San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, and Sonoma, CA

We travelled across the US to explore San Francisco and the surrounding areas for six days – three days in San Fran, two days in Yosemite and one day in Sonoma.

San Francisco, CA

In San Fran we stayed at The Marker, a unique, boutique hotel near Union Square. As you plan your trip and where you want your “home base”, it is important to learn about the various neighborhoods and districts in San Francisco as each has its own personality. You can read all about them HERE.

For our first day in San Fran, we walked 15 minutes from our hotel to Chinatown for a walking food tour. Our guided tour began at the beautiful Chinatown Gate. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Chinatown. While I can’t say I loved authentic Chinese cuisine, it was a great experience.

• Cost – $73.60/pp
• Time – 4 hours
• Pros – Learning and exploring! If you want something other than Chinese cuisine, a walking food tour of Little Italy is offered.
• Cons – There were some items that were definitely not for me. The textures were not something I was used to. If you are not an adventurous eater or have young kids, then would suggest the Little Italy food tour.

My favorite part was creating my own fortune for a fortune cookie. We were meeting up with my in-laws a day later and wanted to announce we were expecting so we made a fortune cookie for them that read “You are going to be grandparents again.” They loved it!

While you are in the area, grab a book from City Lights Book Store and the perfect croissant from Mara’s Italian Pastry and head over to Washington Park for a picnic and some people watching.

On the second day, we drove to Sausalito for some site-seeing and lunch. It is located just over the Golden Gate Bridge and is accessible via car, bicycle (rented from Fisherman’s Wharf) or ferry. This area is so cute! It is known for its houseboat community.

We need to work off our lunch so we drove to Muir Woods for a short hike through beautiful redwoods. Pictures do not do these giants justice. Muir Woods has six miles of trails, with the main trail is an easy hike as the pathway is asphalted or board walked. However, there are more difficult hikes for the more adventurous. A few items to note: (1) you must reserve a parking spot, and (2) pets are NOT allowed.

• Cost – Parking fee of $9 – $12 (for a normal car)
• Time – 1.5+ hours (depends on how much you want to hike)
• Pros – Trees were huge!
• Cons – The main trail can get quite busy and even though you reserve parking, it can be difficult to find a spot.

For our last day in San Francisco, we visited Fisherman’s Wharf. This is a very touristy area but it was perfect for kids! There are so many cool things to check out. You can easily spend an entire day walking around, eating, drinking and site-seeing. I have tried to add some of the favorites below.

Yosemite National Park, CA

Although I loved San Francisco, Yosemite was by far my favorite part of the trip. From start to finish, it was breathtaking.

Lodging: We stayed in Curry Village in a heated canvas tent. This is not for everyone – public bathrooms, no electric outlets, TVs or plumbing. You are provided with sheets, wool blankets, pillows and towels. Our tent had four cots outlining the perimeter of the interior with a small space in the middle. A food storage locker is located outside of the tent, and all food MUST be locked up. It is pure luck how loud your neighbors are (its canvas – so you can hear everything). It is also very dark at night so flashlights are a must. I chose Curry Village because of its proximity to food halls and trails. I felt very close to nature. Yosemite has various other options available, including cabins with bath, lodges and hotels.

Activities: There are numerous activities – all of which relate to nature, including hiking (varying degrees of difficulty), guided tours, biking, rock climbing, star-gazing, horseback riding, rafting and winter sports. We focused on hiking. There were varying degrees of trail difficulty so you are sure to find something for everyone. The pictures do not do it justice – every area of the park was overwhelmingly beautiful.

Food: Within the park itself, there are numerous food options, including fine dining, upscale dining, fast casual, etc. You can find various types of food. For example, there is a pizza place, grill, snack shop etc. Be sure to check the hours of each location before you go.

Getting Around: Once you are in the park, there is a free shuttle that comes around frequently that will take you to other areas of the park. This was very convenient and we were able to save our energy for the hikes.

Sonoma, CA

After all the hiking in Yosemite, we wanted to relax in wine country. We stayed at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. This hotel has so much to offer and the price reflects that. Unfortunately, we were only in Sonoma for one night so did not get to experience all of what it had to offer. Its a hotel that you want to sit down and savor – which is the opposite of what we were doing.

Our favorite winery was Benziger Family Winery, which produces wines using sustainable Biodynamic farming practices. I highly suggest the Biodynamic Tractor Tram Tour as you will learn all about the farming practices, and it includes a tasting.

Sonoma was probably my least favorite part of the trip. However, I was pregnant at the time so wasn’t able to thoroughly enjoy the experience. If you want a relaxing vacation, then Sonoma is perfect. I would suggest 3-4 days with no itinerary, etc. – just relax with no hurries.

We had an incredible time in CA! I cannot wait to go back. Do you have any suggestions for our next vacay?!