Where to Stay in San Francisco (for First Timers)

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Where to Stay in San Francisco: The 4 Best Places to Stay

For this guide, we’re going to jump right into it, because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. 

Our philosophy when it comes to deciding on a place to stay is to first choose the neighborhood, then move on to finding a great hotel, hostel, or apartment in that area.

The reality is that, depending on what you’re looking for, there are other neighborhoods not included in this guide that might meet your needs. But these are the ones that we think are the best for 99% of travelers, and we’ve shown our work, doing our best to explain why we think that. 

In general terms, we think that the best places to stay are located within the “downtown core”, which we’re calling the triangle made up of the Financial District, Union Square, and Nob Hill. 

We’ve also included a neighborhood (really, a combination of a couple of adjacent neighborhoods) if you’re looking for a place to stay that has a bit more of a neighborhood feel.

The biggest problem with finding a place to stay in SF is the fact that, outside of that downtown core (and Fisherman’s Wharf), there really are very few hotels and guesthouses. The city has very much intentionally grouped hotels near Union Square, saving real estate in the rest of the city for residents. 

However, there are a few places that we’ll cover below where there are some good places to stay that will offer a less urban, more residential feeling, which is generally what we prefer when we’re traveling. 

For each of the neighborhoods below, we’ve created a structure to help you figure out if it’s the right home base for you.

Here’s what we’ll cover: 

• An overview of the neighborhood and our experience with it. We’ve personally been to and explored (more than once) all of the areas on this list, so we’ll try to give you a little bit of our perspective on what makes each area special. 
  
  
• Pros and cons of staying in this area. The things you need to know to make your decision. 
  
  
• Highlights of the neighborhood. Coffee shops, restaurants, parks, etc that we enjoyed, and think you probably will too.
  
  
• A collection of a few places to stay that stood out to us. Sometimes it’ll be because they have rooms with Golden Gate Bridge views, sometimes it’s the rooftop pool, sometimes it’s that the hotel offers a great value given the location.

Now, we’re well aware that a few of you are currently ready to throw your left shoe at the screen, saying “I don’t have time to read all of that, JUST TELL ME THE BEST PLACE TO STAY!” 

Well, here’s a quick summary of this guide if you’re short on time (though we’d recommend reading the section of the place you end up staying for tips and places to add to your list!). 

• Our overall top recommendation for visitors of all kinds is Nob Hill. We lived in Nob Hill for years before leaving San Francisco, and it’s our favorite part of the city. It also happens to be super central, full of good places to eat and drink, and has a couple of great hotel options. We’ve personally stayed at Petite Auberge on our first return to the city after moving away, and it’s a lovely French-themed B&B in a nice location near the bottom of the hill (they also have a sister hotel called the White Swan Inn a few doors down, which gets slightly better reviews). We also walked by the Stanford Court Hotel on California Street at the top of the hill on a daily basis for years, and were delighted to see that it recently got a full remodel (and is where we’d probably stay on our next trip). 
  
  
• If you’re on a budget, you’ll find a better selection of affordable options near Union Square. While it’s convenient in terms of location and the fact that it has the highest concentration of hotels in the city, the neighborhood itself sucks. It’s all chain stores and chain restaurants, and if you stay here, we’d advocate for spending as little time as humanly possible near the hotel, and as much time in literally any other part of the city (except maybe the Tenderloin). We love CitizenM hotels (and have stayed in multiple locations around the world), and would recommend their highly rated location in San Francisco (not great for families or those who want bigger rooms, though). 
  
  
• If you’re in San Francisco for business or you want to stay on the waterfront – known as the Embarcadero – stay in the Financial District. Walking the Embarcadero – the waterfront strip at the eastern edge of the city – is a must-do while you’re in San Francisco, and the Financial District is adjacent to it. FiDi itself isn’t particularly interesting (especially on the weekend, when it is DEAD), but the Embarcadero is excellent. If you want to stay on the waterfront, you have two options. 1 Hotel San Francisco is gorgeous, but trends towards the luxury end of the spectrum. The Harbor Court Hotel is in a similar location with a more affordable price tag. 
  
  
• If you want a more residential area where locals actually live, check out the area near Alamo Square. In the guide below, we’ve sort of smushed together a couple of adjacent neighborhoods to form one big strip between the downtown core and the residential neighborhoods near Golden Gate Park, and we think this would be a lovely home base for exploring the city. The biggest problem is that there aren’t that many places to stay. We’d look at either the Grove Inn, a guesthouse right off of Alamo Square (where you’ll find the Painted Ladies and all the beautiful Victorians and Edwardians), or the Hotel Kabuki in Japantown. 

Here’s a map of the areas we recommend so you can get a feel for how they fit together from a geographical perspective.

A brief note on Airbnb (and other vacation rentals) in San Francisco: Despite being headquartered in San Francisco, it is functionally illegal to rent out an entire house or apartment that you don’t live in for the majority of the time in SF. Which is why you will see very few offerings on the market, and those that do exist are often a private room. We could go on and on here about why you shouldn’t use Airbnb in cities with a tight housing market (so…all of them?), but the takeaway is to choose hotels in SF (because they’re really your only option).

