Daly City, California travel guide: things to do, food & where to stay

Overview

Daly City is a city in the northernmost part of San Mateo County on the Peninsula of the San Francisco Bay Area in California, directly south of San Francisco proper.

1 sights · 1 things to do · 2 places to stay

Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage

Best things about Daly City

Cow Palace

Indoor arena and events center built in 1941. Its biggest event is the Grand National Rodeo. It also hosts some concerts and other events.

Mussel Rock Park

Look for parking lot at junction of Skyline and Westline Drives. A hilly expanse fronting the ocean where you can hike, seek out a beach, see whales, and take in a sense of nature in the midst of this densely packed city…

Plan your trip

Best time to visit & weather

Most comfortable: Apr–Nov. Summer highs reach about 72°F; winter lows dip to about 45°F. Wettest: Dec and Feb. (climate data from nearby Pacifica)

Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).

Getting there

From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
SFO San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco — 7 mi away (major hub). Directions
OAK Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, Oakland — 14 mi away (major hub). Directions

There are three airports in the San Francisco Bay Area:

Full “Get in” guide ↓

Budget & where to stay

No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.

Sample 1-day itinerary

Day 1

Morning Mussel Rock Park
Afternoon Cow Palace

Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.

Food for you

Daly City has some of the best Filipino food in the United States. Almost every restaurant that serves Filipino food will be excellent. However, remember that many of the cheaper, counter-serve places will often sell out of popular dishes long before closing, with people often coming in to get to-go orders for families back home, so you may want to aim for one of the more sit-down places later in the day, provided you aren't price sensitive.

What to ask about, for your diet

Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder

Map

Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.

Understand

Daly City is San Francisco's immediate neighbor to the south. It is known as the "Gateway to the Peninsula". This is possibly confusing to outsiders, but in local parlance, San Francisco is not "on the peninsula." The Peninsula instead refers to everything south of San Francisco, north of where the Bay runs out. While this way of using the term should make the Peninsula an isthmus, this technicality has been lost on the local dialect.

Climate

Daly City has a mild climate, with wet, mild winters and dry summers. In most months, you can expect the maximum temperature to be in the 50s, 60s, or 70s degrees Fahrenheit (between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius). Evenings are usually in the 50s or 60s. Be prepared for cool humid weather, even in the summer (except September) when persistent fog often envelops the city. When it's not foggy, however, Daly City has a tendency to feel quite exposed, with low buildings, little shade, and long walking distances.

Ethnicity

Daly City has quite varied ethnic composition, with a proportionately large Asian population, and an especially large Filipino community.

Neighborhoods

Westlake, Broadmoor, St. Francis, Serramonte, Original Daly City, Hillside, Crocker, Southern Hills, Bayshore

Get in

By plane

There are three airports in the San Francisco Bay Area:

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) located about 10 mi (16 km) south of the city.
Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) in the East Bay.
Mineta San Jose International (SJC) in Silicon Valley, about 1 hour south of San Francisco.

Oakland and San Jose tend to offer more discount airline flights, while San Francisco Airport attracts more international flights and can be more convenient for those staying in the city.

By train

Go BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)

Provides a regional frequent rail service connecting much of the East Bay with Daly City, San Francisco and the San Francisco Airport through the Transbay Tube, a tunnel underneath San Francisco Bay. BART operates five routes, of which four reach Daly City. BART also meets Caltrain at Millbrae. Bicycles are allowed on BART except between stations designated in the schedule brochure during commute hours. Fares vary depending with distance traveled, with payment either with a Clipper card or contactless/mobile payment.

☎ +1-415-989-2278

Maps Website

Go San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans)

The administrative body for the principal public transit and transportation programs in San Mateo County: SamTrans bus service, including Redi-Wheels paratransit service, Caltrain commuter rail and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. Caltrain and the TA have contracted with the District to serve as their managing agency, under the direction of their appointed boards.

☎ +1-800-660-4287

Maps Website

By car

Two major freeways serving Daly City are U.S. Highway 101 and Interstate 280. Interstate 280 essentially bisects Daly City geographically as well as in terms of the areas with the highest commercial and residential density. Interstate 280 is less congested than U.S. 101 and therefore offers a preferred route into San Francisco (and locations further north and east) as well as southern peninsula locations.