San Francisco has become a popular tourist destination, thanks to its famous landmarks, cultural outlets and outdoor wonders. To start off, you can enjoy the panoramic views of the city from popular vantage points such as the Carnelian Room, Top of the Mark and the Sky Deck. For a more up close view of the city streets, hop on into one of its popular cable cars, as it steeps up and down the hilly streets of the city.
San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination renowned for its steep rolling
hills, an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, and famous landmarks,
including the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the cable cars, Coit Tower, and
Chinatown. The city is also known for its diverse, cosmopolitan population, including a
large and long-established LGBT community. While the climate includes chilly summer
fog, the winters are mild.
Be sure to visit Chinatown, the largest Chinese community town outside Asia. The Chinese culture and tradition can be felt strongest during the Chinese New Year celebration in February where displays of fantastic dragon parades will blow your mind. A few months later, you can join in the colorful celebration of the Cherry Blossom Festival held in Japan Town. The celebration is highlighted with the Grand Parade, followed by the crowning of the Cherry Blossom Queen.
Beyond the landmarks, festivals and cultural spots, there are many fantastic places for outdoor activities. Ocean Beach, for instance, is a popular spot for surfers, while Baker Beach is a great destination for swimmers. The largest and most well known park is the Golden Gate Park, which covers an area from the west city center to the Pacific Ocean. The park is rich with natural and cultural beauties such as the Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Garden and the Botanical Garden. You can also enjoy nature’s best kept secret at the Lake Merced, which is a fresh-water lake located near the San Francisco Zoo.
If you are travelling to San Francisco on a budget staying in a San Francisco Hostel is a great option to save money and meet new people. Many hostels provide free breakfast, tours of the area and party nights too so they are great fun!
PLACE TO VISIT
Palace of Fine Arts - Located in the Marina District the Palace of Fine Arts is a
Beautiful building. It was designed by Bernard Maybeck and was completed for the 1915
Panama-Pacific Exposition. The architecture is that of Roman and Greek. Beautiful
woman sculptured into the building dramatically holding up the pillars. Although the
Palace of Fine Arts has fallen slightly ill to lack of repair it is still a major site to behold.
Lombard Street - The (nearly) twistiest street in America, between Hyde &
Leavenworth. The city has a twistier but less scenic hill-climb along Vermont Street, south
of McKinley Square on Potrero Hill. You can get a view of Lombard from the Powell &
Hyde cable car line.
Alcatraz Island - Decommissioned island prison in the bay. Take a tour and listen
to an audio tape in English, Japanese, Chinese or other languages. The most interesting
aspect of the tour is that you can go into the prison and see what it is like to be
imprisoned. It might be more interesting if you've watched the movie "Escape from
Alcatraz" and seen what happened in Alcatraz when it was operating as a prison. Tickets
for the Ferry to Alcatraz are available at the Alcatraz Cruises website , but they sell out fast
so buy in advance.
Angel Island - Island in the bay that housed Asian immigration (exclusion) camp,
becoming the "Ellis Island of the West". Ferry over and rent a bicycle or walk around this
beautiful island that is now a large and wide open park.
Coit Tower - Built in 1933 on top of Telegraph Hill, a former signaling point for sailing
ships, It is dedicated to the San Francisco firefighters (who fought a massive blaze in
1906 after the earthquake that destroyed much of the city center), and it was designed to
resemble the nozzle of a fire hose. At 250' high, it is a healthy hike from the Embarcadero
(steps at Greenwich and Montgomery) or from North Beach. Muni bus #39 goes from
Washington Square in North Beach up the hill to the base of the tower.
Twin Peaks - accessible by car or on foot via Twin Peaks Boulevard (north of Portola
Drive, just east of Laguna Honda). The small parking area at the northern tip of Twin
Peaks Boulevard (875' above sea level) is near the physical center of the city, and one of
its highest points, providing spectacular views in all directions. Tour buses can get
backed up here during the day, but it's a great place to really appreciate the City from
above, especially at and after sunset. Temperatures up there can be quite a bit lower than
in the rest of the city, so bring a jacket. Muni bus #37, a scenic ride from the Haight-
Ashbury or Castro and Market streets, gets you close, so you only have to climb the last
120' up.