Nob Hill: Our #1 Recommendation (Where We Lived)

Look, we should probably acknowledge the fact that we’re absolutely biased here. Alysha lived in Nob Hill when we met a decade ago, and a few years later when we decided to move in together, we moved into a tiny apartment in the heart of Nob Hill. 

The fact that Alysha chose to continue living in Nob Hill for a few more years should be as good a stamp of approval as you could possibly need. We lived here until we quit our jobs and moved out to bet it all on this travel website in early 2020 (WHOOPS). 

It’s central. It’s charming. It has tons of places to eat and drink. It’s a great place to live, and it will absolutely make a great home base for exploring the city. 

However, all that said, we also stay here when we return to SF, and absolutely stand by our recommendation based on our own experiences here as residents and visitors.

It is at the top of a hill, so take that into account if you have mobility issues. You can always call a Lyft or Uber to get around though. Parking is notoriously difficult, so it’s probably best to visit Nob Hill without a car if you can (you don’t need to rent a car in SF anyway).

Pros and Cons of Staying in Nob Hill

Here are the pros and cons of staying in Nob Hill as we see them as former Nob Hill residents and current tourists. 

Pros of Staying in Nob Hill

• It’s charming. Tree-lined streets (we particularly like Hyde Street, which is where we used to live and has the advantage of the cable car running along it), great views out over the city and the Bay, lots of activity at all hours. There’s a reason we chose to live in Nob Hill (which was a budgetary stretch for us and the tiny apartment we lived in didn’t have room for a dresser in the bedroom, but it was worth it!).
  
  
• It’s full of great places to eat and drink. This is probably the best part about Nob Hill. Between the options in the neighborhood along Polk and Hyde (and Bush) and the options in neighborhoods immediately adjacent to Nob Hill (Chinatown and North Beach), there is so much good food to be had here. 
  
  
• It’s central with good transit connections. While it’s not walkable to BART –  the Bay Area’s version of a subway – we don’t think that’s really super relevant if you’re going to be staying in SF anyway. Instead, we think the bus and cable car connections are the important things to look for, and Nob Hill has that. You can take the cable car down to the Embarcadero, Union Square, or Fisherman’s Wharf (both lines run right through Nob Hill), and there’s a ton of bus routes that will take you elsewhere (including a route up Van Ness that will take you to the Golden Gate Bridge). 

Cons of Staying in Nob Hill

• Parking is a nightmare. When we moved to Nob Hill, Matt got rid of his car because parking is just horrible. It’s dense, and there’s not nearly enough parking spots for the number of people that live here (not to mention visitors). PLUS there’s a time limit (two hours) on most parking in the neighborhood unless you have a residential parking permit. If you’re staying here and you have a car, plan on paying to park your car at the hotel. 
  
  
• …It’s a big hill. When people talk about the fact that San Francisco is a city full of hills, Nob Hill is usually the one they’re referring to. It’s nice to walk down the hill to, say, North Beach or the Embarcadero, but there’s no getting around the fact that, at some point, you’re going to have to go back up (and the Cable Car or the 1 – a bus route – are a good way to avoid walking). 
  
  
• Lack of options means it’s expensive. Nob Hill is fairly residential – at least as far as a central neighborhood in SF can be residential – and there really aren’t that many options in terms of places to stay. There are a few really good options that we’ll cover below, but they’re popular and you’ll want to book early. 

Nob Hill Highlights

Here are some of our favorite places in Nob Hill, in no particular order. 

• The view from the Alice Marble Tennis Courts: Right near the top of Lombard St on Hyde St, you’ll find one of our absolute favorite views in the city from a public tennis court (Matt used to play basketball here). You can find it here on Google Maps, and you can see out to the west to the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Bridge from here. 
  
  
• The view from the top of California Street: Another quintessential San Francisco view is the view from the top of California Street where it starts to head down the hill towards the Financial District and the Bay Bridge. Bonus Points if you get a cable car in the foreground. Here’s the spot on Google Maps. 
  
  
• The Coffee: Two of our favorite coffee shops in San Francisco are right here in Nob Hill. First is the Coffee Movement, which brings in specialty coffee from roasters all over the world (mostly light roast) and brews it perfectly (with fun specialty drinks too!). Second is Saint Frank, which is a roaster on Polk St that has more interior seating and a more traditional menu. 
  
  
• Upcider: A great cider bar with an unbelievable number of taps and bottles of cider available (food is NOT gluten free). 
  
  
• Bob’s Donuts: There are a lot of fancy, modern donut shops in SF, and this one is…not that. It’s a good old school donut shop in the sense that there’s a giant wall of donuts that cost less than $5 each, the interior looks like it’s straight out of a 90’s sitcom, and they have one of those drip coffee makers with a hot plate. However, I used to bring these into work for big meetings and random Fridays, and people would go CRAZY for them. NOT GLUTEN FREE. 
  
