The ultimate weekend on the San Francisco Peninsula

The San Francisco Peninsula is so much bigger than the City by the Bay. With 30 miles of bayfront, nearly 60 miles of Pacific Ocean frontage and an average annual temperature of 68°F (20°F), it’s always a gorgeous day on the peninsula.

From breathtakingly scenic redwood forests and beaches to diverse eats and deep-rooted regional history, experience what The San Francisco Peninsula has in store over a 3-day stay.

• When to arrive: Arrive on a Friday morning. Weekends are ideal to catch farmers markets, and some smaller businesses are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. 

• How to get from the airport: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a direct connection to BART, the city's public transportation system. If you're looking to reach Caltrain (the regional rail line) to get to Santa Clara, you can take BART from SFO to Millbrae Station. Rideshare services have designated pick-up areas at SFO. Those staying near Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for the FIFA World Cup games may opt to fly into San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC), which, while not technically on The San Francisco Peninsula, is 5.5 miles (about a 10-minute drive) south of the stadium. The VTA's Airport Flyer (Bus 60) connects SJC to the San Jose Metro Light Rail, Santa Clara Caltrain station and Milpitas Transit Center.

• Getting around town: The San Francisco Peninsula is huge. Public transit such as Caltrain and SamTrans buses and light rail are convenient for getting around its more urban areas. For game days, Levi stadium is accessible with Caltrain via a transfer to VTA in Mountainview. However, it’s best to rent a car for nature-focused itineraries, such as exploring the coast and redwood forests. Using rideshares is feasible for spread-out areas, but the costs will add up.

• Where to stay: Consider the solid budget motel Good Nite Inn or the Kasa Niche boutique hotel, both in Redwood City – a sweet spot between SFO and East Palo Alto. To catch coastal vibes, try the tiny Anchor Inn in Pacifica (book far ahead), which has modern detached suites reminiscent of glamping at its finest, or Half Moon Bay Lodge, where some newly remodeled rooms have wood-burning fireplaces. 

• What to pack: Parts of the peninsula are in the fog belt and others are sunny, so bring a midweight jacket and dress in layers. If you’re keen on hiking, bring hiking boots, though there are parks and trails to accommodate all levels of mobility and fitness.

Friday: The other Palo Alto

The Palo Alto that most people know is the monied town that houses Stanford University and the high-end Stanford Shopping Center. The smaller – and underrated – neighboring city of East Palo Alto was a booming center for flower production before WWII. Today, the population is majority Latino, with significant numbers of Pacific Islander and Black residents, making for a very diverse town with a strong community spirit. Tech hubs and workers have been migrating to East Palo Alto for the past couple decades.

Morning

If you live for local diners, take Caltrain to Belmont station, then walk 20 minutes east to Hobee’s, a peninsula institution since 1974. The thing to get is the signature blueberry coffee cake, which comes with every egg dish if requested. You can also buy a whole loaf to go.

Get back on Caltrain and get off at the Palo Alto station, then order a rideshare for a 9-minute drive north to East Palo Alto, bordering the bay.

How to spend the day

Baylands Nature Preserve spans 1940 acres from East Palo Alto to Mountain View. One of the largest areas of undisturbed marshland in the Bay Area, it has 15 miles of trails. In late spring, bird-watchers may catch sight of cedar waxwings, marbled godwits and maybe the occasional egret or California thrasher.

The leisurely San Francisquito Creek Trail links up with the San Francisco Bay Trail past Martin Luther King Jr Park, leading to the Ravenswood Open Space Preserve in East Palo Alto. It’s an easy, flat dirt path with wooden observation decks throughout (it’s a great class 1 trail for cyclists too).

Walk back inland along Bay Rd to the excellent Taqueria La Cazeula for a lunch of tightly rolled burritos, thick-cut tortilla chips and expansive meat choices, including tripe. Or for seafood-leaning Mexican and sushi, chipotle and unagi sauce live side by side at El Pata Salada. Many local families like to eat here, which is always a good sign.

Further south, grab a snack for later at Charlie’s Market, which caters to the local Polynesian community, with goods like taro, turkey tails and shrimp chips, or the Korean grocery store giant Mega Mart, where you can get rice-flour-based, gluten-free pastries at its internal Basquia Bakery.

Hop a rideshare to explore the history of the area at the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City, a 20-minute car ride or 30-minute public transit ride north. Take plenty of pictures outside – it is the largest public building with a stained glass dome on the West Coast. Inside, learn about the Ohlone Indigenous communities, the arrival of Spanish colonizers and the whaling era. Recharge with a coffee at The Yard, which is open until 10pm on the weekends.

Dinner

James Beard–nominated Mazra is considered one of the best Mediterranean restaurants on The San Francisco Peninsula; don’t miss the 6-hour braised lamb shank or the gorgeous garlicky beet hummus. Arguably the area's best agnolotti del plin (pasta filled with beef and cabbage) is at Donato Enoteca, and exquisite Sushi Shin held a Michelin star for three years.

Saturday: Redwood forests and gardens

Turn away from the bay waters toward more remote mountainous regions for nature bathing. This is the day you’ll want to pick up a rental car – it’ll be worth it.

Morning

Head to bucolic Woodside (a 15-minute car ride south of Redwood City) for breakfast at Buck’s in the town center. A self-described living museum with a rotation of eclectic memorabilia, like a Soviet space shuttle and vintage cowboy boots, the restaurant serves hearty breakfasts like short rib hash and pancake stacks smothered in berry puree and fresh raspberries.

