On Sunday, June 3. 2012, the Golden Gate Bridge turns 75 and there's sure to be some serious celebrating in San Francisco. Though you likely can't make it to this weekend's festivities without paying last-minute premiums, you can tour the Bay Area on the cheap without sacrificing experience.

I visited San Francisco a couple years ago and remember it fondly as one of the best trips I've ever taken. Consider the following tips for saving on your vacation to the Golden Gate city; and remember to incorporate equal parts pre-planning and spontaneity for the ultimate experience.

1. Hotel : I traveled with a couple friends in the hospitality industry, so our first instinct was to hit up their contacts for a "friends and family" discount. Despite a tempting offer from the Mandarin Oriental, we determined even the discounted rate was over our budget and opted instead for the uncertainty of Hotwire.com. Ultimately, we lucked out with a rate of just over $100 per night at a Hilton near Union Square, in the heart of the city.

2. Airfare: My friends and I decided on a trip to San Francisco at least six months prior to going, leaving us a lot of flexibility to look for cheap flights. Thanks to my frequent flyer membership with Frontier, I was able to nab a flight for less than $200 by scanning emails for special offers. There are other ways to score tickets for less, so check out this great article from LearnVest for comprehensive tips from an airline insider.

3. Transportation: Big cities are known for their comprehensive transportation systems, and San Francisco boasts one of the finest. We skipped the rental car and traveled to and from the airport via BART. We purchased a three-day Muni Passport for just $21, giving us access to the Muni buses and classic trolleys. We also walked everywhere and experienced the hills, valleys and breathtaking views that make up San Francisco. Don't forget to check out the ferry to scenic Sausalito, just north of the Golden Gate bridge.

4. Dining: Food is an integral part of any vacation for me, and San Francisco is a hotspot for some of the finest eateries around. To save on the cost of dining out, we reserved our largest meals for breakfast and lunch and purchased snacks from the grocery store to curb our hunger between meals. We also perused the dining guide in our hotel room for recommendations and found Mama's on Washington Square to be as delicious as advertised. An early dinner of Thai food in the Russian District and dessert at Ghirardelli Square are just a couple samplings of the wondrous cuisine we experienced on the cheap.

5. Shopping: San Francisco has a plethora of local shops and designer boutiques, most of which I simply window shopped to avoid reducing my food budget. A friend recommended discount gift cards as a unique way to trim the cost of a desired garment from such big-city staples as H&M and Anthropologie, a tip I definitely could have used. Comparison shop at GiftCardGranny.com and score the best discount to your favorite urban retailer.

6. Activities?: Tourist attractions abound in San Francisco, but we opted for a more local approach to site seeing. Our pilgrimage to Bi-Rite Creamery in the Mission District led us to discover Dolores Park and experience the sense of community unique to San Francisco dwellers. While strolling through the Castro, we toured a row house selling for a cool $1.6 million and got a taste of how the rich half live. We even stumbled upon a farmer's market at Civic Center and sampled the local produce. For other ideas, consider this list of free things to do in the city.

7. Beyond San Francisco: I couldn't be so near to Napa Valley without experiencing the fruit of its labors, so I researched bus tours and found a fantastic deal through Wine Country Tour Shuttle. For $99 per person, we toured four wineries, lunched on cheese and baguettes, and learned the history and highlights of the area. After a day spent sipping wine, studying grapes and taking in the scenery, we returned to the city via ferry, all for less than a primo bottle of wine.

--by Kendal Perez