San Francisco Day Trips in 7 Days on a Budget
Seven days: city, wine country, the coast, and Monterey
Seven days finally justifies the long drive south to Monterey, Carmel, and 17-Mile Drive, over two hours each way, which is why it doesn’t appear on any of the shorter versions of this trip. Everything through day six nests the same way as the 6-day itinerary : city day, Muir Woods and Sausalito plus wine country, a transit-only neighborhood day, then Half Moon Bay and Point Reyes on one coastal rental block. Cut back to 6 days if Monterey doesn’t fit the schedule.
Book these before you go
- Reserve Muir Woods parking or a shuttle seat at gomuirwoods.com : required year-round, no walk-ins, no cell signal on site.
- Book your rentals through Discover Cars in blocks: days two-three, days five-six, and day seven, from around $37/day each.
- A full-day Napa and Sonoma wine tour covers day three if you’d rather not drive that leg.
- Monterey Bay Aquarium tickets sell online only, not at the door: buy them before you leave San Francisco that morning.
| Day | Focus | Distance/drive time from SF | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | San Francisco on foot and Muni | - | $20-35/person food, $9 cable car |
| Day 2 | Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Sausalito | ~12-17 miles, 20-40 min | Rental (2-day block), $10 parking or $4 shuttle |
| Day 3 | Napa or Sonoma wine country | ~45-60 miles, 1-1.5 hrs | Tastings $35-75 Sonoma, $50-100+ Napa |
| Day 4 | Golden Gate Park, Mission, Haight | - | $15 Tea Garden, $15 de Young, transit fares |
| Day 5 | Half Moon Bay | ~28 miles, 45 min | Rental (2-day coastal block) |
| Day 6 | Point Reyes | ~37-63 miles, 1-1.5 hrs | Same coastal rental, gas only |
| Day 7 | Monterey, Carmel, 17-Mile Drive | ~120 miles, 2-3 hrs | New rental, $12.50 gate fee, $65 aquarium |
Day 1: San Francisco without a car
BART in from SFO (~$10.30-11.15 plus the $5.51 airport premium), Clipper card at the machine. Alcatraz, if it’s on the list, needed booking through Alcatraz City Cruises around 90 days out. Pier 39 sea lions are free; skip eating at the Wharf and walk to North Beach instead. Afternoon: Powell-Hyde cable car ($9/ride, board mid-route to dodge the 30-60 minute Powell queue), Lombard Street, Chinatown. Dinner in North Beach or the Mission, where a $12-16 La Taqueria burrito is the standard.
Day 2: rent the car, Muir Woods and Sausalito
Economy rental (~$37-70/day), free northbound crossing of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands for the photo, then Muir Woods, where a parking or shuttle reservation is required year-round with no cell signal on site. Sausalito for the afternoon, then keep the car overnight into day three.
Day 3: Napa or Sonoma wine country
Car or tour only, no BART or train option, about 1 to 1.5 hours each way. Designate a driver; tasting fees run $35-75 a stop in Sonoma and $50-100+ at name-brand Napa wineries. Two or three wineries, not five rushed ones. Drive back that evening, when the $10.25 FasTrak toll applies, and return the rental.
Day 4: neighborhoods on foot and Muni
Golden Gate Park in the morning: the Japanese Tea Garden ($15, free before 10am Monday/Wednesday/Friday) and the de Young Museum ($15, free first Tuesday). Mission murals or Haight-Ashbury in the afternoon. Castro or North Beach for dinner.
Day 5: Half Moon Bay
Fresh rental for the coastal run, about 45 minutes south on Highway 1. Book it through day six as well rather than as a single day, since tomorrow needs the car too. Lunch on the coast, not rushed back into the city.
Day 6: Point Reyes
Same rental, now north instead of south: the lighthouse , Tomales Bay oyster farms, and Drakes Estero, all spread out enough that a car is the only realistic way to see them in a day, and cell service is spotty past Point Reyes Station. Verify current lighthouse and Chimney Rock road access on site before committing the day to that stretch. Leave nothing visible in the car at any trailhead lot. Return the rental that evening.
Day 7: Monterey, Carmel, and 17-Mile Drive
This only works if your flight home isn’t until the following morning; if day seven is your travel day, swap it for a relaxed half day back in the city and save Monterey for a return trip. Assuming you have the full day, pick up one more rental and get an early start, since this drive runs over two hours each way via 101/156/1 and eats into the day fast if you leave at 10am. The 17-Mile Drive gate fee is $12.50 a vehicle, reimbursed if you spend $35 or more at a Pebble Beach restaurant, so enter at the Pacific Grove or Carmel gate to shorten the loop. Carmel-by-the-Sea is worth an hour of walking on its own. Monterey Bay Aquarium tickets run $65 for an adult and sell online only, so book before you leave San Francisco that morning. If you’d rather not drive the whole loop, a Monterey, Carmel and 17-Mile Drive day trip includes transport. Drive back that evening, return the car, and pack for departure.
Is Monterey worth adding as a seventh day?
Yes, if you can only add one extra day to a 6-day trip, make it this one rather than a second day in the city. You’ve already covered the city’s highlights by day four, and 17-Mile Drive plus Carmel is a different kind of California scenery than anything north of the bridge.
How many separate rental cars does this seven-day trip need?
Three: a two-day block for Muir Woods, Sausalito, and wine country, a second two-day block for Half Moon Bay and Point Reyes, and a one-day rental for Monterey. Each block is sized to the days that actually need a car rather than one long rental idling in a garage between trips.