  
• The nightlife: There are a ton of great places for a night out in Nob Hill (in addition to Upcider above), and it depends on what you’re looking for. Go to the Tonga Room for tropical cocktails in a fun environment (it’s like a Rainforest Cafe in that it has over the top decor and it rains, but WAY better). For good cocktails, go to Hi-Lo Club on Polk. For a good vibe and cozy bar, head to Peacekeeper. For craft beer, go straight to Liquid Gold on Hyde St. For wine, Robberbaron is the spot. 

The Best Places to Stay in Nob Hill

There are a couple of places to stay in Nob Hill that we think you’ll like, but you’ll need to be prepared for the price tag. This is one of the nicest areas in the city, and the prices here reflect that. 

Petite Auberge: A French-Inspired B&B (Where We’ve Stayed)

After we moved out of the city, we decided to do a quick staycation and return to our old stomping grounds in Nob Hill.

We chose Petite Auberge because, along with the sister hotel next door – the White Swan Inn – it feels like the most charming hotel in the area.

In fact, it’s much closer to a bed & breakfast than a hotel. They describe it as part bed & breakfast, part boutique hotel, which seems accurate based on our experience.

The guesthouse sits in a nice spot on Bush Street, walkable to Polk Street and a bunch of great bars and restaurants, walkable to the Financial District and Ferry Building, and walkable to BART.

Next door is one of the best pizza spots in the city – Del Popolo – which actually does room service for Petite Auberge. Up the block on Bush is one of our favorite cocktail bars in the city, Peacekeeper.

The point is that the location is great.

But what about the rooms? They’re very French-feeling, with floral print wallpaper and wooden furniture. Some rooms have a fireplace, which we very much enjoyed. The rooms are fairly spacious too, which is surprising for a city like San Francisco, which is known for tiny apartments.

Like many buildings in San Francisco, the building is a little bit dated. You can hear the people above you (though, oddly, not next to you) as they move around, and the pipes are loud. But nothing too crazy at all.

The other thing that’s cool about this place is that there are various inclusions – breakfast with coffee from local roaster Equator Coffees and pastries, complimentary wine during happy hour in the afternoon, and tea, coffee, and bottled water available throughout the day. 

There’s a nice outdoor patio area where you can enjoy said complimentary beverages, though it was closed when we were there and we had to go to the White Swan Inn next door.

Parking is expensive, however, at $50+ a day (only valet available), so we’d recommend avoiding bringing a car here if you can.

The Stanford Court Hotel: A Mid-Range Hotel in a Perfect Location

We used to live about five blocks away from Stanford Court, a boutique hotel in Nob Hill, and I regularly walked by it on California Street on the way to catch the bus to work (or on the cable car!).

This is the best value hotel in San Francisco, at least in our opinion. 

The location couldn’t be better – it’s right on top of Nob Hill, and it’s right along California Street, one of the main thoroughfares to get downtown. The famous San Francisco cable car is quite literally outside the front door.

They took a break in 2020 and early 2021 to completely remodel the place, and it is looking fantastic. Rooms have modern amenities – including USB charging ports! – and all rooms have a mini-fridge in the room. 

Plus, you’ll have access to their fitness center (which is actually surprisingly nice with Peloton bikes), and you can rent real bikes for free (though, good luck riding them anywhere other than on top of Nob Hill).

You’ll have good coffee from Equator in your room, and tea from Mighty Leaf tea. Both of which are among the best coffee / tea options I’ve ever seen in a hotel room.

Last but not least, they allow pets. But there is a $50 pet fee, which includes a goodie bag with treats and toys for the pup.

White Swan Inn: Sister Property to Petite Auberge with an English Theme

The White Swan Inn is a sister hotel of Petite Auberge above. 

This place is right on the border of Nob Hill and Union Square on Bush Street, but we’re including it here mostly because it is much closer to the Nob Hill aesthetic than the one you find in Union Square. 

You’ll find a similar set of amenities here as you do at Petite Auberge: free Wifi, breakfast, evening wine, and in-room fireplaces. The amount of food that these two places give you for free is pretty awesome. 

The biggest difference between the two is that the White Swan Inn is English-inspired, rather than French. 

Holiday Inn Golden Gateway: The Best Value in Nob Hill

In terms of charm, the location of this Holiday Inn isn’t the greatest. 

It’s right on Van Ness, which is a major thoroughfare with multiple lanes that cuts through the city North/South (it’s also part of Highway 101). There’s not a tree in sight, and the walk along Van Ness is loud and full of fumes from the thousands of cars that pass by every single day. 

However, in terms of practicality, it honestly doesn’t get better than this. Being right on Van Ness means great bus connections to BART and other neighborhoods. Plus, it’s about a block from Polk and Hyde, two great stretches of places to eat, drink, and shop, and it’s walkable to Pacific Heights on the other side of Van Ness. 

For what it’s worth, my mom has stayed at this hotel before when she was visiting us in Nob Hill (our apartment was too small for visitors) and it’s a good value. 

