A unique fusion of East and West shapes the eclectic personality of San Francisco—inspiration to artists, authors and writers for over a century. So what is it that beckons visitors from around the world? Perhaps it’s the beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge, the mystery of Alcatraz Island, the lively activity of Fisherman’s Wharf, or the thrill of a cable car ride down a steep hill. Or maybe it’s the charming Italian-American community of North Beach, with its cabarets, jazz clubs, bakeries and delicatessens. It could be Chinatown’s exotic shops and food markets bustling with life along some of the oldest streets in San Francisco. Whatever it is, once you go, you’ll find you have to return soon to find where you left your heart.

The picturesque Wine Country region of Napa and Sonoma Valleys lets you taste, tour, and learn about the wine-making process firsthand. Spend the night at a peaceful inn or take a day trip from neighboring San Francisco. It’ll be a wonderful adventure you won’t soon forget.

Weather and Geography

San Francisco is surrounded by water on three sides and has a temperate, marine climate with consistently mild weather year-round, though Mark Twain famously quipped, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” While this may be an exaggeration, summer usually brings the heaviest fog mornings and evenings. Daytime temperatures are generally in the 60s in the summer, and the warmest time of year is generally in October, with temperatures in the 70s, sometime up into the 80s.

Just inland from San Francisco, the sunny Wine Country area also enjoys pleasant year-round daytime temperatures averaging in the low 60s in winter and the low 80s in summer.

Quick Facts

• The United States’ first Chinese immigrants came to San Francisco in 1848. The Hagiwara family invented fortune cookies at Golden Gate Park's Tea Garden.
  
  
• Union Square is the best shopping spot in San Francisco. Elegant boutiques, department stores, and galleries (one is housed in a Frank Lloyd Wright building) can be found on adjacent Maiden Lane.
  
  
• Napa and Sonoma wineries are in full production during the month of October, when grapes are at their best and being pressed.

Expert Travel Tips

• San Francisco was made for walking – bring comfortable shoes to explore the area. You’ll also want to dress in layers. The fog, especially prevalent in summer mornings and evenings, can be cold. Bring a coat in winter. Though it seldom snows, you will most likely be cold without one.
  
  
• Take a San Francisco Bay cruise departing from Fisherman’s Wharf. You’ll enjoy great views of San Francisco’s skyline, Alcatraz Island, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
  
  
• Go back in time to a more genteel era with a ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train. You’ll enjoy a scenic 3-hour gourmet dining excursion aboard restored 1915-1950 Pullman Dining and Lounge cars for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Find A Place To Stay

Be sure to add a Gray Line Sightseeing Tour of San Francisco or Wine Country to your vacation package.