Day Trips Outside San Francisco
A day trip has to leave the city, not just cross a park; everything below is at least a short drive or a ferry ride from downtown, with real logistics attached.
Muir Woods and Sausalito, 45 minutes north
Muir Woods holds old-growth coastal redwoods up to 250 feet tall, some more than 800 years old. Every visitor arriving by car or shuttle now needs a pre-paid, timed reservation booked at gomuirwoods.com ; none are sold on site, and there is no cell signal at the grove to book one on arrival. A standard parking reservation runs $10, the shuttle from Larkspur or Sausalito runs $3.75 to $4.00 round trip, and entrance is $15 for anyone 16 or older. Pair the redwoods with lunch on Sausalito’s Bridgeway promenade before heading back.
Napa and Sonoma wine country, 50 to 65 miles north
Napa, along Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, is the grander and more expensive of the two, with tasting fees from $40 to $100-plus per winery at names like Robert Mondavi and Domaine Carneros. Sonoma, along Highway 12, is more relaxed and rustic, centered on Sonoma Plaza. Designate a driver or book a Napa Valley wine tour on GetYourGuide rather than driving between tastings.
Point Reyes National Seashore, 40 miles northwest
Dramatic coastal bluffs, a herd of tule elk at Tomales Point, and the historic Point Reyes Lighthouse make this a full but manageable day out via Highway 1 and Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. Check nps.gov/pore for lighthouse hours before you drive out, since stairs to the lookout close in high wind. Stop in the Tomales Bay towns for fresh oysters at Hog Island Oyster Co. before the drive back.
Monterey Bay and Carmel-by-the-Sea, a long day or better as an overnight
At 120 miles and roughly two to two and a half hours each way, Monterey works as a 12-hour day trip but rewards an overnight far more. The Monterey Bay Aquarium runs $65 to $70 adult, and the 17-Mile Drive through Pebble Beach charges a $12.50 vehicle fee, refundable with a $35-plus purchase at a Pebble Beach restaurant. Compare Monterey hotels on Booking.com if a same-day return starts to look too tight.
Berkeley, 25 minutes by BART
The closest of these trips: BART reaches Downtown Berkeley station from San Francisco in about 25 minutes. Walk the UC Berkeley campus, ride the $5 elevator to the top of Sather Tower, and eat in the Gourmet Ghetto around Cheese Board Collective.
The verdict
Muir Woods and Point Reyes both work without a car if you plan the shuttle or Highway 1 bus in advance; Napa and Monterey are far easier with one. For trips that stretch past a single day, see the multi-day trips guide .
Before you go
Book the Muir Woods reservation before anything else on this list; the parking and shuttle slots for weekend mornings in summer go first.