San Francisco
Meet Susan, Kacie, Boe, and Stephanie, four members who have done many pet sits in San Francisco. They’ve truly experienced the city like locals. Along the way, they found stores on Divisadero Street, taken a stroll in Forest Hill, and read books from Little Free Libraries.
3,753 San Francisco sits
confirmed in 2025
$259 per night saved*
on hotel costs
Up to 80% less emissions**
versus hotel stays
98% of sits
result in a 5-star review
Susan’s NoPa itinerary
Coffee
Try Third Wheel Coffee. The roasters also sell coffee from their garage nearby under the name Bird and Bear Coffee. Pair it with a bagel from Schlock's around the corner.
Groceries
Rainbow Grocery is one of the best food co-ops Susan has ever seen. They offer discounts for those over 60. Green Earth is a local favorite too.
Dinner
Go to Sheba Piano Lounge for live jazz and great Ethiopian food. For something fancier, try Nopa or Che Fico.
Farmers market
Divisadero Farmers’ Market on Sunday mornings is great. If you have a car, Susan also recommends the bigger markets at Fort Mason and Outer Sunset.
Walk
Alamo Square Park has areas where dogs are allowed off leash. Try Fort Funston for beach and hills in one location, a spot that never makes the tourist maps. Or Land's End for a classic San Francisco hike you need to know is there.
Dessert
Go to Bob's Donuts for a sweet treat you don’t want to miss.
Night out
Go to Madrone Art Bar. Dogs are welcome, they have live music every night, and you can leave credit on an account for someone else to have a future drink.
Susan - NoPa explorer
Susan splits her time between San Francisco and Boston. She has completed 11 sits in San Francisco, eight of them in NoPa (North of the Panhandle), near Golden Gate Park. "YinYang knows a lot of people, and he walks - tail wagging - into stores for treats. The pizza place, the high-end gift shop... He knows the staff, and they know him." Susan has saved an estimated $5,439 on hotel costs during her 21 nights in San Francisco.*
Kacie’s Forest Hill itinerary
Coffee
Andytown Coffee Roasters is a woman-owned business that roasts locally. Avenues San Francisco is also great for coffee and brunch.
Lunch
Try Little Aloha. They serve tasty Hawaiian food in a tiny building that’s easy to miss, but its bright blue front and the scent of sweet teriyaki will not let you walk past.
Groceries
Parkside Farmers Market is a locally owned neighborhood market with an abundance of Middle Eastern foods. Good prices, great quality, and clearly a local favorite.
Wine
The weekly wine tastings at San Francisco Wine Trading Company are a true favorite. They’re $25 and use wines from Napa Valley.
Walk
Have a stroll through Forest Hill. You’ll see huge houses, tree-lined streets, often patched with thick fog, and gigantic hills daring you to walk them. Then take the Pacheco stairway and explore the upper neighborhoods.
Beach
Walk along the path that parallels the beach near Fort Funston, where the locals work out and walk their dogs. It’s a scenic coastal stretch that never makes the tourist maps.
Bookswap
The Little Free Libraries dotted around Forest Hill are a must-see. Kacie found a book written and signed by a local author, finished it, and gifted it to the next person she sat for in San Diego. That person texted months later to say it is one of her new favorite books.
Kacie - Forest Hill explorer
Kacie lives in Portland and has completed 14 sits in San Francisco. She sat in Forest Hill in summer 2025, looking after a dog called Sparky. "I loved walking down to Fort Funston with Sparky and walking along the path that parallels the beach with all the locals who were working out or taking their pets for a walk." Kacie has saved an estimated $2,590 on hotel costs for her ten-day stay.*
Boe’s Ashbury Heights itinerary
Lunch
Papa's Kitchen is amazing if you’re craving Vietnamese for lunch.
Shopping
Go thrift shopping on Haight Street. Decades of Fashion is the standout, themed around different eras. Not necessarily for everyday wear, but worth the visit.
Park
Boe’s favorite park for a walk or run was Golden Gate Park. There is usually a concert, a race, or a festival happening, but even on quiet days there is art, plants, and enough grass to sit with a book for the afternoon.
Dinner
Beit Rima is a Middle Eastern restaurant right by the N-Line. They serve great food and it’s only a short ride from Ashbury Heights.
Sunset
Hike to Corona Heights and look out over the city. You won’t regret it.
Dog walks
Corona Heights and Duboce Park both have great dog-friendly areas and walking routes.
Getting around
The N-Line was Boe's daily commute and her favorite way to feel like a local. Often late, but she says the shared frustration with her temporary neighbors became its own kind of solidarity.
Boe - Ashbury Heights explorer
Boe is based in Washington, D.C. and has completed 16 sits in San Francisco. She sat in Ashbury Heights in June and October 2025, both times looking after a cat called Praxie. "The N-Line was such a vital part connecting me to the rest of the city, but it is often late. When I would take it in the morning, I would enjoy walking to the stop and waiting for the train to arrive, while watching the neighbors on their morning walks. The delays were not as annoying once I realized I am not the only one experiencing them. I felt some kind of solidarity between my temporary neighbors and me through that experience." Boe has saved an estimated $6,734 on hotel costs for her 25 nights in San Francisco.*
Stephanie’s Glen Park itinerary
Coffee
Andytown Coffee Roasters is a local roastery and Stephanie's morning ritual in Glen Park.
