Our Walking Tour of San Francisco with a Baby (with Itinerary!)

We knew we wanted to take a classic San Francisco walking tour, but planning it with an 11-month-old felt overwhelming. The more we read about the steep hills and bustling crowds, the more we worried that navigating San Francisco with a baby wouldn’t be family-friendly.

The good news? It is entirely doable (and incredibly fun) if you have the right strategy!

Clinical Tip: Don’t fear the famous San Francisco fog! The cool air provides natural proprioceptive input (sensory awareness). The cooling sensation on your baby’s skin actually helps lower their heart rate and stabilizes their sensory baseline, making them less prone to overstimulation tantrums.

Check out our post on how to navigate SFO airport with babies.

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Clinical Tip: The fog in San Francisco provides natural proprioceptive input. The cooling sensation helps lower the heart rate and stabilize the sensory baseline.

Self-Guided Baby-Friendly Walking Tour At-A-Glance

Tour Metric	Details
Total Walking Distance	~6 miles
Time Needed	Allow 6 hours (at a leisurely, baby-led pace)
Cost	Free (excluding food & souvenirs)
Best For	Babies in carriers or sturdy strollers

Note: If a 6-mile trek feels like too much legwork with a little one, you can save your energy and book one of these [10 Best Guided San Francisco Tours on Viator]. It costs a bit extra, but they handle all the logistics for you!

The Ferry Building Marketplace

The historic Ferry Building (also known as Pier One) has Port of San Francisco emblazoned across the front.  We started here because of the proximity to the BART (Embarcadero) station and the opportunity to snag breakfast. The Ferry Building houses an eclectic collection of shops and restaurants.  The area in front is a rotating market of artisan crafts.  If you continue, you will pass all the piers along the way.

Most importantly, baby-wearing our 11-month-old daughter with this breathable Boba carrier was sublime. If your baby is older like ours, consider a possible backache! It allowed us to zoom around most streets without worrying about sidewalks, traffic, or pedestrians.  However, if you are planning to babywear, I would leave the long, hilly trek up Lombard Street off the list!

Fisherman’s Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf encompasses the northern waterfront area of San Francisco from Ghirardelli Square down to Pier 35.  Often used interchangeably with Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf is the neighborhood we debated visiting.  It’s a top-rated tourist attraction, but is it just a tourist trap?

The verdict? Worth it.  The sea lions were amazing, and we completed many must-dos in a relatively small area.

Sea Lions at Pier 39

The sea lions moved to the Pier 39 Marina after the 1989 earthquake.  They came in droves and forced all boats out.  They’re so cute and lazy

You can view Alcatraz Island from Pier 39, visit an Alcatraz bookstore, and even buy tickets to board cruises to Alcatraz. If you’re interested in the tour, buy tickets early, because they sell out every day I was there.

Fun Fact: Alcatraz is considered one of the most haunted places in America. Park rangers and visitors have reported hearing phantom banjo music (believed to be Al Capone), heavy footsteps in the corridors, and disembodied screams in the D-Block isolation cells.

If you’re hungry or thirsty, check out one of Pier 39’s restaurants.  While most of these are commercial franchises rather than local, authentic restaurants, they are baby-friendly.  There are restaurants such as Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Hard Rock Cafe, and Boudin Bakery (San Francisco Sourdough bowls with chowder are a gluten-filled delicacy that I can no longer enjoy!).

I was impressed by the stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Bubba Gump Shrimp Company at Pier 39.  However, the food is pedestrian. Our little kids enjoy the food, as well.

Is it potty time?  Take a pit stop.  Public toilets along the pier are part of the city’s Pit Stop Program.  The city developed these facilities due to a concern about the lack of restrooms downtown.  The toilets are self-cleaning and accessible to those with disabilities.  They also provide clean and safe toilets, sinks, and needle receptacles.

Ghirardelli Square- Chocolate Marketplace

Ghirardelli Square offers delicious, expensive ice cream sundaes.  Be sure to pick up some delightful Ghirardelli squares to take home.  Drink some ice water, but don’t overdo the sugar. You will need to rest and hydrate before you climb up Lombard Street.  

Lombard Street

While this street is neither the curviest nor the highest in San Francisco, it is well known for its eight hairpin turns.  In the 1920s, the hill was too steep for modern vehicles to climb. The hairpin turns allowed a gradual descent.  If you are attempting this San Francisco walking tour with a baby, it will truly test your strength!  Whether you use a stroller or a baby carrier, it takes endurance to get your tiny human to the top!

