15 Scenic Weekend Trips From San Francisco
One of the best things about living in the San Francisco Bay Area is how many beautiful destinations are just a short drive away. These weekend trips from San Francisco offer everything from coastal views and moody forests to charming small towns.
San Francisco’s central location makes it a perfect starting point for a weekend getaway. Most of these spots are under three hours away, so you can leave Saturday morning (or Friday evening) and still have a full weekend to explore—or relax.
I love how easy it is to feel like I’m getting a full vacation in just one weekend with all the options we have in California!
There are dozens of towns within a few hours of San Francisco that feel completely different from one another, whether you want a cozy weekend in a cabin or a weekend spent on a sunny beach.
If you’re looking to escape the city for a couple of days, these weekend trips from San Francisco will help you find your ideal destination!
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Best Weekend Trips From San Francisco
If you don’t have time to read the full post, here’s a snapshot of my top 5 weekend trips from San Francisco, in no particular order!
Mendocino: Foggy coastal town with a rugged coastline, cozy inns, and a lovely downtown. Stay at the Inns of Mendocino.
Sonoma: Laid-back town in wine country with a rich history and plenty of wineries, outdoor activities, and restaurants. Stay at the El Dorado Hotel.
Yosemite National Park: One of the most beautiful national parks in the country, spend your weekend hiking in the great outdoors. Stay at Yosemite Valley Lodge.
Capitola: Adorable beach town south of Santa Cruz with colorful houses, beautiful beaches, and a cute downtown. Stay at the Capitola Hotel.
Pacific Grove: Upscale, coastal town next to Monterey, perfect for a relaxing weekend getaway from San Francisco on the Central Coast. Stay at Green Gables Inn.
Carmel-by-the-Sea: A Central Coast town straight out of a fairy tale with storybook houses and picturesque beaches for the most charming weekend trip. Stay at Coachman's Inn.
Mendocino
~3 hours from San Francisco
Up the northern coast of California is the friendly town of Mendocino. It’s a small town filled with inns, restaurants, and cafes, surrounded by gorgeous, jagged coastline.
The Mendocino coast, often cloaked in fog with cool weather year-round, makes for the ultimate cozy getaway. In Mendocino, you’ll find friendly locals, excellent restaurants, beautiful views, and awesome bird watching (bring your binoculars!).
Mendocino is a lovely destination for a romantic weekend getaway from San Francisco, thanks to the charming, upscale inns and relaxing atmosphere. We spent a weekend in Mendocino at one of the Inns of Mendocino, which I wrote a full review on. Spoiler: We loved it! 10/10.
While you could easily spend your entire weekend in the quaint downtown, many people like to venture up the coast to visit Fort Bragg as well.
Things To Do in Mendocino
Explore Mendocino Headlands State Park
Try the mushroom ice cream at Frankie’s
Walk around downtown
Where to Stay in Mendocino
Point Reyes National Seashore
~1.5 hours from San Francisco
Point Reyes is a town on the northern coast that is ideal for a weekend trip from San Francisco for nature lovers. If you don’t have a full weekend, a day trip to Point Reyes is easily doable!
It makes up the Point Reyes National Seashore, which is 71,000 acres of coastal land with breathtaking views, incredible bird watching, hiking trails, and some popular spots for photographers.
My favorite spots in Point Reyes are the shipwreck, the Cypress Tree Tunnel, and the adorable lighthouse. If you love all things nautical, you’ll love Point Reyes.
The unincorporated town of Point Reyes Station is tiny, but it has some lovely restaurants and cafes, a public library, and art galleries.
Inverness is another unincorporated town just next to Point Reyes Station, along the east side of Tomales Bay. It’s part of the Point Reyes National Seashore, which encompasses a large area of land.
If you like oysters, Point Reyes is one of the best places to eat them! Saltwater Oyster Depot is one of the highest-rated oyster bars on the east side of Tomales Bay.
Not an oyster person? Side Street Kitchen in Point Reyes Station has delicious California cuisine.
Things To Do in Point Reyes
Visit the S.S. Point Reyes Shipwreck
Walk through the Cypress Tree Tunnel
Check out Point Reyes Lighthouse
Where to Stay in Point Reyes
Sonoma
~1 hour from San Francisco
Sonoma is Napa’s less-visited neighbor in California’s wine country, though just as beautiful and worth visiting. It’s known for wineries and vineyards, much like Napa, but it also has a state park, historic buildings, and a California Mission.
Its rich history is what sets Sonoma apart from the other wine-making regions in California and what drew me to it. Before it was settled by the Spaniards, Sonoma was home to Indigenous people known as the Coast Miwok.
