When is the best time to visit san francisco ca?

September and October, and this is one of the few cities where the data is unambiguous. NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals for downtown San Francisco put September at a 70.2 degree average high and October at 69.8, the two warmest months of the year, with almost no rain and the summer marine layer gone. The price for that weather is company: Dreamforce in mid-September and Fleet Week in early October are the two biggest hotel-demand events of the year, so the skill is picking the September and October days between them.

What is the best time to visit san francisco on a budget?

January and February. They are the quietest months, the rooms sit at their annual floor, and the weather is wetter but milder than most visitors expect, with average highs still around 58 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. About two-thirds of San Francisco's annual rain falls between November and February, so build museum days around the showers. The city's big museums cooperate: the de Young is free for everyone 17 and under all year, and SFMOMA is free under 18.

Is summer a good time to visit San Francisco?

It is the most popular time and the most misunderstood. July's average high is 66.3 degrees Fahrenheit, which is lower than April's, and August is foggy enough that locals call it Fogust: the marine layer pours through the Golden Gate on summer afternoons and caps the temperature, especially near the water. It is also effectively rainless, with July averaging 0.01 inches, so the practical advice is layers rather than cancellation. If you want the postcard weather, shift the same trip to September.

Why are hotels in san francisco so expensive?

Partly the tax, partly the calendar. The city's transient occupancy tax is 14 percent, but tourism district assessments stack on top, and the tourism district's own FAQ puts the all-in figure at about 17.5 percent, which most guides understate. On top of that, San Francisco hotel demand follows the convention calendar rather than the seasons: a Moscone event like Dreamforce can reprice the whole city mid-September, on dates that have nothing to do with tourism. The Moscone events calendar is public, which makes it the single most useful price-checking tool the city offers.

When can you see whales in San Francisco?

Most of the year, if you pick the right species. Humpback whales feed off the coast from April to November, which is when the Farallon Islands and Golden Gate whale trips run, and gray whales migrate past from December to April, with cow and calf pairs sometimes entering the Bay itself in April and May. Pier 39's sea lions, the free version of the wildlife show, are at their loudest in winter and spring before most of the colony leaves for the Channel Islands breeding season in early summer.

Month by monthUnited States2026

The Best Time to Visit San Francisco

Best: September and October, dodging the convention weeksCheapest: January and February, wet but mild

Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0

San Francisco is the city where summer is a rumour. On NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for the downtown station, September and October are the two warmest months of the year, July's average high of 66 degrees Fahrenheit is lower than April's, and August is fogged in often enough that locals call it Fogust. The other thing the guides miss is that hotel prices here track the convention calendar rather than the weather, and the biggest convention of the year lands in the middle of the best month.

Alice - Trip planning and when to go

Published August 13, 2026

Updated 13 August 2026

In Brief

When is the best time to visit San Francisco?

September and October. They are the warmest months on the government's own climate normals, at average highs of 70.2 and 69.8 degrees Fahrenheit against July's fog-capped 66.3, the marine layer relaxes, and the ocean trips for humpback whales still run. The catch is that everyone with a calendar knows it: Dreamforce fills the city around 15 to 17 September 2026, Fleet Week runs 4 to 12 October, and rates spike on exactly those days. January and February are the honest bargain, wet but mild.

September (70.2 F) and October (69.8 F) are the warmest months; July is cooler than April on the normals
July is effectively rainless at 0.01 inches, but dry is not sunny: the summer fog caps the temperature
Check the public Moscone convention calendar before booking: Dreamforce is 15 to 17 September 2026
Over two-thirds of the year's rain falls November to February, and mild 57-degree days come with it

Best time to go

September and October, dodging the convention weeks

Cheapest time

January and February, wet but mild

When to avoid

Dreamforce week in mid-September if you are not attending, and Fogust with beach plans

San Francisco climate at a glance

Avg daytime high (°C / °F) · rainfall · season

Peak seasonGreatShoulder / valueOff-peakmore drops = wetter

14°57°F
Jan
16°61°F
Feb
17°63°F
Mar
17°63°F
Apr
18°64°F
May
19°66°F
Jun
19°66°F
Jul
20°68°F
Aug
21°70°F
Sep
21°70°F
Oct
18°64°F
Nov
14°57°F
Dec

Find your month

Every month in San Francisco is rated for weather, crowds and price. Drag the slider to find your sweet spot - the greener the month, the better value the trip.

Sweet spot - best value

Cheapest window: January and February, wet but mild

January: $ · Low crowds · 8 to 14°C, wet

See January hotels

Flights to San FranciscoCompare fares for your month on Trip.com Hotels in San FranciscoBook earlier for peak-season dates Things to doTours & tickets in San Francisco

San Francisco month by month

Every month rated for weather, crowds and price, so you can match the trip to the month.

