A Design Lover's Weekend Itinerary in San Francisco

San Francisco is for design-lovers. Let us show you around. Behind the fog and the hills sits a city full of rooms worth planning a trip around: a restored Beaux-Arts flatiron, a Nob Hill landmark brought back to life, a Parisian bistro on the water, a tiki bar hidden behind an unmarked door downtown. This itinerary fills you up with three days worth of beautiful places through the Opulist lens.

Day One

Start the weekend the right way with a personal chauffeur through Blacklane, making your first touchpoint in a new city feel chic and effortless. New to Blacklane? Use OPULISTBL30 for $30 off your first ride. Trust us that this will change you and the way you travel.

Check-in sets the tone at San Francisco Proper Hotel, where a 1904 flatiron building has been given the full Kelly Wearstler treatment. Deep jewel tones, custom wallcoverings, and a mix of vintage and found furniture play against the building's original Beaux-Arts bones, and a glass of champagne on arrival is a welcome start. The hotel sits at the edge of the Tenderloin District, so plan on a car to and from rather than walking, especially after dark.

Head up to the roof before dinner. Charmaine's is the hotel's rooftop bar, indoor-outdoor with sweeping views across the skyline and the bay, fire pits scattered around for when the fog rolls in.

Dinner is a short trip away at Bourbon Steak, set inside the Art Deco grandeur of the Westin St. Francis. Green marble columns, walnut millwork laid in a herringbone pattern, and botanical chandeliers overhead give the room a warmth that plays off the building's history. Velvet banquettes and fluted glass accents round it out, tropical and cinematic at once.

Day Two

Start the morning in the Mission District at Marigold Café, where vintage Paris-inspired lighting meets warm, rustic wood finishes and soft washes of color throughout the room, a gentle, unhurried way to ease into the day. The café sits tucked just behind its own flower shop, so fresh blooms and greenery spill into the space and the air carries a faint floral scent while you wait on your order.

By midday, head to The Palm Court at RH San Francisco, a marble-clad room with glowing chandeliers and towering palm trees, natural light pouring in from above.

As the afternoon stretches on, make your way to the Embarcadero for Bon Délire, set inside a 1919 Beaux-Arts building once used for freight and riverboat support. Exposed timber and steel beams meet Parisian touches: a horseshoe bar clad in scalloped oak with a zinc top, green leather banquettes, and vintage school pendants that light the room as evening sets in.

For dinner, head up to Nob Hill for The Big Four, inside the newly restored Huntington Hotel. Ken Fulk's redesign keeps the room's old San Francisco character fully intact: polo-green leather banquettes, polished brass, and walls lined with historical photographs and ephemera.

Stay in the hotel afterward for a drink at Arabella's, the adjoining cocktail bar named for Arabella Huntington. A sweeping mural traces her story across one wall, and the room carries an Art Nouveau richness throughout.

Close out the night at Pagan Idol, a tiki bar behind an unmarked door in the Financial District. The front room is built to resemble the interior of a wooden ship, complete with porthole views and blown-glass tentacle light fixtures, while the back room opens into a full tropical island scene under a starlit ceiling.

Day Three

Ease into the final morning back at Villon, the all-day restaurant inside SF Proper. Also designed by Kelly Wearstler, the space spans three distinct vignettes with curved velvet booths, bold pattern work, and wood floors inlaid with black tile, an Art Deco undertone running throughout.

Before heading out, stop by Terrene at the 1 Hotel on the Embarcadero for a final lunch. Reclaimed wood, native greenery, and warm terracotta accents fill a room lit by floor-to-ceiling windows, with a patio looking straight out over the Bay Bridge and the Ferry Building.

Three days is enough to move through some of the city's most distinct rooms without ever repeating a mood: opulent one night, minimal the next, fully transporting by the last. San Francisco has plenty more where this came from, from Pacific Heights to the Marina, and this itinerary only scratches the surface. Search San Francisco on Opulist to build out your own weekend itinerary.