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San Francisco

No reviews yetCity California, United States
San Francisco, California, United StatesThe Palace of Fine Arts was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, CaliforniaThe ruins of the Sutro Baths, a vast public bathhouse opened in 1896, lie at the edge of the Pacific at Lands End, San Francisco, CaliforniaAlcatraz operated as a federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963 and is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia sea lions began gathering on the docks at Pier 39 after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, San Francisco, California

About San Francisco

San Francisco occupies the tip of a hilly peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, a compact city of steep streets, Victorian houses and distinct neighborhoods. It boomed with the Gold Rush, rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake and fire, and has long been associated with counterculture, innovation and food. Fog rolling through the Golden Gate is part of its character.

The Golden Gate Bridge is best appreciated from viewpoints in the Presidio, a former army post turned park, which also holds paths near the Palace of Fine Arts. Along the coast, the Lands End trail passes the ruins of the Sutro Baths. Ferries carry visitors to Alcatraz Island, the former federal prison, from the waterfront near Fisherman's Wharf, where Pier 39's sea lions draw crowds. Cable cars still climb the hills, and Lombard Street's tight switchbacks are a classic photo stop. Chinatown, one of the oldest in North America, borders North Beach, the historic Italian district beneath Coit Tower. The Ferry Building, with its food hall, anchors the Embarcadero.

The city suits walkers and food lovers, though hills make public transit helpful. The Mission, Haight-Ashbury and Golden Gate Park reward extra days, and Muir Woods, Sausalito and the Napa and Sonoma wine regions are popular trips. Summer is often cool and foggy, while September and October tend to be warmest.

Best seasonSeptember and October usually bring the warmest, clearest weather; summer is often cool and foggy.
Ideal stayThree to four days covers the major sights and neighborhoods, with more for wine country or Muir Woods.
ArrivingSan Francisco International Airport is the main gateway, linked to the city by BART trains.
San Francisco California Cable Cars Alcatraz and Golden GateWiserMap travel guideSan Francisco California Cable Cars Alcatraz and Golden GateSee the best of San Francisco: the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, cable cars, Chinatown, North Beach and Golden Gate Park, plus food, neighborhoods and timing ti...Read the guide

12 Places Locals Love in San Francisco

Landmarks 4

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, United States

Golden Gate Bridge

Opened in 1937, the bridge's International Orange towers rise about 746 feet above the strait where San Francisco Bay meets the Pa...
Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, United States

Alcatraz Island

The rocky island in the middle of the bay held a federal prison from 1934 to 1963, housing notorious inmates such as Al Capone, an...
Lombard Street, San Francisco, California, United States

Lombard Street

The one block of Lombard Street between Hyde and Leavenworth on Russian Hill is famous for its eight tight hairpin bends, built in...
San Francisco Cable Cars, San Francisco, California, United States

San Francisco Cable Cars

San Francisco's cable cars are the last manually operated system of their kind still in regular service, pulled by steel cables ru...

Parks 3

The Presidio and the Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, California, United States

The Presidio and the Palace of Fine Arts

For more than two centuries the Presidio was a military post under Spain, Mexico and the United States; today it is a vast nationa...
Lands End and the Sutro Baths, San Francisco, California, United States

Lands End and the Sutro Baths

At the city's wild northwestern corner, the Lands End Trail follows cypress-lined cliffs above the Golden Gate, with views of the...
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, United States

Golden Gate Park

Larger than New York's Central Park, this long green rectangle runs more than three miles from the Haight to Ocean Beach and was c...

Waterfront 2

Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, San Francisco, California, United States

Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39

The busy northern waterfront mixes tourist attractions with traces of a working fishing harbor. At Pier 39, hundreds of California...
Ferry Building and the Embarcadero, San Francisco, California, United States

Ferry Building and the Embarcadero

Opened in 1898, the Ferry Building with its tall clock tower was once the gateway for nearly everyone arriving in the city by wate...

Neighborhoods 3

San Francisco Chinatown, San Francisco, California, United States

San Francisco Chinatown

One of the oldest and largest Chinatowns in North America, this dense neighborhood begins at the ornate Dragon Gate on Grant Avenu...
North Beach and Coit Tower, San Francisco, California, United States

North Beach and Coit Tower

North Beach is San Francisco's old Italian quarter, where espresso bars, bakeries and red-sauce restaurants sit alongside City Lig...
The Mission District, San Francisco, California, United States

The Mission District

The city's oldest neighborhood grew around Mission Dolores, founded in 1776 and still home to the oldest intact building in San Fr...

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