Visit San Francisco’s Largest Gingerbread House

This was my first year of not home for the holidays! I spent it in the Bay Area, which was nice because it wasn’t negative 30 degree Fahrenheit windchill. When I found out about the Fairmont San Francisco Hotel’s two-story gingerbread house, I had to see it for myself. This real gingerbread house is a real work of art, and it can only be viewed during the holidays.

Facts about Fairmont Hotel’s Gingerbread House

What does it cost to visit the Fairmont San Francisco Gingerbread House?

First of all, it’s free to visit. You can pay extra to dine in the house or have it reserved for a proposal. But otherwise, just show up at the lobby of the hotel between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day to view this absolutely amazing construction of real gingerbread and frosting.

Is the giant gingerbread house edible? 

The bricks are made of real gingerbread and it smells divine. There are signs instructing visitors NOT to eat the gingerbread, but little chipped off bits imply that these instructions are not universally heeded. Besides the actual sugary construction, non-edible (but delightful!) additions include a model train, vignettes set up inside glass windows, and figurines (Santa can be spotted in the chimney).

Can you go inside of the house?

There’s a tunnel passageway you can enter and view the vignettes through glass windows. In that sense, you are “inside” the house. The gingerbread structure is actually a series of rooms that create a passageway from the lobby of the hotel to the restaurant. It isn’t the traditional four walls and a roof that you create with a gingerbread kit, but it is incredibly impressive for all ages.

I was surprised at the other things to do and see at the Fairmont San Francisco during Gingerbread season. The entire lobby is decked out for the holidays and is prime for selfies and Christmas photos. I was there after Christmas and it was still packed! Take time to explore the entire hotel lobby, visit the gift shops and see a scale model of Ghiradelli Square.

The 2019 Fairmont San Francisco Gingerbread House will be a completely different design, and I look forward to making it a new holiday tradition!