Advice for our 3 night stop over as part of our honeymoon

Hi all

I%26#39;m hoping you can help me out please with some tips and advice.

We are flying over to California for our honeymoon 20 days we have here.

Our first stop is SF we have a reservation at Handlery union square hotel. Got a club king for $646 with taxes 3 nights June 25-28th.

I%26#39;m not picking upour hire car till june the 28th as i%26#39;m told there%26#39;s no need for one in Sf and parking is a pain. The car pick up depto is around union square which will be handy for us.

We land around 3pm usa time. First question how and whats the best way to get to my hotel? Can i just grab a mini van or something i hear thats cheaper than a taxi?

Plans we have to see while we%26#39;re in SF: -

2 whole days and 3 nights

Alcatraz is a must! I know i%26#39;m best to book tickets in advance but what about a ferry to get over there can someone tell me what ferry i need to get there please? We%26#39;re allowing a morning for Alcatraz3/4 hours.

The golden gate bridge, Read you can cycle across it and catch a ferry back is it worth doing and whats the best time to do it?

Lombard street i just can%26#39;t picture how crooked this street is !

Fishermans walk Whats the best time to see this around the evening time?

China town is it safe to walk around there i was told it%26#39;s not at night?

Of course we%26#39;ll be doing shopping as well :)

So what else is a must do and wil i have time to do more things?Is there any good buffet dinners? if so where about please?

Also what sort or transport pass am i best getting and where from?

I%26#39;d really appreciate your help, tips, and advice please to make this a wonderful honeymoon for us both.

Thank you

Scott.

Advice for our 3 night stop over as part of our honeymoon

First, congratulations.

1) For Alcatraz, there is only one approved vendor that goes there.

This is Hornblower and the web site to check is:

http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

Note: You will see other combo tours from other operators, however, they all need to use the Hornblower if on a tour to get to Alcatraz.

Biking across the Golden Gate is quite popular. Hopefully the sun is up, the wind is not blowing much, and you can see the top of the Golden Gate Bridge (i.e. sometimes its so foggy you can%26#39;t see the top.) On sunny days its a perfect outing!

Chinatown is fine to walk around - we do it regularly. If you%26#39;re not used to walking around in a similar atmosphere, it can seem ';different'; to you, however overall its fine to walk around in. Most stores, etc. close by 9 or 10, so after that its better to be doing something else anyway given your time in San Francisco.

You might want to time it to have an 11:00 dim sum lunch if you%26#39;d feel better seeing it in the day.

Fisherman Wharf closes up by 8:00 p.m. or so ---especially mid week, so I%26#39;d try to time it for the day or early evening.

Super Shuttle or other van is fine to go from the airport. There is also BART into San Francisco (depends how much luggage you have).

To help you structure your days a bit with the things you want to see:

Day One:

Take the Cable Car Tour - this will help give you the ';lay of the land';

2 1/2 hours - departs from Fisherman Wharf at 10:00 back by 12:30.

Grab a bite to eat at Fisherman Wharf - possibly at Boudins.

Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Watch the bakers as they make the bread.

http://www.boudinbakery.com/

After lunch, rent some bikes and bike across the Golden Gate to Sausalito, take the ferry back.

Enjoy Fisherman Wharf, and Pier 39.

Go to dinner (price range?). at one of San Francisco nice restaurants around the Union Square Area.

Return to the hotel.

Day Two:

Dim sum lunch in Chinatown - wander around Chinatown...

possibly take the walking tour if you%26#39;d feel ';safer'; in a group.

Also you%26#39;ll get to try more different kinds of dim sum in a group...

allaboutchinatown.com/tour_info/tour_highlig…

10:00 - 1:00 PM

See Lombard Street

Do some shopping in Union Square

Take late afternoon tour to Alacatraz:

http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

Enjoy dinner somewhere in Union Square and enjoy some night life.

Advice for our 3 night stop over as part of our honeymoon

What can i say mini thats post was so very very helpfull. Thanking you so much for taking your time to post it.

The break down of the days are great and have given us a great idea in fact theres a good chance will do that plan while we%26#39;re there.

Couple more questions which hopefully you maybe albe to help me out on please.

What ferry and where do i catch it do i need for Alcatraz?, and do i need to prebook the ferry or can i just turn up on the day?

Also i%26#39;m booking my car and it says i can get one from Union square with no one way rental charge. I did a quick search on maps.google.com just to see how far from my hotel union square was i know its close.

