Palace Of Fine Arts in San Francisco

How have I lived here for over a year and only made my way to the Palace Of Fine Arts this summer?!

We are in San Francisco all the time and for some reason or another the thought of going here didn’t cross my mind. Don’t be like me.

If you are in the Bay Area or planning a trip to San Francisco, you must put the Palace of Fine Arts on the top of your list of places to see.

First and foremost, we went a few weeks ago, in the middle of summer which means it was about 90 degrees in the inland areas of the Bay. However, as you know, there is no summer in San Francisco. We left our house sweating and grumbling about the heat and arrived at the Palace Of Fine Arts complaining of how cold it was! It was so windy and chilly!

The lesson here: wear layers any time you are going to San Francisco. Bring a jacket or sweater and be prepared for fog, wind and chill. Even if its hot as you know what where you live, bring a jacket and/or wear layers of clothing.

We arrived sometime in the late afternoon and parking was not an issue at all. There is a parking lot right across the street right by the marina and a short walk to the Palace of Fine Arts. Just watch out for the cyclists when crossing the street. They go fast!

Do not forget your camera when you come here! Come during the day or night and your pictures of the Palace of Fine Arts are guaranteed to turn out beautifully. We even saw a bride and groom with their wedding party taking their photos there. Every angle from this place is just fantastic and I was surprised to see how large the actual monumental structures were.

This is a great place to go for a stroll and let the kids run around and burn off some energy. It’s also nice for say a date night before heading off to dinner.

The best part of going to The Palace Of Fine Arts: It’s free! That is if you just want to walk around and take pictures. If you want to attend shows or exhibits, there will be a fee.

Visiting the Palace Of Fine Arts ignited the fire in me to travel to Europe ASAP. The structures reminded me of Rome or Greece.

I have never been to Europe but it has always been at the top of my bucket list to go. Ideally, Rowell and I would like to go on the Mediterranean Disney Cruise that travels to Italy and Greece and we feel that it would be a good balance between relaxing, kids activities and site seeing.

I’ll be doing some research and will compare prices between the Disney Cruise and other travel package options so stay tuned as I will be sharing with you what my findings are.

I’m looking for tips on traveling to Europe with kids so please leave me a comment below. Would love recommendations on countries to visit that are best when traveling with kids and where you found the best deal.

xoxo Barb

What I’m Wearing 

Jacket: Loft (similar style here and here)

Dress: Loft (similar style here and here)

Bag: Nordstrom (similar style here, here and here)

Shoes: Cole Haan (similar stye here and here)