San Francisco and Northern California family holidays

San Francisco with Kids

San Francisco History and Culture 

Chinatown

Head straight to Chinatown to check out the colourful shops on Grant Street, visiting the tiny Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, and stroll along Stockton Street, where locals shop for such items as live frogs, whole pigs and exotic fruits.

Fisherman's Wharf

From Chinatown take the cable car towards Fisherman’s Wharf, stopping at the free Cable Car Museum to see how these engine-less machines work. On the Powell-Hyde cable-car line you’ll catch a fantastic view of San Francisco Bay and pass the 'Crookedest Street in the World'.

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

At Fisherman’s Wharf don’t miss the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park with its antique ships and interactive exhibits, or the two renowned World War II vessels, the USS Pampanito submarine and the 'Liberty Ship' SS Jeremiah O’Brien. And check out the Aquarium of the Bay, where you can walk through a glass tunnel teeming with fish.

Alcatraz

From the wharf board a ferry to the rock island of Alcatraz, a former maximum-security penitentiary with an audio-tour, narrated in parts by former inmates and guards, describing desperate escape attempts and the austere prison conditions for such infamous criminals as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Cruising

Take a cruise on the bay. You’ll sail near the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz while listening to an audio-tour detailing San Francisco’s maritime history. Or simply enjoy a ferry ride to Sausalito, across the bay in Marin County, having lunch in the artsy coastal town while you relish views of the San Francisco skyline. Or reach Marin County by crossing the Golden Gate Bridge - it’s nearly 3km on foot or by rented bike. 

Crissy Field

Admire the Golden Gate Bridge up close from Crissy Field, a lovely stretch of sand, grass and wetlands with breathtaking views, organic cafés, beaches, grassy knolls and promenades for joggers, strollers and cyclists. 

Golden Gate Park

Enjoy the offerings of the Golden Gate Park, converted from more than 4km2 of windswept sand dunes, with rollerblade, bike and boat hire. As well as a plant conservatory, an arboretum and botanical garden, lakes, a Japanese tea garden and a bison paddock, it’s home to the de Young Museum of fine art with its lovely sculpture garden, and the California Academy of Sciences, hailed as the greenest museum in the world for its ecological design including a living roof of native plants. Inside are a state-of-the-art planetarium, a four-storey rainforest exhibit and an aquarium. 

San Francisco Best Museums 

Exploratorium

Dive into the Exploratorium, one of the most interactive science museums anywhere.

Bay Area Discovery Museum

Immerse yourselves in the Bay Area Discovery Museum, with play areas inspired by the local history and geography and the chance to build a mini Golden Gate Bridge and explore a model shipwrecked galleon.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Check out the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Museum of the African Diaspora and several galleries border Yerba Buena Gardens, which has huge lawn with free summer concerts, a playground with massive slides and Zeum: the Children’s Creativity Museum.

Northern California Natural Attractions

Yosemite National Park

Hire a car or RV (we can include one in the bespoke holiday we create for you) and venture out to Yosemite National Park a four-hour drive east of San Francisco, famed for its near-vertical, mile-high cliffs. 

It has hiking options to suit children of all ages, many offering spectacular views of El Captain, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls, plus rafting down the Merced River, bike hire and horse-riding. 

Don't miss Mariposa Grove, with hiking trails and boardwalk areas, one leading to the 1,800-year-old tree Grizzly Giant.

Lake Tahoe

Check out Lake Tahoe north of Yosemite, straddling the border between California and Nevada. One of the highest, deepest and largest lakes in the world, it’s surrounded by mountains and attracts skiers until late April/early May. In summer you can laze on lake beaches, boat, fish, hike and cycle. 

Bodie

Wander around the ghost town of Bodie, also near the border with Nevada, with nothing but ruined buildings – no facilities whatsoever, thus giving you a genuine idea of how tough life was like out in the middle of nowhere. 

Big Sur

Take a road trip along Big Sur, a 90-mile stretch of California’s rugged central coast 150 miles south of San Francisco and 300 miles north of Los Angeles. Known for its redwood trees and its steep cliffs, it’s great for hiking in several state parks.