But it gave me direction to San Francisco Terrace Fremont, CA 94538 ????

I%26#39;m panicing that the car might not be at the union square where i thought it was? Is there no car depto%26#39;s around there?

Thanks

Scott

* ';What ferry and where do i catch it do i need for Alcatraz?, and do i need to prebook the ferry or can i just turn up on the day?'; *

The ferry dock is at Pier 33 at the foot of Bay Street, a few steps from the heart of Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf.

Alcatraz is one of the most popular activities in S.F. In June, you MUST make reservations or else risk not being able to go. Reservations are available now for June.

When you buy your ticket from the site mini mentioned (http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/ ) it includes the ferry ride back and forth to Alcatraz. The website has a lot of interesting information about the tours and trip planning.

As far as the car rental, I would call or e-mail the local agency directly and ask them specific questions about where they are located. We are renting from Enterprise 1133 Van Ness, (415)441-3369 near Union Sq. if that helps at all.

There is a free Chinatown walking tour through www.sfcityguides.org. Check out that website too. They offer a lot of different free tours which may give you some other ideas of places to visit.

Congratulations! Have fun planning!!!!

One other suggestion I forgot to add for a night time activity-Beach Blanket Babylon (www.beachblanketbabylon.com). We are planning to see the show during our anniversary trip. I read lots of rave reviews and it seems like the show is a celebrated part of the San Francisco experience. Tickets should be purchased in advance if you decide to go since it is a very popular show.

matrixsc writes%26gt;%26gt;....But it gave me direction to San Francisco Terrace Fremont, CA 94538 ????....%26lt;%26lt;

You definitely got a bum steer here, as Fremont is a geographically separate city from San Francisco, is all the way across the Bay, a 45 minute ride on BART. Try contacting your hotel and seeing if they either have a rental car company ';desk'; in their lobby or who they generally direct their guests to (this is hardly an original request for the hotel). Check their pricing and compare it to the numbers you grind out of some car rental company%26#39;s website and decide whether the savings is worth the hassle.

jeffysgirl writes%26gt;%26gt;....We are renting from Enterprise 1133 Van Ness, (415)441-3369 near Union Sq. if that helps at all....%26lt;%26lt;

';Near'; is relative -- that%26#39;s only 8 blocks away from Union Square, but those are ';long'; blocks, translating to 3/4%26#39;s of a mile. Enterprise adds an additional dimension to the hassle factor equation -- they%26#39;ll send a car and driver to wherever you%26#39;re located, but the driver doesn%26#39;t just give you the car. Instead they transport you to the Enterprise office where you complete the paperwork and are given your car. When you return your car the process goes in reverse with you returning your car to the Enterprise office, completing paperwork, and then being driven back to whereever you%26#39;re staying. If things all line up it%26#39;s fast and efficient, but you have an equal chance of things not clicking, and you ending up waiting for a driver, a line in the office (they seem hugely inefficent compared to an airport rental desk), your car needing cleaning, etc. All this is time away from what you want to be doing on your vacation, as the Enterprise offices aren%26#39;t particularly scenic or amusing.

One thing to note about Enterprise. When I called the office I was told that they would reimburse up to I believe $8. for a taxi ride. Maybe you can find a closer rental agency though.

Another suggestion is www.sanfranshuttletours.com. You can fit in a lot of sights as well as a boat ride and lunch in Sausalito.

There are a number of car rental places close to your hotel (three/four blocks), off the top of my head, I remember Hertz %26amp; Enterprise. You do not want to keep the reservation you have if you have to pick the car up in Fremont.

Jeffysgirl, Enterprise has an office on Ellis, which is much closer to Union Square than Van Ness Ave. You might want to see if you can change locations if you are staying in the Union Square area.

Auntie

There is a Hertz on Mason and Post, less than two blocks from the Handlery.

Congratulations on your marriage.

Sausalito is a pretty place. Take a romantic lunch at Cafe Triest (Italian) on the outside tables and then walk along the waterfront where there are amazing views of SF.

Ride the cable cars....how can you not? If you have time give an hour or so to the cable car museum.

Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf has some short signposted walks away from the main drag where the history of fishing families in the area is posted on boards. Walk from Pier 39 in the direction of Golden Gate, past Castagnola%26#39;s and Lou%26#39;s blues bar and you%26#39;ll see them in the side alleys on the waterfront. (A local would probably direct you better than my vague memory can!)

Take a cruise around the bay.

Whatever you do, I hope you have a wonderful time.