Here’s everything you need to know for a memorable winter season in the San Francisco Bay Area, from must-try hot chocolate to roaring fireplaces and everything in between.
Winter in and around San Francisco is a time for getting cozy and leaning into the holiday spirit. Here are some of our favorite winter activities in the Bay Area that are perfect for cold weather, but be sure to see our 2024 holiday roundup for even more festive options in December. Stay warm and make the most of winter in San Francisco until the spring comes.
1. Warm up around these cozy fireplaces
In SF’s characteristic foggy weather, a homey, roaring fire is a hot commodity during winter (and basically any other season). We’ve rounded up some of our favorite fireplaces in San Francisco, ranging from outdoor patios to neighborhood bars to fine dining restaurants. Discover our favorite fireplaces around San Francisco here.
2. Check out this winter village in Napa with VIP igloos
While winter lasts longer than just the holiday season, this merry winter village at the Meritage Resort and Spa offers the perfect escape for the holidays. With an ice skating rink and VIP igloos, the luxe experience is a great way to treat yourself. Plus, the resort also has dining experiences, a swanky New Year’s Eve Party, and Santa story times for children.
Dates: Nov. 18, 2024 – Jan. 5, 2025
Location: 875 Bordeaux Way, Napa, CA 94558
3. Explore the Garden of D’Lights
The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek will be decked out with multicolored lights, lasers, and more, transforming the already spectacular 3.5-acre space into an otherworldly outdoor adventure. General admission tickets range from $25-29, with lower prices for children and seniors.
Dates: Nov. 22, 2024 – Jan. 11, 2025
Location: 1552 Bancroft Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94598
Garden of D’Lights
November 29, 2024 5:30 PM + more dates
The Ruth Bancroft Garden
From $14.34
Buy tickets
4. Explore Palo Alto’s Après Village
This winter wonderland in Palo Alto is meant to simulate an alpine retreat with semi-private chalets and a holiday sweet shop. The luxe village gives you the atmosphere of a cozy winter village after a day on the mountain, but right in the Bay Area. You can skate on their ice rink and enjoy a multi-course meal in the kid-friendly space.
Dates: Nov. 22, 2024 – Jan. 7, 2025
Location: 2050 University Ave, East Palo Alto, CA 94303
5. See the brilliant decorations at Holidays at Filoli
Arguably the most beautiful holiday light display in the Bay Area, Filoli Estate & Gardens in Woodside is adorned with thousands of glittering lights. The historic garden and estate get fully decked out for Christmas, including various holiday events perfect for a day trip.
Dates: Nov. 16, 2024 – Jan. 12, 2025
Location: 86 Cañada Rd, Woodside, CA 94062
Filoli: historic house and gardens with stunning views!
November 27, 2024 12:00 AM + more dates
Filoli Historic House & Garden
From $27.00
Buy tickets
6. Hop aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train
The Napa Valley Wine Train is fun to experience all year, but they really pull out all the stops for the holidays. They have various themed journeys to choose from, including a gourmet holiday express with a three-course meal, Jingle on the Rails with Santa, and more.
Location: 1275 McKinstry St, Napa, CA 94559
Napa Valley Wine Train: Gourmet Express Lunch or Dinner
December 7, 2024 11:30 AM + more dates
Napa Valley Wine Train Station
From $232.69
Buy tickets
7. Take an unforgettable winter day trip to one of these NorCal destinations
You don’t need perfectly sunny weather to enjoy everything the West Coast has to offer. From sipping a coffee while exploring Carmel, to wine tasting at Castello di Amorosa, you’ll find that there are plenty of ways to enjoy an unforgettable winter day trip in the Bay Area. See our full list of day trips for some ideas.
8. Check out GLOW: Discover the Art of Light at the Exploratorium
The Exploratorium’s annual display of breathtaking light art installations is back for 2024. Unlike many other local light shows, this one is indoors, which makes it perfect for a rainy and cold SF day. Many of the installations are interactive, giving you a chance to paint with light and shadow in delightful and unexpected ways.