With so much history and surrounding nature, there’s far more to do in Sonoma than day-drinking at the wineries (though that is a fun option too!).
Things To Do in Sonoma
Tour the tiny Sonoma Mission
Explore the large botanical garden
Walk through Jack London Historic State Park
Go wine tasting in a wine trolley
Visit Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Where to Stay in Sonoma
Yosemite National Park
~3-4 hours from San Francisco
Yosemite is one of the most visited national parks in the country, and for good reason! Its majestic granite batholiths tower over Yosemite Valley and its meadows; their scale is unbelievable in person.
Though it’s over 3 hours from San Francisco, you can still easily do this as a weekend trip. I’ve even done it as a day trip!
This weekend trip from San Francisco to Yosemite is perfect for unplugging from your devices to spend time in nature and quality time with yourself or your travel partner(s). Smell the fresh air, go on a few hikes, and relax among the geologic wonders that make Yosemite so special.
In the park, explore sights like Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Bridalveil Falls, and Cathedral Rocks. Just outside of the park, either on your way in or out, stop at Rainbow Pool to swim in a pool fed by a waterfall.
There are two main routes you can take from San Francisco to Yosemite: Highway 120 (Tioga Pass) or Highway 132. Both are typically open and accessible if you’re coming from the west, depending on weather conditions. Tioga Pass partially closes in winter, but you can likely still access Yosemite Valley from San Francisco.
Roads can be hazardous in winter; AWD/4WD and snow chains may be required. Most of the park closes down as well, aside from Yosemite Valley. Though it can be beautiful in winter, summer is my favorite season to visit Yosemite.
Don’t want to drive? There are multiple 2 and 3-day tours from San Francisco to Yosemite that you can book!
Things To Do in Yosemite
Hike one of the many trails
Swim in Rainbow Pool
Walk around Yosemite Valley
Take a guided tour
Where to Stay in Yosemite
Staying inside the park is easiest, especially if you’re just spending a night or two! There are a range of options for accommodations, from tent camping to full-on cabins with heating and plumbing.
Arnold
~3 hours from San Francisco
For a forest-filled, mountain getaway just a few hours from San Francisco, head to Arnold in Calaveras County. It’s lovely in all seasons, with hot summers and snowy winters.
Arnold is a small town with just a few restaurants. It’s best for a cozy weekend in a cabin, an outdoorsy weekend hiking through giant trees, or a fun-filled winter weekend playing in the snow.
This area doesn’t get a ton of snow, and it can be tricky to time if you’re hoping for a winter wonderland weekend. It doesn’t get enough snow for snowboarding or skiing, but you can still go sledding and build snowmen during the peak snowfall!
Even without snow, Arnold is a beautiful place to visit. Go for a walk or hike through Calaveras Big Trees State Park or along the Arnold Rim Trail. For water activities, White Pines Lake is a lovely place to swim, kayak, paddleboard, and picnic.
Things To Do in Arnold
Walk through Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Hike the Arnold Rim Trail
Swim or kayak at White Pines Lake
Visit the Sierra Logging Museum
Where to Stay in Arnold
Half Moon Bay
~45 minutes from San Francisco
The tiny beach town of Half Moon Bay is famous for its giant waves at Mavericks Beach and fall pumpkin patches. It’s also where I lived the first seven years of my life!
Half Moon Bay is beautiful, but it often has foggy and overcast weather. Pack and wear layers for the most comfortable trip! Even on a foggy day, it’s fun to bundle up and hang out at the beach, check out the tidepools, and watch the surfers catching waves.
A weekend in Half Moon Bay is best spent enjoying the gorgeous beaches and cute downtown. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from, most serving fresh seafood and some with incredible ocean views!
In downtown Half Moon Bay, you can visit the galleries, get some gelato, and check out the cutest prison you’ll ever see. The downtown has all its original charm, but has been built up and beautified over the years, with gorgeous murals on many of the buildings.
You can spend a luxurious weekend at the Ritz-Carlton, taking in the ocean views and 5-star dining, or a more low-key weekend at a seaside loft.
Things To Do in Half Moon Bay
Watch surfers catch waves at Mavericks Beach
Go tide-pooling at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Walk the trails at Pillar Point Bluffs
Take a guided e-bike tour
Stroll down Poplar Beach
Check out the shops and galleries downtown
Where to Stay in Half Moon Bay
Lake Tahoe
~4 hours from San Francisco
The picturesque Lake Tahoe is one of the most popular destinations for a weekend getaway from San Francisco. Whether you visit in winter for snow sports or in summer for sunny days on the lake, it’s a beautiful place to spend a weekend.
