The Perfect Itinerary For A Solo Valentine's Day In SF

By: Kyrie Sismaet By: Kyrie Sismaet | February 13, 2023 | Food & Drink, People, Lifestyle, Parties, Travel & Recreation, Restaurants, Wine and Spirits, City Life, Culture, Neighborhoods, Shopping, Art, Events, Holiday, Entertainment, Local, Community, List - Entertainment, List - Restaurants, List - Shopping,

It's Valentine's Day and you don't or want to have a date? Not a problem at all! San Francisco is a romantic and engaging city filled with a wide range of diverse activities perfect for also doing by yourself with absolutely no judgment or feelings of missing out.

Treat yourself to some luxurious self-love with this helpful morning-to-evening guide specifically tailored for a day of solo exploration, whether for Valentine's Day, or whenever you need some alone time ideas the rest of the year.

Morning:

Treat Yourself To Fresh Flowers & Produce At The Ferry Building's Foodwise Farmer's Market

1 Ferry Building / (415) 983-8000 / Website

Valentine's Day falls on a Tuesday this year, which is a weekday abound with several local traditions, such as the beloved Foodwise Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building Marketplace from 10am to 2pm! Start your morning off right by grabbing breakfast and a beautiful bouquet for yourself at this seaside bazaar while also greeting all of the cheerful and kind vendors, and don't miss out on picking some locally-sourced produce for a nutritious meal you can spoil yourself with later guilt-free.

Aside from the farmstands, we also highly recommend taking a lengthy stroll inside the Ferry Building as well and seeing all of the chic businesses inside, as you'll undoubtedly want to indulge in some of their artisanal goodies of chocolates, wine, caviar, bespoke attire, and more!

Fall In Love With Your Next Binge-Read At A Lovely Bookstore

Following your breakfast, a trip to any of our charming and sunny bookstores is a lovely way to continue your peaceful morning while also finding your next irresistible read. From the historic City Lights Books in North Beach, to the modern grassroots zines replete in Valencia's Silver Sprocket, you'll effortlessly feel like the main character of your own adventurous novel as you peruse any of our local bookstores' magical and eclectic shelves.

See all of San Francisco's Best Bookstores here.

Take An Inspiring Art Walk Through Clarion or Balmy Alley

Website

After you fall in love with your new favorite book (or books), a peaceful city walk to admire the community scenery is the ideal way to familiarize yourself with our rich neighborhoods while also establishing a deeper connection and reverence to their history, art, and local stories. A fantastically edifying hidden gem spot to do this is either at Clarion or Balmy Alley- two beautiful streets vibrantly replete with the most impressive and impactful community-made murals highlighting real narratives and issues from marginalized voices. Go at your own pace and feel captivated by each one as you serenely stroll down these striking, yet subtle Instagrammable promenades.

Read more about Balmy Alley's community history and empowering significance here.

Afternoon:

Take Advantage Of Taco Tuesday Deals

2312 Market St / (415) 829-3609 / Website

Another Tuesday delight equally, if not more, indulgent than Valentine's Day? Taco Tuesday! Every week, many residents in the city flock to restaurants big and small to revel in the most delicious tacos with best deals just on this day. With some places even offering prices as low as $2 a taco, this is a perfect choice for a meal to spoil yourself with and also get a taste of San Francisco's authentic taqueria scene, and why not wash it down with some tequila or mezcal as well?

See where to get all of the best Taco Tuesday deals here.

Find Inner Peace At A Serene Labyrinth

Although San Francisco has an endless amount of lush nature to stroll through alone, a calm and unique choice to find your zen and reflect in is at one of the city's many distinct labyrinths. Found all over the city in different forms and sizes, like with Grace Cathedral's ornately grand duo, to the magnificently rewarding one created with stones finishing the Land's End Trail with a sweeping view of the Golden Gate Bridge, SF labyrinths are a pleasant suprise that provide relaxing reprieve. Completing one of these mindful mazes will definitely help center yourself and is an excellent choice for sightseeing and self-care.

