Best San Francisco attractions for tourists (and locals!)
We’ve sifted through the city’s landmarks, parks and historic sites to select the essential San Francisco attractions
By Shoshi Parks
With its rumbling cable cars, brightly coloured ‘Painted Lady’ houses, steep hills and, of course, the towering orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco is one of America’s most beautiful and instantly reconizable cities. From a murals tour of the Mission district, to world-class museums and the best restaurants in San Francisco - never mind the many world famous sites - there’s a huge amount to see and do throughout the seven square miles of the ‘Paris of the Pacific’. And whether you’re a wide-eyed tourist taking it in for the first time, or a San Francisco resident, this city never fails to impress.
RECOMMENDED: The 10 most Instagrammable streets in San Francisco
RECOMMENDED: The 10 most Instagrammable streets in San Francisco
1
Things to do
Golden Gate Bridge
The City’s most iconic structure has stood proudly over the San Francisco Bay since 1937. As you'd expect from the world’s most photographed bridge, it's an impressive sight even when shrouded in fog; whether you catch a glimpse of the the 746-foot tall orange towers from the city (try Crissy Field, Fort Point and Baker Beach for spectacular views), the Marin Headlands or when passing over its span - bikes and cars are permitted access across the bridge 24-hours a day, walkers can cross using the east sidewalk between 5am-6:30pm (5am-9pm during Daylight Savings Time). Make sure you wrap up well, though - Karl the Fog doesn’t mess about when it comes to the Golden Gate.
Presidio
2
Things to do, Walks and tours
Alcatraz Island
Probably the most famous prison in the world, the island fortress of Alcatraz once held some of America’s most dangerous and notorious prisoners. Converted from a lighthousee station into a military prison back in 1870, its legend grew when it was upgraded to a maximum security facility in 1934 and the likes of Al Capone, George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly and, of course, Robert ‘The Birdman’ Stroud were interned here. These days Alcatraz is one of San Francisco’s most popular tourist attractions and you can jump aboard a ferry from Pier 33 for a self-guided audio tour of ‘The Rock’, narrated by former inmates and guards. You’ll hear about escape plans, prison riots and other harrowing tales. For the ultimate creepy experience, try a night tour.
San Francisco
Advertising
3
Shopping, Markets and fairs
Ferry Building Marketplace
A food mecca that rivals Seattle’s Pike’s Place Market, the Ferry Building hosts both the city’s largest tri-weekly farmer’s market and provides a permanent home for some of the region’s most beloved artisan producers. Indoors, you’ll find merchants ranging from Cowgirl Creamery, Dandelion Chocolate and Fort Point Beer Company. Behind the Ferry Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-2pm and Saturdays from 8am-2pm, regional farmers and ranchers sell vegetables, flowers, meats and other edible and small-batch products. When your shopping is done, grab a bite at one of the itinerant food stalls on market days or brick-and-mortar restaurants like Charles Phan’s beloved Vietnamese juggernaut the Slanted Door or the popular Hog Island Oyster Company. San Francisco City Guides offer regular free tours of the plaza.
SoMa
4
Things to do
Golden Gate Park
Forget Central Park in New York, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is 20 percent bigger and just as iconic. With over 1,000 acres of lush rolling hills, gardens and woods - and plenty of hidden treasures - this beautiful green space is a must visit any time of the year. Stretching from the “Panhandle” - the long, skinny section of the park that once served as an experimental planting area - to the edge of Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park is home to some of San Francisco's best landmarks including the Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers (a Victorian-era glass greenhouse) and the ultra-green, ultra-brainy Academy of Science. Recreational options in the park include hiking trails, a disk golf course and bocce ball courts. Kids will love the enchanting playground at Koret Children’s Quarter and its century-old carousel.
