Looking for fun things to do in San Francisco with teens? I’ve got you covered!
With its iconic sights and family-friendly attractions, the San Francisco Bay Area is a safe and fun vacation destination. I’ve lived in California for more than 20 years and love exploring this area of the state. As the mom of a teen, we visit often and always have a good time.
I’m breaking down the top 21 fun things to do in San Francisco for young adults, teens, and older kids.
Top 5 Picks: San Francisco with Teens
If you are just looking for a quick list of the can’t miss, very best things to do in San Francisco with teens, here are our Top 5 recommendations.
► Cruise over to Alcatraz Island and tour the infamous prison and grounds
► Take a hike in Muir Woods
► See all the best sights on the San Francisco Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
► Walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge
► Check out the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park
Things to Do in San Francisco with Teenagers
1. Visit Alcatraz
Arguably one of San Francisco’s most famous landmarks, Alcatraz Island is a must-do excursion when visiting San Francisco with teens (or anyone, really)! I went for the first time as a teenager myself, and have been there many times over the years and now with my own teen.
There is an excellent audio tour that includes memories of former prisoners and guards. It is nice to be able to listen and go at your own pace, rather than having to follow around a tour guide in a group.
Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay and can be reached only via Alcatraz Cruises. The Alcatraz Ferry Terminal is located at Pier 33 on The Embarcadero, and the trip each way takes only about 15 minutes.
This is a very popular tour, with tickets sometimes selling out weeks in advance. Make sure to reserve your tickets as soon as you have a date! You can also book a combo tour which allows you to bundle a visit to Alcatraz with another popular activity (and saves a few dollars, too!)
► Travel Insight
You can save a bunch of money by booking your Alcatraz Tour in combination with other activities you’ll probably want to do anyway! Check out the Official Alcatraz Island Prison Tour and San Francisco Bay Cruise or the Alcatraz Island and 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off Tour.
2. Ride a Cable Car
Did you know that the San Francisco Cable Cars are the only moving National Monuments in the entire country?
No trip to San Francisco would be complete without hopping on one of the city’s famous cable cars. My son absolutely loved hanging off the side of the cable car. We took the cable cars just about everywhere.
Make sure you look down Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world, as you pass. You’ll also get treated to a breathtaking view of the bay!
At $8 per ticket, cable car rides are expensive, so if you plan to use other San Francisco public transportation, purchase a Muni passport that provides unlimited access.
3. Visit the Cable Car Museum
If your kids enjoy riding San Francisco’s famous cable cars, they’ll love visiting the Cable Car Museum!
Here, you’ll learn how the whole cable car system works, including a look at the gripping mechanism that every car extends below the street level.
Located in Nob Hill along the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines, the Cable Car Museum an easy stop on your way to Union Square, Chinatown, or the surrounding areas. It is fairly small and only took us about an hour to see and read everything on display.
Best of all, this museum in free!
4. Take a Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
Taking a ride on the San Francisco Hop-on Hop-off double-decker sightseeing bus is the perfect way to maximize your time and get around, all while learning some cool facts about San Francisco.
Explore the city’s 49 square miles, including stops at famous landmarks like Pier 39, Union Square, Chinatown, the Ferry Building Marketplace, and the Golden Gate Bridge. You can explore at your own pace, hopping off at any of 16 locations, and then hopping back on when you’re ready to see the next spot.
This is the one tour I always recommend to people visiting San Francisco, especially if it is their first time. If for no other reason, riding over the Golden Gate Bridge is exhilarating and you’ll love the view from the other side.
Teens will love this tour because they can put on the headphones, listen to the narrated audio tour, and pretty much zone out and ignore their whole family while taking in San Francisco’s many great sights.
► Grab your discount tickets for the Big Bus Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour
5. Sample Chocolates at Ghirardelli Square
A San Francisco landmark since 1862, this former chocolate factory is now a three-level shopping and restaurant center. The main showpiece is the Ghiradelli store, where you can buy ice cream and desserts in the soda shop, and chocolate souvenirs at the Ghiradelli store.
Ghirardelli Square was a must-see stop for us, but to be honest, now that Ghiradelli chocolates are available everywhere (like, even Target) and Disney California Adventure park in Anaheim even has a replica of their soda shop on Pacific Wharf, it’s kind of lost its uniqueness and charm.
