'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 was soon decided that...

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 Cove visitors' centre,...

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 23,000 aquatic...

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 activities for kids of ten...

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 ground-floor walls...

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 Sciences will tackle when...

Dominating the skyline, the exterior of this 1970 cathedral is stark, a flowing, sculptural structure (some say it resembles the blades of a washing machine) reaching 198ft...

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 projections of the...

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 down the rabbit hole,...

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 art exhibitions and...

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 building has lots of...

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 surviving the 1906...

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 for her love of...

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