If you're going to San Francisco...

...plan wisely, especially if you're a student who has to plan an imaginary ten-day trip with a budget of €2000, which equals $2740.

I decided to plan a trip to San Fransisco because it is a rather small city (at least compared to others in the USA), but it is supposed to have a lively multicultural atmosphere about it. We are supposed to plan the trip in our Easter holdiays, so I am going to depart on 14 April and return on 24 April.

Unfortunately, flights from Austria to San Francisco are not exactly cheap. After doing some research, I found a rather good deal for a flight from Vienna to the San Francisco International Airport. Departure is at 10.25am in Vienna. The first flight is a direct flight to Washington and arrives at its destination at 2.20pm. After a two hour layover there will be a flight to San Francisco from 4.30pm - 7.24pm. The flight (including the return flight on 24 April) costs exactly $1000 - bye, bye, half of my budget.

As a person who likes to camp, I don't need the luxury and fanciness of a hotel. Instead, I decided to spend my nights in one of the HI-San Francisco Hostels. The downtown hostel on 321 Masion Street sounded best to me because it is central and close to public transport stations. Ten nights in a single room with breakfast and my own bathroom will cost me $601. If you don't mind sharing a dorm room or at least your bathroom with strangers, the stay will be even cheaper.

After arriving at the San Francisco International Airport, you simply have to take the train from there into the direction of Pittsburg Bay point. In approximately half an hour you will reach a station called Powell St. The HI downtown hostel is only three blocks away from there. The train ticket costs $9, which makes $18 in total because I will need to go the same way back to the airport on 24 April.

I don't have a fixed plan for what to do and see on which day because if you are travelling alone you can be spontaneous. There are, however, certain tourist attractions and sites I intend to visit.

The most famous sight is definitely the Golden Gate bridge. You can easily get there by bus from basically anywhere in San Francisco (just find the nearest station from this website). I will probably buy a "Muni Pass", in other words a ticket for public transport, for the length of my stay. Weekly passes cost $15, single rides cost $1.50. Back to the Golden Gate Bridge: Pedestrians have daily free access to the East Sidewalk. The East Sidewalk faces San Francisco, not the see, so you won't have a pacific view - but hey, you can say you've been on the Golden Gate Bridge! When weather cooperates, I am also going to spend an afternoon in the Golden Gate Park. There are sometimes free events such as weekly concerts and Shakespeare in the Park. On Wednesday and Friday there are free lawn bowling lessons.

Another place to see is the Alcatraz island, where there used to be a state prison. Ferries to Alcatraz depart every half an hour at Pier 33, which means you can stay on the island as long as you want. The cheapest tour I found is a combination of a one hour cruise in the San Francisco Bay and the ferry to Alcatraz. If you order online, it will cost $60.

I am also planning to spend time at San Francisco's most well-known wharf, the Fisherman's Wharf. There are many different attractions such as kayaking and a bungee trampoline, but why waste the money? I think I would just buy some freshly cooked seafood, stroll around the wharf and hope to see some sea lions. At the wharf, there is also the Aquarium of the Bay where you can explore San Francisco's maritime world. The entrance fee is $21, though.

Since I am interested in art and science, I am planning to visit some museums. Unfortunately, the Museum of Modern Art is closed at the moment due to expansion, but their website recommends exhibitions all over San Francisco. It is probably best to see if there is anything interesting just a day or two before my departure to San Francisco.

There is another museum that sounds very interesting, called the Exploratorium. There are a number of galleries devoted to different subjects and there are interactive exhibitions. Normal daytime tickets cost $25, but if you want to make a bargain visit it on a Thursday night. Thursday nights (6-10pm) are adult-only nights, so admission is only to those who are 18 or older, but the ticket costs only $15.

While you are in San Francisco, don't forget the Cable Cars! If you have the weekly Muni Pass, a Cable Car ride only costs $1 extra, otherwise it costs $5.

I now have about $1000 of my budget left, but unless you plan to live on fast food for ten days, a great deal of it will be spent on restaurant bills or the occasional souvenir shopping.

If you are economical, don't worry, there are many great things to do and see for free! I found some more art galleries (Ratio 3, Luggage Store Gallery, 49 Geary) which are all for free. If you like literature or simply want to discover secret places of San Francisco, take part in a Public Library city guides walking tour. Local volunteers lead five daily one- to two-hour walking tours by neighborhood and theme – ranging from Chinatown alleys to Alfred Hitchcock film sites. It’s volunteer-based, with dozens of options, and completely free, though donations are accepted.You can find more information on www.sfcityguides.org. A few days before departure I am also going to have another look at this website. There is a list of many free or cheap things to do in San Francisco in the next few days, for example a $1 movie day at a local cinema.