On a budget, Mount Tamalpais Day-Trip still earns its price.
$ (parking ~$8; mostly free)
Drive or hike up through redwoods to a summit that sees the ocean, the bay, the city skyline, and on clear days the Sierra — the definitive Bay Area panorama, often poking above the fog. The catch: you really need a car, the roads are winding, and weather flips fast at the top.