Dates: Nov. 21, 2024 – Jan. 26, 2025
Location: Pier 15 Embarcadero at, Green St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Exploratorium: After Dark Thursdays
December 5, 2024 12:00 AM + more dates
Exploratorium
$22.95
Buy tickets
9. See breathtaking animal lanterns at Oakland Zoo’s Glowfari
Oakland Zoo’s annual holiday light display returns with hand-painted glowing animal lanterns. The charming display takes you down the Nile River, where you’ll see recreations of ancient Egyptian structures and all sorts of African animals. There’s also a section recreating a farm scene with barnyard animals, an alpine landscape with ibex and alpaca, and even a prehistoric dinosaur land.
Dates: Nov. 8, 2024 – Jan. 26, 2025
Location: 9777 Golf Links Rd, Oakland, CA 94605
10. Visit Let’s Glow SF, the nation’s largest holiday projection mapping light display
Let’s Glow SF is back for another year of massive projections and light displays in the Financial District. The displays are on view via a self-guided walking tour. In past years, the show has drawn 50,000 people to see the dazzling displays.
Dates: Dec. 6-15, 2024
Location: Downtown San Francisco
11. Take a spin around a Bay Area ice skating rink
Is it really wintertime without a day of ice skating at a charming local rink? See how much skill you’ve retained since last year by zooming (or hobbling) around one of the Bay Area’s most popular ice rinks.
- Union Square Ice Rink – SF’s most popular rink, with special events and themed nights all winter long. Open daily through January 15, 2024.
- Snoopy’s Home Ice – This Snoopy-themed ice rink in Santa Rosa was founded by Charles Schulz 50 years ago. Open year-round.
- Merry Meritage – Napa’s Meritage resort and spa has opened its annual winter village, complete with private igloos and fire pits around a totally photogenic ice rink. Open daily through January 7, 2024.
- San Mateo on Ice – At 11,000 square feet, this is the Bay Area’s largest outdoor ice rink. Open daily through January 7, 2024.
Read about more of our favorite local ice rinks here.
12. Enjoy a classical concert by candlelight
The popular classical concert series known as Candlelight showcases intimate performances by local musicians surrounded by hundreds of flickering candles. The beautiful concerts take place in stunning concert venues, and you have plenty of musical options to explore when picking your show. Upcoming highlights include a special Nutcracker performance and holiday pop classics for the Christmas season. See the full schedule of seasonal Candlelight concerts here.
13. Go to the SF Ballet’s performance of Nutcracker
The SF Ballet is performing the holiday classic Nutcracker once again. The show is always a crowd-pleaser, and it takes countless hours of preparation and dedication to put together. Sensory-friendly shows will also be offered at select times.
Dates: Nov. 21, 2024 – Jan. 26, 2025
Location: War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
14. Take an unforgettable trip to Lake Tahoe
Winter has arrived in Tahoe, and the ski mountains are quickly reopening. Whether you’re visiting for a ski/snowboarding weekend, a quiet getaway in a cozy cabin, or just want to see a little snow, here are a few things to put on your list.
- Heavenly Mountain Resort: This renowned South Lake Tahoe resort offers incredible terrain variety, hidden glades, and 34 miles of skiable land that straddles the California-Nevada border.
- Palisades Tahoe: Palisades Tahoe is the largest skiing complex in Lake Tahoe and was home to the 1960 Winter Olympics. Visitors can enjoy 6,000 skiable acres across 8 peaks in one interconnected network.
Discover more places to visit in Lake Tahoe.
15. Enjoy a delightful snow day near the Bay
Winter in San Francisco is a magical, beautiful, exciting time, with one caveat – there’s never any snow. Lucky for us, California is home to dozens of different climates, and it’s not so difficult to pack up the car for a drive out to the snowy mountains in the distance.
- Pinecrest: Pinecrest Lake is a picturesque lake and town located in Stanislaus National Forest.
- Dodge Ridge: A family-owned ski resort in the Stanislaus National Forest, boasting 862 skiable acres and 1600 vertical feet.
- Arnold: Arnold is famous for housing the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Enjoy plenty of mountain sports or take a walk under the dazzling giant sequoias.
- Yosemite: The Valley Loop Trail and Yosemite Falls Trail are favorites during the winter season, as well as the park’s snow play areas and ice skating rink.
Find more places to have a snow day near the Bay Area.
