My boys in Union Square, the hub of downtown San Francisco.
San Francisco Family Hotels – My Advice
- Booking.com – the best site for booking hotels in San Francisco.
- The central downtown area of San Francisco (including the Embarcadero and North Beach) is the best place to stay for families visiting San Francisco – roughly the area north of Mission St. and east of Leavenworth.
- Best Luxury Hotel for Families in San Francisco: Palace Hotel (central location, nice pool).
- Best Midrange Hotel for Families in San Francisco: Hotel del Sol (fun vibe, great neighborhood).
- Best Cheap Hotel for Families in San Francisco: The Herbert Hotel (great location, good value).
- Best Apartment Rental for Families in San Francisco: Fairmont Heritage Place at Ghirardelli Square. Two-bedroom apartments sleep 6, three-bedrooms sleep 8. Full kitchen, dining and living room, washer and dryer in unit. Great location.
The 11 Best Kid-Friendly Hotels in San Francisco
1. Palace Hotel (luxury) – SoMa
Phone: 415-512-1111
A beautiful kid-friendly pool and jacuzzi are the highlights. Good sized rooms and a fantastic location half-way between the Ferry Terminal and Union Square, and steps from a BART and MUNI station make it nearly perfect.
2. The Four Seasons (luxury) – Union Square
Phone: 415-633-3000
A great location on Market Street. Beautifully decorated rooms with ample space. Greeting gift for young kids. No swimming pool but guests have access to the Marriott’s pool located a short walk out the Four Season’s side door. (There is a sports club on the ground floor of the Four Seasons with a junior olympic pool, but guests must be 16 and older to use these facilities.) The F-line streetcar, cable car, MUNI, and BART are just out the door.
3. Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf (midrange) – Fisherman’s Wharf
Phone: 415-362-5500
Very nice heated outdoor pool. Close to pier 39, Fisherman’s wharf, touristy (kid-friendly) shops, and the cable car turnaround. Nice rooms that are good value for San Francisco.
4. Handlery Union Square (midrange) – Union Square
Phone: 415-781-7800
You can’t get much more central than this. A half-block from Union Square. Nice heated outdoor pool. Suites are great for families.
5. Hotel del Sol (midrange) – The Marina
Phone: 415-921-5520
Kids love this fun and brightly colored hotel. Heated outdoor pool. Free continental breakfast. Fun things for kids include cookies, milk, cocoa, dvds, library, and pool toys. Many good kid-friendly restaurants within a short walk.
6. Best Western Corte Madera (midrange) – Marin
Phone: 415-924-1502
Huge family suites can sleep a family of 5 or 6. Deluxe rooms are smaller (and cheaper) and fine for a family of 4. Large heated outdoor pool, 2 jacuzzis, fire pit, and free breakfast. The hotel is located across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco. If you’re interested in the outdoor activities of beautiful Marin County or just want to enjoy a quiet spot outside the city this a great hotel and much cheaper than staying in the San Francisco.
More Hotels for Families
- JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square (Downtown, luxury)
Junior and double rooms fit a family of 5.- Hotel Union Square (Downtown, moderate)
A fun kids’ suite is available.- Nob Hill Motor Inn (Tenderloin/Van Ness, budget)
Deluxe Junior and two-bedroom family suites sleep up to 9.- The Herbert Hotel (Downtown, budget)
Junior suites can spleep a family of 5.
I'm Santorini Dave. I started this site in 2011 with a short article on tips for visiting Santorini with kids. We're now a small team of writers and researchers dedicated to providing the best travel content on the internet. We focus on 
HI there we are desperately trying to find accommodation for my family of 9. We will be in SF from 2nd Oct until 5th Oct (3 nights in total) and can’t seem to find anywhere that is not overly expensive. There is some conference on called “Oracle” which is why apparently the accommodation is a lot more expensive than normal. I just can’t find anything decent for the 9 of us. Any suggestions welcome.
Thank you
Sharon Marshall
Try the Stanyan Park Hotel – great location near the Golden Gate Park, the MUNI, and lots of local restaurants. They have a 2-bedroom suite but you’ll probably need a double room as well.
Hi there we are travelling from Sydney Australia with 2 adults and 2 children aged 8 and 11. Staying 2 nights in San Francisco can anyone please help and advise which is a great location to stay in? We are after a two bedroom apartment. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Amanda
For supreme luxury and lots of space (and a kitchen) go with The Fairmont Heritage Place Ghirardelli Square.
Cheaper, but still nice, are the suites at the Palace Hotel and Villa Florence Hotel.
All 3 have great locations for sightseeing.
My little family (husband plus two year old girl) will be visiting SF in January for a long weekend. I was thinking of staying in Fisherman’s Wharf since it is close to the aquarium and activities, but now I’m second-guessing the touristy location. I’d really like a hotel room with a separate seating area such that we can set up a crib away from the bedroom. We also will not have a car, but are ready and willing to jump on public transport. A heated pool would be a cherry on top. Recommendations for hotels and toddler friendly activities??
Thanks, Lauren
The Palace hotel has suites with separate sitting and sleeping areas. It also has a great location right by BART, MUNI, cable car, and street car. And has a large indoor pool and a jacuzzi. Great hotel in a very convenient location.
We have four kids (ages 9, 8, 5, and 4) and the best hotel we have found is the Fairmont Heritage Place Ghirardelli Square. They are residences so they have full living rooms, kitchens, and multiple bedrooms – all right in the heart of the city. Free (and GREAT) breakfast and their “room service” is actually somebody from the hotel picking up food from any of the nearby restaurants. Their house car (an escalade) was also so nice when we were wanting to go to a Giants game but didn’t want to pile in a taxi. Bummed it didn’t make your list but it’s the only hotel I’d recommend when traveling with kids through SF.
Jen G.
Hi Jen. Yeah, great hotel. Thanks for your thoughts – very helpful.
I have a baby friendly apartment available on airbnb in San Francisco.
Emily
Looks great Emily. Nice location too.
My 8 year old daughter and I will be visiting the Bay Area in September. We’re going to stay in Oakland (for a variety of reasons) and I’ve been looking at the Inn at Jack London Square. We don’t need anything fancy just good value, a pool, and walking distance to a few places to eat. Would you recommend this hotel?
I like this hotel. There is some construction going on right now but that should be completed by early August. Pool and deck chairs are nice. Pool is bigger than pictures make it seem because it’s quite deep (8 feet at one end). Easy walk to the restaurants of Jack London Square along the water. Attached restaurant is good for breakfast. And Everett and Jones (1 minute walk from the hotel) has great bbq, beer, and pecan pie. This is a good value 3 star hotel and staff are very friendly.
There is no longer free parking at Hotel del Sol.
Kathleen