San Francisco area for 7 days: Recommendations?

Yes, the Carmel Mission, and the Persidio Cathedral are great (especially for photos). They both have more formal names but these will get you there. I think the Cathedral is the oldest continuous church in the US and was the first (the facade) architect designed building in CA. When you go to SF bring money.

http://www.sancarloscathedral.org/

http://www.carmelmission.org/
 
Since you are in Truckee, and want to camp, consider lake Tahoe for another day, for example Emerald-bay. Also Yosemite is rather close ...

Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Hearst Castle are missing from your list, when you talking Bay Area, and depending how much you want/can drive.

And the north of SF via Hwy 1, like Pt Reyes, Bodega Bay ("The Birds"), etc.,... Amazing country.

Roland.
 
First of all don't say San Fran or Frisco as we'll know you're not a local 🙂.

All kidding aside since you'll be in Truckee go straight to Mono Lake after and trek back towards the Bay to Yosemite via the Tioga Pass (Highway 120). One of the most beautiful drives you'll ever see & experience. From there you can hit Yosemite Valley if you wish. Plenty of campsites along the way. Plenty of SF/Bay folks here to give you additional recs I'm sure.
 
When I was out there my host took me to Big Basin State Park to see the redwoods there–it had been recommended to him as the best place for redwoods south of Humboldt. I really enjoyed it–the hiking was great and the forest was incredible, and I'm sure there's good camping around.
 
I think you might have to put Millbrae on the list of places to visit on the 11th (Just South of San Francisco) as some local RFFers are meeting another out-of-town visitor, Grainhound, for a beer and gear that evening I believe! We'd love to meet you as well.

Get together link.

Being as you'll be up in the Sierras you have to spend a little time at Lake Tahoe, one of my favorite places around. It's fun to take the Gondola to the top of the Heavenly Ski Resort to their observation platform, an incredible view and a fun place to bring lunch and just gawk at the wonder of it all.

Carmel is terrific (about 100 miles south of SF). Have you been to San Francisco itself? Lots to see and do in the City if you've never been.

Whatever you do, have a great trip!

Kent
 
I live in Santa Rosa, one hour notth of the Golden Gate, and I can reccomend Sonoma County for wine tasting, also the Armstrong Wood State Park in Guerneville. In the City, my favorite thing to do on a Sunday is morning services at Glide Memorial for a real San Francisco experience, whether or not you are religious, it's not to be missed. Walk across the Golden Bridge and back. The tourist information center is at Powell and Market, near the terminus of the Powell Street Cable car, below street level. Go see Union Square. While there, Go up the elevator in Macy's for a good high view of the square, and to see the Christmas department.
Go to the Ferry Building for the Saturday morning Market, Have a bite to eat, then take the ferry over to Sausalito, look around there, and ferry back.
Go up to Nob Hill on the California Street Cable Car (just across the Embarcadero from the Ferry Bldg. next to the Hyatt) and check out Grace Cathedral. I was there once by chance for Evensong which was amazing. just down the hill from the church, you'll find the Nob Hill Cafe, good italian food. Start lunch with the best bruschetta in the city (IMO).
Don't miss the Palace of the Legion of Honor. It's a fine art museum, and has great views of the GG Bridge.
I could go on like this forever about my favorite city in the US, but I'll leave it at that. BTW, The Bay Area has its own Michelin Guide now, so that could be your guide to best eats. I like the Fog City Diner down on the Embarcadero next the intersection with Bay St. Have FUN!!!
 
The City is a lot of fun for street shooting. Pick a neighborhood, and walk. Stay out of the Tenderloin after dark for just roaming around.

Marin, Sausalito, and Muir Woods are all on the other side of the Golden Gate... some good wandering around can happen there, too.
 
SanFran is *OK but Frisco is very no-no! Well, we just call it "the city" and really nothing else anyway. 😉

For non-touristy shopping, Valencia Street (parallel to Mission Street) and Hayes Valley could be good.

For touristy but nice photo opportunity, this particular vista point is great for Golden Gate Bridge. You cross the bridge from SF, then come around going under the overpass. Right before you get back on to the bridge, you can exit to right. If you go up the hill a bit, you'll get a small parking area, from there you can walk right up to the edge of the cliff where you can see the bridge from above. Very nice at sunset or after that, and not too many tourists. (can send you detailed direction if interested)

Muir Woods or Mt Tam could be a quick and easy hiking near the city. There are tour buses going to Yosemite as well, but I'd recommend at least a couple nights of stay to see the place so that could be a bit too much for this trip.

Unfortunately most of national park camping sites are all booked for the season. You might have a chance with state parks and private camp sites.

Food recommendation could be too hard without preferences, but try going outside of downtown touristy area. If you have any specific preferences, I'm sure we can give you recommendations. Food trucks (called Off the Grid, http://offthegridsf.com) could be fun for lunch.

For night entertainment Yoshi's could be fun. It's jazz a club/restaurant and often gets pretty good lineup through out the week. http://www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco

If you are into coffee, Blue Bottle and Four Barrel are my favorites tho there are many other local shops and roasters.
 
If you want a scenic ferry trip coupled with some hiking, Angel Island makes a nice day out.
It was the Ellis Island of the West - with some historic buildings to vist as well great views all around.
You can also camp there.
 
There is enough to do in the city for 7 days - one day for each neighborhood - The Castro, Chinatown, SOMA, Mission, North Point, etc. This spring I am taking a road trip to the Historical Route 49 plus Bodie in 7 days!
 
That's a good question. I know they used to (going out on the Blue & Gold boats) but I can't confirm that they do now. There are a number of Web sites that offer tour info but a quick scan of them didn't say - you would have to email one of them to see if they allowed them on their boats.
 
You have so little time...depends on how much driving you want to do. If you're driving north of the City, Point Reyes National Seashore is great for hiking. Mount Tam, Muir Woods are within the vicinity.

If you're driving south, Big Sur is also great for hiking. Monterey / Santa Cruz are excellent for hanging out. Lots of hiking opportunities on the coast, less crowded than the more well-known places.

You can also spend the whole time in the Sierra or the City. It's all good.
 
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