Lake Tahoe spans across the California-Nevada border with towns dotted all around the lake. It’s typically split into North Lake Tahoe and South Lake Tahoe.
North Lake Tahoe is more rugged and less developed, with quiet towns and plenty of outdoor activities for both summer and winter. Incline Village is perfect for a winter weekend getaway, while Truckee is great for an outdoorsy summer stay.
South Lake Tahoe has a more lively nightlife, ski slopes at Heavenly Mountain, and the gorgeous Emerald Bay. The California side of South Lake Tahoe tends to be more peaceful than the Nevada side since it doesn’t have any casinos.
Things To Do in Lake Tahoe
North Lake
Hike one of the many trails
Kayak at sunset in Tahoe City
Relax on the beaches
South Lake
Explore Emerald Bay State Park
Ride the Ridge Rider Mountain CoasterWalk to the Vikingsholm Castle
Go on a sailing cruise
Where to Stay in Lake Tahoe
North Lake
South Lake
Nevada City
~3 hours from San Francisco
Nevada City is an old California Gold Rush town, 60 miles northeast of Sacramento and about 3 hours from San Francisco. Despite the name, it is, in fact, in California!
If it sounds familiar, you’ve probably heard of the Nevada City Victorian Christmas, which is a street fair held on Wednesdays and Sundays throughout the holiday season and absolutely worth visiting!
Indigenous people, called the Nisenan, occupied this area before the European settlers invaded it during the Gold Rush. The downtown still has Gold Rush-era buildings that are either an official state landmark or are on the National Register of Historic Places.
While it’s most popular for the annual Christmas fair, Nevada City is one of the most charming historic towns I’ve been to in California and is lovely to visit year-round!
Things To Do in Nevada City
Explore the historic downtown district
Check out the Summer Nights Street Festival
Go on a Haunted History Tour
Attend the Nevada City Victorian Christmas Fair
Walk across the Angkula Seo Suspension Bridge
Where to Stay in Nevada City
The National Exchange Hotel (featured on Ghost Adventures)
Tri-Valley
~1 hour from San Francisco
Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon, and Danville make up the Tri-Valley in the East Bay Area. You can reach them from San Francisco via BART if you prefer to leave your car behind, as there is a Dublin/Pleasanton BART station.
Of these five towns, Livermore and Pleasanton are the most ideal for a weekend getaway, as they have plenty of things to do!
For a weekend spent winery hopping with beautiful views of vineyards and hillsides, Livermore is the perfect spot. Sure, it’s no Napa, but it has a more laid-back vibe and fewer tourists.
Pleasanton has a lovely downtown with upscale restaurants and boutique shops. It is also home to the Alameda County Fairgrounds, which hosts the annual county fair and a handful of other events throughout the year.
The Tri-Valley is small, making it easy to visit multiple towns in this area in one weekend trip!
Things To Do in the Tri-Valley
Winery hop on the Wine Trolley in Livermore
Hike the Pleasanton Ridge Trail or Mount Diablo
Spend a day at Lake Del Valle
Where To Stay in the Tri-Valley
There are surprisingly very few accommodations in these areas that cater to tourists vs. business visitors.
The Purple Orchid Resort & Spa in Livermore
The Rose Hotel in Pleasanton
Santa Cruz
~1.5 hours from San Francisco
A beachy weekend getaway from San Francisco is best spent in the Santa Cruz area. With tons of beaches, restaurants, and activities, a weekend in Santa Cruz can be packed full of fun!
Santa Cruz is a popular beach destination and home to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It’s known for being a hippy town with a university (UC Santa Cruz), set between grand redwood trees and gorgeous beaches.
Whether you’re looking for a laid-back beachy weekend or an outdoorsy trip in the deep redwood forests, Santa Cruz has it all.
Summer is when Santa Cruz really shines as a quintessential California summer destination, but it can also get busy as most tourists visit from June to August. Fall is my favorite season to visit Santa Cruz because the weather is still warm and it’s less crowded than summer.
While the boardwalk and beaches tend to be where visitors flock to, further inland is where you’ll find what makes Santa Cruz truly magical: state parks, redwoods, and a railroad camp from the 1800s.
