7 Days: San Francisco Plus NorCal

A full week runs the whole spine: Muir Woods, wine country, a car-free Berkeley day, Half Moon Bay, Point Reyes, and finally Monterey with Carmel and the 17-Mile Drive, the longest day trip of the six. This assumes San Francisco itself already has its own two days elsewhere; our city guide covers Alcatraz, the cable cars and the bridge. Only have six days? See the 6-day version , which drops Monterey entirely rather than rushing it.

Book these before you go

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.

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 . Book a tour if nobody’s staying 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 makes driving here a mistake.

Day 5: Half Moon Bay

Highway 1 south for 45 minutes, no useful transit. Mavericks is viewable from the cliffs roughly November through March, and the October pumpkin festival jams the tiny downtown if the dates catch you by surprise.

Day 6: Point Reyes

North across the bridge and up toward Point Reyes National Seashore, 1 to 1.5 hours out: tule elk, oyster farms around Tomales Bay, a genuinely quiet coastline. Check current Lighthouse and Chimney Rock road access on nps.gov before you go; the parking lot closes by 4pm regardless of season.

Day 7: Monterey, Carmel and the 17-Mile Drive

Start early. Call it two hours via 101/156/1, or 2.5 to 3 hours on the full coast road, and budget the whole day: the 17-Mile Drive gate fee runs about $12.50 a vehicle (reimbursed with a $35-plus restaurant purchase at a Pebble Beach resort), and entering the loop from the Pacific Grove or Carmel gate, not from Monterey, shortens the circuit. Carmel makes a good lunch stop; Cannery Row is worth 20 minutes and not much more. Return the rental that night, or the next morning before your flight.

Is Monterey doable as a day trip or does it need an overnight?

Doable, barely. Two hours each way plus the 17-Mile Drive and a Carmel lunch fills 10-11 hours door to door, honestly long for a single day. An overnight in Carmel is the better version if your schedule has any slack left by day seven; the day-trip version above works if it doesn’t.

What’s the smartest order for a full week outside the city?

Save Monterey for last. It’s the longest drive and the one day you don’t want to attempt on jet lag or a wine-country hangover, and returning the rental car right after means you’re not paying for an idle vehicle on your last night in San Francisco.

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
6 Point Reyes 37-63 miles / 1-1.5 hrs Free entry; car required
7 Monterey, Carmel, 17-Mile Drive ~120 miles / 2-3 hrs 17-Mile Drive $12.50/vehicle

Base yourself in one San Francisco hotel the whole week, ideally near a bridge on-ramp. Switching hotels mid-week costs more in packing time than it earns in scenery, and five of your seven days are spent driving out of the city anyway.