Lady’s Guide to Summer in San Francisco

Today I want to bring you my guide to summer in San Francisco. I grew up in the Bay Area and lived in the city for years, and I’ve developed a strategy for approaching this season. Why? Because it’s not quite what you’d expect from California.

Summer in San Francisco

I’m here now and it’s sweltering in San Francisco. Normally I wouldn’t be surprised by heat in summer, but this city is anything but normal when it comes to the weather.

In fact, one of the most famous quotes is “the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”. It’s usually foggy here in July, but San Francisco surprises sometimes, and you have to be ready for anything.

Which is why, as a native, I’m going to share with you A Lady in London’s guide to summer in San Francisco.

Summer Weather in San Francisco

Being a (naturalized) Brit, I will start where all British conversations start: the weather. As I mentioned previously, traveling to San Francisco can be a mixed bag in the summertime.

One day it’s blazing hot, the next it’s so foggy you can’t see the Golden Gate Bridge from the toll both. Many days start out warm and end up freezing, or vice versa.

The best way to prepare for summer in San Francisco is to wear layers and be ready for all weather at all times.

The worst way to prepare for summer in San Francisco is to pack for summer and end up buying a tacky sweatshirt at an overpriced tourist shop in Fisherman’s Wharf.

This is not least because you will make yourself a target for locals who like to laugh at visitors that arrive unprepared for San Francisco’s wintry summers. And most of them do.

If all else fails, head south. San Francisco may be a small city—it’s on a peninsula that constrains it to a mere seven miles by seven miles.

But even the short distance from the Marina in the north to the Mission in the south can make a big difference in temperature.

If it’s foggy at the Golden Gate Bridge, just head down to Dolores Park and you might find yourself basking in the sun.

Summer Festivals in San Francisco

Adequately armed for all weather, start your summer in San Francisco by visiting one of the city’s many festivals.

My favorite part about living in the city was that there was a street festival in a different neighborhood almost every weekend in the summer.

From June’s Union Street Festival in Cow Hollow to September’s Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival in the square of the same name, locals make the rounds from late spring to early autumn.

If you like music, July’s Fillmore Jazz Festival is the perfect choice. If leather is your fetish—hey, I won’t judge—it’s September’s Folsom Street Fair.

And if you like to run naked—hey, I won’t judge—May’s Bay to Breakers is our annual (clothing optional) road race.

If you really want to do the festivals like a local, befriend people in the neighborhood and snag yourself an invite to a house party. Lively daytime parties always line the festival streets, and they’re great for having local experiences.

Day Trips from San Francisco in Summer

One of the best ways to cheat the weather gods in San Francisco is to understand that when the city is foggy and freezing, all it takes is a 10-minute drive to find yourself in weather 20 degrees warmer.

If you wake up to fog in the City by the Bay, just travel across the Golden Gate or Bay Bridge and spend the day elsewhere in the Bay Area to escape the cold.

Even if you’re lucky with good weather in the city, it’s still worth taking some day trips from San Francisco while you’re visiting. Wine tasting in Napa or Sonoma is a must (head to Russian River or Los Carneros if you’re a Pinot Noir fan like me).

Exploring the foodie area in North Berkeley and the super trendy areas of downtown Oakland are also easy thanks to BART, the train system that connects San Francisco to the rest of the Bay Area.

Heading south to the Peninsula, no trip would be complete without a visit to the beaches in Half Moon Bay or the surf mecca of Santa Cruz (check the weather forecast first, as it can be foggy in both places in the summer).

If you’re a tech fan, Silicon Valley has a Computer History Museum in Mountain View. And if you like the outdoors, there’s no better place for hiking than my hometown of Portola Valley.

Beaches in San Francisco

If the weather in San Francisco does cooperate, head to the beach. There are only a few days a year that it’s warm enough to lie out in a bikini, but those few days are spectacular.

My favorite beach in San Francisco is Baker Beach, a little stretch of sand in the Presidio with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Ocean Beach is another good choice, and is big enough to accommodate the crowds that head to the city’s Pacific coast on sunny summer days.

Farmers’ Markets in San Francisco

One of the best things about summer in San Francisco is that the farmers’ markets are full of the best fruit in the world (no, this California girl is not biased at all).

Something many people don’t know about California is that a lot of the state is agricultural. Many of the local farms produce amazing peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and other great summer fruits.

Head over to the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning and sample the sweet summer produce before having a picnic along the waterfront.

You’ll never eat such good fruit again (until you come back to San Francisco. Which you will).

San Francisco Summer

Whatever you end up doing in summer in San Francisco, make sure to enjoy your stay. I’ve certainly enjoyed mine, heat wave and all (there I go talking about the weather again…).

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