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What to Wear in San Francisco?

by 陈菁 11 Jul 2025 0 Comments

When it comes to the gold rush that flourished in the 19th century, San Francisco must be the center of the topic. To this day, San Francisco is still one of the financial centers on the west coast of the United States. At the same time, it is also the birthplace of the United Nations and a very important tourist city. Maybe you need to come here to participate in a business meeting, or maybe you just want to come here to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Pacific coast. Of course, for different travel purposes and in different seasons, you need to prepare different clothes. Don't worry, we will give comprehensive dressing suggestions for different situations. If you are packing for your trip to San Francisco, then keep reading!

a lady in a white top, a white tweed jacket and a pair of white tweed shorts
a lady in a striped knit mini dress

Climate Features and Tourist Attractions in San Francisco

San Francisco has a Mediterranean climate. However, compared with other areas at the same latitude, San Francisco's Mediterranean climate is not typical, which is affected by Pacific ocean currents, sea fog and terrain. Overall, San Francisco has a cool-summer Mediterranean climate, with the core characteristics of being cool, dry and foggy in summers, mild, humid and snowy in winters. The temperature fluctuations throughout the year is small, but the temperature gap between between day and night is large.

The average annual temperature is about 13-15℃. Even the extreme high temperature rarely exceeds 30℃, and the extreme low temperature rarely falls below 0℃. So from the perspective of temperature, San Francisco's climate is relatively mild and very livable. However, the temperature gap in a day can often reach 10-15℃ or even larger, so it may be more appropriate to dress in layers in San Francisco.

As for rainfall, the annual precipitation is about 600-800 mm, more than 80% of which is concentrated in the winter from November to March of the following year. It is mostly continuous light rain or showers, and there are rarely heavy rains. Although there is rear rain in summer, sea fog is frequent, and the fog may wet clothes, which feels similar to light precipitation. Sea fog often flows into the city from the Golden Gate, and is thickest in the early morning. It may gradually dissipate in the afternoon, but it may come back in the evening, giving people the impression that it is foggy all year round. This is because the surface temperature of the ocean is low in summer, and warm and humid air easily condenses into fog when it flows over the cold sea surface. Coastal areas are mostly affected by sea fog and sea breeze, with lower temperatures, stronger winds and thicker fog. Inland areas have less fog due to terrain barriers.

The main peak season of tourism in San Francisco is in the summer, but there will also be small-scale tourism booms around some important holidays in winter, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. This is mainly because San Francisco has foggy and cool weather in the summer, which is suitable for various outdoor activities. During the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas, San Francisco not only has a strong festive atmosphere, and there are also discounts and promotions in shopping malls, which is very attractive to tourists who like shopping and experiencing the festive atmosphere. Many Americans will also return home for reunion at this time, resulting in a large flow of people.

As for the tourist attractions in San Francisco that are worth visiting, they mainly include :

The Golden Gate Bridge. It is a landmark building in San Francisco and is known as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. The bridge is mainly orange-red in color. At night, the lights on both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge are brilliant and spectacular. It is a tourist attraction that you cannot miss when you come to San Francisco.

Fisherman’s Wharf. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco, with unique vitality and rich experience. There are lively street scenes, street performers, and a large number of restaurants, souvenir shops and entertainment facilities. Visitors can taste fresh and delicious seafood, buy special souvenirs, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of San Francisco Bay.

a lady in a white tencel blend lace maxi dress
a lady in a white tencel blend tiered dress

What to Wear in San Francisco in Different Seasons?

Since the temperature gap between day and night in San Francisco is large, we recommend that you wear clothes in layers.

For the spring from March to May. Spring is characterized by large temperature gap between day and night, and this is especially true in San Francisco. There are occasional spring rains in San Francisco, and the temperature may warm up in the afternoon but remain cool in the mornings and evenings. So we recommend that you wear a solid color cotton T-shirt as the inner layer and a gentle beige knitted cardigan as the outer layer. As for the bottom, you can choose a pair of simple straight jeans. This way, you will have an outfit that is easy to put on and take off at any time.

For the summer from June to August. There is frequent sea fog in San Francisco in summer, so even though the temperature rises, it still feels a little cool. You can still choose a solid color cotton T-shirt as the inner layer. You can wear a vest as the outer layer. Compared with spring, the temperature in summer is still higher, so you don't need to wear a cardigan with good warmth retention as the outer layer. In addition, the vest has no sleeves, so it is more conducive to creating a sense of layering in visual effects.

For the autumn from September to November. The climate features of this season are less fog but stronger wind, warm afternoon sunshine but rapid temperature drop in the evening, and occasional light rain. An oatmeal-colored sweater is a great top choice. Pair it with a khaki-colored long trench coat. Both items are very versatile. Whether you would like to wear a pair of jeans, cargo pants or suit pants, the whole outfit will be quite harmonious.

For the winter from December to February. In winter, precipitation is concentrated and the perceived temperature is lower than the actual temperature, so special attention should be paid to keeping warm. If you need to participate in outdoor activities, you can choose a knitted top as the innermost layer, a thick knit sweater as the middle layer, and a fluffy down jacket as the outermost layer. Choose a pair of thick fleece pants for the lower body. Don’t forget to wear woolen gloves and a hat to protect your hands and head from frostbite!

a lady in a floral print slip dress
a lady in a black velvet sequined slip dress

What to Wear on Different Occasions?

Of course, many ladies don’t go to San Francisco for travel. Business wear and travel wear are certainly not the same. The wears for daytime activities and evening events are also different. Therefore, we will also give you certain suggestions on your outfits on different occasions.

For the attractions visiting: When visiting outdoor attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge, the key points is to choose an outfit which is both wind-proofing and won’t make you feel tired easily. One outfit you can refer to is wearing a cotton T-shirt as the inner layer, a denim jacket as the outer layer. If it is cold in winter, you can also add a wool coat as the outermost layer. A pair of flared jeans is a good choice for the lower body.

For the exquisite outfits in the Opera or high-end restaurants. If you can’t come to San Francisco frequently, of course you can't just visit outdoor attractions. The seafood restaurants at Fisherman's Wharf and the San Francisco Opera House are both worth visiting. On these occasions, the first priority for ladies is to dress elegantly. A silk dress with slits is a great choice, and in winter, you can also throw on a woolen shawl to keep warm and look more elegant. A pair of nude high heels or boots, and a pair of small but delicate pearl earrings are both very suitable accessories to choose.

For the stylish outfits on streets. San Francisco is a well-deserved street photography mecca. A city full of glittering lights and decorations; glamorous and beautiful men and women... If you are also a street photography enthusiast, then when you come to San Francisco, how can you not take a few photos on the streets! For your street photography outfits, you can choose more avant-garde elements such as tops with Graffiti or rivets, a pair of raw-edged jeans and a pair of Martin boots.

For the functional outfits of outdoors hiking. For outdoor hiking, your outfit should not only be windproof and coldproof, but also wear-resistant. Fleece quick-drying hoodies and a jacket are the best choices. For bottoms, it is best to choose a pair of cargo pants or nylon pants with a waterproof layer.

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