Peak seasonGreatShoulder / valueOff-peak

Month	Weather	Crowds	Price	What it's like
Jan	8 to 14°C, wet	Low	$	The rainiest stretch of the year begins its retreat, gray whales pass offshore, and rooms sit at their floor.
Feb	9 to 16°C, wet	Low	$	Still wet at 4.4 inches, still cheap, and the Chinese New Year Parade lands here: 20 February in 2027.
Mar	9 to 17°C, drying	Low	$	Rain drops to about 3 inches, the hills turn green, and the humpback whale season opens offshore.
Apr	10 to 17°C, clearing	Moderate	$$	One of the clearest windows: 1.6 inches of rain, no summer fog yet, and whales sometimes inside the Bay itself.
May	11 to 18°C, bright	Moderate	$$	Dry at 0.7 inches and not yet fogged in. The marine layer usually arrives with June.
Jun	12 to 19°C, fog begins	High	$$$	School-holiday crowds arrive as the marine layer does. Pride closes the month: 26 to 27 June in 2027.
Jul	12 to 19°C, foggy	Peak	$$$	The famous inversion: effectively zero rain, yet an average high of 66 F, lower than April. Pack layers, not shorts.
Aug	13 to 20°C, Fogust	Peak	$$$	The foggiest-feeling month with the year's biggest crowds, and Outside Lands fills Golden Gate Park early in it.
Sep	13 to 21°C, warmest	High	$$$	The real summer: 70.2 F average highs. The trap is Dreamforce, 15 to 17 September 2026, which fills the city.
Oct	12 to 21°C, clear	High	$$$	Nearly as warm, with Fleet Week's air shows 4 to 12 October 2026 and Hardly Strictly free in the park.
Nov	10 to 18°C, rain returns	Low	$	The wet season opens at 2.6 inches, crowds thin fast, and gray whales begin passing south offshore.
Dec	8 to 14°C, wettest	Moderate	$$	The wettest month at 4.76 inches, softened by holiday lights and ice rinks; rates rise over the holidays themselves.

When to book San Francisco

On the table above, Jan, Feb, Mar and Nov sit in the bottom price band and Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep and Oct in the top one. Find the row that sounds like your trip.

Booking windows for San Francisco, by what the traveller wants
If you want	Months	Why
The best trip for the money	Apr and May	Rated good above without hitting the top price band, so you are not paying peak rates for the conditions.
The lowest price, whatever the weather	Jan, Feb, Mar and Nov	The bottom price band. Check the weather column first, because some of these are cheap for a reason.
Peak season anyway	Sep and Oct	Busiest and dearest. This is the window where booking early changes the price, not just what is left.

Check San Francisco hotel pricesSee what Apr and May actually costs for your dates

Free cancellation on most rooms
No booking fee
Prices on Trip.com

Time it right: San Francisco's seasonal highlights

Dreamforce
Mid-September
Salesforce's convention, 15 to 17 September 2026 at Moscone, is the single biggest hotel-price event of the year. The Moscone calendar at moscone.com/events is public, so check your dates against it before booking anything in September.
Fleet Week
Early October
The Blue Angels over the Bay, 4 to 12 October 2026, with the free Fleet Fest at Fisherman's Wharf on the middle weekend. Spectacular, and the waterfront hotels price accordingly.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
Early October
A completely free three-day festival in Golden Gate Park, usually the first weekend of October. The 2026 dates were not yet published at the time of checking; 2025 ran 3 to 5 October.
Outside Lands
Early August
Golden Gate Park's big ticketed festival ran 7 to 9 August in 2026 and is set for 6 to 8 August 2027. It fills the west side of the city on its weekend.
Chinese New Year Parade
February
One of the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside Asia, run since the Gold Rush era. The next parade is 20 February 2027, for the Year of the Ram.
Whale seasons
Gray whales December to April, humpbacks April to November
Farallon Islands and Golden Gate whale trips run April to November for humpbacks, and the gray whale migration passes December to April, occasionally inside the Bay in spring.

Best time to visit San Francisco: FAQ

The timing questions travelers ask most before booking.

Staying in San Francisco? Book the area before the hotel

Picking the month is half of the decision. The other half is the area, because that is what sets how far you walk and what a room costs in San Francisco. These go into the detail:

Compare all hotels in San FranciscoLive rates for the dates you picked

Free cancellation on most rooms
No booking fee
Prices on Trip.com

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July-September

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April–May & September–early December

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March-May & October-November

Where to go, by month →

See the best destination for every month

Continue Planning Your Trip

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The Best Time to Visit San Francisco

When is the best time to visit San Francisco?

San Francisco climate at a glance

San Francisco month by month

When to book San Francisco

Time it right: San Francisco's seasonal highlights

Dreamforce

Fleet Week

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Outside Lands

Chinese New Year Parade

Whale seasons

Best time to visit San Francisco: FAQ

Staying in San Francisco? Book the area before the hotel

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When is the best time to visit San Francisco?

San Francisco climate at a glance

San Francisco month by month

When to book San Francisco

Time it right: San Francisco's seasonal highlights

Dreamforce

Fleet Week

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

Outside Lands

Chinese New Year Parade

Whale seasons

Best time to visit San Francisco: FAQ

When is the best time to visit san francisco ca?expand_more

What is the best time to visit san francisco on a budget?expand_more

Is summer a good time to visit San Francisco?expand_more

Why are hotels in san francisco so expensive?expand_more

When can you see whales in San Francisco?expand_more

Staying in San Francisco? Book the area before the hotel

Compare other destinations

Continue Planning Your Trip

Things to Do

Where to Stay

Car Rental

Airport Transfers

All-Inclusive Guides

Best Time to Visit

Cheapest Places to Travel

Route Finder

Hotel Finder

AI Trip Planner

Budget Calculator