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Hostelhandbook.com for listings that include addresses and phone for direct reservations ... Hostelz.com for somewhat dated and often over wrought reviews... You seem to have made a decision to visit... Continue a online search to find further attractions that compel the journey...enjoy... carracar

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The Fort Mason Hostel at Fishermen's Wharf is a favorite. I use http://www.hostelbookers.com but I think that Fort Mason is an HI (Hostels International) hostel and may be on their search engine instead.

There are loads of things to do in San Francisco. It depends on what you like. There are museums and art galleries. You will find two at Golden Gate Park -- take the M streetcar (check to be sure -- do not take the Fulton Street one) to the Park. Go to California Academy of Sciences and afterwards walk a short ways across the Park to the art museum. The streetcar will take you past Haight/Ashbury and the UCSF Medical Center.

You could take a Golden Gate Transit bus from downtown San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, which always has sunshine, even when SF is foggy. Sausalito is artsy and has yachts. Wonderful promenade alongside the Bay, view of SF across the Bay. Great seafood restaurants and cafe.

There are many side streets in downtown SF to explore near Union Square. Check out Chinatown. Check out the Italian neighborhood. The Mission District was not safe to walk around when I lived in SF, and I don't know about now. Take the BART over to Berkeley and explore the university campus and the restaurants in North Berkeley along Shattuck Avenue and along the streets on the perimeter of the campus, plus Telegraph Avenue. The bus stops at Shattuck Avenue/Dwight Way or Shattuck Avenue/University Avenue have the F bus, which will take you back to San Francisco over the Oakland Bay Bridge. The BART station is at University Avenue/Shattuck Avenue.

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The Fort Mason Hostel is officially called the Fishermans Wharf Hostel. A lot of people rave about it, but some think it i s"too quiet." Green Tortoise is more of a party hostel, if that's what works for you.

As for what to do--are you looking for great cheap paces to eat? Museums and art galleries? Places to go hiking? Nightlife? Wildlife? HIstoric sites? Shopping? Would you like to bicycle across the Golden Gate Bridge? Take a free walking tour?

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I'd just like to add that the Mission is indeed safe now - there are lots of art galleries, murals, good food...

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We have stayed twice at the HI Downtown (Mason and O'Farrell Streets) - good location, nice old hotel with an ancient elevator, etc, and quite social (without being a party hostel). No parking if that matters.

The HI Fort Mason/Fisherman's Wharf is a lovely building, and especially convenient if you have a car - basically in parkland near the water. Also very nice if you don't need to be downtown.

Things we like doing and recommend:

• buy a Pass for unlimited public transport
• take the various trams, trains, trolley cars, etc all round the place
• the tourist cable car is great (once is enough though - it's not really public transport)
• walk out a short way onto the Golden Gate Bridge
• take a ferry to Sausalito and back
• walk around the Presidio precinct (near the Bridge)
• walk through Golden Gate Park
• visit The Castro (the gay district)
• visit The Mission district - interesting indeed
• we enjoyed walking right along Haight Street
• the waterfront east and west of Fisherman's Wharf is worth one visit
• as noted above, walk around the campus of the University of California Berkeley
• on Saturdays, there is a small farmers market in nearby Berkeley
• also on Saturdays, there is a very large farmers market at the Ferry Building
• and on other days there are lots of other food shopping to be done there
• visit Chinatown and the North Beach districts (all walkable if your reasonably fit)

A lovely city for a few days indeed. If you know Sydney, then you'll notice lots of similarities.

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Have you discovered www.Wikitravel.org yet? Just type in San Francisco and you'll get an entire guidebook you can print out for free. Frommers.com has something similar. Please read those and come back with more specific questions.

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Some company called Lonely Planet has named San Francisco "Best in Travel 2113" and has a whole section of their web site devoted to visiting San Francisco.

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They are really looking ahead, aren't they?

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Well, I did meet an LP editor many years ago who told me that he often rummaged through TT looking for ideas for the future...

It is indeed Best in Travel 2013

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Nothing about museums devoted to tattooing(1), antique devices for "hard to reach places," or glass eyeball models(2)? Tsk, tsk...

(1: I'm not sure if the Lyle Tuttle "museum" is still advertised as such.
2: Actually this collection at the American Academy of Ophthalmology might not be open to the public anymore.)

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I liked the HI on Mason, social but not a party hostel. Good location.
I did several free walking tours . Murals in the Mission District, Japanese Garden and Chinatown were my favourites. For a quirky museum see the Musee Mechanique in Fisherman's Wharf.

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I stayed at the Green Tortoise and liked it. They also run trips out of town, I did their 3 day trip to Yosemite, very enjoyable.

Alcatraz is worth a look, do the audio tour.

Have fun

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Thank you for all your replies, they have been a great help! :)

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I stayed at The Mosser, which is Downtown and incredibly handy to everything (restaurants, bars, trams, BART, Union Square, shopping, art gallery, etc – AT&T park is a 20 minute walk from here) it's in a very safe, clean spot. They have single rooms, with share bathrooms (you're only sharing with a few others, and they're very nice bathrooms, plenty of hot water and privacy). The rooms are tiny, but totally adequate to hit the hay in. I got the BART from the airport, which was also very easy and cheap.

http://www.themosser.com/queensuite.php#mossertwin-tab