The Ultimate San Francisco Girls’ Trip: What We’d Do Again in a Heartbeat
Have you been dreaming about planning the perfect San Francisco girls’ trip? Whether you’re traveling with your best friends, sisters, or your mom, San Francisco is the perfect destination for a fun girls’ getaway!
I know this from experience! My San Francisco girls’ trip was all about spending quality time with my sister and my mom, and we had such a fun time exploring the city together.
With so many amazing things to do in San Francisco, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to explore, eat delicious food, shop, sightsee, and make unforgettable memories together.
So, grab your favorite girls and let’s start planning an amazing San Francisco girls’ trip!
This post may contain affiliate links that will give me a commission at no additional charge to you.
How to Plan Your San Francisco Girls Trip!
As you plan a San Francisco girl’s trip there are a few things to consider: transportation, accommodations, and activities.
Let’s explore your options and plan the perfect San Francisco girl’s getaway!
Plan a San Francisco Girls Trip – Transportation
As you arrive in San Francisco at the SFO airport there are a few transportation options to get to the city.
- Renting a car
- Train
- Airport Shuttle
- Uber or LIFT
All of these options are great choices that will get you to your destinations.
Take The Train To Downtown San Francisco
We opted for the train. It was a good distance from point A to point B. I was really surprised at how long it took, so plan ahead if you decide to take this route.
It took about 2 hours from landing to getting into our hotel in downtown San Francisco!
Car Rental From SFO Airport
Renting a car is always an option, but keep in mind that parking in the city is expensive! Most hotels will charge you to park.
If you want to get out of the city and explore areas outside of San Francisco this is a great option. I always like to plan ahead and book online at Priceline.
We considered renting a car for a day trip to Monterrey but decided to stay in the city since it was our first time exploring the area.
Airport Shuttle
Another great option is Go Airport Shuttle. You can get a rideshare van or a private car. I have used airport shuttles in the past and have had great experiences with them.
We also used Uber and Lift the whole time we were in the city! It was our first time using a RideShare service. Let’s just say it was very easy to use!
How to Use It
First, we downloaded the app. Always check to see if there are coupon codes available. (just Google Uber or Lift coupon code) We signed up using the code which offered us a free ride.
At the time, if someone signed up under your account you would get a free code and they would get a free code. Are you seeing how awesome this is if you are on a San Francisco girl’s trip? Between the three of us, we ended up having six Uber rides for free!
San Francisco Hotels
One really great thing about going on a San Francisco girl’s weekend is that you can find a nice hotel and split the cost. There are some really nice hotels in the city. I recommend to areas.
Union Square Hotels
There are many options of great hotels in San Francisco. Finding the right neighborhood is an important thing to consider. Since this was our San Francisco girl’s trip we opted to stay in Union Square which is the shopping and theater district. We stayed at the Westin at Union Square, but the JW Marriott is another really nice option.
Fisherman’s Wharf Hotels
I have stayed near Fisherman’s Wharf and it was a great place as well! I personally like to be across the street from Ghirardelli Square so I can eat lots of ice cream! If you want to have a really fancy San Francisco girl’s weekend you could stay at the Ritz Carlton near Fisherman’s Wharf.
Fun Things To Do On Your San Francisco Girls Trip
There are so many fun things to do in San Francisco. We wanted to hit the high tourist areas and eat at highly recommended restaurants. If you need a one-day San Francisco itinerary, this is it! Let’s start planning your San Francisco girl’s weekend trip itinerary.
1. Go For A Bike Ride In San Francisco
There are several bike tours in San Francisco. We opted for the bikes that you could slide your credit card and ride to the next bike rack location. You can also rent bikes and ride over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.
Scooters are the hot thing now you can rent them and tour around the city. This is a fun thing to do on a girl’s trip to San Francisco!
We love to exercise and riding bikes was perfect for our San Francisco girls trip. We liked the option of parking the bike and touring around and then grabbing a bike and heading to the next site.
2. Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39
We love to be “total tourists” and see the most popular attractions! Pier 39 is such a fun place to see. With shops, sea lions, and an aquarium, it is such a fun place to spend some of your time on your San Francisco girl’s weekend.
Pier 39 is a starting point for many San Francisco Bay Tours. We were able to book a boat tour on Groupon. We also took a boat tour around the bay area. Be prepared for the wind! The boat tour was worth it because of the beautiful view of the San Francisco Bay.
3. Ghirardelli Square
This place is amazing! You have to add this to your San Francisco girl’s trip itinerary! The ice cream is fabulous. I loved getting the ice cream sundae. They have so many choices. There is a little store as you walk in that has cute Ghirardelli souvenirs (plus you get a free piece of chocolate)!