Is it the sexiest hotel in San Francisco? Probably not. Is it a good, affordable (by San Francisco standards) hotel in a good location? Absolutely. 

They have a fitness center onsite, and have self-parking available for $40 a day (with in and out privileges), which makes this a good option if you have a car and you want to stay in Nob Hill. 

Bonus points for the fact that they do not have a “destination” or “amenity” fee here, so the price you see is the price you pay. 

Union Square: The Most Convenient Option for First Timers in SF

As we’ve gotten older and, crucially, more experienced as travelers, we’ve come to realize that neighborhoods like Union Square serve an important function for travelers. 

Sure, it’s not the coolest neighborhood in San Francisco (we’d argue that it actually might be dead last in that ranking), but sometimes you need something more convenient than trendy, especially for a shorter trip or a business trip. 

And that, my friends, is where Union Square comes into the picture. 

Union Square is basically the centerpoint of the city. It’s at the base of Nob Hill, and is roughly equidistant to the Mission District, North Beach, and the Embarcadero, and it has – by far – the best selection of hotels in San Francisco. 

However, it’s also full of chain stores and restaurants (this is where you’ll find the Cheesecake Factory and Macy’s, as an example), and there’s really no highlights to speak of (we’ve even omitted the “neighborhood highlights” section below because we truly have nothing to put in it). 

The best part about Union Square is that it’s easy to get to other parts of the city, and that’s why you would choose to stay here (along with the fact that it has a high concentration of hotels, including some relatively affordable options).  

One thing to know if you stay here: The infamous Tenderloin – which you’ve likely heard about – is immediately to the west of Union Square (we’d call the border somewhere around Jones Street). I used to walk to work through the Tenderloin on a daily basis, and though it’s not quite as bad as some news reports make it seem, it’s sad to see some of the mental illness and substance abuse on full display in parts of the neighborhood. We wouldn’t walk through the Tenderloin at night – just take a rideshare or taxi home if you have to go through it. 

Pros and Cons of Staying in Union Square

Here are the pros and cons of staying in Union Square as we see them. 

Pros of Staying in Union Square

• It’s as central as it gets. It’s a 5-10 minute walk (uphill) to the best parts of Nob Hill, and a short ride away from the Mission District, North Beach, and the Embarcadero. In terms of a good central location, it would be hard to beat. 
  
  
• Great public transit connections (including BART). That central location also means that Union Square has good connections to other parts of the city. There’s also a BART Station in the neighborhood (Powell Street Station), which will connect you to the Mission or to places in the East Bay or South Bay like the airport or Oakland. Speaking of the airport, if you fly into SFO, you can take BART to Powell and walk to your hotel from there, saving time (traffic to and from the airport at peak times is no joke) and money (it’s ~$10 one way, compared to ~$30-40 for a rideshare). 
  
  
• The best selection of hotels of all price ranges. Something we’ve noticed as visitors more recently is that there really aren’t a whole lot of hotels outside of the main tourist areas like Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf. Which is arguably good for residents, but makes it hard to find a place to stay in some of the city’s cooler neighborhoods. Union Square has the best selection of hotels of any neighborhood in SF, ranging from bougie luxury hotels to more affordable options. 

Cons of Staying in Union Square

• It’s lifeless and charmless. Other than MAYBE catching the Hyde Street Cable Car, there’s really no reason to come to Union Square. It’s exclusively a utilitarian choice thanks to its central location and good connections to the rest of the city, and we would advocate for not eating a single meal here. 
  
  
• It’s adjacent to the Tenderloin. As we mentioned above, the Tenderloin – San Francisco’s roughest area – is immediately to the west of Union Square. If you’re not used to seeing a visible homeless population, it will almost certainly make you uncomfortable. It’s something to be aware of, especially for families with kids. 

The Best Places to Stay in Union Square

Here are a few places to stay in Union Square that caught our eye. 

Generally speaking, we’re going to try to focus on hotels that are on the eastern end of the neighborhood, which is further away from the Tenderloin and closer to Nob Hill, the Financial District, and the Embarcadero. 

CitizenM San Francisco: Our Favorite Hotel Chain in the World

CitizenM Hotels are one of our favorite hotel chains in the world, and at the time of writing we’ve stayed at three different CitizenM locations around the world (London, Boston, and Seattle – though not at the San Francisco location…yet). 

This is our NUMBER ONE recommendation in Union Square, and it’s not close. 

We’ve recommended them in Seattle, among other places, and would recommend the CitizenM in Union Square here in San Francisco based on our experiences at their other locations. 

Which, spoiler alert, is their whole thing – every CitizenM room around the world is nearly identical, with a huge bed, blackout curtains, and a compact footprint. 

In a city full of expensive, old school, hotels, this is a nice, refreshing, modern change of pace that we very much appreciate.

They’re a Dutch hotel chain that has basically made staying in a hotel super easy and streamlined, with all the amenities that modern, younger travelers are looking for (USB charging, climate controls via iPad, and more) while simultaneously stripping out the unnecessary pieces (fluffy robes and slippers or sitting areas, for example) to offer a great value.

