san francisco in july or august

i am trying to look for ideal locations to go on holiday this year with my wife for our first year anniversary...

san francisco has been mentioned. we are looking to go for anywhere from 7 days to 14.

can you suggest what we should see during that time? is there enough to do during that time? we are willing to hire a car and drive around. don%26#39;t really want to be lazing about. want to be out and about seeing what beauty the world offers. breathtaking natural beauty would be excellent!

i will leave this as is and will post follow up questions if required

san francisco in july or august

I encourage you to browse this forum for suggestions of what to see and do, etc. I see that you are considering the Grand Canyon as well. Are you more comfortable in an urban environment or ';out in nature';? I don%26#39;t know where you are from, though the term holiday sounds like UK. Europeans flock to the Southwest and love it because it is truly unique. There is plenty to see in that area alone, including Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley......Now if you like the city life, with plenty of natural beauty to be had nearby, then SF will work.

With 2 weeks, you could easily explore the city as well as other SOME potential sites like, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Big Sur, the wine country of Napa/Sonoma, Point Reyes, Mt. Tamalpais, and others. There is no way to do all of those with justice. You don%26#39;t need a car in SF. It is compact with good public transportation. You could rent a car top explore other areas for part of your trip, or book tours of specific areas.

I think it would be helpful for suggestions, to know your preferences. Maybe the forum members can help you decide which place to choose.

san francisco in july or august

yes we are from the uk.

although there is a slight interest in grand canyon, san francisco seems to be more the thing for us with it being a city and being able to combine that with plenty of natural beauty and also see plenty of culture.

i was also thinking about the yosemite national park. how far is that from san francisco? how many days would you recommend there? also, would you say one of the other locations you mentioned be a higher priority than yosemite in terms of it being a %26#39;must see%26#39;?

as you mentioned, i think we would be fine without a car in sf. we enjoy walking and from what i have read, we would be better off on foot anyway.

For Yosemite questions,

tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g61000-i315-Yosemi…

MacJack is very helpful and know SF well also.

Yosemite is about 4 hours east by auto. I would suggest a minimum of 3 days (2 nights) to scratch the surface.

If you enjoy wine, Napa Valley is a day trip.

For rugged coastline, a trip to Big Sur, south of SF.

Point Reyes, Mt Tamalpais, Muir Woods can all be done on a day trip. They are all north of SF

Tahoe is wonderful. It is about 4 hours east. They have casinos on the Nevada side of the lake. At least 1 night, better 2.

Mark Twain was not kidding when he said, ';The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.';

I love my city every month of the year, but for European visitors, August is a very deceptive month. Invariably tourists arrive with that California stereotype in their heads of beaches and sunshine. Please be aware that this is not what you will find in SF. On most summer days, the fog begins rolling in around 18h, bringing with it low temps and wind. It is still a great place to visit, but be prepared and pack warmly!

I have lived here in SF for 20 years and just want to echo some of the comments below...July and August tend to be foggy and feel cold so not the most pleasant time in the city itself for weather...but there is lots to do for a few days in the city and lots to do outside of the city like the wine country, marin forests. etc. -- a good jumping off place! The most important point is that SF is a microclimate.. its only foggy and damp in the city itself...drive 20 minutes and the sun will be shining--go to the wine country and it could be downright hot

girasol, thank you for all the advice. it%26#39;s of great help.

the day trip to the 3 places (north of sf) sounds great.

don%26#39;t drink so will give the wine trip a miss but might also have to check out the trip to tahoe.

also thanks for the information about the weather. nothing like being ill equipped for a break away!

Far be it from me to disagree with the local experts but I think we must have been lucky with the weather in SF. We%26#39;ve visited 3 times, each time in August (kids school holidays) and each time had fabulous weather. Many days would start out dull and misty but invariably the mist rolled away to leave clear blue skies and hot t-shirt/shorts temperatures in the afternoon (although it cooled down again in the evening). SF has so much to offer that if you want to take in sights/culture/great food/excellent days out you can easily stay there for at least a week and then venture further out. Yosemite is breathtaking and well worth a visit for a few days. You won%26#39;t need a car in the city (the public transport is excellent), but pick one up part way thro the holiday and travel over the bridge to Muir Woods and then venture further to Yosemite - I promise you won%26#39;t be disappointed.

Nibbles is correct. Don%26#39;t let the cool temps discourage you. You just need to bring layers, maybe sweatshirt, sweater, light jacket. The fog usually peels back in the afternoons and it becomes mild, except right at the coast (GG Bridge for example). As you venture inland, temps can rise as much as 40 degrees in an hour%26#39;s travel. No rain in July-Aug. Maybe thunder showers in the Sierra in the afternoon at times. As long as you are prepared, the chill of our summer fog will not be a problem, and for many people is a refreshing change from the summer heat elsewhere in the country. I imagine that you will be fine based on the type of weather you are used to in the UK.

muir woods seems to be a popular choice. i am really beginning to like the idea of going to sf. i initially thought there wasn%26#39;t much to do there in 7-14 days but there seems to be plenty.

yes, i don%26#39;t think the weather should be a problem. coming from the uk, we are more than used to such climate. would be nice to have some sunshine too while in sf.

what are the most romantic locations in sf or close by areas? nibbles, we are definitely looking at walking around, exploring, eating lots and spoiling ourselves. culture and other activities as well as seeing some of the natural beauty that sf and surrounding areas offer is a BIG bonus.

how hot do areas just outside of SF get around this time of the year? eg yosemite?

%26gt; san francisco has been mentioned . . . 7 days

%26gt; to 14. can you suggest what we should see

%26gt; during that time?

Sure can! The ';Don%26#39;t-miss sights in San Francisco'; page geocities.com/iconoc/Articles/Sights.html has enough to keep you busy for nine twelve-hour days.

The best on-line map of San Francisco is an inter-active PDF: geocities.com/iconoc/Grafix/MuniMap.gif. Click on it to get the *.PDF. I recommend 200-400% magnification. A creation of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, it includes all of its routes.

The frequently-updated SPECIAL EVENTS page has irregularly-scheduled music and dances as well as links to seven calendars of regularly-scheduled dances, a composite of five of them, and one of dance cruises and events around the world: geocities.com/dancefest/Specials.html#t