Ghirardelli Square San Francisco (The Best Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience!)
Are you wondering what to do in Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco? Want the ultimate Ghirardelli chocolate experience?
Awesome! Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Factory is one of my favorite places in San Francisco! In fact, when we visit San Fran, we usually go 2-3 times! We are a little obsessed!
In this post, I am going to tell you all about Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Factory. Including Ghirardelli Square hours and Ghirardelli Square parking.
I will also tell you all about my favorite Ghirardelli Square shops, which include the Ghirardelli ice cream and chocolate shops.
Touring the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory in San Fransico should be at the top of every San Francisco trip!
Let’s explore Ghirardelli Square SF and get ready for the ultimate Ghirardelli chocolate experience.
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Ghirardelli Square Hours
Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory San Francisco is open from 11:00 am – 9:00pm.
There may be some individual restaurants that have different hours. This isn’t an activity you would plan in the morning, but a really great idea for your San Francisco night plans.
Ghiradelli Square Parking
Parking in San Francisco is crazy! Ghirardelli Square parking is no different. There is a parking lot at Ghirardelli Square.
Ghirardelli Square Parking Prices
- 0-3 hours $18
- 3-4 hours $28′
- 4-5 hours $34
- 5-6 hours $40
- 6-12 hours $46
- 12-24 hours $52
Parking Near Ghirardelli Square
If you are lucky you may find parking along the street near Ghirardelli Square.
Avoid Driving
We typically have stayed in hotels near Ghirardelli Square (Holiday Inn and Marriott Pulse) and have walked over. You can also jump on the Hop on Hop off the bus and get off at the Ghirardelli San Francisco stop. (Getting a GoCity pass might be a good option if you want to do a lot of activities in San Fran)
What to Do at Ghirardelli Square
There are so many things to do in Ghirardelli Square San Francisco! I am going to list some of the best Ghirardelli SF attractions!
1. Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory San Francisco
The best and main draw to Ghirardelli Square is, of course, the Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Factory! This is where you will experience the ultimate Ghirardelli chocolate experience!
When we visit San Francisco, it is not uncommon for us to visit Ghirardelli sf 2 or 3 times during our trip! We love it!
The historic San Francisco Ghirardelli Factory is located in San Francisco. The main factory is located in Leandro, California.
Ultimate Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience
Ghirardelli Square San Francisco recently went through some major design updates. It now has 3 amazing Ghirardelli chocolate shops as well as restaurants and entertainment areas.
If you are looking for an authentic Ghirardelli Factory tour this isn’t what you will get in Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. But don’t worry it is still an amazing place to add to your San Francisco itinerary!
Original Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory San Francisco
Ghirardelli Square has three areas where you can get the famous ice cream and chocolate. Let’s start with the original Ghirardelli San Francisco location!
The original Ghirardelli chocolate shop is located at the entrance of Ghirardelli Square. There is usually a long line to enter. Don’t be too worried it doesn’t take long to place your order.
The line takes you into a small gift shop where you can purchase chocolates. You will also be given a complimentary Ghirardelli Chocolate Square.
After you check out the store you can head to the ice cream shop to place your order.
Ghirardelli Factory Tours
You will order your ice cream before you head to your table.
Once you enter you can pick any table. Inside the store is a chocolate churner. It is continually mixing the chocolate. It is fun to take the time and watch it. It is a great place for a picture as well!
Ghiradelli Chocolate Flavors
It is good to be prepared and know what Ghirardelli Square flavors you want to try because you don’t have too long to decide. If there is a line you can grab a menu while you wait. If the line isn’t too long you will want to know before you go!
Ghirardelli is famous for its hot fudge sundaes. There are 14 different varieties of sundaes! They are delicious! They also have shakes, single-serve ice cream flavors, chocolate treats, and beverages.
Our Favorite Ghirardelli Square Flavors
- Hot Fudge Sundae
- Crissy Fields
- Painted Ladies Mint Bliss
- Banana Split
- Cookies and Cream Shake
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience
The Ghirardelli Chocolate experience is an overflow for the Orginal Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop. They serve the exact same menu items.
There is still a line inside the Ghirardelli Chocolate experience but sometimes you will find that if the line at the original Ghirardelli Chocolate shop is long, there might not be a line at the Ghirardelli Chocolate experience location.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Square SF
This new addition to San Francisco Ghirardelli Square is awesome! There are more areas to sit and more products to buy. You can watch the employees make your ice cream selections and have the ultimate Ghirardelli chocolate experience.
There are also Ghirardelli chocolates available to purchase and other great Ghirardelli souvenirs.
Pop UP Ghirardelli Location
There is another Ghirardelli Square walk-up counter service location. This only opens when it is really busy. It wasn’t opened when we went, but you could look inside and see what it had to offer.