The other thing we like is that, in the interest of simplicity and ease, they’ve stripped away all the slightly different room types you find in most hotels (small vs. small deluxe vs. small deluxe with partial city view), and there’s exactly one room type available: a small room with a king bed.

Not ideal for groups who aren’t comfortable sleeping in the same bed (though, it’s probably about the same price to get one room here as it is to get two rooms at most other SF hotels), but perfect for couples and people who don’t mind sharing a bed.

It’s right in the heart of Union Square, a block from the cable car and Powell Street Station (where you can hop on BART to get to/ from the airport or Mission District), and walkable to the Financial District and Ferry Building.

Oh, and no silly “amenity” fees added on! No parking or pets, though. 

Hotel Emblem: A Stylish Hotel on the North Side of Union Square

We love the creative vibe of this hip hotel, from the writer’s alcove filled with books in the lobby, to eclectic guest rooms with unique artwork and unusual touches. 

You’ll have free WiFi in the rooms, a 55” flat screen TV, book butler, Bluetooth audio system, luxury bath amenities by ROIL and a Nespresso coffee and tea maker! 

Some rooms have additional accessibility for those with limited mobility, plus the hotel allows you to bring your pet with you for an additional charge of $75 per pet, per stay. 

If you plan to drive in San Francisco, valet parking is also available at a cost of $58 per night. So probably don’t stay here if you plan on having a car, or arrange for alternate parking at a nearby garage for your trip. 

There’s a $34 a day amenity fee, which is honestly absurd, but is a reality of hotels these days.

Keep that in mind when you’re looking at prices, because it can take things from “good deal” to “too expensive” really fast, and it’s better to know that you’re going to be hit with that fee ahead of time to avoid any unpleasant surprises. 

Palihotel San Francisco: A Beautiful Hotel on the Border with Nob Hill and FiDi

The gorgeous Palihotel San Francisco is on the border between Union Square, Nob Hill, and the Financial District, and offers great access to all three. Plus, it’s a few blocks from Chinatown, which is well worth exploring.

The hotel, set inside a charming, historic building, has 82 king and queen rooms, a full service restaurant, bar and lounge. 

Guest rooms feature exposed painted brick walls, Smeg fridges, minibars, 43” HDTV’s, custom bath products and work spaces. They are comfortable and stylish, offering en-suite facilities and a spacious space to relax in after a day of exploring San Francisco.

If you’re traveling to San Francisco with a car, you can self-park at Palihotel for $45 per night (which is honestly relatively affordable) and bring your dog with you for an additional charge of $100 per pet, per stay (though they have to be 30lbs or less).

NoPa, Alamo Square, & Japantown: Where to Stay for a More Local Feel

So we’re grouping a bunch of different distinct neighborhoods here because, for the most part, they offer a very similar vibe, they’re adjacent to each other, and they collectively offer an alternative to the very urban feel of the previous neighborhoods we’ve talked about so far. 

The main reason is that there are very few places to stay in this part of the city – which is a strip of land west of the downtown core of Union Square, Nob Hill, and the Financial District – and it doesn’t make sense to have a separate section for each area when there’s one or two places to stay. 

If you’re looking for a more local vibe, where it’s more residential and you’re more likely to get caught up in the day-to-day life of a resident of San Francisco, this is the best place to stay. 

The disadvantage is, of course, location, but we’d argue that the location here is still pretty good – albeit a little less convenient for places like North Beach and the Embarcadero – because of the proximity to Golden Gate Park, the Richmond, and the Sunset. 

If you’re looking at a map, when we’re talking about this area, we’re essentially talking about the area between Divisadero Street and Filmore Street – two of the best stretches in the entire city when it comes to food, drinks, and shopping – from the Panhandle at the southern end to California Street at the northern end.  

This area is much more residential, with the beautiful Victorian architecture that has become synonymous with San Francisco thanks to the Painted Ladies in the opening shots of Full House.

However, those bustling thoroughfares – Divisadero and Filmore – are where you’ll find a lot of great places to eat, drink, and shop. 

Add in a couple of great parks – Alamo Square and Lafayette Park are our favorites – and the proximity to Golden Gate Park, and you’ve got yourself an ideal home base for exploring the city. 

Pros and Cons of Staying in NoPa / Alamo Square / Japantown 

Here are the pros and cons of staying in this more residential area as we see them.

Pros of Staying in NoPa / Alamo Square / Japantown

• The green spaces. We love a good urban green space, and this area has TONS of them. Between Alamo Square – home of the Painted Ladies – and Lafayette Park (our former local park) – you’ve got a couple of great options right outside your front door. Then, a 5-10 walk away is the Panhandle and Golden Gate Park, the best urban park in the country (Matt lived a block away for several years, and it helped him finally enjoy the long walks that Alysha dragged him on every Sunday morning). 
  
  
• The plethora of food/drink/shopping options on Fillmore and Divisadero. As we’ll cover in the highlights section below, there is no shortage of great places to eat, drink, and browse here. 
  
