San Francisco
Fog rolling through the Golden Gate, cable cars climbing steep hills, and neighbourhoods with personalities all their own.
- Best time to go
- September to November, when the fog lifts and the days are warmest
- Local time
- –
- Currency
- US Dollar (USD)
- Reading time
- 4 min
- Language
- English
San Francisco sits on the tip of a hilly peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. It boomed during the Gold Rush of 1849, was rebuilt after the earthquake and fire of 1906, and has since been a home for counterculture, from the Beat writers and the hippies of the 1960s to the LGBTQ rights movement and the tech industry.
It's a compact city of steep streets, Victorian houses and distinct neighbourhoods, with spectacular views around every corner. Bring layers for the famous fog, ride a cable car, walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, and leave time for Chinatown, the Mission and the parks.
The top 10 in San Francisco
- 1
The Golden Gate Bridge
Photo: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened in 1937, the suspension bridge, painted "International Orange", spans the mouth of the bay. Walk or cycle across it for views of the city and the Marin Headlands, which also offer some of the best views of the bridge itself.
TipThe bridge is often wrapped in fog in summer mornings; afternoons in autumn are usually clearest.
- 2
Alcatraz Island
Photo: Photograph: Radomianin, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The former federal prison on an island in the bay, which held notorious inmates such as Al Capone until it closed in 1963. The excellent audio tour of the cellhouse, narrated by former guards and inmates, brings it to life.
TipTickets are sold only through the official operator, Alcatraz City Cruises, and sell out weeks ahead in summer.
- 3
Cable cars
Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The world's last manually operated cable car system, a National Historic Landmark, has three lines climbing the city's hills. The Powell–Hyde line offers the most dramatic views, down to the bay and Alcatraz.
- 4
Chinatown
Photo: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The oldest Chinatown in North America, entered through the Dragon Gate on Grant Avenue, with temples, herbal shops, bakeries and dim sum restaurants in its alleys.
- 5
Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39
Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A busy, touristy waterfront with seafood stalls serving crab and clam chowder in sourdough bowls, and a colony of sea lions lounging on the docks at Pier 39. The historic ships of the Maritime National Historical Park are nearby.
- 6
The Ferry Building
Photo: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A restored 1898 ferry terminal on the Embarcadero, now a gourmet marketplace of local food producers, with a busy farmers' market several days a week.
- 7
Golden Gate Park
Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A park larger than New York's Central Park, stretching to the ocean, home to the de Young art museum, the California Academy of Sciences, a Japanese Tea Garden, a conservatory of flowers and even a herd of bison.
- 8
The Mission
Photo: Artico2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A historically Latino neighbourhood with colourful murals in Balmy and Clarion Alleys, taquerías, bars and Mission Dolores, the oldest surviving building in the city, from 1776. Dolores Park is the city's favourite place for a sunny afternoon.
- 9
Painted Ladies and Alamo Square
Photo: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A row of colourful Victorian houses facing a park with a view of the downtown skyline behind, one of the most photographed scenes in the city.
- 10
Lands End
Photo: Radomianin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A coastal trail on the north-west edge of the city, through cypress trees and along cliffs, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the ruins of the Sutro Baths, a vast Victorian bathhouse.
When to go
San Francisco's weather is mild all year but often cool and foggy. Summer, especially June to August, is famously fog-bound and chilly, while September and October are usually the sunniest and warmest months. Winter brings most of the rain. Pack layers whatever the season.
Getting around
Muni buses, light rail and the historic streetcars and cable cars cover the city; pay with a Clipper card, contactless card or the MuniMobile app. BART trains link downtown with the airport, Oakland and Berkeley. Walking is rewarding but hilly, and ferries cross the bay to Sausalito, Oakland and beyond.
San Francisco International Airport is about thirty minutes from downtown by BART.
Local tips
- Bring layers and a windproof jacket; it can be cold even in summer.
- Book Alcatraz well ahead, and only through the official operator.
- Never leave anything visible in a parked car; car break-ins are common.
- Tip 18 to 20% in restaurants; sales tax is added at the till.
- Some areas, such as parts of the Tenderloin, have visible poverty and drug use; stay aware.
- Most visitors to the United States need a visa or ESTA authorisation.
- Walk or take the cable car up the hills; driving and parking on them takes practice, so curb your wheels when you park.
- Muni day passes include the cable cars and can save money if you ride several times.
Eat and drink
San Francisco has a superb food scene: try sourdough bread, Dungeness crab in season, cioppino, a seafood stew, and the Mission burrito, a large burrito packed with rice and beans. Dim sum in Chinatown and the Richmond district is excellent. Napa and Sonoma, two of America's best wine regions, are about an hour north.
Day trips
Muir Woods, just north of the Golden Gate, protects a grove of towering coast redwoods. Sausalito, a waterfront town with houseboats, is a short ferry ride across the bay. Napa and Sonoma offer wineries and vineyards, and Yosemite National Park, with its granite cliffs and waterfalls, is about four hours east, best visited for a night or more.
Where to stay
Union Square is the most central area, with department stores, theatres and the cable car turntable at Powell Street, though the blocks to its west border the Tenderloin. North Beach, the old Italian quarter, has cafés, bakeries and the City Lights bookshop of Beat fame, close to Chinatown and the waterfront. Fisherman's Wharf is convenient for Alcatraz and the bay but touristy. For a neighbourhood feel, consider the Marina, with views of the Golden Gate, Hayes Valley, with independent boutiques and restaurants, or the Mission, with sunshine, murals and the best taquerías.