The Bay Area is one of the most beautiful places in this country (Leslie and Ashwin, obviously, aren’t biased). If you’re willing to take the time to create a little vacation for yourself, you will not be sorry. 

Below is a collection of our recommendations, along with our favorite things to do, eat, drink and more!

San Francisco

The magical city where we met — home to lovely parks, superb food, unforgiving hills, and thick fog.

Here are some basic things to know about what to do and how to get around the city:

Public Transport:  

The SF MUNI is one of the best ways to get around the city. You can hop on buses, streetcars or cable cars to get around. 

Fares costs $2.25 for a single ride, but you can also purchase visitor packages. 

Walking:

One of the most glorious things about San Francisco is that it is truly a walking city. You can experience almost all of this 7x7-mile city on foot. 

Car Services:

This is the town that invented the app-based car service, so you can always call a handy Uber or Lyft when you’re beat from walking up and down hills!

Explore:

Panhandle to Golden Gate Park

The panhandle is a small sliver of green space that feeds into one of the best urban parks in the country.

Once inside Golden Gate Park, you can explore the Conservatory of Flowers, go to the de Young Museum or the California Academy of Sciences.

Or you can walk to the end, and find yourself staring at the Pacific Ocean. Out there, you can snag a beer at the Beach Chalet to celebrate your walking efforts!

Downtown along the bay to North Beach

Start your journey by walking around the Ferry Building, and indulging yourself with some fresh fruit or veggies, oysters or a fancy piece of chocolate with a lovely glass of wine.

From there, walk along the Embarcadero to the Filbert Street Steps, and walk up to Coit Tower.

Then stroll down the other side of the hill to North Beach, an old Italian neighborhood where you’ll find good cafes and a landmark bookstore, City Lights.

Northern part of the city

Stroll along Crissy Field. Walk through the very pretty Marina neighborhood, and end up at an open space along the Bay where you can glance out at the Golden Gate Bridge and the boats sailing by.

Other Walks

Check out these sites for other suggestions for great walks around the city:

• Hidden SF
• Urban Hiker SF

Other fun things to do

Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge

Rent a bike and head over the bridge and down to Sausalito, and take the ferry back to the city.

Take a ferry to Alcatraz (book ASAP!), Angel Island or Alcatraz. The views from the bay are lovely!

Take the F line streetcar from the Castro all the way downtown and up around the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. The streetcars are antiques from around the world — very chic.

Check out Fisherman’s Wharf, get yourself some nice wine and a crabcake at Scoma's

Food + Drink

Here are some general sites that give fantastic food and drink recommendations:

• SF Eater
• SFoodie
• SF Gate Top 100 Restaurants

These are some our favorite restaurants:

• NOPA
• Delfina
• State Bird Provisions
• La Ciccia
• Zuni Cafe
• Beretta
• Foreign Cinema
• Mission Chinese Food
• Slanted Door
• Burma Superstar

These are some of our favorite watering holes:

• Magnolia Brewery
• 21st Amendment Brewery
• Bourbon + Branch
• Monk’s Kettle
• Martuni’s
• Doc’s Clock
• Rickhouse
• Vesuvio Cafe
• Presidio Social Club

And because Ashwin loves himself some Mexican food, here’s a separate list, dedicated to all things rice & beans:

• El Metate
• Nopalito
• Green Chile Kitchen
• Tacolicious
• La Taqueria
• Roosevelt Tamale Parlor

Sonoma (and Surrounding Areas)

One of the prettiest parts of the states, with iconic, rocky coasts; lovely open space; and, of course, world-famous wines.

Our reception will be a couple hours north of San Francisco, and the entire area around there is filled with wonderful natural landscapes and fun things to do.

Healdsburg is where our reception will be held. There is an abundance of great shops, restaurants and tasting rooms in the town.

If you want to explore Sonoma wineries but don't want to deal with the hubbub of central Sonoma or Napa, head just a bit north to the Dry Creek Valley near Healdsburg. Look online for more information, or check out 7x7’s guide and Sunset Magazine’s restaurant and winery planner for the area.

Drink

These are a few of wineries we think are worth visiting:

• Iron Horse
• Lynmar Estates
• Ridge Vineyards
• Paul Hobbs (reservation required)
• Quivira
• Russian River Brewing Company. Santa Rosa's famous (to beer nerds) brewery, home of strong, hoppy, tongue-tingling beers.

Hiking and Biking

There are several places to hike and bike in the area; let us know what you're in the mood for — hills, ocean, woods, easy, moderate, strenuous — and we'll be able to make some recommendations. Weekend Sherpa is also an excellent resource. 

• Mt. Tamalpais
• Muir Woods
• Armstrong Redwoods
• Foothill Park
• China Camp

Additional Attractions

• Calistoga Old Faithful Geyser. This is like less famous younger cousin of the one in Yellowstone.
• Mud baths. Relax at a spa near the hot springs, either at Roman Springs or Golden Haven.
• A history of “Peanuts.” The Charles M. Schulz museum is dedicated to the man who created Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
• Hot air balloon rides. Meets at Shed in Healdsburg. Fares include flight & gourmet brunch. Fees are $245 per person.

• Safari West. One of the few wildlife preserves in the area. The tour generally takes about three hours.

• Maize maze. Wander through a pumpkin patch in Healdsburg. (Another option is in Petaluma, a few towns to the south.)
• Wildflour Bread Bakery. This bakery makes amazing breads (get the sourdough sticky bun)! Walk through the garden and sit at a picnic table in the back and enjoy the sunshine.
• Healdsburg Golf Club at Tayman Park. A low-key 9-hole course.

• Windsor Golf Course, a former PGA tour course.

East Bay

The Brooklyn of the Bay — a lower-key part of the world.