'Alcatraz' is Spanish for pelican, but to its inmates it was simply known as 'the Rock'. The West Coast's first lighthouse was built here in 1854, but it...

Blue & Gold runs a ferry service to Angel Island; times vary with the season, so check online or call ahead before setting out. Boats arrive at the Ayala...

Clear, acrylic underwater tunnels give visitors a diver's-eye view of the Bay, while moving walkways take you through 300ft (91m) of water, past more than...

This hands-on museum, located just below the north ramp of the Golden Gate Bridge and boasting spectacular skyline views, offers a load of hands-on...

A perfect spot for sunset cocktails, the Beach Chalet, a historic Willis Polk-designed building on the coast, is home to a fine restaurant and brewpub. The...

How has life on earth evolved? How do we foster the respect needed to preserve and protect its future? These are the themes the California Academy of...

Dominating the skyline, the exterior of this 1970 cathedral is stark, a flowing, sculptural structure (some say it resembles the blades of a washing...

High in the Oakland Hills, the Chabot combines a superbly equipped, state-of-the-art planetarium with an observatory and film theatre; the latter runs 70mm...

Legend has it that Walt Disney was so taken with this whimsical theme park when he saw it in 1950 that he decided to build his own. Kids can follow Alice...

Linked to Portsmouth Square by a footbridge and located on the third floor of a Hilton hotel, the Center hosts a variety of events, including Asian-themed...

Built in 1915 to designs by Arthur Brown and John Bakewell, City Hall is the epitome of the Beaux Arts style visible across the whole Civic Center. The...

After a fire in 1894, a magnificent, eight-storey Victorian turreted palace replaced the original 1860s house on this site. However, only a year after...

This 210ft (64m) concrete turret, built by City Hall architect Arthur Brown in 1933, was a gift to the city from the eccentric Lillie Hitchcock Coit, famed...

This round, domed neo-classical rotunda is honeycombed with hundreds of niches, all filled with lavishly and individualistically decorated cremation urns....