The city of San Francisco it is very visitable in 3 days, 4 if you want to take it easy or see every major attraction.
The first piece of advice I give you is to choose yours itinerary based on the weather: especially for visits to Alcatraz and the Golden Gate make sure to schedule them on a beautiful day so you can fully enjoy them (accuweather is rarely wrong). That said, set aside a generous morning for Alcatraz if you decide to use Alcatraz Cruises and disembark on the island for the complete visit (price all inclusive ferry and audio guide $ 28 each, book online or directly at Pier 33 with some advance, it is often sold out for days).
Please note:: if you opt for the morning excursion and plan to stop for lunch, bring some food because only drinks are on sale in the shop on the island! If you want to use only the tour around Alcatraz with Blue and Gold Fleet, no problem, it will take you away about 90 minutes. Reserve the rest of the day for a stroll along the Embarcadero and its attractions, including the Aquarium of the Bay ($ 18) which are worth seeing in my opinion only for the interactive tanks, where visitors are allowed to touch some animals such as leopard sharks, rays and starfish.
For the your second day I recommend starting immediately with the crossing of the Golden Gate, the crossing on foot from one end to the other takes about half an hour. Depending on the vehicle chosen for the passage and how much time you want to dedicate to photos of the panorama from South Vista Point, then dedicate the rest of the day to Crissy Field and Golden Gate Park. I recommend visiting the Japanese garden ($ 7 admission), not quite a typical Californian attraction, but its beauty is worth the stop. The San Francisco Botanical Garden ($ 7) and the From Young Museum ($ 10) as well as theExploratorium, the science museum ($ 25).
Dedicate the third day for the Fisherman's Wharf (I highly recommend you have lunch here) and then continue towards Fort Mason and the Marina area. Take the afternoon to climb the steep and winding Lombard Street, see the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square and take a tour of Chinatown.
As a last day, I recommend a walk along Market Street, the shopping street and the Union Square area. If you are interested, add a stop in the Civic Center area (make sure you go there during the day, the area is not very recommended in the evening).
Obviously all this will engage you more if you decide to go there city on foot or by bicycle. If you want to speed things up, various companies offer Hop On-Hop Off buses (from $ 32 a day) or open-top buses with itineraries that touch the main attractions (variable price based on the itinerary / package chosen).
