Day Trips from San Francisco — Yosemite, Redwoods, Wine Country & the Coast
San Francisco is the base for Northern California's best escapes — pick the granite of Yosemite, the redwoods of Muir Woods, the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma, or the Monterey and Carmel coast.
Available
16 options
Avg. rating
4.6 - 18,772 reviews
From
$85 USD
Cancellation
Free up to 24h before
Day Trips from San Francisco: what to know before booking
San Francisco is the base for Northern California's best escapes — pick the granite of Yosemite, the redwoods of Muir Woods, the vineyards of Napa and Sonoma, or the Monterey and Carmel coast.
- Availability
- 16 ticket options compared
- Starting price
- Tickets currently start around $85 USD before checkout fees.
- Rating signal
- Compared options average 4.6 stars across 18,772 traveler reviews.
- Location
- All depart central San Francisco; destinations span the Sierra Nevada, Marin County redwoods, Napa/Sonoma, and the Monterey Peninsula
- Best time
- Late spring for Yosemite's waterfalls; autumn for Napa's harvest; year-round for the redwoods and the Monterey coast
- Ticket note
- Date-specific; the early meeting time is strict, so arrive 15 minutes ahead
Day Trips from San Francisco in San Francisco
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Everything you should know before you book
San Francisco sits within reach of three completely different landscapes, and a guided day trip is the easiest way to see them without a rental car. Yosemite delivers granite cliffs and giant sequoias on a long day inland; Muir Woods and Sausalito pair coast redwoods with a waterfront town just over the Golden Gate Bridge; and the Monterey and Carmel coast trades the city for an aquarium, 17-Mile Drive, and a storybook seaside village.
Match the trip to how much driving you'll tolerate. Yosemite is about four hours each way and a 12–14 hour day; Muir Woods is barely 45 minutes north; Napa, Sonoma, and Armstrong Redwoods are an hour-plus into wine country; Monterey is roughly two hours down Highway 1. Every option here departs from central San Francisco with round-trip transport included, so you can leave the car — and the parking headaches — behind.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best day trip from San Francisco?
Yosemite for bucket-list granite scenery (but a long four-hour drive each way), Muir Woods and Sausalito for an easy redwood half-day, Napa and Sonoma for wine country, and Monterey and Carmel for the coast. Pick by how far you want to travel and what landscape you most want to see.
Do I need a car for these day trips?
No — every trip on this page runs as a guided tour with round-trip transport from central San Francisco, so you can skip the rental car, the highway driving, and the parking.
Which day trip is shortest?
Muir Woods and Sausalito is the shortest — just 45 minutes over the Golden Gate Bridge — making it the easiest half-day. Yosemite is the longest at 12–14 hours door to door.