  
• The proximity to the coast and Golden Gate Bridge. Don’t get us wrong – it’s still a journey to get from here to the coast. But it is absolutely a faster, more direct journey than, say, from Union Square, which will take 15-20 minutes longer. And we definitely think a key part of your San Francisco itinerary is seeing Ocean Beach, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the stretch of coast in between (which is known as the Lands End Trail). 

Cons of Staying in NoPa / Alamo Square / Japantown

• It’s not as central as the pieces of the downtown core. It’s going to take longer to get to the Embarcadero, Mission, and North Beach. Basically, the pro of being close to the park and coast is offset by the con of being further from everywhere else. 
  
   
• There are far fewer places to stay (especially GOOD places to stay). This is a much more residential area, which means fewer hotels and guesthouses to choose from. 

Alamo Square / Japantown Highlights

Here are a few places in the neighborhood that we like, and think you will too. 

• Nopalito: One of our favorites, Nopalito is a Mexican restaurant that has plenty of gluten free options and good cocktails. Get the pozole if it’s on the menu (and it’s a little chilly). 
  
  
• 4505 Burgers and BBQ: A good barbecue spot right on Divisadero with a nice little outdoor seating area. 
  
  
• B Patisserie: Somewhere in the running for the best bakery in San Francisco (NOT GLUTEN FREE), go early for their best selection of pastries, including the ever-popular Kouign Amann. 
  
  
• Roam Burger: One of our favorite spots when we lived in the city, we would walk to Filmore to eat here (they have gluten free buns, but toast and prepare them in the same spaces so you should ask them not to toast it – fryer is gluten free, last time I checked). Good burgers with fun, creative toppings, and great sweet potato fries. 
  
  
• Oaktown Spice Shop: We love this spice shop, but have only been to their locations over in the East Bay in the past. Now they have a location right on Fillmore, which is great! Good place to get hard-to-find spices and things like chiles for homemade salsas. 
  
  
• Brenda’s Meat and Three: A famous southern spot with a location in the Tenderloin with lines around the block, this location on Divisadero Street is much more low key (though still popular) and offers a very similar menu. Beignets are the star of the show here, with a variety of different flavors happening. They also have creative breakfast sandwiches for $5 on weekday mornings, which are a steal of a deal. NOT GLUTEN FREE (but we used to bring visitors here). 

The Best Places to Stay in NoPa / Alamo Square / Japantown 

Here are a few places to stay that stand out to us. 

The Grove Inn: A Reasonably Priced Guesthouse on Alamo Square

The Grove Inn, which is literally a block away from the Painted Ladies, is one of a few hotels here that is worthwhile. It’s quiet, clean, and central.

You’ll be smack dab in the middle of Hayes Valley, the Fillmore District, and NOPA, which is a great place to be. Rooms are simple and spacious, and there are a variety of configurations and sizes depending on what your group looks like.

Some of the rooms have bay windows, which will bring in more natural light. 

One thing to know here is that they do not have parking, which means you’ll be braving the street parking (which has a two hour limit unless you have a residential permit and is very competitive regardless) or parking in a garage nearby. 

It’s also not pet-friendly. 

Hotel Kabuki: A Charming Hotel in Japantown with Nice Amenities

This charming hotel – which my mom has actually stayed at when she visited us a few years ago – is located right in Japantown, which is a nice part of town to be in because it’s fairly residential, but has connections to other parts of the city thanks to express buses running up and down Geary Blvd. 

They have a range of room options, from the traditional single king or two doubles, to rooms with balconies and city views and a little more space to spread out. All are bright, with nice big windows and clean, modern design elements. 

They have a big gym as far as hotel gyms go, with free weights and Peloton bikes. 

However, they also charge an amenity fee of $35 a day, so factor that into your budget. 

They welcome dogs under 30 pounds (for a $100 fee), and they have onsite parking in the small outdoor lot next to the hotel for $45 a day, or in a nearby garage for $29 a day (but no in/out privileges). 

Kimpton Hotel Enso: A Solid Mid-Range Option in Japantown

This Kimpton location is also right in Japantown, a few blocks from the hotel above, so it shares a lot of the same location benefits. 

Rooms are fairly basic as far as decor goes, but they’re spacious and comfortable, with your usual configurations like a single king bed or two queen beds. Some rooms have city views, balconies, or a private patio off of the courtyard. 

We said the design is basic, but we will admit that we were drooling over the green tile they use in their showers (we’re big suckers for colored tile, and are in the planning phase of a bathroom remodel). 

In terms of amenities, they have a fitness center, a big communal courtyard, and a hosted wine hour every afternoon with complimentary refreshments.

We do like that their pricing is transparent, with no SURPRISE hidden “amenity” or “resort” fees tacked on at the last minute – it’s all included in the room rate. 

Pets are allowed without an extra fee, and self-parking is available onsite for $49 a day. 

