.png)
One Day in San Francisco Withouth a Car
Language Available: ENG
Last Update: Apr 3, 2026
As one of the major cities of the American West, San Francisco is one of the most visited cities in the region. And honestly, visiting San Francisco is worth it. There is a lot to do and see in the area, and we already made a couple of articles on that. In this article, the focus will mainly be on visiting San Francisco in one day, and without a car. It is definitely possible, and using our experience, we are going to try to provide you with an effective guide that tries to find the balance between visiting as many things as possible and not being in a constant rush. Note that this guide is mostly oriented for first timers and that the attractions are thus the ones we would recommend for a first time visit.
Before You Begin
The first step of any trip is obviously to get there. For San Francisco, many people begin their journey at the International Airport of San Francisco. From there the two main ways of getting to the city are by using the BART (which has one station at the airport) or by car — in the context of this article, a UBER, LYFT or Taxi.
If you would like to take the BART, we have a more detailed article on that.
Get Your Pass
One of the first things you might want to do as you get in San Francisco is to buy your tickets for public transport. Your best friend for the next 24H is gonna be your Muni Pass which you can buy either on the muni app, or on the Clipper card app (note that this option requires you to have a clipper card) or in person at a Clipper card kiosk (within a BART station). Your pass can then be added either on your mobile device or a physical Clipper card. As a visitor we recommend you to use either the “Day Pass” or the “Visitor Passport”. Here is a breakdown of what is included in both passes:
Day Pass – $5.70
-
Muni buses
-
Muni Trains
-
Historic Streetcars
-
NO Cable Cars on this pass.
Visitor Passport – $15.00
-
Muni buses
-
Muni Trains
-
Historic Streetcars
-
Cable cars
The major difference between the two passes is the cable car. The Passport includes them while the Day Pass does not. Your choice will thus depend on your desire to ride a Cable car, and in case you wonder, the regular ticket price for a cable car is $9.00, so this added to the day pass is pretty much similar to buying the Passport. Either way, your passes will be essential to move from one attraction to the next. Walking in San Francisco is possible and some sites are pretty close to each other. Nonetheless, this will significantly reduce the number of things you can see in a day.
Beginning the Day
As you begin your day, you might want to keep in mind that your starting point will impact the amount of time you spend in public transit. It also means that some of the activities mentioned here are gonna be closer to you than the ones we mention as a starting point here. It then belongs to you to determine if you follow the track proposed here, or make your own path.
Starting Point: The Ferry Building
The starting point we chose for this trip is the Ferry Building. The landmark is located in downtown San Francisco and is a great way to start your day. As its name suggests, the Ferry Building is the place where people can buy a ticket for, and ride the ferries of San Francisco. But it is also a farmer’s market where you will find many shops selling artisans' products and nice restaurants to eat or cafes to drink.
Photo by Michael Beener | Unsplash
Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39
From the Ferry Building, we now recommend going to the Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. To join the two locations, you can either walk or take public transit. Walking between the Ferry Building and the Fisherman’s Wharf takes around 30min. It can be a nice way of seeing the city (especially the San Francisco Bay). The other option is to take public transit. A streetcar route goes from the Ferry Building to Pier 39 in about 20min or less. To take it, get in the streetcar at the Ferry Terminal and exit at the Stockton & Beach stop or the Embarcadero (but this option will require you to walk).
The Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 are very popular attractions in San Francisco. Are they worth it? There are mixed opinions on that. If you enjoy wharfs and piers with the smell of the ocean, you might like it. Another nice thing to see there is the sea lions lying around Pier 39. However it’s sometimes crowded and very “touristy”. It’s to see at least once, and as a tourist it is a good place to find restaurants. We notably recommend you to go to the Boudin Bakery. Their products are nice although not incredible from an European standpoint. The Pier is also a good spot to see the island of Alcatraz. This being said, let’s move on.
Palace of Fine Arts
The next stop on the road is the Palace of Fine Arts. The most convenient way to get there from Pier 39 is the bus. Board the Muni 28 at the Powell St & Beach St stop and then exit at Richardson Ave & San Francisco St stop. From there, you will need to walk a little to reach the Palace.
The Palace of Fine Arts is very popular for several reasons. The main one is its very unique architecture aiming to reflect the architecture of ancient Greece and Rome. A second is its apparition in movies. And a third is its history. Built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the original Palace of Fine Arts is older than the Golden Gate Bridge built several years later. We are saying “original” because the 1915 building was destroyed and rebuilt between 1964 and 1974. It is without doubt a landmark of San Francisco and unmissable for first-time visitors.
Golden Gate Bridge
At this point, it should be about halfway through the day, and it’s now time for THE attraction, the Golden Gate Bridge. Getting there from the Palace of Fine Arts is very simple. Board the bus 28 at Richardson Ave & Francisco St, and the Golden Gate Bridge will be your next stop. You will arrive right next to the visitor center where you will find a store, a café and an outdoor museum. The bridge should be on your right (it will be difficult to miss it).
The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and was a wonder of engineering at that time. The goal was to connect Marin and San Francisco. At the time, going on the other side of the Golden Gate straight required to go all the way around the bay, or take a ferry. Today, the red bridge is a symbol of San Francisco, and even California. Visiting it is free and easy. Simply go there and enjoy the view. And in case you wonder, yes you can walk on the bridge.
