At the start of this trip, I was travelling alone – I wouldn't meet my girlfriend until San Francisco. The flight from Stuttgart to San Francisco and back would have cost €580 in plain economy, no seat selection. With seat selection and lounge access in Copenhagen, it came to €680. Then things took a different turn.
The Flight: One Bid Changed Everything
I flew with SAS, and SAS lets you bid for an upgrade – to SAS Plus or straight to Business. Something many people don't realise: this is standard practice across a lot of airlines these days, not just SAS. I'd placed my bid and, to be honest, completely forgotten about it. Still queuing to check in my luggage, I had no idea what was coming. Only at the counter did I learn my bid had been accepted – I'd be flying Business.
Just not the whole way, though, and it cost an extra €800. That covered Copenhagen–San Francisco only; Stuttgart–Copenhagen, San Francisco–Copenhagen and Copenhagen–Stuttgart stayed plain economy. I only treated myself to the lounge on the way back too, since I had a six-hour layover in Copenhagen – on the way out it was under an hour.
I searched for the flight the way I always do, via Momondo, then booked through trip.com with SAS. Parking in Stuttgart for the whole trip (24 October to 7 November) cost €155, booked via ParkVia.
For mobile data on the ground, we each picked up an eSIM from Simbye – €17.95 per person, 20GB of data, valid for 90 days. We were online the moment we landed, no need to hunt down a shop.
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Arrival, and a Few Days With Family
After a genuinely lovely Business Class flight, I landed in San Francisco almost exactly when my girlfriend did. She'd flown from Thailand via Hong Kong, 22 hours door to door, and was feeling every one of the time zones. My cousin's husband picked us up, and about 90 minutes later we reached our first stop: Petaluma.
The next day, we drove out to the coast with my cousin: first Dillon Beach, a small, almost untouched stretch of sand (free entry), then Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (around €9 per adult, bought on site). The giant redwoods there are so enormous that no photo captures their real scale – we stood among trunks that eight people together couldn't wrap their arms around.
An Early Morning at the Golden Gate Bridge
On the third morning we were on the road just after 7am – an acquaintance of my cousin's was heading to work and gave us a lift into the city. We got dropped at the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center and had the bridge, lit up by the sunrise, almost entirely to ourselves.
From there, an Uber (around €14–18) to the Painted Ladies, then on foot to the Market St & Van Ness Ave stop, where we picked up one of the historic F Market & Wharves streetcars to Pier 33. The line runs genuinely old streetcars from different countries, still in service today – riding one is something special, and I'd recommend it to anyone. MuniMobile (the app) or a Clipper Card are the easiest ways to pay.
Alcatraz – My Honest Take
From Pier 33, it's about a 20-minute ferry crossing to Alcatraz. Tickets are only available through the official site – book through GetYourGuide or similar and you'll pay more for a bundled guided-tour ticket you didn't need. We paid €49 per person. Demand is high, so book ahead.
My honest opinion: Alcatraz is a touch overhyped. Most of the buildings on the island are ruins and off-limits, and the real highlight is the cell blocks tied to the most famous escapees and inmates. The audio guide is good and genuinely useful, though the best-known spots get crowded fast. Two hours, at most, and you've seen it all. I'd still recommend a visit – just keep your expectations in check. A private guide might make it more compelling.
Pier 39, Cable Cars, and Ice Cream Since 1948
Back at Pier 33, we walked to Pier 39 to see the famous sea lions – loud, but worth it. On the way to the Hyde St & Beach St cable car stop, you pass Fisherman's Wharf, where Wharf Central sells souvenirs at genuinely fair prices – worth comparing a few of the shops there.
If you're planning to get around San Francisco entirely by public transport, I'd recommend the 1-Day Visitor Passport at around €13 – unlimited rides on all Muni buses, metro lines, historic streetcars and cable cars. A single cable car ride now costs around €8, and if you're hopping on more than once while hanging off the side, the day pass pays for itself fast.
The cable car took us on to the world-famous Lombard Street with its tight switchbacks, then to Swensen's – open in San Francisco since 1948 and known for unusual flavours like Caramel Turtle Fudge, Lemon Blueberry Parfait, and Rocky Road.
Back by Water and Rail
With a little time left, we strolled to the Ferry Building. For the way back to Petaluma, we wanted to try something different: a ferry from the terminal to Larkspur at €14 per person, then a train on to Petaluma at around €4 per person. The Clipper Card covers the train fare; we bought the ferry ticket at the counter.
Practical Tips for Your Visit
Bring comfortable shoes and be ready for the weather to shift – depending on the season, San Francisco can turn foggy, rainy or properly hot, sometimes all in the same day. The city also has plenty of steep streets that will test your legs.
We never felt unsafe at any point – though we also only went to the well-known tourist spots. I've been told it can look different elsewhere: the Tenderloin especially, along with parts of SoMa (South of Market) and the area around the Civic Center and lower Market Street, are best avoided.
What This Leg Cost
| Item | for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Flight Stuttgart–San Francisco return, SAS Economy with seat reservation | 1 person | €680 |
| Business Class upgrade Copenhagen–San Francisco, won by bid | 1 person | €800 |
| Parking at Stuttgart Airport, 24 Oct–7 Nov, through ParkVia | 1 vehicle | €155 |
| Simbye eSIM, 20 GB, 90 days | 2 people | €35.90 |
| Dillon Beach | 2 people | free |
| Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve | 2 people | approx. €18 |
| Uber Golden Gate Bridge–Painted Ladies | 2 people | approx. €16 |
| Alcatraz, €49 per person | 2 people | €98 |
| Muni day pass, €13 per person | 2 people | €26 |
| Ferry Ferry Building–Larkspur, €14 per person | 2 people | €28 |
| Train Larkspur–Petaluma, €4 per person | 2 people | €8 |
| Accommodation in Petaluma | 2 people | none, we stayed with family |
Roughly €1,865 in total. All figures are given in euros; you pay in dollars on the ground, so the total shifts with the exchange rate. My girlfriend's flight in from Thailand isn't included, as it doesn't belong to the route from Germany. Two figures are worth a second look: €1,480 of that is flight and upgrade for one single person – without the voluntary Business Class bid it would have been around €1,050. And the entire stay on the ground, with the coast, the redwoods, Alcatraz and a full day in San Francisco, cost less than the surcharge for a more comfortable seat across the Atlantic. Which is exactly why it pays to decide each item on its own merits rather than bury it in a package price.
All Booking Links at a Glance
- Flights: trip.com
- Stuttgart parking: ParkVia
- US eSIM: Simbye
- Alcatraz tickets: alcatrazcitycruises.com
- Public transport tickets: MuniMobile app, Clipper Card
Part two of this trip carries on to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.
And if you read all that thinking “I'd like a route like this, but I'd rather not piece it together myself”: that's exactly what I do. The first chat's on me.