The Financial District / Embarcadero: Business Travelers and Waterfront Views

We have mixed feelings about staying in San Francisco’s Financial District. On the one hand, it’s a convenient location that will put you within walking distance of a few key landmarks – like the Ferry Building, the Embarcadero, and even Oracle Park (home of the San Francisco Giants). 

Not to mention the fact that it’s adjacent to North Beach and Nob Hill, where you’ll find great places to eat and drink. 

However, the main downside is that on the weekends, it is DEAD. Businesses are closed, the streets are eerily deserted, and there’s just not a whole lot going on. And chances are if you’re a tourist, you’re visiting San Francisco on a weekend. 

The main advantage is absolutely the location – which is good, and offers connections to the rest of the city via the cable car, buses, streetcars, and BART stops in the neighborhood. 

Plus, it’s nice to be within a few blocks of the Embarcadero, the waterfront stretch that runs along the San Francisco Bay under the Bay Bridge, and is one of the most beautiful parts of the city. 

Pros and Cons of Staying in the Financial District (& the Embarcadero)

Here are the pros and cons of staying in FiDi as we see them. 

Pros of Staying in the Financial District 

• The Ferry Building is AWESOME. Despite being a major tourist attraction, this is a place that we would absolutely come to as residents. We would often roll out of bed and make the trip down the hill from our apartment in Nob Hill to the Ferry Building Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. Inside, there are a bunch of local vendors from cheese to ice cream to coffee (and the best gluten free bakery in SF – Mariposa – which is a staple of our gluten free guide to San Francisco), and it’s a fun place to browse. 
  
  
• Walking Distance to Nob Hill, North Beach, and the Embarcadero. And Soma and Oracle Park, where the Giants play. It’s a nice central location, and you’ll be able to walk a lot of places. 
  
  
• Good transit connections. It should come as no surprise that a central business district has really good public transit connections. You’ll have easy access to buses to other parts of the city, BART to get to the Mission (or East Bay or South Bay, if you need), and Cable Cars and Streetcars to get elsewhere. 

Cons of Staying in the Financial District

• It’s DEAD on the weekends (outside of the Embarcadero). Outside of the working hours (and the hours on either end of them), the Financial District is DEAD. Which is not surprising since it’s primarily a place for business, but is something to keep in mind. You’ll find that some places are closed on weekends because the demand just isn’t there to justify being open. 
  
  
• It’s about as far as you can be from Golden Gate Park and the Bridge. Which isn’t the end of the world, especially if you plan to do them at the same time, but is something to know.
  
  
• There are no residents here, so there’s no “local vibe” to speak of. This may or may not be something you care about, but we generally like to stay in a place where real people actually live so that we can get a brief taste of local life. However, you might also not care and just want a central, convenient place to stay. 
  
  
• The hotel options lean expensive. Another fact that’s probably not all that surprising given that this area caters to business travelers, but the hotels here all lean towards the luxury end of the spectrum. 

Financial District (& Embarcadero) Highlights

Here are some places in the Financial District or on the Embarcadero that we enjoy. 

• The Ferry Building: We already kind of covered this, but this is a must-do while you’re in San Francisco (especially on Saturday morning when the Farmers Market is happening). A few highlights for us from the permanent vendors: Heath Ceramics (we have plates and mugs from them, which are made right in the Bay Area), Mariposa Baking Company (the best gluten free bakery in the city), Humphry Slocombe for creative ice cream flavors. But there are new vendors every time we come back, so best to walk around and see for yourself!
  
  
• Kokkari: A very nice place for lunch or dinner that serves Greek food. This was on Alysha’s food bucket list of places to return to one last time that we put together when we left the city behind. Get the Saghanaki – a pan-fried squeaky cheese – and thank us later. Make a reservation because it’s popular. 
  
  
• Asha Tea House: Alysha’s favorite tea spot in the Financial District.
  
  
• The view from Pier 7: This is one of my favorite views in San Francisco. Looking out towards the bay, you have Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge. Looking back towards the city, you have the skyline (including the TransAmerica Pyramid). You can find it here on Google Maps. 

The Best Places to Stay in the Financial District

Here are a few places to stay in the Financial District that stood out to us. 

The first two options are on the Embarcadero, next to the Ferry Building, where you’ll be right along the water (which we’re into). 

1 Hotel San Francisco: A Luxury Hotel Option on the Embarcadero

Located right on the water, this luxury hotel is probably our top pick in this area, though it is a bit of a splurge (even by San Francisco standards). 

The rooms are all bright and full of light, and are relatively big as far as hotel rooms go.

There are a lot of choices here, ranging from a traditional king room to a two queen room, with some rooms facing the city side and some facing the water side of the hotel (the latter comes with an extra charge, as you might have guessed). 

They also have some less traditional room types, like their suites with more seating area, and their suites with a private terrace that has a view of the Ferry Building. 

The one thing we don’t like is that they charge a $45 a day amenity fee, which covers things like access to the gym, the use of free bikes and a courtesy shuttle, and…filtered water? 