See all of San Francisco's best Labyrinths here.

Indulge In A Cake All To Yourself

Having no date or tag-alongs positively means not having to share any of your sweet treats! The perfect afternoon snack is waiting for you at any of the city's exquisitely premier bakeries and patisseries, which all masterfully excel at crafting the most elegant cakes, delicately flaky croissants, and sumptuous desserts, all with no pressure to save them for anyone else. Try as many goodies as you want from one place... or have a pastry field day and sample from multiple places! From North Beach to the Mission, San Franciso's optimal sizes makes it incredibly easy to walk or take swift public transportation to all of the neighboring culinary hotspots.

See all of San Francisco's Must-Try Cakes, Bakeries, and Patisseries here.

Evening:

Participate In A Pillow Fight Tradition

Embarcadero Plaza / Website

Kicking off at 6pm at the Embarcadero Plaza is one of the city's most eccentric and energetic traditions- the unmissable Valentine’s Day Pillow Fight! In true San Francisco fashion, this riveting event is fittingly playful, ingeniously out-of-the-box, and charmingly community-driven, inviting thousands prepped with pillows to partake in a massive, all-out pillow barrage. Just be sure to bring a feathered pillow and assist in cleaning up afterwards, but participating in this yearly evening extravaganza is truly a story you can boast that could have only transpired in San Francisco.

Join Other Singles At Outer Orbit's "Love Does Not Exist" Beer Week Special

3215 Mission St / (415) 574-6166 / Website

Valentine's Day conveniently coincides with SF Beer Week- another yearly favorite that brings together the entire Bay Area community to showcase locally-made beers through diverse gatherings and engaging activities with exclusive tastings, food, and giveaways. On February 14th is a special "anti-Valentine's" crossover at Outer Orbit with brewers from There Does Not Exist. There will be break-up film screenings, a Single's Special, Häagen-Dazs ice cream, and an open mic competition of who can recite the worst break-up story in under two minutes for a special reward. If you feel like being a little rebellious and racy while being single, this beer week night is your haven.

See all of the other SF Beer Week events here.

Make New Friends At A Trivia Tuesday Night...

3349 20th St / (415) 488-2121 / Website

Tuesday entices a plethora of many fun alliteration-named events, and aside from taco or tequila, trivia is a fantastic mid-week activity! Join other intellectuals and test your knowledge of facts both common and esoteric at Shotwell's- a classic saloon-type Mission cornerstone that kindly hosts a thorough Trivia Night in a convivial and beautifully decorated interior that's over 100 years old! With a genuinely welcoming and casual mood, you will feel no trepidation in coming alone as you'll quickly meet other friendly locals you can team up with to maybe even win some generous prizes!

See SF's other Most Fun Weekday Events here.

...Or A Board Game Tuesday At The Detour

2200A Market St / (415) 872-5310 / Website

The Detour is an enchantingly electrifying arcade bar in the Castro that boasts creative cocktails, delicious culturally-inspired cuisine, and a wide array of classic and modern games all thoughout their spacious interior. Another local favorite on Market Street, this fabulous gem is adored for hosting a different special every night of the week, including Board Game Nights on Tuesdays. If you need a welcoming home to spend Valentine's Day evening at, The Detour will have you fully covered- dinner, drinks, classic animated movies on their many TVs, competitive video games to challenge others on displayed on a large central screen and on Tuesdays, a grand selection of board games to befriend others through.

With this solo itinerary, your Valentine's Day will be just as, if not more, jam-packed, and will have you ending the day with a greater fondness for both the city's offerings, and towards a new self-care agenda!

For more ideas, such as completing the SF Crosstown Trail, be sure to also see: The 25 Best Things To Do In San Francisco: By Yourself!

Photography by: Courtesy of Jenny Dettrick/Getty Images

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