Things To Do in Santa Cruz
Hike Henry Cowell State Park and explore Roaring Camp Railroad (in Felton, north of Santa Cruz)
Visit Natural Bridges State Beach
Spend a day at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Get dizzy at The Mystery Spot
Explore Wilder Ranch State Park
Where to Stay in Santa Cruz
Capitola
~1 hour from San Francisco
Just south of Santa Cruz, the lovely seaside town of Capitola is one of my favorite places to visit from the Bay Area! It has a small, adorable downtown, great restaurants, and a beautiful beach.
The most recognizable attraction in Capitola is the colorful neighborhood of cottages, called the Venetians, right on the beach. They make for excellent photos!
Capitola is a mostly quiet, laid-back town that is a bit of a hidden gem in this area of the coast. Weekends in summer are much more lively, especially on sunny days.
One of the things I love about Capitola is how walkable it is! Every time we visit, we park in one place and walk everywhere the rest of the day.
It’s possible to see and do everything in Capitola in just one day, but spending a weekend here is the best way to experience all of Capitola.
Things To Do in Capitola
Admire the colorful houses
Visit the beachy shops downtown
Walk the small trail along the river
Where to Stay in Capitola
Monterey
~2 hours from San Francisco
Monterey is a well-loved town on California’s Central Coast and one of my favorite spots for a weekend trip or even just a day trip! It’s best known for Cannery Row, immortalized in John Steinbeck’s book, and its world-renowned aquarium.
Though it was once just a sardine canning town, it’s now a popular tourist destination with a historic state park and lovely beaches, though it’s pretty cold (60s-70s F) year-round.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the star attraction in Monterey.
It has massive tanks with thousands of different species of sea creatures and animals, many of which you’ve probably never seen before! Their giant aquarium with sea turtles and the jellyfish exhibit are my favorite areas of the aquarium.
If you spend a weekend in Monterey, you’re just a few minutes from Pacific Grove, which is absolutely worth a visit as well!
Things To Do in Monterey
Go on a whale watching tour
Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Walk down Cannery Row
Shop on Old Fisherman’s Wharf
Where to Stay in Monterey
Pacific Grove
~2 hours from San Francisco
Though it’s just next to Monterey, Pacific Grove is deserving of its own section. It’s an affluent area set along the coast with a quaint downtown, lovely inns and hotels, and a Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary.
It’s also a popular retirement destination and many of the locals are retirees. The relaxing atmosphere and inviting coastal views make Pacific Grove the ultimate relaxing weekend trip from San Francisco.
The beaches in Pacific Grove, like Lovers Point Beach, are somewhat hidden gems, or at least they used to be before videos of them started circulating on social media.
Like Monterey, Pacific Grove has temperate weather with highs between 60 and 70ºF throughout the year. Though these temperatures are a bit too cold for me to lie out on the beach, Lovers Point Beach often has beachgoers and swimmers!
Things To Do in Pacific Grove
Look for butterflies at the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary (Nov–Feb)
Walk along the Ocean View Blvd. coastal path
Visit Point Pinos Lighthouse
Where to Stay in Pacific Grove
Carmel-by-the-Sea
~2 hours from San Francisco
One of the most charming places in California is the fairy-tale-book town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It’s just a couple of hours south of San Francisco, situated on the Monterey Bay.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, also just called “Carmel,” is known for its unique fairy tale cottages and stunning coastline. It’s small enough to see the majority of the town in a day, but it’s a lovely place to spend a weekend!
It’s a town full of art and creativity, founded in 1902 by a group of artists. Carmel is best for a relaxing and luxurious weekend trip from San Francisco, with high-end spas, gorgeous beaches, and lovely hotels and inns.
Aside from the gorgeous coastline and adorable neighborhoods, Carmel is also known for being a very dog-friendly town. If you have a dog, you’re welcome to bring them on your trip!
Things To Do in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Explore the fairy tale cottages
Tour the Carmel Mission Basilica
Stroll the Carmel Beach Walk
Where to Stay in Carmel-by-the-Sea
Big Sur
~3 hours from San Francisco
Big Sur is an area filled with pure, natural beauty along California’s Central Coast. It has hikes with jaw-dropping ocean views, beautiful state parks, a waterfall on a beach, redwoods, and great campsites.
For a weekend spent outdoors between the mountains and the coast, Big Sur is the perfect destination. Much of this stretch along the coast is untouched nature with little to no development.
Big Sur is ideal for a weekend unplugged from your devices and immersed in nature. Spend your days hiking the many trails and taking in the views of the jagged coastline that this region is best known for.
You can stay at a 5-star resort, cozy inn, or a campground — Big Sur is best for camping!
Things To Do in Big Sur
Look for seals at Seal Beach Overlook
Take photos at McWay Falls
Hike in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Where to Stay in Big Sur
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