6. Bike the Golden Gate Bridge
Biking across the bridge was the thing I was most looking forward to on our trip, and it did not disappoint!
We took a tour with Unlimited Biking, which has several locations across the city. The tour includes lots of stops and photo ops, and it made such a difference to have a knowledgeable guide along for the ride to point out landmarks, historic buildings, and share some interesting facts.
If you’re looking to explore San Francisco by bike, Unlimited Biking makes it a fun and convenient experience. The tour rolls through Fisherman’s Wharf, the Presidio, the Marina, the Palace of Fine Arts, Crissy Field, and across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito.
You can either ride back or do what we did and opt to take the ferry back to San Francisco. I especially recommend this option if you have younger kids, as the ride back will require a very steep uphill climb. On the day we took the ferry back, the boat was literally packed with bikes and riders crossing the bay!
Crossing the famous Golden Gate Bridge was crowded (but to be fair we did it on a Saturday) but it is truly an unforgettable experience. This is an activity the whole family can enjoy together, all while taking in one of San Francisco’s most iconic landmarks. Overall, we had a great time and our guide was fantastic!
7. Experience the San Francisco Love Tour
See the best of San Francisco from aboard a 1970s VW hippie bus. We took this tour and absolutely loved it! It is a unique experience and fun way to see San Francisco!
Complete with shag carpet and 60s era music, San Francisco Love Tours takes you around the city to see the major sights and roots of San Francisco’s hippie culture, including Haight Ashbury. The vans take only up to 6 people at a time, so it’s an intimate experience and the small vehicle can go places that big tour buses cannot.
Two photo stops are included on the two-hour tour, and a picture in front of the VW is a great photo opp in itself.
San Francisco Love Tours welcomes children, but to ensure everyone has a good time, families with kids 4-years old or younger are asked to buy-out the tour (6 spots) and bring their own car seat for safety. This means if you don’t have little kids, you don’t have to worry about them ruining your tour 🙂
If you are looking for things to do in San Francisco with young adults, this is a seriously cool option!
► Explore San Francisco from the comfort of a vintage VW van on the San Francisco Love Tour
8. Visit Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39
Follow the sounds of barking sea lions to Pier 39, where you can sail the bay on one of their many water excursions, ride the carousel, shop, dine, and more.
Enjoy free daily shows by local street performers and musicians or explore a variety of attractions. Yes, it is touristy, but you can’t visit San Francisco without checking the area out!
Other fun activities for kids and teens near Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf include the Aquarium of the Bay, Museum of 3D Illusions, the San Francisco Carousel, Frequent Flyers, and Musee Mecanique (more on this cool free museum below!).
Walk out to the end of the pier for some of the best views of Alcatraz, Angel Island and the bridge.
9. Aquarium of the Bay
Who says the aquarium is just for little kids? Teens and adults will love it, too!
Located at the foot of Pier 39, the Aquarium of the Bay is a great stop to spend an hour or two.
The Aquarium’s coolest feature is its 300 feet of clear tunnels. You’ll get a scuba diver’s view as 20,000 of San Francisco Bay’s most amazing animals (including sharks, eels, fish and octopus) swim overhead.
There are also daily educator-led animal feedings and interactions, hands-on science experiments, sustainable seafood discussions and more. There are nice views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge from the Aquarium’s outdoor decks.
Muir Woods is the only place on this list outside the city limits, but absolutely worth the short – less than one hour – drive (across the Golden Gate Bridge!) for families visiting the San Francisco Bay Area. I’d be remiss not to include it on this list of fun things to do in San Francisco with teens and kids, especially if you are a family of nature lovers.
Muir Woods National Monument is home to some of the oldest trees on Earth – and the tallest! The redwoods in Muir Woods tower at more than 200 feet tall, and some are more than 1,500 years old.
There is a very easy 2-mile trail that is flat and scenic and easy for families with small kids. For more experienced hikers, there are a variety of trails to choose from with varying degrees of difficulty. All will give you fantastic up-close views of nature and these majestic trees.
There is a Visitors Center, gift shop and cafe, and ranger talks are provided throughout the week.
