Where to Stay in San Francisco: Neighborhood Guide & Top Hotel Reviews

Fisherman's Wharf was our first-ever San Francisco base, chosen primarily because I wanted easy access to attractions while minimizing transit time with then-toddlers. Was it touristy? Absolutely. Did my kids love it? Without question.

The area offers unmatched convenience for families, especially those visiting San Francisco for the first time. You're within walking distance of Pier 39's sea lions, the Exploratorium, Ghirardelli Square, and ferry departures to Alcatraz. The flat terrain makes stroller navigation infinitely easier than in other parts of the city, and the abundance of family-friendly restaurants means you're never far from a quick meal when hunger strikes.

We stayed at the Argonaut Hotel, a maritime-themed property housed in a converted cannery building. The nautical decor captivated my children's imagination, and the hotel's complimentary wine hour gave me a much-needed moment to relax (with juice boxes for the kids) after full days of exploration. The rooms are spacious by San Francisco standards, and many offer partial bay views.

For a more budget-friendly option, the Holiday Inn Express Fisherman's Wharf provides clean, comfortable rooms and a substantial complimentary breakfast that saved us both money and morning meltdowns. The portable breakfast cooler I brought along was perfect for storing yogurts and fruit from breakfast for later snacks.

The downsides? Expect to pay premium rates for the location, navigate crowds during peak seasons, and dine among fellow tourists rather than locals. The area largely shuts down after dinner, so don't expect vibrant nightlife (though as a parent, the early quiet was actually welcome).

During our most recent San Francisco trip, we opted for Union Square as our home base—a decision that divided our family but taught me valuable lessons about city-center accommodations with children.

The undeniable advantage of Union Square is its central location and transit connections. Nearly every bus, cable car, and BART line passes through or near this area, making it incredibly convenient for exploring the entire city. After a full day of sightseeing, being able to easily return to our hotel for an afternoon reset proved invaluable for preventing overtired meltdowns.

The area boasts a wide range of accommodation options across all price points. We split our stay between the elegant Chancellor Hotel—a historic boutique property with surprisingly spacious rooms and thoughtful touches like complimentary cookies and hot chocolate—and the more budget-friendly Handlery Union Square, where the heated outdoor pool was a surprising hit with my kids despite San Francisco's notoriously cool weather.

For families seeking luxury without sacrificing child-friendliness, the Westin St. Francis offers an unbeatable location directly on Union Square with rooms featuring stunning city views. Their special children's program includes welcome gifts and dedicated concierge services for family activities.

The downsides? Union Square can feel business-oriented and lacks the distinctive neighborhood charm found elsewhere in San Francisco. The area sees a significant unhoused population, which prompted important but sometimes difficult conversations with my children about social inequality and compassion. Additionally, while there are plenty of restaurants, many cater to the shopping crowd with higher prices and less child-friendly menus.

Packing a portable white noise machine proved essential for drowning out the inevitable street noise and helping everyone sleep soundly after busy days.

The Mission District became our San Francisco accommodation revelation during our third family visit—a neighborhood I initially hesitated to book with children but that ended up providing our most authentic and enjoyable stay.

What immediately won us over was the weather. While other parts of San Francisco were shrouded in the city's famous fog, the Mission often enjoyed clear, sunny skies thanks to its microclimate. This meant we could actually use the packable picnic blanket I'd brought for impromptu lunches in Dolores Park, where my children made friends with local kids while I chatted with their parents, gaining invaluable insider tips.

The Mission offers a rich cultural experience unmatched elsewhere in the city. We started our mornings with pan dulce from traditional Mexican bakeries, spent afternoons admiring the vibrant murals along Balmy Alley (connecting perfectly with our family's interest in public art as historical documentation), and enjoyed affordable, authentic meals that expanded my children's palates beyond typical tourist fare.

Accommodation options in the Mission tend toward boutique hotels, guesthouses, and vacation rentals rather than large chain properties. We stayed at the Inn San Francisco, a beautifully restored Victorian mansion with a rooftop deck offering panoramic city views. The staff welcomed my children with special treasure maps of the neighborhood and homemade cookies each afternoon. For families seeking more space, the nearby vacation rental apartments provide full kitchens and multiple bedrooms at prices comparable to single hotel rooms elsewhere in the city.

The tradeoffs? Parts of the Mission experience more street noise and have a grittier urban feel than other neighborhoods. The area is undergoing rapid gentrification, creating visible economic contrasts that prompted meaningful family conversations about community change and displacement. Additionally, public transit connections aren't as comprehensive as Union Square, though the BART station provides direct access to downtown and the airport.

During our second San Francisco visit, we stayed in a charming apartment rental straddling the border of Nob Hill and Russian Hill—a decision that gave us quintessential San Francisco views but also tested our family's stamina.

The undeniable draw of these neighborhoods is their postcard-perfect aesthetic: cable cars climbing steep hills, rows of pastel Victorian homes, and stunning vistas of the bay and downtown at nearly every turn. Our apartment's bay window overlooked the famous crooked section of Lombard Street, providing endless fascination for my children who counted the cars winding down its curves.

