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San Francisco is a city that is so special, it is on most people’s travel bucket list. The City by the Bay didn’t disappoint me when I visited.

The architecture of the city is Old West meets China mixed in with a little Victorian to keep things interesting. The topography is challenging at best with all the many, many steep hills. The unique neighborhoods – each with their own vibes – makes just driving around the city enjoyable. Everywhere you look there is something interesting to capture your attention.

My visit to San Francisco was a short one, at just two days. We really only had one good day to sight-see, so we wanted to make the best of it. Our plan was to squeeze in as much as we could see in one day, and try to keep our costs as low as possible.  We didn’t mind taking public transportation, and since it was a nice day, walking most of the day was the goal. Here are my tips and tricks for taking an affordable day trip to San Francisco.

Day Trip To San Francisco Tip 1: Cover Some Ground

One of the coolest things I’ve seen in several cities is the Big Bus Tour. You pay one price and can hop on and off the bus all day long. The bus itself is an open top double-decker which makes it automatically 50 points cooler than any bus you’ve ever seen.

On the bus is free wi-fi (!!) and each bus has a tour. Some tours are with live guides, while others are prerecorded and you get headphones to listen to while you ride.

I can’t recommend this approach to sightseeing enough. You get a map of the city, with each stop clearly numbered. The tour guide will tell you all sorts of interesting things about your stop before you arrive at it. You can hop off the bus and go explore on foot, or stay right where you are and ride on until the next stop. It’s a great option for covering a lot of ground in one day, and for saving money on Uber. And the bonus is that you don’t have to do the driving or try to navigate an unfamiliar city.

Day Trip To San Francisco Tip 2: Neighborhoods Are Free To Explore

San Francisco has some of the most distinctive neighborhoods in the United States! Take advantage of hopping off the Big Bus anytime you like, and go on an adventure in San Fran’s famous neighborhoods.

Start your morning off at one San Francisco’s most iconic parks. Alamo Square Park hosts some of the most breathtaking views in all of San Francisco. Including this well-known view:

The fangirl in me squealed with delight when I saw the “Painted Ladies” as the houses are actually known. The views from this park are hard to beat. There are giant redwood trees and one of the best photo ops of the city’s skyline. Take an espresso and have a nice stroll around to get your day started.

Spend the rest of your morning shopping and people watching in Haight Ashbury. This neighborhood was my favorite. The “Haight” became famous in the 1969 Summer of Love. Many famous recording artists lived here, including Jimmy Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

This neighborhood still has the hippie vibe going on strong. The streets are filled with fantastic stores – everything from head shops to vintage costumes to flower shops. It took me the better part of several hours to walk down Haight Street thanks to all the fun window shopping and real shopping I did. Plan on having lunch there as the restaurants there are wonderful and quite affordable!

I could have stayed there all day long, but we were short on time. After spending the morning walking around, I was thankful that the next stop on our tour was a bit of a drive to get to. The free WiFi on the BigBus is especially appreciated at this point of the day.

Day Trip To San Francisco Tip 3: Save Money With Free Landmarks

Our next stop is San Francisco’s most famous landmark.

Golden Gate Park is very picturesque from any angle. You can see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco Bay. There is plenty of parking and public restrooms as well. The tour buses come through here very frequently, so you can come and go easily.

Day Trip To San Francisco Tip 4: Go To A Foreign Country Without Leaving The City

After we got some fantastic photos, we hopped back on the bus and went to Chinatown. Chinatown is one of the best places in San Francisco to do some affordable shopping.

Pro tip: Chinatown is an excellent place to get souvenirs cheaply. I bought three t-shirts for under $10 there.

Spend the rest of your afternoon getting lost in all the unique stores, and listening to the street musicians play. End your day by having an affordable authentic Chinese dinner at one of the many restaurants located in Chinatown. We had a full three-course meal, with drinks and dessert for under $30 for two people there!

Be sure to take advantage of all the beautiful photo ops all around you. Everywhere you look, Chinatown has something interesting to see.

Though San Francisco has so much more to see and do than just this, knocking off the  “Must See” places on your travel bucket list can be accomplished in one day, and it can even be affordable! Have you ever been to San Francisco? What was your most favorite place you visited? Let me know in the comments.

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