Half day in SFO, enough time to do hop on hop off?

We are arriving on Oct 1 at Pier 27 from Vancouver on Norwegian Pearl. Our flight leaves SFO at 6pm. Wondering if we have enough time to do a hop on hop off tour, thinking of using a shuttle company to get to SFO, which means they would pick us up at 2:45pm to get to the airport by 3:30 (so their website says). I'm not sure if there is enough time to do a hop on hop off tour of San Fran, given that I'm not sure what time we will get off the ship (docks at 8am), and given we will have to also walk to store our luggage at Pier 39, then make our way to the Hop on Hop Off stop. I read there are lots of lines, and possibly crowded buses? Can anyone advise? Thank you in advance!

My advice, don't call The City, San Fran. Locals hate it.

You really have about 4 hours. Could do the loop with limited or no hop off time.

Instead do a small walking tour of the Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square area. Make sure you stop at Boudin's.

Or take a taxi to Chinatown and walk down to the wharf area.

Edited September 6, 2015 by SadieN

Or take a taxi to Chinatown and walk down to the wharf area.

If you make it to Chinatown.... stop by the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie. My carry-on is solid with fresh cookies which my co-workers are always asking me to bring back more.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Fortune_Cookie_Company
  
• http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/attractions/ggfortunecookie.html
  

Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli are extremely touristy but can easily be reached by the Muni F-line trolley. Once there you will have seen enough on the way so get on a cable car and go up the hill, along California and if you are so inclined you could get off at Grant (Chinatown) and walk back to the pier or stay on until Market and then walk to the pier. Not sure about the HoHo route or timing.

My advice, don't call The City, San Fran. Locals hate it.

Don't call it SFO either. That's the airport.

Looking at Wikipedia....

• The City by the Bay
  
• Fog City
  
• San Fran
  
• Frisco
  

• The City that Knows How
  
• Baghdad by the Bay
  
• The Paris of the West
  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco

Looking at Wikipedia....

• The City by the Bay
  
• Fog City
  
• San Fran
  
• Frisco
  

• The City that Knows How
  
• Baghdad by the Bay
  
• The Paris of the West
  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco

 

 

With several of those marked as "antiquated" on the Wikipedia entry.

Looking at Wikipedia....

• The City by the Bay
  
• Fog City
  
• San Fran
  
• Frisco
  

• The City that Knows How
  
• Baghdad by the Bay
  
• The Paris of the West
  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco

 

Of those, Frisco is the one that really causes the hair to stand up on the back of locals' necks :mad:

I live in the EB and use the term San Fransicko, for obvious reasons.:D