San Francisco is a beautiful hilly city in the Bay Area of California. It is a very popular tourist destination spot and it is a must-see place for everyone. This guide will show you how to make the best of your time at San Francisco. Feel free to use this guide to as liberally as you like, because in the end, this is your vacation.

The first thing that will affect your trip to San Francisco is at what time you arrive there. Plan on arriving there in the morning or the afternoon.

1. After you leave the airport, grab a quick lunch and drive to the Golden Gate Recreation Area. Go as far as Conzelman Road. This drive will take you through the Golden Gate Bridge and your destination will offer spectacular views of the bridge itself.
2. After that, go to your hotel (I stayed at a hotel in Oakland because it was cheaper than staying in San Francisco and it wasn’t too far away from the major tourist spots). Make sure to get a lot of rest.
3. Your first destination today will be Chinatown. Make sure that you arrive here by 9 am. Set the destination of your GPS to the Dragon Gate. When you arrive at the dragon gate (good place for pictures), park your car and prepare to walk around a little bit, as Chinatown is best seen by foot. Then set your GPS to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (about 7 minutes away from Dragon Gate by foot). You will be able to see them make fresh fortune cookies there and they usually give out free samples. The fortune cookies taste marvelous and you can buy a pack of them when you’re ready to leave. This is a sweet way to start off the day. However note that they will charge you 75 cents per picture if you take any photos. After that, feel free to walk around Chinatown and go shopping. As compared to other places, the souvenirs at Chinatown are relatively cheaper so stock up for your friends and family!
4. After Chinatown drive to the top of Lombard Street, and drive down slowly. This extremely crooked street is a thrill to drive down and its sides are filled with beautiful houses and flowers. After you have driven down that street to your heart’s content, park nearby and take pictures.
5. Then, if you are interested, ride the famous cable cars. The cable cars are a very important part of San Francisco and a lot of fun!
6. Now take a lunch break. Fishermen’s Wharf is a great place for seafood if you’re interested in that. For dessert, go to Ghirardelli Square where you can buy fresh ice cream and chocolate.
7. After lunch, drive down to the Alcatraz Cruises pier. Spend the afternoon on Alcatraz Island and make sure to take advantage of the numerous tour options available. Note that reservations for this have to be made in advanced.
8. Then, drive to Coit Tower for good views of the city. This place closes at 6, so make sure that you arrive on time.
9. After that, drive to North Beach. This is not a beach but an Italian neighborhood with beautiful houses. The coffee here is amazing.
10. You are done! Now, drive back to your hotel and congratulate yourself for being an expert traveler.