18 Things to Do in San Francisco During the Holidays
San Francisco during the holidays is a truly magical time. The entire city is decked out, there’s an air of cheeriness, and ice rinks pop up around town. Not to mention the bars that transform into winter wonderlands – complete with full holiday drink menus!
There are many holiday-themed things to do around the city and it can be fun just to walk or drive through the city to see the sights. Or, take a Cable Car Holiday Tour! Keep reading for more information on that!
Happy Holidays!
1. Ice Skating
Embarcadero Plaza – Right across from the Ferry Building with a peek of the bay, this ice rink has been around for years and is easy to get to from BART.
Union Square – A classic rink in SF, I used to always go to Union Square as a kid to ice skate. It’s right next to the largest Christmas Tree in SF and has views of Macy’s and Neiman Marcus all decked out!
Winter Park Civic Center – Newer to the city is Winter Park at the Civic Center. Their first year was 2018 and this year they added an extended track through lit trees!
Photo via Thrillist.com
2. Irish Coffee at Buena Vista Cafe
Did you know Irish Coffee was somewhat invented in San Francisco?! At least, that is what some people claim. A fellow travel writer, Stanton Delaplane, is credited with bringing Irish Coffee to the US in 1952 – specifically to Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco.
Click here for more info about Buena Vista Cafe – make sure to read their Irish Coffee Story!
3. Cider and Peppermint Bark at Williams Sonoma
Rumor has it, Williams Sonoma gives out samples of cider and peppermint bark during the holidays. Who doesn’t love to shop a warm and cozy home decor and furniture store when it’s all cold and dreary outside?
4. Fairmont Gingerbread House
There are a few different gingerbread houses you can find around SF during the holidays, but the Fairmont is the most well-known and largest. You can even have tea inside of it! It’s pretty pricey, but seems like a pretty cool experience to have tea in an actual house made of gingerbread, frosting, and candy.
Click here for more info about the Fairmont Gingerbread House
5. Neiman Marcus
Have afternoon tea at The Rotunda –it’s $50/person for Signature Tea and up to $60/person for Royal Tea.
Neiman Marcus also has a giant, beautiful tree going through the center during the holidays. It’s fun to walk through and pretend I can afford Dior, Chanel, and other ridiculously expensive designer brands.
6. Macy’s window displays
Every year, Macy’s transforms their window displays into a mini animal rescue. Kittens from the SPCA and SF Animal Shelter are put in the windows with beds, litter, and toys for people to come peek at. Best part? They’re all available to adopt! When we went on December 4th, they had already adopted out 50 kittens. In 2018, they adopted out over 300!
The displays are adorable and if you’re not looking to adopt a kitten, consider donating. They have multiple people in front of the windows with donation buckets.
Make sure you go around the building to find them – they aren’t at the front entrance pictured below.
7. Go to the Theatre
Watching The Nutcracker performed by the San Francisco Ballet is perfect for a cold, rainy day in the city.
8. California Academy of Sciences
While it’s a great place to go any time of year, during the holidays, they bring in two actual reindeer! It was amazing to see these animals up close in real life.
Click here for more info about reindeer at Cal Academy of Sciences
Photo via Cal Academy of Sciences
9. The Walt Disney Family Museum
If you’re a Disney fan, I’ve heard this is a great museum. I’m ashamed I haven’t visited yet since I love Disney so much! During the holidays they have some events like double-feature Disney Christmas movies.
10. Pier 39 Giant Christmas tree
An absolute classic – visit the tree at pier 39! It’s one of the most photographed trees in San Francisco because of its large ornaments that make the perfect backdrop. It can get pretty crowded around here on weekends, so try to visit on a week day or early in the day on a weekend.
11. Union Square Giant Christmas Tree
Right next to the ice rink is the largest Christmas tree in SF, towering over the square at 83ft. It’s truly magical in the middle of the square with the beautifully decorated Macy’s right behind it (depending on where you’re standing, of course).
12. Ghirardelli Square
One of the smaller, but no less significant areas of San Francisco is Ghirardelli Square. Famous for the The Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate shop, this square is one you don’t want to miss.
While the original chocolate shop is a bit small and often packed with people, they have another Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop within the same square that is larger and even has indoor mini golf.
Ghirardelli Square also has a large tree and pretty lights around the holidays. The shops sprinkled throughout the square are all packed with the cutest items and gifts – I wanted to buy it all!
13. Westin St. Francis Sugar Castle
Each year, Westin St. Francis displays amazing sugar castles. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay at this hotel a few times during the holidays and it is one of my favorites! Their sugar castles are intricate and so well made, but they also offer Holiday Tea, a Sweet Boutique, a pop-up champagne bar, and Holiday Cocktails!
No need to be a hotel guest – these holiday events are open to the public.
14. Conservatory of Flowers – Night Bloom
During the holidays, the Conservatory of Flowers has a special Night Bloom event where all the plants and flowers are illuminated and the room is filled with sound.
This year they have a special “Bloom Lounge” for 21+ that features food and drinks. According to their website, you can choose from grilled cheese and a whiskey flight or “sweet bites” and sparkling wine. Yum.
Save money by purchasing tickets online ahead of time.
15. Holiday themed bars
Deck the Halls – An annual pop-up bar featuring a great menu of Christmas drinks and a Dreidel Bar! Bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots and receive complimentary tater tots.
Pacific Cocktail Haven (Miracle) – PCH turns into a winter wonderland 3pm-2am from November 29 through January 1st! The famous international pop up, Miracle, completely decks out this bar, along with over 100+ others worldwide each holiday season.
Photo via sf.eater.com
16. Cable Car City Tour
Take a 90 minute tour of over 20 holiday sights! Including many of the places mentioned in this post – Ghirardelli Square, Fairmont Hotel, Union Square, and more! It’s $42 a person and runs daily through December 30th (closed December 25th).
17. WinterWalkSF
Located on Grant Avenue, Winter Walk has food trucks, beer and wine gardens, and craft holiday cocktails according to their website. It’s open during the full month of December!
Photo via RHAA.com
18. Ferry Building
The Ferry Building has its Inaugural Gingerbread Exhibition on display all through the holidays featuring 10 different gingerbread houses! They decorate the whole building for the holiday season and you can use #TheMerryBuilding on Instagram and Facebook to see photos people have posted or for your own posts at the (Merry) Ferry Building!
I’ve been told the Cowgirl Creamery there is delicious!
