Best Places to See Holiday Decorations in San Francisco 2024

Best places to see holiday decorations in San Francisco is our guide to you in case you visit the city this holiday season. Find all the best photo spots, holiday lights and Christmas trees with addresses included.

Every year we like to drive around the neighbourhoods close by our home to find some holiday lights. We love to visit all the places that are decorated for the season.

After seeing everything close to our home we have slowly started to drive further and further, and in recent years we have gotten familiar with all the best places in San Francisco to see the holiday lights or decorations.

San Francisco has so many wonderful places to get your festive spirit up. If you are in town during November or December, you should definitely consider visiting some of them, if not all!

best places to see holiday decorations in San Francisco

68 Castro Street

One of our favourites is this cute little house on 68 Castro Street. It is not to be missed if you are looking for the best holiday lights!

I recommend seeing it during the dusk when you are able to get better photos of it than during dark hours. But the house looks very pretty even on a daylight as it has a lot of decorations and details.

We parked on the side of the road across the street and there were only a handful of people taking selfies in front of the house. Everyone was very mindful and patiently waited for their turn to sit on bench in front of the house.

Hundreds of light strings, velvet bows and ornaments are surrounding the giant Santa in the middle of the house. And the nutcrackers finish the job.

We never found out who owns or decorates it but who ever it is, this is definitely the best Christmas house in San Francisco! It looks magical!

Location: 68 Castro Street, San Francisco

Tom and Jerry’s House

A friend told us about the Tom and Jerry’s House that has been decorated every Christmas for almost 20 years now.

The name, Tom and Jerry’s House comes from the owners whose names really were Tom and Jerry. Unfortunately though, Tom Taylor passed away couple years ago and hasn’t been here to enjoy the holiday lights anymore. Hopefully the tradition will still carry on in the future.

In the beginning their idea was just to decorate the tree next to the house but later more things were added. Like a train set, ferries wheels and moving elfs among the huge gift boxes. Giant stockings with Tom’s and Jerry’s names were hanging down from the balcony.

We were told that a Santa used to greet children in front of the house every night but we didn’t see him on our visit.

The house was a lot more crowded than the one at 68 Castro St. but it was still a lot of fun. And definitely worth visiting especially with kids! I haven’t been able to confirm if someone else took over decorating the house. I sure hope so!

Location: 3650 21st St., San Francisco

Fairmont San Francisco; A life-size gingerbread house

Many hotels in San Francisco have amazing holiday decorations and it is definitely worth visiting different hotel lobbies while in the city.

The Faimont San Francisco though has taken it to next level with their life-size gingerbread house. It’s a two storey house made out of real gingerbread cookies and candy. You can even make a reservation to have a dinner inside the gingerbread house!

While we visited the Fairmont we were able to walk partly into the house and see the rooms through the windows. Each room were decorated differently and there were many moving parts in them.

The hotel lobby itself was also beautifully decorated with a huge Christmas tree and tons of poinsettias. That alone makes a great background for beautiful Christmas photos! The gingerbread house is usually on display from Thanksgiving to New Year.

Location: 950 Mason Street, Nob Hill, San Francisco

The Westin St. Francis; Sugar castles

The Westin St. Francis San Francisco is a beautiful hotel by the Union Square, right at the heart of the city. Every year they have been showcasing huge sugar castles by Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Francois Houdré. The castles are in the lobby and anyone can walk in to see them.

When we visited, there were two castles which both were full of little details. They were made to resemble French castles. The other one was spinning around and a cute little train was riding around it. It was difficult to choose which one was our favourite.

Each year the castles look a unique and they are usually revealed at the end of November. Hopefully the castle in 2024 is as stunning as the ones in past!

Location: 335 Powell Street, Union Square, San Francisco

San Francisco cable cars

Even the famous San Francisco cable cars will go festive for the holiday months. There is no better time to go for a ride than this.

Cable cars started running already in 1873 and have been a big part the city history ever since. There are three different cable car lines but it is easiest to hop on either at Union Square or at Hyde Street Cable car turnout. The last one also has a ticket booth.

They ride up an down San Francisco’s big hills and if you have time, you can hop off by China Town. It’s a great place to have lunch or do a quick visit the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.