Treasure Island - An artificial island half-way between San Francisco and Oakland
connected to Yerba Buena Island which the Bay Bridge passes through. The Island has
excellent views of San Francisco & Oakland skylines and quirky structures from the
international fairground-turned-navy base-turned neighborhood. Accessible by Muni bus
line 108 from the Transbay Terminal downtown.
San Francisco Zoo - If you are traveling with children or have a fondness for
penguins, primates, lions or llamas, the large and well maintained Zoo is located at the
end of the L streetcar line near Ocean Beach.
Golden Gate Park - Once an area of sand dunes, Golden Gate Park is a roughly
1/2 mile-by-four mile urban oasis, with windmills, bison, museums, and a carousel
hidden among its charms. At 1,017 Acres, it is 174 acres larger than New York's Central
Park, so unless you rent a bike , you'll want to plan which area you want to visit, especially
along the East (Stanyan street) to West (the Ocean) axis. During the summer to October a
free shuttle bus circulates. On Sundays and holidays, JFK Drive between Transverse and
Kezar is closed to vehicular traffic; this car-free zone is popular with walkers, cyclists, and
runners. The number 5 trolleybus runs along its North boundary, and offers the most
frequent service across the park and to downtown.
Golden Gate Bridge - The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most famous bridges
in the United States, and has been called one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
The bridge spans the Golden Gate, a strait between San Francisco and Marin County to
the north, and is one of the major road routes into and out of the city.
Alamo Square Park - At Steiner Street and Hayes Street, it has the famous
Painted Ladies row of Victorian houses on its east side along Steiner Street, but many
other pretty Victorians encircle the lovely park. The Hayes street Muni bus #21 goes along
its south side, for the postcard view. If you enjoy walking and don't mind modest grades
you can get there by walking west from Hayes Valley or north from the Lower Haight.
Fisherman's Wharf - Fisherman's Wharf is a great place to see amazing street
entertainers, eat excellent seafood, watch sea lions, visit the Fisherman's Wharf Wax
Museum and go to the Aquarium Marine Museums and exhibits. Working fishing boats
still come into the small harbor at Jones and Jefferson, the endpoint of the Muni Historic
F-streetcar. There are also small day and party boats available. The fresh breeze from the
bay can provide a bracing setting.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - There are three airports in the San Francisco Bay Area:
San Francisco International (IATA: SFO) located about 10 mi (16 km) south of the city),
Oakland International (IATA: OAK) in the East Bay), and
San Jose International (IATA: SJC) in Silicon Valley, about 1 hour south of San Francisco).
Oakland and San Jose tend to offer more discount airline flights, while San Francisco
Airport attracts more international flights and can be more convenient for those staying in
the city.
By train - Amtrak serves the Bay Area with long-distance and intercity trains, San
Francisco’s long distance station is across the bay, outside city limits. Passengers arrive
in Emeryville in the East Bay and may take an Amtrak California Thruway bus over the
Bay Bridge to San Francisco's Amtrak stop at 101 The Embarcadero (near the Ferry
Building) and several downtown destinations.
Caltrain operates a regional rail service from San Jose to its San Francisco terminal at
Fourth and King. The service also runs between San Jose and Gilroy during rush hour.
Caltrain is very useful for travel between San Francisco and cities of the Peninsula,
Silicon Valley or South Bay. On weekdays Caltrain provides two trains per hour for most of
the day but run more during commute hours, including "Baby Bullet" limited services that
cruise between San Francisco and San Jose in 57 minutes; on weekends and public
holidays trains run hourly, except that after 10PM only one train runs, leaving at midnight.
By boat - In many ways a boat is the ideal way to approach San Francisco. The city's
spectacular skyline is best appreciated from the water, and from the deck of a boat the
bay and its bridges and islands can be viewed as a whole. Cruise ships and private
yachts are regular visitors to San Francisco, and passenger ferries regularly link other
Bay Area cities to San Francisco.
