North America · USA
San Francisco in July
The fog is the AC — while inland California hits 105°F, SF sits at 65°F with the coolest summer of any major US city.
- Best window
- Jun – Aug
- Temperatures
- 12–20°C / 54–68°F
- Walk score
- 9 / 10
- Safety
- High
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San Francisco is the country's under-appreciated summer escape: average July highs of 68°F, an ocean fog that arrives by 4pm on cue, and enough microclimates that a 20-minute walk can swing the temperature by 15°F. Stay near the fog line (Pacific Heights, Nob Hill) and day-trip east for warmth when you want it.
Understand the microclimates
The Mission, Bernal, and Dogpatch can be 15°F warmer than the Outer Sunset on the same afternoon. If you want warm evenings, book east-side. If you want the coolest possible trip, base yourself in Pacific Heights or the Richmond — highs rarely leave the low 60s.
Walk the ridge, not the flats
The Presidio → Lands End → Sutro Baths coastal walk is 6 miles of ocean cliff — the single best half-day in the city. Do it in the morning before the fog thickens, and bundle up: it's genuinely 55°F at Lands End at 11am in July.
Day-trip options for warmth
Sonoma (75°F, wine), Sausalito ferry (65°F, harbor walks), or Muir Woods (60°F, redwoods in mist) all sit an hour away and cover different weather moods. Skip Napa in peak season — the traffic isn't worth the extra 10°F over Sonoma.
Book it
What travelers actually book
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Affiliate · Stay22 · Booking.comHotel Drisco
Pacific Heights townhouse hotel
from $429
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Affiliate · Stay22 · Booking.comThe Battery Hotel
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Affiliate · Stay22 · GetYourGuideAlcatraz Island night tour
Book 60 days out — sells out fast
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Affiliate · Travelpayouts · AiraloAiralo US eSIM 5GB
Works on T-Mobile 5G
$11