Admission to Muir Woods National Monument is free for children up to age 15, while teens and adults 16 and older must pay $10 admission. For more information and to make required parking reservations (for crowd control), visit the National Park Service’s website.
If you are visiting San Francisco and don’t have a car, you can still easily visit Muir Woods on a day tour. In fact, don’t pay to park your car in San Francisco if you don’t have to! Two good ones to check out are the Big Bus Muir Woods Tour (this one includes a stop in Sausalito, as well) or the Alcatraz Island & Big Bus Muir Woods combo tour.
11. Take a Bay Cruise
Viewing San Francisco from the bay is a great way to take in the city’s beautiful skyline and learn a little bit about its history.
Head down to the waterfront and take a short, narrated boat tour that will introduce you to the city skyline, the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Ferry Building Marketplace, Alcatraz Island and more. If you’re lucky you may even spot some sea life!
When the weather is nice, you can go sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge on a fun and unique Catamaran cruise on San Francisco Bay.
I personally prefer the more basic San Francisco Bay Cruise. At less than $40, it is very affordable, and the one hour ride is just enough time to relax and enjoy the fresh air from blowing in from the Pacific Ocean while taking in views of the city skyline and Golden Gate Bridge.
12. California Academy of Sciences
Established in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in 1853 and beautifully renovated in 2008, this fantastic museum is an aquarium, planetarium, rain forest and natural history museum all rolled up into one. In total, 40,000 live animals call the California Academy of Sciences home.
Check the times and don’t miss the penguin feeding, planetarium shows, or swamp talk with the Academy’s albino alligator, Claude.
► Grab discount tickets to the California Academy of Sciences
13. Walt Disney Family Museum
Located in a historic building in the Presidio, the Walt Disney Family Museum honors the remarkable life story of Walt Disney.
The museum features 40,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and galleries detailing the life and legacy of Walt Disney and the company he founded. Enjoy daily screenings of Disney classics, a scale model of Disneyland, and contemporary interactive exhibits.
Since we are huge Disney fans, and my teen has been visiting Disneyland since he was a toddler, this museum was a must for us!
► Click here for discount tickets to the Walt Disney Family Museum
14. Dine at the Hard Rock Café
This isn’t an attraction per se, but if your teen is a music-lover like mine, dining at the Hard Rock Café is an experience not to be missed! Hard Rock Cafe San Francisco is located at Pier 39 near Fisherman’s Wharf, so it is convenient to pop in for a bite between activities.
In addition to a yummy meal, you’ll experience a one-of-a-kind rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere with over 250 pieces of memorabilia. My son loves music so we had fun just walking around the restaurant and checking out some of the displays while waiting for our food.
Speaking of food, our meal was fantastic! My son had a steak and I enjoyed an amazing steak salad. The salad was huge! Fresh mixed greens tossed in a blue cheese vinaigrette, with pickled red onions, red peppers and Roma tomatoes, finished with crispy shoestring onions and blue cheese crumbles.
My son also ordered the Strawberry Basil Lemonade, which looked like a beautiful cocktail but of course was non-alcoholic. Very refreshing on a sunny day in San Francisco!
15. Hang Out with Cats at KitTea
This place was not on my original itinerary, but a Facebook ad popped up on my phone and next thing you know my son and I are sipping tea and playing with string on the floor with six other people and a roomful of cats!
To be fair, we love cats. And visiting a cat café has been on my travel wish list for a long time. (How Facebook knew that, I’ll never know!)
KitTea is divided into two spaces: a regular café where you can watch the cats through a window, and a cat lounge where you can go in and get hands-on with the cats. Included with admission to the lounge ($28) is an unlimited offering of four handpicked Japanese green teas.
If $28 sounds steep, just think of it as a donation. It takes a lot of litter, kibble and vet bills to care for all those awesome rescue cats. Many of who are adoptable, by the way.
KitTea also offers special movie nights (Mewvie Nights), Purrlates classes (aka Cats on Mats), and other special activities, so check out their website if you’re interested in paying the kitties a visit while in San Francisco.
If your older kids love animals, this hands-on experience is one of the most unique and special things to do in San Francisco with teens.
16. Go on a Ghost Tour
Is your teen thrilled by ghost stories and the macabre? Then you will definitely want to take a ghost tour!