Cherry Street holiday swing

The Cherry street holiday swing is one of my favourites. I heard that it is actually a permanent thing (unlike the one in Kirby Cove) but it gets especially festive for the holiday season. Multiple trees around the swing are decorated with lights and the neighbourhood itself is also very pretty.

When we arrived, there was no one there and we got to enjoy the swing quite a while. Slowly cars started to show up and stop, and people came out to take photos on the swing. Most of them were with kids and I can totally see why. Every kid loves to swing and this swing is truly very special.

I wish I had this kind of a cool swing in front of my house!

Location: In the corner of Cherry St. and Jackson St., San Francsico

Holiday Lights Outside of San Francisco (But in the Bay Area)

If you are willing to drive a little further from San Francisco, there are also many amazing places to see with Christmas decorations in the Bay Area. Some are bigger areas and some just an individual houses. Nevertheless, they are all so much fun to visit!

These ones are our favourites:

Eucalyptus Avenue in San Carlos

Eucalyptus Avenue in San Carlos is by far the best Christmas tree lane in the Bay Area that we have found. There are two full blocks of houses that are decorated from top to bottom.

The best way to see the lights in my opinion, is to park your car somewhere and walk around. It is always very crowded and driving through it is very slow. It is also hard to see everything because people will stand on the sidewalks in front of the houses.

Every year this event get bigger and bigger. They have now added some porta potties at the street and there are some food vendors in some corners. Make sure you have a lot of time to explore and and enjoy the holiday spirit at Eucalyptus Avenue!

Location: 1900 Eucalyptus Ave, San Carlos

Deacon Dave’s Christmas Display in Livermore

We have been going to Deacon Dave’s Christmas Display in Livermore couple of years now and it has always been fun. It is a beautifully decorated house where you walk through the trail at the garden and look at the displays. They have lights, window displays and even a Christmas village.

The line to get in often gets quite long but it goes fast. The walk through the garden takes approximately 15 minutes. They usually sell some hot cocoa there so don’t forget to bring cash, and coins for wishing ponds and other games.

Livermore is also known for its wineries so here you can combine a wine tasting and Christmas lights.

Location: 352 Hillcrest Ave, Livermore, CA

Newark

This is just one house display but so much fun. They were a contender in the ABC TV show “Great Christmas Light Fight” in 2022.

This is a residential neighbourhood and we parked along the road close to the house. They had lots of lights, inflatables, a dance floor and many photo ops. And their huge, blue couch was perfect for family pictures!

Location: 6716 Fountaine Ave, Newark

Niles Train of Lights

Niles Train of Lights departs from the Niles Station in the Historical Niles District of Fremont. It runs through the beautiful Niles Canyon all the way to Sunol and back with some holiday cheer; lights, music and even Santa and Mrs. Claus.

We did Niles Train of Lights few years back and it was a lot of fun. You can bring a picnic with you or buy some hot cocoa and cider from the train. After that make sure to walk the train from one end to another in order to see all the different decorations and lights.

The tickets usually go on sale in October and they sell out the same day. So you really have to plan this out beforehand and be prepared to have some flexibility on the dates.

Location: Niles Station, 37029 Mission Blvd., Fremont OR Sunol Station, 6 Kilkare Road, Sunol

Fantasy of Lights

Fantasy of Lights is a fun, drive-thru display in Los Gatos. For this one you will have to purchase a ticket but with that you get 1,5 miles of lit, animated holiday displays that at least our kids loved.

I think the funnest of the displays were the dinosaurs, Santa shooting hoops and the erupting volcano. But there was also many other fun ones.

While driving in the park you can tune in to their designated radio station to listen some Holiday music.

Location: Vasona Lake County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos

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I could drive around all day in San Francisco and the Bay Area looking for these festive places. Every year we end up finding places we had never heard of even though we thought we knew them all.

This year we are heading to Christmas Tree Lane in Palo Alto. Conservatory of Flowers also usually lit up their buildings and I heard it’s beautiful. I will let you know how it was when we go there.

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What is your favourite place to see holiday lights or decorations? If you know a place in the city that is decorated, and is not on this list, I would love to know!