5 Days: San Francisco Plus NorCal
Five days adds Half Moon Bay to the spine: Muir Woods, wine country, a car-free Berkeley day, then 45 minutes south on Highway 1 for tide pools and farm stands. This assumes San Francisco itself already has its own two days elsewhere; our city guide covers the landmarks properly. Want the shorter version? See the 4-day itinerary .
Book these before you go
- Muir Woods parking or shuttle reservation, book the moment your dates are fixed: gomuirwoods.com
- No car for the redwoods? A small-group tour with a ferry option: Muir Woods and Sausalito on GetYourGuide
- Wine country without driving yourself: Napa and Sonoma day tour
- Rental car for days two, three and five: Discover Cars, San Francisco
- Hotel for your five nights: check rates on Booking.com
Day 1: Land, settle in
BART into downtown from SFO runs about 25-30 minutes for $10-11, plus a roughly $5.51 airport surcharge. Get a Clipper card, drop your bags, keep it simple tonight.
Day 2: Muir Woods and Sausalito
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, about 17 miles and 30-35 minutes. Muir Woods needs the parking or shuttle reservation booked in advance, plus a separate $15-per-person entrance fee . Walk the main loop, then drop into Sausalito for lunch before crossing back ahead of evening traffic.
Day 3: Napa or Sonoma wine country
No train, no BART; 60 to 90 minutes each way, Napa generally the closer of the two. Tasting fees run $40-75 a person per winery and add up fast across three or four stops. Book a tour if nobody’s volunteering to stay sober.
Day 4: Berkeley, the day you don’t drive
BART gets you there in 25-30 minutes. Telegraph Avenue and Tilden Park fill the afternoon, and campus-adjacent parking is scarce enough that driving here is a genuine mistake.
Day 5: Half Moon Bay
Re-rent the car, or keep it from day three, and take Highway 1 south for 45 minutes; no useful transit runs there. Mavericks, the big-wave surf break, is viewable from the cliffs roughly November through March when a real swell hits, and the October pumpkin festival jams the tiny downtown if the dates catch you by surprise. Return the rental that evening.
Is Half Moon Bay worth a full day or just an afternoon?
Just an afternoon most of the year. Tide pools and farm stands are a half-day at most unless you land during the October pumpkin festival or a winter Mavericks swell, both worth building the whole day around. Otherwise, pair it with a late lunch and be back in the city by mid-afternoon.
Should day 5 be Half Moon Bay or a second wine country day?
Half Moon Bay, unless day three left you specifically wanting more of one appellation. Repeating wine country rarely beats seeing a fourth distinct landscape in a five-day trip, and Half Moon Bay is the only coastal stop on this spine so far.
The distances, side by side
| Day | Focus | Distance / drive time from SF | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival, settle in | 0 miles, in the city | BART from SFO $10-11 plus $5.51 airport surcharge |
| 2 | Muir Woods and Sausalito | ~17 miles / 30-35 min | $15/person entrance, $10 parking or $4 shuttle |
| 3 | Napa or Sonoma | 60-90 min | Tasting fees $40-75/winery |
| 4 | Berkeley | ~12 miles / 25-30 min by BART | BART fare only, no car needed |
| 5 | Half Moon Bay | ~30 miles / 45 min | Free to visit; car required |
Return the rental car the same evening you’re done with Half Moon Bay. There’s nothing left on this spine that needs one.