16. Go thrifting at a vintage shop
Vintage clothing is always in. Whether you’re trying to channel the bright ’80s vibe of Stranger Things, nail that ’60s Summer of Love look, or want to step into a hip speakeasy in your best ’20s flapper dress, San Francisco has a vintage clothing store for that.
- Decades of Fashion: The ultimate vintage shop in the Haight, this shop has perfectly preserved vintage pieces from gorgeous flapper dresses to tailored coats.
- ReLove: A re-sale boutique with a motto of “more style, less waste”. They stand against the excess consumption of poorly made clothing, encouraging you to buy quality pieces that make you and the environment feel good.
- Held Over: Held Over sets itself apart with a strong focus on vintage European fashion, along with substantial American classic vintage offerings.
Read more about our favorite SF vintage shops.
17. Sip your way through the best hot chocolate in the city
You don’t have to be a kid to know that hot chocolate is one of the most underrated drinks on any cafe’s menu. As we head into the fall and winter seasons, it’s a great time to compile some spots to visit next time you’re craving this delicious drink!
- Dandelion Chocolate: A top-notch chocolatier with several locations in San Francisco where you can enjoy favorites like the Hojicha hot chocolate mix with green tea flavors or the Mission mix with a spicy blend of cinnamon and chile.
- Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop: When it comes to anything chocolate, you can’t get much better than SF’s own Ghirardelli! Popular flavors include a classic hot cocoa with whipped cream, a sea salt caramel hot cocoa for some extra depth, and a cup of decadent drinking chocolate for the richest flavors of them all.
- La Oaxaqueña: This beloved Mexican restaurant cranks out unbeatable tamales, tortas, pupusas, and more. But they also have an excellent Mexican hot chocolate selection! You can add guajillo chili powder and ginger to yours for an extra kick.
Discover more must-try hot chocolate in San Francisco.
18. Enjoy some delicious seasonal goods from a local bakery
Who’s hungry? San Franciscans with a sweet tooth have it easy in this glorious city because SF bakeries absolutely do not mess around. We wanted to get to the bottom of where San Franciscans get their baked goods, so we posted an Instagram poll asking for recommendations and got some great ones.
- B. Patisserie: This iconic bakery’s formidable menu is in tune with the seasons, so you’ll find many different flavors year-round in their croissants, Bostock, coffeecake, and quiche.
- Arizmendi: Arizmendi is a worker-owned cooperative famous for its work with Cheeseboard Pizza in Oakland. The menu varies each day and seasonally, meaning you’ll always find new flavor combos.
- Neighbor Bakehouse: Here’s a bright kitchen and cafe where you can see everything being made before your eyes. Pastries have unique flavors like pistachio blackberry, chocolate hazelnut, caramelized banana, guava and cream cheese, blueberry sunflower, and more.
Find out more about our favorite bakeries in SF.
19. Warm up with a bowl of ramen
A steaming bowl of ramen is perhaps the most comforting and filling food we can think of! San Francisco, with its plethora of delicious and authentic Asian food, is one of the best places to enjoy this amazing dish.
- Marufuku: This legendary ramen spot is one of the most popular ramen restaurants in the city, and the sleek dining room makes it worth a dine-in experience.
- Mensho Tokyo SF: This massively successful ramen chain has popular storefronts all over the world and comes highly recommended by locals.
- Hinodeya: The origins of this ramen bar go all the way back to 1885 when it opened in front of Hasuda train station in Saitama, Japan. It opened in SF in 2016 and quickly rose to popularity.
See more of our favorite ramen spots in SF.
20. Have a romantic night at an SF Jazz Club
Staying out of the cold in an intimate jazz club is a great way to spend a night out in SF and perfect for date night (it is cuffing season, after all). SF has plenty of unique jazz clubs, and here are a few suggestions perfect for a rainy night.
- Black Cat Jazz Club: A classic supper club, Black Cat has world-renowned musicians performing in the intimate venue.
- Mr. Tripple’s Recording Studio: This jazz club pairs delicious dumplings with great music and wine.
- Geelou: Located in the Marina District, Geelou is a laid-back jazz bar with live performances, plenty of spacious seating, and a pool table in the back.
