Budget Family Vacation In San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the premeire cities of the world, and you can spend a fortune in its opulent Victorian Bed & Breakfasts and haute cuisine restaurants. But the same city is available to you and your family on a shoestring, and this hub will tell you how to do it, and make it fun.

The best deal in SF for a family is the Fisherman’s Wharf Youth Hostel. A dorm style bed here starts at $24/night. The hostel has one room with only eight bunks, and a friend and I once booked that room, filling all the bunks between our two families. It was a giant sleep over for the kids: they had a blast. A hot breakfast, usually waffles, OJ and tea or coffee is included in the price. For lunch and dinner the hostel has a very reasonably priced café, and also a large communal kitchen downstairs, where you can store groceries and cook. See more pictures of the hostel and grounds here.

If you love Bed & Breakfasts, check out my hub about an affordable one in the city.

The best priced alternative: leave your car at home. This will save parking and gas costs, not to mention the occasional ticket. Instead, get everyone in the family a CityPass here, $64 for an adult and $39 for a child. The pass provides 7 days of unlimited bus and streetcar transportation, and one ticket each to the following attractions: California Academy of Sciences, Aquarium of the Bay, Blue and Gold Fleet Bay Cruise, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and a choice of the Exploratorium or the de Young/Legion of Honor Art Museum.

California Academy of Sciences: A science museum including a multi story rainforest, an albino crocodile, an aquarium, and replicas of dinosaur skeletons.

Aquarium of the Bay: Walk through a clear tunnel beneath a tank filled with fish, sharks and starfish. Located on Fishermen’s Wharf.

The Exploratorium: Very hands-on science museum – great for kids.

Some quick math

For a family of four to spend 5 nights at the Youth Hostel and get CityPasses = $686

Not bad!

For the same family to share one basement room (two double beds) at the B&B mentioned above plus CityPasses = $1,031

From the Youth Hostel, you can walk along the waterfront all the way to the Exploratorium. It’s a beautiful walk, past lovely homes, boats, even a yacht club or two.

Once you have your CityPass, you can hang off a streetcar, or take a seat & watch others hang, all up and down the famous San Francisco hills. Kids love this.

Yerba BuenaCenter for the Arts. Directly across the street from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a network of fountains and green spaces that includes the outdoor Martin Luther King Jr Memorial (a waterfall you can walk under), a large playground, and an old fashioned carousel.

Ghirardelli Square. Picturesque brick square with little shops and an amazing sundae shop. Has my personal favorite fountain in the city: two mermaids in the midst of cascading water, one holding an baby mermaid.

 Variations on these ideas will work for any urban vacation. Many cities have a CityPass, and the U.S. is dotted with youth hostels. Kids love this informal travel, and familiarity with hosteling will serve them well in adulthood.