Golden Gate Park
Advertising
5
Things to do
Alamo Square
San Francisco boasts hundreds of “Painted Ladies,” colorful Victorian and Edwardian houses featuring three or more colors that enhance elements of their architecture; the most famous can be found in NoPa, the Lower Haight, Haight-Ashbury and Cole Valley neighborhoods. But there’s one row, in particular, so iconic that it’s simply referred to as “the Painted Ladies” (or sometimes “Postcard Row”): the houses of 710-720 Steiner street at the corner of Hayes St. These gals have appeared in an estimated 70 movies, ads and television shows including the 90s juggernaut Full House. You, unfortunately, can’t enter the Painted Ladies (real people live there) but you can get a great view and your own iconic photo from the east-facing hillside of Alamo Square across the street.
Alamo Square
6
Things to do, Walks and tours
Cable Cars
In a city of hills, cable cars were once one of the most efficient ways to get around town. When San Francisco’s cable car network was at it peak in the late 1800s, there were 23 routes running around the cities seven square miles. These days, there are quicker and easier ways to get around town, but riding on one of the three remaining lines is still a classic, must-do San Francisco experience. Jump on board for views of Fisherman’s Wharf, Russian Wharf, Nob Hill and the San Francisco Bay. Stop by the Cable Car Museum at Washington Street to learn more about the history of this unique form of transport and to get a glimpse of the giant underground workings that power the cars.
Tenderloin
Advertising
7
Things to do, Event spaces
Fisherman's Wharf
Yes, Fisherman’s Wharf caters almost entirely to the city’s visitors but there are good reasons for even the most hardened San Francisco resident to visit including the charming vintage arcade Musée Mécanique, the National Maritime Historical Park’s fleet of restored vintage sailing ships and the USS Pampanito submarine. At Pier 39, ride visit the raucous California Sea Lions at K Dock, shop or ride the merry-go-round. When you’ve had enough harbor excitement, grab a meal of local seafood and sourdough bread at Pier 45’s simple stalls and historic restaurants just feet from where commercial fishermen bring in their daily catch. Afterwards, indulge in a decadent dessert at Ghiradelli Square, home of the famed chocolatier.
Fisherman's Wharf
8
Barbary Coast
Once the land of the lawless where gambling, vigilante justice and prostitution reigned, today’s Barbary Coast, though considerably less raucous, still bears scars from its early days. Overlapping the neighborhoods of Jackson Square, North Beach and Chinatown, a meander down the Barbary Coast trail places you at the doorstep of a number of historical sites including beat-era hangouts like City Lights Bookstore and Vesuvio Cafe, Saints Peter and Paul Church where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe were photographed in 1954 after getting hitched at City Hall and Jackson Square’s gold rush-era architecture. If you’re on the lookout for something more raunchy, a number of strip clubs and other mature entertainments continue to carry the torch for the often sexually transgressive entertainments that dominated the neighborhood in the first half of the 20th century.
Advertising
9
Chinatown
There are Chinatowns in cities all over the world, but San Francisco’s is home to the oldest and largest enclave of Chinese immigrants outside of Asia. There are actually four distinct Chinese neighbourhoods in The City, but the one centred on Grant and Stockton Avenues is where you’ll find a thriving community of shops, restaurants and storied buildings that’s rich in life and history. Head through the Dragon Gate at the corner of Bush Street and Grant Avenue and explore the area credited with inventing American Chinese culinary classics such as Chop Suey and Fortune Cookies - and stop for food at one of the many fantastic restaurants like Hunan Home’s Restaurant or Good Mong Kok Bakery.
10
Things to do, Event spaces
Coit Tower
Added to the San Francisco skyline in 1933, this monumental love letter to the city remains an iconic welcome for travelers westbound across the Bay Bridge. Named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a wealthy eccentric whose $118,000 bequest to the city resulted in the tower’s construction, the tapered, fluted tower stands 180 feet tall at the crest of Telegraph Hill. At the top is the tower’s observation deck with 360 degree views of San Francisco and the SF Bay. A rotunda at its base is covered in Depression-era WPA murals depicting not-so-subtle socialist images in scenes of California agriculture and industry painted by over two dozen artists, some of whom studied under famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera.
North Beach
Advertising
Show more