For families seeking luxury accommodations, the iconic Fairmont San Francisco sits atop Nob Hill like a crown jewel, offering spacious rooms and suites with panoramic views. Their afternoon tea service became a special memory for us—the staff thoughtfully prepared a child-friendly version with hot chocolate and finger sandwiches shaped like teddy bears. The nearby Stanford Court provides a more contemporary luxury experience with surprising family-friendly touches like complimentary bicycle rentals (with child seats available).

Budget-conscious families should consider the San Francisco Inn on Russian Hill, which offers simple but clean accommodations with the rare San Francisco amenity of free parking. What it lacks in frills, it makes up for in location and value.

The significant downside? Those iconic hills are no joke, especially with tired children. I quickly learned to pack extremely light for day excursions, as pushing a stroller up these inclines qualifies as an Olympic sport. After our first exhausting day, I ordered a lightweight travel stroller to be delivered to our accommodation—its one-handed fold made it easy to collapse and carry when we needed to take the cable car or tackle particularly steep sections.

The neighborhoods have limited dining options compared to other areas, though what they do offer tends to be high-quality neighborhood establishments rather than tourist traps. We discovered a small Italian restaurant where the owner brought special off-menu pasta for my picky eater and treated us like family by our second visit.

North Beach—San Francisco's Little Italy—became our unexpected favorite family accommodation area during our most recent visit. This neighborhood strikes a perfect balance between tourist appeal and authentic local character that resonated with our family travel style.

The area's Italian heritage creates a welcoming atmosphere for families, with restaurants that genuinely embrace children rather than merely tolerating them. We stayed at Hotel Bohème, a charming boutique property decorated in 1950s Beat Generation style that initially seemed more suited to couples than families. However, the staff went above and beyond to accommodate us, providing a rollaway bed adorned with teddy bears wearing sunglasses and berets, plus a special neighborhood scavenger hunt tailored to my children's interests.

For families seeking more space, the Washington Square Inn offers larger rooms and suites overlooking the park, where my children spent hours playing with local kids while I chatted with neighborhood parents. The complimentary breakfast and afternoon wine reception (with sparkling cider for children) created natural opportunities to gather travel tips from other guests and staff.

Budget-conscious families should consider the San Remo Hotel, a European-style property with shared bathrooms that offers tremendous value given its location. While the shared facilities initially gave me pause, they were impeccably maintained, and the hotel's historic charm and friendly atmosphere more than compensated for this minor inconvenience.

North Beach's central location provides easy walking access to Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and the Embarcadero. The relatively flat terrain along Columbus Avenue made stroller navigation manageable, though side streets climbing toward Telegraph Hill required strategic planning. Washington Square Park became our daily decompression space, offering the children room to run while I enjoyed exceptional people-watching.

The neighborhood's Italian cafes were perfect for quick, affordable breakfasts—my children still talk about the hot chocolate at Caffe Trieste, served with such ceremony they felt like royalty. For dinner, we found that arriving at restaurants before 6pm meant warm welcomes for families and often special attention from staff not yet busy with the evening rush.

The only downside? Weekends bring vibrant nightlife to Columbus Avenue, with associated noise extending into late hours. Our sleep mask set became essential for helping light-sensitive sleepers in our family rest despite the ambient light and activity.

For our most education-focused San Francisco visit, we chose to stay in the SoMa (South of Market) district near Yerba Buena Gardens—a decision that perfectly aligned with my mission to use travel as an educational platform for my children.

This area offers unparalleled access to some of San Francisco's best family-friendly cultural institutions: the Children's Creativity Museum, SFMOMA, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the Museum of the African Diaspora are all within blocks of each other. The Yerba Buena Gardens provided a crucial green space for physical activity between museum visits, while the surrounding architecture offered perfect opportunities to discuss how cities evolve and incorporate smart design elements—a topic that connects to our interest in smart-city initiatives.

We split our stay between two properties: the InterContinental San Francisco, a modern high-rise with floor-to-ceiling windows offering spectacular city views, and the more affordable Mosser Hotel, a historic property with recently renovated rooms that retain Victorian charm while incorporating modern amenities. Both properties welcomed children warmly, though the InterContinental's indoor pool gave it a significant advantage on foggy afternoons when outdoor activities weren't appealing.

For families seeking a splurge, the St. Regis San Francisco offers luxurious accommodations with their signature butler service—which, to my surprise, included child-specific assistance like unpacking stuffed animals and arranging them on beds, creating impromptu scavenger hunts within the hotel, and preparing special bedtime hot chocolate service.

The area's dining options skew toward business lunches and expense-account dinners, though the Yerba Buena Gardens food court provided reliable, diverse options at reasonable prices. Having a insulated water bottle for each family member saved us considerably on beverages and kept everyone hydrated during long museum visits.

The tradeoffs? SoMa lacks the historic charm and distinctive character of other San Francisco neighborhoods. Weekends can feel eerily quiet when the business crowd disappears, though this also means fewer crowds at attractions. Parts of the area, particularly around 6th Street, experience significant homelessness and are best avoided with children, requiring careful navigation and advance planning.