Dinner
Go to La Cigale for intimate live-fire Occitan French cooking. They don’t do reservations, only a daily waitlist. You need to know it exists.
Shopping
Try Perch if you’re looking for a neighborhood gift shop with a sharp, chic edit.
Nature
For a real escape without leaving the city, go to Glen Canyon Park and do the Creeks to Peaks Trail. You’ll find amazing views, wildflowers, and enough benches for water breaks.
Hang out
Glen Park Recreation Center. Butterflies float around while kids and dogs play. Stephanie says it felt like the neighborhood's living room.
Walk
Don’t miss the neighborhood strip at the intersection of Diamond Street and Chenery Street. It’s a cluster of independent restaurants and shops. Stephanie says tourists skip the area entirely, so it has a local feel.
Getting around
Get in on Glen Park BART station. It’s a few stops to downtown, but Stephanie says the neighborhood is self-contained enough that you might not bother.
Stephanie - Glen Park explorer
Stephanie is based in Napa and has completed 17 sits in San Francisco. She sat in Glen Park in fall 2025. "Butterflies float around while kids and dogs play in Glen Park Rec Center. You start a hike with gorgeous views from two peaks, wildflowers, and plenty of benches to take water breaks." Stephanie has saved an estimated $2,590 on hotel costs for her ten-day trip.*
More San Francisco gems
Find even more things to do in San Francisco with our own handy San Francisco travel guide.
Explore San Francisco with a pet by your side
From NoPa to Forest Hill, find your next San Francisco pet sit and discover the neighborhoods the guidebooks never mapped.
Frequently asked questions
*How did you calculate the statistic on amount of money saved?
Estimated savings are calculated by multiplying the duration of each sitter's stay by the average nightly hotel rate for that city. There is no nightly accommodation rate for TrustedHousesitters members. These figures are illustrative and based on city-level averages; actual hotel costs vary by location, season and room type. Where a sitter completed multiple sits, the saving shown reflects a single stay. San Francisco federal lodging per diem: $259/night, FY2026 (standard rate, San Francisco County). Source: U.S. General Services Administration, FY2026 Per Diem Rates. https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates
**How did you calculate the statistic on accommodation-related emissions?
In San Francisco, staying in a lived-in home instead of a hotel can cut accommodation-related emissions by up to 80% per night. Based on the following assumptions: 1. All nights are spent in the San Francisco, 2. All nights spent pet sitting would have otherwise been spent in a large hotel. San Francisco hotel energy usage and GHG information gathered from carbon intelligence software ClimateIQ. San Francisco home energy usage and GHG information gathered from U.S Government owned National Library of Medicine. Based on 2024 data, GHG Protocol-aligned and specific to San Francisco.
How does TrustedHousesitters work?
Our platform connects pet parents with sitters who like to spend time with wonderful pets and experience new places. There’s an annual subscription for both pet parents and sitters to join our community. This gives everyone unlimited access to our site. So pet parents can post multiple dates to find a sitter throughout the year. And sitters can apply to as many sits as they want and connect with many different pet parents.
Do I get paid to house sit while I travel?
No, our members are driven by a genuine love of pets, not money. They exchange loving pet care for a place to stay on their travels, gaining a wealth of experiences and memories to last a lifetime.
Both pet parents and sitters pay for an annual membership to get access to our platform and connect with each other, but no money changes hands between members.
Essentially, all that’s exchanged between pet parents and sitters is trust. Sitters get to stay in cool locations near and far, caring for pets while pet parents travel.
So we know everyone is here for the same reason: their never-ending love for pets and travel.
How do I become a house sitter?
The first thing to do is to register for free. Once you’ve registered, you can explore our platform and decide which membership plan is right for you. We offer three annual memberships – Basic, Standard and Premium.
After you’ve chosen and paid for your membership, you can create your profile. This is your chance to introduce yourself, describe your experience with pets and add external references. Your membership also covers the cost of getting verified – we recommend doing this as soon as possible to build trust with pet parents.
When you’re all set up, you can search for listings that match the dates you want to sit. You can also set up a saved search and we’ll notify you when house sitting opportunities become available for your dates.
When you find the ideal sit, you can apply by writing a personalized message to the pet parent, explaining why you’re the perfect sitter.
Find out more with 10 tips on how to become a house sitter.
What are my tasks while house sitting?
Your number one priority when house sitting will be taking care of the pets. Pet parents will give you clear instructions about daily walks, feeding times, playtime and cuddles. You’ll also send daily updates to them, so they know their pets are happy and enjoying their time with you.
As a house sitter, you need to keep the home you stay in clean and tidy too. Pet parents may also ask you to water plants, take out the rubbish and recycling, and collect the post for example.
We ask all pet parents to fill in a Welcome Guide with important details and instructions. We’ll share this document with you as soon as the sit is confirmed.
What if pets have very specific needs?
When you browse listings, make sure you read the details in the sitter’s responsibilities section. Pet parents usually list all their pets’ needs and requirements there – whether it’s giving them a pill with their food or an insulin shot.
This should help you decide whether you have the experience to meet specific pet needs.
We also recommend meeting pet parents face to face or via video to discuss responsibilities and expectations before you confirm a sit.