2. Ghirardelli Square Shops
During the Ghirardelli Square updates, nice shops were added around the square. I am going to give you a fun list of Ghirardelli Square stores you can check out.
Ghirardelli Square Shops
- Jackson + Polk
- Compass
- ElizabethW
- gigi + rosie (kids)
- gigi rose
- Lola (Best place to shop on a San Francisco Girls Trip)
- Mashka
- Vom Fass
- Yap USA
- 7th Avenue
The Ghirardelli Square shops are so cute. This is a great area to enjoy an afternoon. You can grab lunch, dessert, and shop!
3. Ghirardelli Restaurants
If you are looking for more than just a sweet treat, there are a few Ghirardelli Square restaurants to check out!
Ghirardelli Square Restaurants
- San Francisco Brewing (American)
- Barrio (Mexican)
- McCormick and Kuleto’s (Seafood and Steak)
- Palette Tea House (Asian)
- Square Pie Guys (Pizza)
- Tea Square (Boba and Snacks)
- Broad Street Oyster (Seafood)
As you can see there are a lot of great options of Ghirardelli Square restaurant options. I love eating in San Francisco! It is a foodie paradise!
What to Do at Ghirardelli Square
There are a few Ghirardelli Square SF activities you can do after you are done getting your ice cream!
4. Ghirardelli Square Arcade
If you have kids or you are a kid at heart, be sure to walk down to the lower level where you will find an arcade.
Our kids had a blast! It was a lot of fun playing the different games. You can actually buy a playing card and get your prizes all digitally! It is really nice.
We stopped by twice because the kids loved it so much!
5. Mini Golf Ghirardelli Square
There is a Subpar Miniature Golf location at Ghiradelli Square San Fransico. A lot of it is indoors which is great if you are visiting when it is raining in San Fran or a cold time.
Booking ahead is highly recommended. The prices are very reasonable $14 per person for a standard 18-hole course or $16 for a glow-in-the-dark option.
6. Ghirardelli Culinary Artista
Culinary Artista is located in Ghirardelli Square and offers a cooking experience. There are lots of classes that cater to kids as well as corporate events.
If you are traveling with at least 10 people you can book one of the fantastic experiences.
7. San Francisco Ghiradelli Square Events
If you want to visit Ghirardelli Square during a certain time of the year, you might find fun Ghirardelli Square festivals and events going on.
- Ghirardelli Easter Jubilee (Spring)
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival (September)
- Ghirardelli Spooky Square (October)
- Ghirardelli Square Christmas (December)
8. Get a Ghiradelli Square Souvenir
Ghiradelli Square is one of the best places where you can get a San Francisco souvenir! There are lots of fun options!
Some of my favorite souvenirs are the ones I eat, like chocolate and ice cream, but it is nice to take a few items home. I typically will buy Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares in different flavors.
I also love the San Francisco Cable Car filled with Chocolate. I used my cable car as a Christmas ornament. It is perfect!
San Francisco Ghirardelli Square Things to Do
Hopefully, you now know all the fun things to do at San Francisco Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Factory.
We love visiting Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco! The Ice cream is amazing! Plus, we have made a lot of memories here over the years. I am so happy they have updated the square. It is so nice now with fantastic Ghiradelli Square restaurants and entertainment options.
Have so much fun visiting Ghirardelli Square San Francisco’s historic Chocolate Factory!
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I never knew that Ghirardelli is a place!! I’m addicted to their dark mint squares, and pretty much have one every single night after dinner. Now I’m thinking I need to plan a trip to San Francisco just so that I can have the ultimate Ghirardelli chocolate experience!
Yes, you need to go! You would love it!
Oh Yeah – Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco is addictive. I want all the chocolate!
I love the ice cream! Such a fun place!
Ghirardelli Chocolate is one of my favorites! I love their peppermint bark squares at Christmas time. When we go to San Francisco, we will spend a lot of time here. YUMMMMMM!
Those are my favorites too!
Yum!! I would love to have an Ghirardelli chocolate experience. You had me at chocolate. 🙂
I know right! Love chocolate!
Everything looks so decadent! We love visiting Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco! So much to do!
It is one of my favorite things in san fran!
Ghirardelli Square sounds like so much fun! I would love the arcade and mini golf. I’ll have to add this to our list of things to do in San Francisco!
It is such a fun place to visit!
I’d love to visit Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Factory in San Francisco! I adore their dark chocolates.
Yum, Yes! so good!
All these treats look so good! I’ve only been to San Francisco once, and we were only there for about 24 hours. I have a list of things I’d love to do when I return, and this is on there. How cute is that cable car chocolate packaging? And it looks delicious!
We have been a few times and love it!
Ghirardelli Square looks like the perfect place for me! I will have to visit if I ever make it to San Francisco.
It is worth a visit!
We never knew that there was a Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco. This will be going on our must-visit list. Thank you for sharing.
It is the best!