Photo by Changyu Hu | Unsplash
Golden Gate Park
Well, after you have seen the bridge, you can either go to the Painted Ladies, or make a stop by the Golden Gate Park. In order to do that, you will need to take Bus 28 at the Golden Gate Bridge Tunnel/Merchant Rd and get down around 15min later at Park Presidio Blvd & Fulton Street. However, be careful. First, make sure you take the right bus 28 and not the one that goes back toward the Embarcaderos (a mistake we made and which took us a lot of time). And then we recommend that you know what you want to see in Golden Gate Park. The park is huge and some of the sights are long distances away from each other. We have made an article focused on the park if you would like to know more, but the main area of the park is the area featuring the Academy of Science, Japanese Garden, etc… To get there, exit the bus at the stop mentioned above and go straight across the road. You will have to walk a bit before you can get in the area. If you’d like, you can take a ticket for one of the gardens or museums of the park, or you can walk a bit and get to the Blue Heron Lake.
The Painted Ladies
Next stop on the way will be the Painted Ladies. Another very well known area of San Francisco that has been represented on many postcards. To get there, join Fulton St & 10th Ave, take the bus and then exit at McAllister St& Pierce St. You will need to walk a little to Alamo Square Park and once there you will be able to enjoy an amazing view of the houses and downtown San Francisco. Since the park is on the higher elevation of the city, the view is really good.
Photo by Noah Fetz | Unsplash
Lombard Street
As another symbol of San Francisco, Lombard Street is to see at least once. To be fully honest with you, we’re not big fans of it, it is often crowded and there are a lot of cars coming down the street. But since it is so popular we had to include it. Joining the street from the Painted Ladies can be done via two buses, but it’s a bit tricky. First, take the bus 49 at McAllister & Pierce St and then transfer to the bus 5 at Van Ness Ave & McAllister St. We did not add that in the guide but that stop is right next to the San Francisco City Hall (it can be worth a picture). Once in the bus 5, wait and stop at Van Ness Ave & Chestnut St. Walk up Chestnut St (it is a steep street so beware if you’re not very athletic. We are going to show an alternative). Once you reach Hyde, you can turn right and you should come across Lombard Street very quickly (it will be on the left).
Photo by Phil Reid | Unsplash
Alternative
We are aware that the path we just proposed is a bit long and physical, that’s why we are going to propose an alternative route that includes a Cable Car. When you are in the bus 5 get down at Jackson St & Van Ness Ave and walk until you reach Hyde St. There, a cable car stop should be available. To board a cable car, look for white-and-brown poles and wait until a cable car arrives. Usually, they stop, but if they don’t you might want to make a sign to the driver of the cable car. When cable cars are full, they might not stop. Once you are able to board the cable car, scan your ticket/pass, enjoy the ride and exit at Hyde & Lombard. The stop is right in front of Lombard Street.
Coit Tower
This lead us to the final stop of this tour. At this point the day should be pretty advanced, and the sun might even start to set. To enjoy the view, we recommend going to the Coit Tower. The observation tower is located up a hill and offers some great views on the surrounding area. Getting up there requires a paying ticket, but the view at the foot of the tower is free and still very good.
Getting there will require a little bit of walking. You will need to walk from Lombard St to the Powell St/Lombard St bus stop. This bus (the 39) will get you to the tower. The stop is Coit Tower.
From There
At this point the path we proposed is done and it might probably be dark (depending on the season). The bus 39 can get you back to the Fisherman’s Wharf, and from there you can take the streetcar back to the Ferry Building.
Summary
Ferry Building
1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94105
Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39
The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133
Palace of Fine Arts
3301 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94129
Golden Gate Park (Academy of Science)
55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
Painted Ladies
San Francisco, CA 94117
Lombard Street
Lombard St, CA
Coit Tower
San Francisco, CA 94133
Take Streetcar F:
Board at Embarcadero & Ferry Building
Exit at The Embarcadero & Stockton St
Take Bus 28:
Board at Powell St & Beach St
Exit at Richardson Ave & Francisco St
Take Bus 28:
Board at Richardson Ave & Francisco St
Exit at Golden Gate Bridge Plaza
Take Bus 28:
Board at Golden Gate Bridge Plaza
Exit at Park Presidio Blvd & Fulton St
Take Bus 5:
Board at Fulton St & Arguello Blvd
Exit at McAllister St & Pierce St
Take Bus 49:​​
Board at McAllister & Pierce St
Transfer to Bus 5 at Van Ness Ave & McAllister St
Exit at Van Ness & Chestnut St.
Walk up Chestnut St to Hyde St
Walk to Powell St & Lombard St Bus Stop
Board Bus 39
Exit at Coit Tower
Bus 39 can then take you back to Fisherman's Wharf.
Conclusion
We hope that this article gave you some ideas for your next trip to San Francisco. Of course, we encourage you to check the different route on your navigation app once there. This article is based on the transit system of San Francisco as it is in 2026, but things may change with time. If you would like some more ideas for San Francisco or more information on the transportation system of the city, you can also visit our related articles. San Francisco is a great city where there is so much to learn and discover, so enjoy your trip!
Can this be useful to someone else? Do not hesitate to share.
More To Explore:
California, USA
California, USA
.jpg)
California, USA