This winter we took a trip to California. I was there with kids once before, but over 15 years ago (with just a baby). This trip was for Miles’ 10th birthday trip and we spent months deciding on exactly what to see and do. I’m sharing our 3 day San Francisco Itinerary for Kids in hopes it might help another family enjoy this awesome city.

We tried to see as much as possible but I will say this is definitely a great itinerary if you have a sports fan. When picking a spot for his special 10th birthday trip, Miles wanted to see a new city and an NBA game in a stadium he hasn’t seen. A Warriors game was top of the list and then we found out that his favorite team, the NY Knicks would be in San Francisco a week before his birthday. This sealed the deal on that being the spot for the trip. In addition to being a huge NBA fan, Miles loves the MLB and NFL too. You’ll see we were able to add those into the itinerary too.

When to Visit San Francisco

We visited in January and I thought it was the perfect time. There were 0 crowds and the weather was amazing. Coming from the freezing cold North East, weather in the high 60’s/ low 70’s was a real treat. We were able to see an NBA game and also have a great outdoor baseball stadium tour (details below).

Where to Stay in San Francisco with Kids

We stayed at the Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero. It was the perfect location, the best views and an overall amazing hotel for kids. We loved being in the Embarcadero neighborhood: it’s a home base that’s easy, scenic, and packed with things to do without over planning. I wanted to be right on the waterfront and we really enjoyed seeing all the boats from the window along with the bridge views. Seeing the Bay Bridge lighting up at night was a trip highlight!

The concierge at the hotel was a huge help. We’d stop by in the morning with what we wanted to see for the day and they helped map it all out. They gave us great restaurant tips, taught us all about the cable cars and how to ride them and overall really helped the trip. I was traveling solo with just Miles, so it was great to feel like I had the concierge and front desk there to help.

The Four Seasons San Francisco team asked if we were celebrating anything (as they always do). I mentioned a birthday and that the birthday boy chose SF because of an NBA game and they got to work making sure it was the most memorable birthday ever.

I would highly recommend this spot for a trip with kids. From the location and views to the helpful staff and great food, Four Seasons San Francisco at Embarcadero was the perfect spot to stay.

Things to Book In Advance

This depends on the time of year. In January, nothing was crowded. It’s also a great city to walk around and enjoy without a busy schedule. If you want to see a sporting event, like we did, I booked those tickets about 6 weeks out. I booked the baseball stadium tour a few weeks before and in the winter noticed they have a code on the site that it was 50% off to book in advance.

3 Day San Francisco Itinerary for Kids

San Francisco Day 1 

First stop was the Ferry Building. This is about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. We walked around to the little shops inside and along the water outside. There were so many great spots to eat it was hard to decide where to have lunch. We went with Gott’s and loved it. I also tried some Blue Bottle Coffee and we grabbed a treat from Parachute.

From the Ferry Building we walking along the water to Pier 39. Along the way we passed the The Exploratorium. It’s located at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero. We were going to go inside as it’s supposed to be a lot of fun but the weather was SO nice we didn’t want to be indoors and preferred more time outside.

At Pier 39, we enjoyed all of the shops – lots of sports stores and SF souvenir stores. For a snack we tried the mini donuts at Trish’s that a friend recommended. I highly recommend them too now!

Next we walked down to see the seals. This is a SF must and was a trip highlight. It was right before the Super Bowl would be in SF so it was cool to get to see some of the Super Bowl things set up around the city.

From there we took our first Waymo car back to the hotel. Waymo cars are self driving. This was on Miles’ list of things to try in San Francisco. I was pretty nervous to try them but once we got used to being in a car driven by …no one?!? we actually preferred it to Uber the rest of the trip!

Back at the hotel, we got ready for the Warriors Game. The hotel had some pre-game surprises for Miles which got us even more excited to head to the Chase Center for the game.

I highly recommend getting to the arena a few hours early. The Chase Center is in an area called Thrive City. It’s in the Mission Bay neighborhood, and is a new 11-acre complex that has awesome restaurants, shops, photo spots and bay views. We shopped and had dinner at Che Fico Pizzeria.

Then it was time for the big game: Warriors vs Knicks. And then… bed.

San Francisco Day 2

Breakfast at Orafo. I highly recommend trying the Tiramisu French Toast!

We took a Waymo car from the hotel to Oracle Park, where the San Francisco Giants play. We had a pre-booked stadium tour. We had done a baseball stadium tour in Boston and the kids loved it so now I try to add them in when we see a new city. This was such a fun activity. The entire tour group was me, Miles and 1 other person. The tour guide was outstanding and really made it a special tour.

Next it was time for a Cable Car ride. We rode the iconic cable car line, the Powell-Mason line, that has been operating since 1888. The line ends in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf. We hopped off the cable car and got lunch at the Blue Mermaid Chowder House. The food was delicious and it was the perfect spot to get a sour dough bread bowl of soup.

We walked through Fisherman’s Wharf and over to the giant ferris wheel. We went full tourist here and even got the cheesy ferris where photo package.

From here we walked to North Beach, made a stop in City Lights Books and then onto Chinatown and finally back to the hotel.

Sunset at Presidio Tunnel Tops Park: this was my favorite stop on the trip. Presidio Tunnel Tops is a brand new park in San Francisco (it’s only been open for a few years). A long time ago, the land was part of a military base (the Presidio) and then became a busy highway area. When they rebuilt the highway, they put parts of it underground in tunnels.
Then they built a 14-acre park right on top of those tunnels! The park is incredible and has amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge. There are paths to walk, playground areas for climbing and more.

Dinner: We had a special pre-birthday dinner at Orafo. The food there is outstanding and don’t skip the dessert!

San Francisco Day 3 

We like to have a relaxed last day for any city trip. So for the last day we slept in after walking the city the day before! Next we enjoyed room service in the room. A walk around the Embarcadero neighborhood before heading to the airport.