How to spend the day

If you don’t mind a curvy drive, push deeper into the mountains from Buck’s to Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Preserve to see Northern California’s towering redwood trees. The more popular trails take 3–5 hours to complete and cover some deep canyons, so they are more for advanced hikers. Beginners and those with kids can go to Huddart Park instead. These redwoods are a bit closer to civilization (a 7-minute drive inland from Buck's). The hiking and riding trails are accompanied by a playground and barbecue pits.

For a more manicured view of nature, Filoli translates California’s Victorian era into aristocratic yet free-spirited grounds. The Georgian revival manor is surrounded by 16 acres of gardens, containing 250 fruit trees and nearly 100 original art objects. A natural meadow and oak woodlands include two hiking trail loops on an additional 690 acres. General admission is 45 US dollars (US$)

Circle back to the cute town of Woodside for robust contemporary California cuisine (lunch is served until 2pm Friday through Sunday) at The Village Pub, which has retained a Michelin star for 12 consecutive years. Its famous cinnamon rolls are slathered with passionfruit frosting. Or try heirloom carrot soup and a Dagwood sandwich (smoked turkey, soppressata and Swiss cheese with artichoke pesto) at its more casual sister business, The Village Bakery.

After lunch, drive about 25 minutes north to the serene Japanese Garden in San Mateo’s Central Park, designed by Nagao Sakurai. If you skipped lunch, Taishoken has quality tsukemen (essentially dipping ramen), or if you need a pick-me-up, Arabic coffee shop Sama has a global spread of drinks, like Iraqi tea and Turkish coffee.

Dinner

The Mountain House in Woodside is near the top of a mountain ridge for fine dining amid the redwoods. In Redwood City, the Michelin-endorsed La Viga has a relatively affordable, impossibly fresh ceviche trio and sesame-crusted salmon with habanero sauce.

Sunday: The coast

Visiting California would almost be a waste without seeing the dramatic coast. Keep your rental car and pop over from the inland peninsula to Pescadero (about an hour’s drive without traffic from Redwood City), then proceed past farmland to the chill beach town of Pacifica. Be prepared to make a lot of stops, but it’s all worthwhile. 

Morning 

In the small town of Pescadero, dive into what it’s famous for: artichoke everything. On the main strip of Stage Rd, Duarte’s Tavern serves Sunday breakfast from 8:30am to 10:30am. Order a bowl of artichoke soup (get it with green chiles) or an artichoke omelette, and finish off with a slice of ollalieberry pie (a cross between blackberry and loganberry). Half a block down, Arcangeli churns out steaming loaves of its beloved artichoke bread, whole ollalieberry pies and made-to-order sandwiches to provision a picnic at a beach later on.

Swing by R&R Herbs farm stand (you can pick your own berries during the summer and into fall), then go up the road to Harley Farms Goat Dairy to see goats or book an in-depth farm tour (US$37–58). The fancy gift shop, open year-round, sells creamy goat milk lotion, herb-studded chèvre, farm-fresh eggs and local wine (which you can taste upstairs).

How to spend the day

Join up with Hwy 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy), and make your first pull off at San Gregorio State Beach (US$8 parking fee) to see stick houses built by visitors or San Gregorio General Store across the road for live music and Old West vibes. Across from the store, Blue House Farm has a weekend farm stand.

Half Moon Bay is one of the main anchors on the coast. Look for the red caboose housing Dad’s Luncheonette; a fine-dining chef offers a tightly focused menu of meat and vegetarian burgers and comfort food like mac and cheese topped with puffed crunchy rice. You can get fresh Dungeness crab straight off fishing boats at Pillar Point Harbor during the season, or let Sam’s Chowder House or Barbara’s Fishtrap do the catching and cooking for you (they both get crowded). If breweries are more your speed, consider Jettywave Distillery or Half Moon Bay Brewing, both with outdoor firepits.

If it is low tide when you reach James V Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach, check out the tide pools. The reserve closes during seal pupping season, roughly March through June, in which case Montara State Beach is a skip away. Its pleasantly coarse sand is usually less crowded than Linda Mar Beach (aka Pacifica State Beach) in Pacifica. Go past Devil’s Slide, through the tunnel and up to Pacifica. A famously beautiful Taco Bell Cantina reigns over Linda Mar Beach, but locally owned businesses shine, too, like Soul Grind Coffee Roasters for power bowls and strong coffee.

Further into Pacifica is the dreamily serene Shelldance orchid gardens, which is also located at a trail entrance for Mori Point. Proceed north to the Pacifica Municipal Pier, and watch people fish and crab over the sides while waves crash over rocks. Rosalind Bakery in Pacifica is open until 7pm daily. If any sourdough is left when you arrive, grab a loaf! A slice of the focaccia-like grandma pizza is a superb backup.

Dinner

Seafood lovers won’t tire of continuing the coastal smorgasbord. Camelot Fish ’n’ Chips in the Pacifica Manor Shopping Center near Rosalind is the most authentic British fish ’n’ chips around, in a cozy publike atmosphere with dark wood and British staff to boot. For classic surf and turf with a huge dose of nostalgia, grab a booth at Nick’s Seafood Restaurant at Rockaway Beach, surrounded by black-and-white photos of old Pacifica on the walls.

After dinner

If old school is your vibe, stay at Nick’s but migrate to the lounge for live jazz or cover bands. Otherwise, Winters Tavern in the Sharp Park neighborhood of Pacifica has a reliable lineup of nightly music, from punk to Grateful Dead tribute bands (some members may be sporting shark costumes). Designate a sober driver for the 45-minute trip back to Redwood City, which is almost a straight shot down Hwy 280-S.