Armed with ghost hunting gear like a Spirit Box, dowsing rods, and your own EMF detector, you’ll unearth stories of forgotten graves, the devastating Great Earthquake of 1906, and the residual hauntings that persist.
At any moment, your EMF meter might signal paranormal activity, and you’ll investigate further with your ghost hunting tools. This tour is considered family-friendly and not too scary.
17. Musée Mécanique
The Musee Mecanique collection includes over 300 vintage and novel coin operated machines. It’s a must-see attraction for vintage game lovers and history buffs, and a fun way to show your kids what games were like before Xbox.
Items include coin-operated pianos, antique slot machines, hand-cranked music boxes, and various vintage arcade games. The arcade games are all in working condition and can be played.
Admission is free, but you’ll have to bring some quarters if you want to play any games.
18. Eat Sourdough Bread at Boudin Bakery
If San Francisco is synonymous with any one food, it’s sourdough bread. And as someone who never turns down some good carbs (kinda my downfall in life), you better believe we were not visiting San Francisco without a stop at Boudin Bakery Café!
We love eating here – it’s casual, inexpensive, right near the water, and a truly iconic spot in San Francisco!
Downstairs is the retail shop where you can buy fresh-baked bread and other treats to go. At the café, order the soup of the day in a sourdough bread bowl, or one of the many fresh sandwiches and salads.
We had lunch one day at the Bistro Boudin Restaurant, which is a more upscale eatery located on the café’s upstairs level. My son and I shared a Caesar salad and an amazing sandwich, but honestly the real star of the meal was the basket of fresh bread they bring to the table beforehand.
19. Play The Escape Game
Have you ever gone to an Escape Room? It has been on our list of things to try for a while, so when we discovered that San Francisco had an awesome one, we signed right up!
Located in the Financial District, The Escape Game is San Francisco’s #1 escape room and immersive adventure. We visited the downtown location. (They also have a location on Fisherman’s Wharf.) There are five 60-minute adventures to choose from – Gold Rush, Special Ops, The Heist, Prison Break and Playground. We did the Gold Rush room; it was very challenging and super fun, and gave us a good chance to work together and bond solving problems and decoding the clues.
Since escape rooms can be very challenging and only recommended for young adults ages 13 and older, this is the perfect activity to experience with your teens!
20. Catch a Ball Game
Visiting San Francisco during baseball season? Head to a day game at Oracle Park. The stadium is right on the bay, so you can enjoy the views on a sunny day.
If your teen is a baseball fan, you may enjoy taking the Behind-the-Scenes Ballpark Tour. The tour lasts 90 minutes and you’ll go places only players and staff can normally access, including the dugout, visitors’ batting cage, clubhouse, press box, and more.
21. Ice Skating in San Francisco
If you are visiting during Christmastime in San Francisco, consider taking your family ice skating! This is one of the most fun and unique things to do in San Francisco with teens. There are two rinks that open each year:
- The Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square: This is probably the most popular of all the San Francisco Bay Area outdoor ice skating rinks. Families can skate in San Francisco’s iconic plaza beside a gorgeous tree and surrounded by festive lights and the sounds of the holiday season. If you’ve ever visited Rockefeller Center in New York City during the holidays, you’ll definitely get that same vibe in Union Square!
- The Holiday Ice Rink at Embarcadero Center: Located adjacent to the Hyatt Regency and across from San Francisco’s historic Ferry Building, the Holiday Ice Rink at Embarcadero Center offers views of the Bay Bridge and waterfront.
Final Thoughts: San Francisco with Teens
If I had to pick just one thing to do in San Francisco with teens, it would be riding bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s active, iconic, and fairly inexpensive (just the cost of renting bikes) unless you want to take a guided tour.
We also loved visiting some of the unique museums in San Francisco, and of course Alcatraz was a hit with a bonus boat ride included!
Truth be told, traveling with teens can sometimes be a challenge. The key is to pack your vacation with fun activities that appeal to their interests. Luckily, San Francisco has lots of options and is the perfect place to visit with teens!
► Looking for more fun ideas for things to do in San Francisco for young adults? Check out this article on family-friendly things to do at night in San Francisco.
Save These Things to Do in San Francisco with Teens for Later!
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