert Mondavi and StagsLeap. Though these tours were AMAZING, if you want to do it on a budget, every winery has tasting rooms you can pay separately for.

We had a private guide who showed us the entire properties, told us the history of the vineyard, how it’s made, and let us sit around a fine dining table and try so many glasses, definitely a posh experience for this budget traveller! Robert Mondavi’s moscato is one of my all time favorites, I had to buy a bottle and bring it home with me!

Castello di Amorosa is a must see if you’re in Napa. It is a large vineyard with a gorgeous castle. It looked like something out of medieval times! It sits high upon rolling hills and the grounds were gorgeous. It is pretty expensive to get in, so if this is a must see, maybe do one less tour or tasting so you can splurge on this!

There are SO many wineries it can be overwhelming to choose from, so do your research. Choose which wines you like best or what you’d prefer to try, and go from there!

San Francisco

After our two days in Napa, we went to San Francisco where we stayed at Hotel Zephyr. We chose this hotel because it was more affordable than others, and location location location. It was right by Fisherman’s Wharf, which in our opinion was a great area to stay in. We were within walking distance to so much, and our room had a great view of Alcatraz and The Golden Gate Bridge. Hotel Zephyr was super trendy and comfortable. It even had a big game room and an outdoor area with a hot chocolate stand and fire pits- perfect for our cold evenings!

Parking is tough in San Fran. We wanted to keep our rental car for the day trips we had planned. Every hotel charges something for a car parking fee, so just be prepared to put that into your budget when planning your trip.

Must Do’s

• Fisherman’s Wharf (Sea lions everywhere!)
• A Bike tour- Ours unfortunately got canceled due to weather. But we made it to all the sights we were going to see on a different day, and it wouldve been so great on a bike!
• Golden Gate Park
• Lombard Street
• The Pink Ladies
• Ghirdalli Square
• Ride a cable car
• Go to China Town
• “Full House” house
• Alcatraz- book your tickets early. They book weeks in advance as there are only a certain amount of tours a day. We booked the night tour, which was pretty creepy. They give you a headset to tour the property. It was super interesting and the view on the ferry back to main land was incredible at night! You can book your tickets here.

Sidenote- You’ve probably seen this sign all over Pinterest. Its from a super small bakery called Mr. Holmes Bakery. The lines get very long apparently in the mornings, we walked in there in the afternoon and all of the choices were already picked over. So in my opinion, the picture was the best part!

Monterey & Carmel

One of our day trips was to Monterey and Carmel. We were ambitious to see both in one day and then make the drive back to San Fran. We had lunch in Monterey, with a beautiful view over the beach. Monterey was very touristy in my opinion, and definitely took second place compared to Carmel.

If you can picture a small, quaint, charming town on the beach with homes that look like they are out of a fairy tale book- think Carmel. This place made it my favorite day of our trip! We spent our time driving through the neighborhoods along the coast, and admiring these houses that had way too much charm. Even just walking through the streets of downtown Carmel will woo you. Each little restaurant, rooftop bar, and vintage store will entertain you for hours!

One of my favorite parts of Carmel was the state park we went hiking through, Point Lobos. It was a short hike along the cliffs with amazing views of the coast! A must see if you’re in the area!

Redwoods

Most people who go to San Fran and want to see the massive Redwood trees go to the famous Muir Woods park, a convenient and short trip from San Francisco. We had heard from a local that Henry Cowell State Park was a great option to explore these trees. It was much less touristy, and was conveniently on the way to Carmel. Just the smell and aroma hiking through this park was so refreshing! I love places like this that make you feel so small.

Now get your girls and go book your tickets!

If you have any questions about our trip or want more info- send me a message! 🙂