We’d love for them to just include it in the room price instead of doing this bait-and-switch, but it’s something you should know going in so you can add it to the budget. 

Pets are allowed (with no added fee!). Parking is valet only and costs $75 a day (with in and out privileges). 

Harbor Court Hotel: A More Affordable Waterfront Option

If you’re looking for a slightly more affordable stay right on the Embarcadero, this charming mid-range hotel just down the street is a good option. 

It’s not as pretty as the other two options in the neighborhood, but the prices reflect that (remember the context that it’s still San Francisco’s Financial District). And the location is equally good! 

Rooms here are significantly more compact than other hotels in the area, but they have everything you need for a comfortable few nights.

One thing to know is that they don’t have rooms with two beds, so if you aren’t comfortable sleeping in the same bed as your travel companion OR you’re traveling with a small group and need space for three or four people, this probably isn’t the place for you. 

They do charge an amenity fee of $34.35 (plus tax) that covers access to their gym and use of the hotel’s bikes, continental breakfast, and light refreshments during their afternoon wine hour. 

They have onsite valet parking for $70 a night (with in and out privileges), and allow pets (with a $100 fee per stay). 

The Jay, Autograph Collection: A Brand New Boutique Hotel with Huge Rooms

At first, we took a surface level look at this boutique hotel in the heart of the Financial District and said something like “looks nice, but the prices seem high” (which is something we said about every hotel here, to be fair). 

However, after our second pass at choosing hotels for this guide, we realized that the rooms here are HUGE, which at least partially explains the price. We’re talking over 400 square feet, which is roughly double the average hotel room size (more than double for some of the more modern hotels on this list). 

The rooms – did we mention that they’re huge? – come in a variety of configurations with one or two beds, and no view, a skyline view, or a view out over the Bay. 

They also have suites, which are slightly bigger and closer to a one bedroom apartment (without a full kitchen, though). 

Yes, prices are high, but one thing we are impressed by is the fact that there’s no “resort” or amenity fee that gets added on sneakily at the end (and you still have access to amenities like a gym). 

Pets are welcome, though it costs $125 per pet per stay, which comes with a nice little welcome basket with a dish, treats, and bed. 

They do have valet parking available, but it’s a whopping $82 a night. Best to stay elsewhere (or park at a nearby garage) if you’re coming with a car (which we wouldn’t recommend anyway). 

Where NOT to Stay in San Francisco

While the neighborhoods above are the places we would recommend staying, we also wanted to cover a few neighborhoods that we’d avoid for one reason or another. 

Fisherman’s Wharf: Fisherman’s Wharf is sort of like Union Square in the sense that it’s a neighborhood that’s basically geared entirely to tourists (we can count on one hand the number of times we went to Fisherman’s Wharf when we lived in SF), but it has one important difference: it’s a FAR less convenient location. Which is why we wouldn’t stay here. Visit (maybe) for part of a day, get chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, check out the sea lions, go out to Alcatraz, and call it a day (and stay elsewhere). 

The Tenderloin (and Civic Center): The Tenderloin is the one neighborhood in San Francisco that we avoid if possible, though it is worth noting that I (Matt, which is important) walked along the edge of the Tenderloin for several years to and from work and never really felt unsafe (but I’m also a white man of above average height who’s used to being in cities, which definitely plays a part). Aside from the fact that there’s really no good hotels in the Tenderloin, it just wouldn’t be a comfortable place to stay for a wide variety of reasons. 

The Mission District: Look, we love the Mission, and would spend as much time as you can afford exploring it when you’re in town. It’s probably the single best food and drink neighborhood in SF, and there’s plenty to do and see (and eat and drink) to fill the better part of a day on your visit. However, it’s not a good place to stay because there’s…nowhere to stay. It’s very residential, and it’s perhaps the most heavily gentrified area in San Francisco. Visit (often), but stay elsewhere. 

The Castro: We love the Castro – it has some great parks, places to eat and drink, and going to a Moana singalong with friends at the Castro Theater is among my (Matt again!) favorite experiences of my time in San Francisco. However, once again, it’s very residential, and there are exactly two hotels or guesthouses that I know of in the neighborhood.

The Richmond or Sunset: Too far. That’s the single reason why we wouldn’t recommend staying in either the Richmond or Sunset, which straddle Golden Gate Park on its northern and southern edges. We both lived in the Richmond at separate times, and joke that it actually takes longer to go from the Richmond to the Financial District than from our apartment in Nob Hill to Oakland. Both are lovely places to explore – particularly the Inner Richmond along Clement Street and Geary Blvd – but not a good place to stay. 

North Beach: Another neighborhood we’re into! North Beach is at the northeastern tip of the peninsula that San Francisco occupies in the San Francisco Bay, and is a historically Italian neighborhood. And the location here is actually really good, adjacent to the Embarcadero, Nob Hill, and FiDi. However, it is a very popular area for nightlife, and the few hotels in North Beach are either poorly reviewed OR right next to key nightlife spots where reviews mention the noise. Another great place to visit, but we wouldn’t stay here. 

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