Trying to decide between San Francisco and Los Angeles for a four night trip in August. Which one would you recommend and why? Thanks

LA and go to the LOJ ball!!!https://labyrinthmasquerade.com/
LABYRINTHMASQUERADE.COM
Labyrinth Masquerade Ball

SF. Always SF.

San Francisco -- no contest. Older city so more history, more scenic, lots of activities, great food and accommodation and the BART is excellent public transit system.

sF....SF ....so classy .....

SF

San Francisco

SF

I was in SF last weekend and I am going back for labour day weekend. Great city.

No question...SF!

SF - lots to see and do.. smaller city easier to navigate..very scenic city

SAN Fran for sure.

sf

SanFran 100000%

San Fran for sure!!!

San Francisco

Definitely SF

San Fran

What do you like better city or beach? I have spend a lot of time in both. SF is great from a logistics point of view. LA - you would need to know what you want to see. If I had only 4 days, esp in August, I would go to SF. Bring comfy shoes and an appetite.

*spent

Golden Gate park. Haight Ashbury. Union Square. Get burritos in Mission. China town. The pier. Cable cars. 4 days is perfect for SF.

Have never been to LA, but love SF and have been there many times. So much to see and do and you can walk forever! Small town feel and reminds me a lot of Victoria. Lots of different neighbourhoods to explore, the waterfront, GG bridge, Alcatraz, Sausalito...

I grew up in California and I highly suggest SF

SFO!

San Francisco for sure. It's smaller and far easier to see so much of the city's varied neighbourhoods just on foot. You could easily see the Embarcadero, Chinatown, Ocean Beach, Downtown/Market Street, the Mission, Castro, and Haight-Ashbury all in one day just wandering around. August is a great time to go, but be prepared for the fog to roll in on you by about 4:00pm so make sure to bring a jacket with you even if it's quite warm when you go out in the morning.

SFO! Beautiful city, less hectic than L.A., 4 days is a good amount of time for a quick get away. Buy the SFO citypass as it includes main sites and the MUNI transport pass (great value as a cable care is about $7 each way)

SF lots to see and do

Oh wow looks like San Francisco is pretty popular. I was leaning to LA because of universal studios, Venice beach and Hollywood. But now I don't know

Los Angeles is great too. Venice Beach, Santa Monica pier, Newport Beach, so many beaches... The Guggenheim museum, the observatory, Disneyland, Seaworld, Lego land. So much to do. Personally I would pick LA.

We’ve been to both and enjoyed both. I’m a lover of hot weather, so I preferred LA to SF. Plus, it’s cold in SF.

Just on airport alone, SF! After that, getting round LA is a pain in the butt! However, you may get nicer weather in SF; it can be foggier there than it usually is further south. If you are really interested in Universal Studios, etc, make sure you check out the entry costs and are up for it before you go. Going specifically for those attractions make sense, but some of them are pricey as a spur fo the moment thing. Venice Beach is pretty inetresting, but so is SF.

San Fran

SF- the cable cars, food, Fishermans Wharf and a great vibe

San Fran

San Fran

Just got back from San Francisco and had a great time. If you want to go to Alcatraz you need to book your tickets NOW. I went on June 13th and they had a sign on their booth saying tickets sold out until July 30th!!! You can get your ticket online at https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/... I just checked dates in Aug and they are already selling out fast.
ALCATRAZCRUISES.COM
The Alcatraz Island Experience - Alcatraz Cruises

Thank you so much for this comment! I just booked tickets; I had no idea we had to book this far ahead! Done now though

San Fran! For four days, it's a perfect small big city. Easy to get around, great food, relatively inexpensive for a world class city, and photogenic.
That said, my brother would tell you the same thing about LA!
Oh, of you are thinking of doing Alcatraz, book the first boat so that you'll have 45 minutes of peace and quiet out there.

And you might want to book Alcatraz in advance as it could be sold out when you get there.

San Francisco - so beautiful, and much to see and do. I can't think of anything to commend LA for.

Loved San Francisco - so much to do and see (often in walking distance). Trolly’s were super fun, we rented bikes and bikes across the bridge, the trolley museum was really interesting, there was also a food truck fest on Fridays - yum!

San Francisco, for sure. The Haight, and MUST go to Pacific Cafe, at 34th & Geary. Where locals go for great seafood, and they give wine while you wait for your table.

San Frab

Just fyi...it’s always windy/ cold in SF, even in Aug, so take a sweater, especially if you’re on a double decker going across the bridge.

Crap, now I really want to go back to San Francisco

San Francisco. Hands down. LA sucks. It is filthy with too many pan handlers

SAN Fran all the ya

San Fran! It has tons of cool attractions and the city’s vibes are super chill

San Fran.

We love LA. The beach cities, the cool restaurants and bars, strolling through Beverly Hills,and the amusement parks. Lots to do and see. Highly recommend.

San Francisco for sure

San Fran, no doubt about it. Unless you want to sit for hours on an LA Parkade, otherwise called a freeway.

San Fran!!! Such a great city. Great restaurants and better feel than LA. If you decide to go I will give you some must see places.

https://www.tartinebakery.com/ this is reason enough on its own.
TARTINEBAKERY.COM
TARTINE

Jons gluten free

That banana cream pie!

Stay in Canada.

Sfo

San Francisco much easier to get around and so much to see and do.

I will give a different thought. LA for sure. Its hot with great beaches, the Getty Center, malibu and so much to see and do.

*following.

San Fran for sure. Much nicer city and lots to do

San Francisco without a doubt!

Why waste your money in the states. Lots of nice places elsewhere.

Because SF is a world class city that offers experiences you can’t get elsewhere.

agree!

SF without a doubt! Serious fun city with incredible restaurants and happy hours.

Honestly with the dollar this bad you’re better off to go to Victoria or Kelowna

I think she lives in Victoria..with what’s going on in the states won’t spend a dime....go to Tofino!!!!

I live in Victoria

Been to Tofino, not a fan. But thanks for the suggestion.

SF

SF

At. Very cool place

San Fran

LA because there's so much more to see, do and eat. Lol.

I live in SF. If you don't plan to drive don't go to LA their public transportation is inuseable. SF if you stay in city center you can walk to most places. However if you do plan to drive, LA is where the sunny beaches are don't expect warm beaches in SF you'll be disappointed

Both are great cities, having spent more time in LA, there are some remarkable areas to discover. But as others have said, if you're not driving, it's a hassle to get around easily. Having said that, it's true the currency exchange is brutal, but LA would be my choice between the two. If you haven't been to Montreal..go there instead

SF 100%! It’s a beautiful city, lots of sightseeing (Alcatraz, Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard St, Coit Tower, Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito and more!) great transportation system (must do cable cars!), great restaurants! Short flight from YYJ/YVR. Need I say more? Have a great time! You will need more than 4 days to see it all, that’s why we go there often!

Crappy dollar. Support Canadians. Stay here and explore. We live in a very beautiful country.

I grew up right around San Francisco, so if you want great restaurant recommendations let me know

Thank you so much everyone for the advice! Still having a hard time choosing but look like San Francisco might be the winner!!

Having been to both cities and enjoyed them equally at the time, I would visit Quebec or Newfoundland now. If the value of the dollar and time is not an issue, I would highly recommend the U.K.

We only have four days unfortunately. Plus we're going to the UK next summer. I would do Quebec but might be a tough sell for my husband lol.

... Work on Quebec, or perhaps the Okanagan! Have a lovely holiday!