What I love about girls’ trips is that we can share food. I love to try a lot of fun foods but I don’t need the huge portion sizes. We were able to share delicious treats.
4. Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
There are so many things to see and do in San Francisco. One way to get a taste of it all is to take a hop-on hop-off bus tour.
You can see how windy it is when you are on the top level of the Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge from the image above.
We were able to see Chinatown, Pink Ladies (any Full House fans out there?), Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, and Union Square. This is a great option if you did not rent a car.
5. Architecture Tour
My sister loved looking at all the buildings and architecture. From the hop on hop off bus tour, we had some great views of the buildings in the city.
6. Alcatraz
Alcatraz is defiantly worth mentioning. We were not able to get tickets so learn from our mistake and make sure you have reservations ahead of time! However, we did get some great views from our boat tour.
7. Sausalito
Sausalito is a must for any San Francisco girl’s trip! Getting to Sausalito is super easy. We did not have a car so we decided to take a ferry boat across the bay. To catch a ferry, we simply went to the ferry building. Boats depart frequently making it very convenient.
Touring Sausalito
Once we made it to Sausalito we were able to tour around. Sausalito is a cute little town. We loved walking around and shopping in the cute stores. We made a stop at Lapperts (a famous ice cream shop) and enjoyed an ice cream sundae.
8. Muir Woods National Monument
Very close to Sausalito is Muir Woods National Monument. You can take a tour of Sausalito and Muir Woods or just catch a bus in Sausalito and be transported to this beautiful forest.
This is a taste of the redwood trees that you can view at Redwood National Park in northern California. We loved walking through this amazing forest! The trees are huge!
9. Shopping District
Our hotel was in the center of the shopping district at Union Square. It would not be a girl’s trip without doing a little shopping.
Shopping in San Francisco is unlike shopping in other places. The Nordstrom we went to was 4 or 5 stories high! We were able to hit lots of stores and get some cute clothes and shoes!
This was perfect for our San Francisco girl’s trip!
San Francisco Girls Trip Must-Try Restaurants
We wanted to try the best places to eat in San Francisco. We love trying new places. Eating at all the fun restaurants was one of my favorite things we did on our San Francisco girl’s weekend. Here are some of our favorites:
1. Mama’s on Washington Square
If you want to try the best breakfast in San Francisco Mama’s on Washington Square is the first stop you need to make when your wake up. We woke up before 6:00 am and headed to Mamas.
As you can see in the picture above there is a variety of homemade bread just waiting to become delicious dishes.
Long Wait Times
Mama’s will not disappoint but there is a price to pay. There will be an hour-long line before the restaurant even opens. Being on a San Francisco girl’s trip this time went by fast as we laughed and talked.
Before you go check out the menu online. We were able to try a few different plates and share them. We loved it!
2. Tartine Bakery
Another amazing place you must try is Tartine Bakery. The display case is dreamy and you may find yourself wanting to try everything. We decided to get a few items and share!
3. The Melt
I know this is funny because it is a total chain in the area, but I absolutely loved The Melt. It was so yummy, especially if you like grilled cheese. They have a variety of specialty grill sandwiches. I loved it!
4. Boudin Bakery
Boudin Bakery is really close to Pier 39 and is located on Fisherman’s Wharf. Our attitude was “When in Rome,” we had to try the clam chowder and a bread bowl.
The bread was delicious as for the clam chowder it was okay. The best part of this bakery is looking at all the creations in the windows. There are loaves of bread shaped like turtles and other sea life.
5. La Boulange
We found the most delicious macaroons at La Boulange. This is another must-have! It’s a bakery, but they have a full menu.
San Francisco Girl’s Trip Success!
Hopefully, this helps you know some of the fun things to do on a San Francisco girl’s trip and plan your San Francisco girl’s weekend. We had an incredible time!
I would highly recommend going to San Francisco on a girl’s trip!
Facebook Group
If you have any questions or need advice on planning your next trip join our Facebook Travel Community Group. This is a great group that can help answer any travel question you might have. I also try to add any deals that companies send me as well.
We had an incredible time! I would highly recommend going to San Francisco on a girl’s trip!
If you have any questions or need advice on planning your next trip join our Facebook Group.
Lisa is a Utah-based family travel blogger and founder of Planning Away. She helps families plan stress-free, kid-friendly trips across the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Asia, and Canada. With firsthand experience at hundreds of destinations—from national parks and ski resorts to international adventures—Lisa shares practical guides, tips, and travel inspiration for unforgettable family vacations.
