San Francisco, with room for a little wonder: bay walks, bookshops and Golden Gate days

San Francisco has a rather unfair advantage: even the journey to your next coffee can involve a cable car, a glimpse of blue water and a hill with an excellent sense of drama.

We would let it be a little distracting.

For a first visit, choose three different city moods: a delicious morning beside the bay, an afternoon of neighbourhood wandering, and a day with room for the Golden Gate. Add a bookshop, a bench and something you are very happy to eat. That is already a lovely beginning.

Three days, with room for a happy detour

These are three flexible routes you can move around your trip. Keep the outdoor day for the weather you like best, and check the opening calendar before building an afternoon around a museum. The city will still be there if you stop for a second coffee.

• Day one: the Ferry Building, the Embarcadero and an optional afternoon at SFMOMA.
• Day two: Chinatown, North Beach and a little cable-car theatre.
• Day three: Presidio Tunnel Tops, Crissy Field and your own version of a Golden Gate moment.

With one day, choose the waterfront and one neighbourhood, or give the whole afternoon to the Presidio. With two, keep your favourite city wander and the bay views. You can leave a few good reasons to come back.

Day one: let your appetite lead you to the bay

Start at the Ferry Building, where a clock tower makes a very handsome meeting point and the marketplace gives breakfast several competing ideas. Come when the shops you want are open: individual merchants keep their own hours.

Our vote would be to buy something you are really excited about, then find a place to enjoy it before making the next decision. A pastry can be breakfast. Bread and a few little picnic things can become lunch. You are on holiday; the meal categories may relax slightly.

If your visit falls on Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday, look at the Foodwise farmers-market calendar. Saturday brings the larger market; the weekday versions offer a smaller way to browse. The market and the permanent indoor shops are different parts of the experience, so check both before arriving with a very specific food mission.

Then take a stretch of the Embarcadero at your own pace. The pleasure is partly in giving the bay a little attention: a ferry pulling away, a gull with an extremely important appointment, the changing light on the water. You do not need to walk all the way to the next famous attraction for it to count.

Fancy an afternoon of art?

For a change of mood, make SFMOMA your afternoon anchor in SoMa. Travel there from the waterfront as a separate part of the day, with a lunch pause in between. We would choose a few galleries or an exhibition that appeals, rather than approach the building as an endurance event.

The museum lists free general admission for visitors aged 18 and younger; its family visitor information explains that they still need a ticket. Adults should check the current admission options and exhibition details. Give yourselves permission to leave while everyone still likes art.

Day two: lanterns, bookshop windows and a hill with a view

Begin around Dragon Gate and take a gentle wander into Chinatown. Grant Avenue provides the familiar gateway scene; allow time for the neighbouring streets and the everyday life around them too.

Choose somewhere for tea, a bakery stop or lunch, and let that be part of the visit. Ask what is available that day, order what appeals and sit down if you can. Looking up from a table can be a very pleasant way to meet a city.

From Chinatown, continue towards North Beach. This is a good afternoon for unhurried decisions: a bookshop browse, a café, perhaps a pause around Washington Square. We would leave a little space in the bag for the book you were absolutely not planning to buy.

City Lights is one of the neighbourhood’s literary landmarks. If a browse is on your wish list, check the bookstore’s own information before you go. There is no need to have a reading list prepared. Finding the unexpected thing is half the fun.

Make the cable car a small adventure of its own

San Francisco’s three cable-car lines follow different routes. The California line runs between California and Market and Van Ness Avenue; the two Powell lines head towards the Fisherman’s Wharf area. Choose the line that suits the next part of your day.

We would treat a ride as something to enjoy, with time to reach a stop and wait, rather than rely on it for a tight reservation. If you choose California Street, plan how you will reach it from your neighbourhood wander instead of assuming every cable car goes past the same sights.

A map can make these hills look remarkably innocent. It is perfectly reasonable to use a bus or another ride between the bits you want to explore. Save your wandering energy for the street that makes you smile.

Day three: a picnic, a little sea air and that bridge

Give the city a greener chapter at Presidio Tunnel Tops. The lawns, overlooks and bay views make an inviting start, whether your ideal morning involves a picnic blanket or simply somewhere lovely to stand with a warm drink.

Tunnel Tops is free to visit. Families can make room for the Outpost nature playground and Field Station; food vendors and activities have their own schedules, so check what is happening for your date. A child who discovers an excellent playground may have a different opinion about the rest of the itinerary.

From here, explore towards Crissy Field. The waterfront gives you beaches, marsh scenery and a promenade with Golden Gate views. Choose a manageable stretch and leave time to stop. We would happily trade another attraction for a bench facing that water.

Bring a layer you can put on when the breeze changes its mind. If the bridge is wrapped in fog, enjoy the little pieces that appear between the clouds; if it is clear, allow a few extra minutes for the entirely predictable number of photographs.

Would we walk across the Golden Gate Bridge?

Only if that is the part you are most excited about. Seeing it from the shoreline can be a lovely visit in itself. If you want to walk on the bridge, plan the journey to the south-end visitor area as another part of the outing, rather than assume you will casually reach it from every picnic spot.

The bridge’s official pedestrian guidance directs walkers to the east sidewalk and lists access hours and construction notices. Check it before setting off, and decide whether you want a short out-and-back or a longer crossing with a planned return. You can turn around when you have had your moment.

Where would we spend a little extra?

Choose the experience that adds something you would miss on your own: an exhibition you really want to see, a guided neighbourhood walk with a subject you love, or a trip onto the water. Read what is included and leave room around it. One well-chosen booking can give the day a lovely shape.

If Alcatraz is your must-do, give it a proper place in the plan. The National Park Service recommends advance ferry reservations and identifies Alcatraz City Cruises as the authorised ferry provider. Check the actual island visit and departure you want; a cruise past the island is a different experience from going ashore.

We would swap it into the itinerary instead of trying to tuck it between an art museum, a long lunch and a bridge crossing. Before paying, our booking checklist is a useful place to gather the departure point, cancellation terms and the details you do not want to hunt for later.

The little decisions that make the days easier

Keep the plan kind to the people taking the trip. That might mean a shorter walk, a longer lunch or admitting that nobody actually wants another museum today.

The official Muni fares page explains tickets, payment methods and the cable-car exception to free youth travel. Choose a pass for the journeys you expect to make. Check separate operators for any airport, regional train or ferry journey you add.

For the awkward hours around arrival and departure, use our guide to luggage storage before check-in. A final afternoon is much easier to enjoy when the suitcase has somewhere sensible to spend it.

The San Francisco we would leave room for

A bookshop visit that lasts longer than intended. A picnic assembled one delicious thing at a time. The moment the bridge comes back into view just as you have put the camera away.

Choose a few things you care about, then give them enough space to become memories. San Francisco can take care of a little of the surprise.