If you are driving in the area, beware of pedestrians loitering in traffic!  They stand in the crosswalk to photograph the turns and do not move when a large vehicle approaches.

My husband pushed our daughter’s stroller all the way up the hill.  His legs were very sore that evening!  The following San Francisco architecture walking tour will entertain sightseers.

Coit Tower

Coit Tower is on Telegraph Hill, and you can see it from Pioneer Park.  This Art Deco structure, also known as the Lillian Coit Memorial Tower, is a 210-foot concrete tower. 

Telegraph Hill is notoriously haunted. Long before the tower was built, it was the site of the city’s first graveyard and a wild, lawless neighborhood. Locals and tourists frequently report seeing the apparitions of early pioneers wandering Pioneer Park at dusk.

Prefer walking tours on the spooky side? Check out our haunted Denver walking tour.

Lillie Coit was a wealthy socialite who loved chasing fires, long before women could even wear pants! She would dress like a man, smoke cigars, and track fire trucks to help put out fires. After she died in 1933, she left funds to beautify San Francisco.

We were unable to make it up the long hill with a baby strapped to us.  Pioneer Park is a lush park with plenty of space to lounge and play (and change diapers).  We love towing this diaper bag along because it has a cooler, so we can bring premade bottles, drinks, snacks, and food.  

Gorgeous Cathedrals in North Beach (Little Italy)

After tackling the steep climb up Lombard Street, walking into the quiet neighborhood of North Beach feels like stepping into a different world. This vibrant community is home to some incredible architectural gems that offer a perfect, peaceful break for traveling families.

Saints Peter and Paul Church

This gorgeous church is the majestic Italian cathedral in North Beach. Joe DiMaggio married his first wife at this cathedral- not Marilyn Monroe! It has also been in many movies, including Dirty Harry, San Andreas, and The Dead Pool. 

While it looks peaceful today, this church sits directly across from Washington Square Park, which was a massive cholera burial ground in the 1800s. Psychics and paranormal investigators claim the energy of the forgotten graves still lingers heavily around the church steps.

Families sprawled out in front of this lovely building to enjoy a picnic lunch on a leisurely afternoon.

Shrine of Francis of Assisi

The 1860s structure stands where Italian North Beach and Chinatown meet.  The earthquake and subsequent fire gutted the interior in the early 1900s. The National Shrine is no longer a parish church despite being refurbished in 1919.  The shrine is a favorite place to visit and gives serenity to a boisterous city.

Financial District (FiDi)

The Transamerica Pyramid was the former tallest building in San Francisco until the new Salesforce building surpassed it.  This building is an architectural symbol of the city.

If your legs are not too sore, here are a few bonus sites to enhance your experience.

Old Pacific Gas and Electric building

If you’re into touring San Francisco’s historical sites, you won’t regret seeing this city landmark. The old Pacific building was built in 1925. It occupied the structure until a decade ago.  Check out the gorgeous stonework, including the 20-foot eagle statues near the top of the building.

The San Francisco Mining Exchange

The San Francisco Mining Exchange is the second-oldest exchange in the United States, after the New York Stock Exchange.   The Mining Exchange, formed in 1862 to trade mining stocks, commissioned this building in the early 1920s.  The mining exchange was hit hard by the stock market crash and relocated in 1928.  The Mining Exchange dissolved in 1967.  This building has sat empty since 1979 and serves as a reminder of a bygone era when San Francisco’s greats built their fortunes.  (Think Hearst, Coit, Ralston, and more!)

Wrapping Up the Walking Tour of San Francisco

Wrapping up our walking tour of San Francisco with a baby, we were able to enjoy the view of the Bay Bridge at night.  The lights twinkling over the bay bring peace to a bustling city.  San Francisco is a fantastic place to vacation with a baby, so long as you prepare.

Continue to the Embarcadero station.  From the Embarcadero station, you can get transportation to travel nearly anywhere.

Why we skipped Golden Gate Park and the Presidio on this tour

While they are top-rated spots for families, they are miles away from the downtown waterfront. Adding them to this route would easily double the walking distance. Save those for a separate “Day 2” trip and take an Uber or the bus!

What are your favorite places on our walking tour of San Francisco with a baby? Have you ever tried any of the walking tours in downtown San Francisco? 

Nervous about tackling the airport with your tiny children?  Click here for our best tips for tackling SFO airport with your baby in tow.