35 Best things to see & do in San Francisco

This red-hued, 1.75-mile suspension bridge that spans the Golden Gate Strait, where the Pacific meets the San Francisco Bay, is the city’s most iconic landmark – and one of the world’s most famous bridges.

Surrounding the bridge is another of San Francisco’s jewels: the Presidio, a former military outpost, which now comprises 1,400 acres of forest, marshland, museums, historic buildings, and even two beaches.

One great way to see and experience the Bridge is to hire a bike and cycle through the Presidio and over the Golden Gate Bridge for coffee or lunch in the quaint village of Sausalito.

A mile-and-a-half offshore in the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz – or ‘The Rock’ as its residents affectionately dubbed it – was one of America’s highest-security prisons until it shut down in 1963 (the razor-sharp cliffs and frigid waters were enough to deter most escape plans).

Nowadays, visitors can hop on the ferry at Perry 33 and tour the accommodations once occupied by Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Luckily, overnight visitors are no longer accepted.

San Francisco is a collection of culturally and visually distinct, fiercely independent, neighbourhoods – and they are undoubtedly the city’s greatest attractions.

Despite its relatively small size (just under 47 square miles), SF manages to pack in 36 ‘official’ neighbourhoods (though on many people’s reckoning, there are more than that), meaning you’ll enjoy a unique and rich cultural journey by default as you explore this beautiful city.

With seven floors and more than 33,000 works of modern and contemporary art, including design, photography, and media arts, the SF MoMA boasts one of the largest holdings of 20th- and 21st-century works on the planet.

The Mario Botta-designed building is a sight in itself, but inside you’ll find Picassos and Pollocks galore, as well as works by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol’s self-portraits, and photography by Ansel Adams. Also look out for artwork by abstract painter Mark Rothko, and master of 20th Century Realism, Edward Hopper, as well as the 30-foot-tall Living Wall made up of over 19,000 plants.

The museum’s store features everything from sunburst clocks to Warhol ‘Soup Can’ skateboards, and a gourmet cafe serves up tasty seasonal eats.

Known for its strong winds, spectacular scenery, barking sea lions, and rich maritime history, the largest estuary in the U.S. already stands-out as a fine place to sail. Add showstopping landmarks the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz to the mix, and you’ve surely got one of the world’s premier places to sail.

Suitable for all levels and ages, sailing here is a tranquil, sometimes exciting, means to soak up the views and take in the panoramic beauty of this extraordinary bay city.

If you have more time, there are sailing courses available too, designed to teach ‘you the ropes’ (pun intended). What better place to learn to sail?

To really appreciate the splendour of the Golden Gate Bridge, hire a bike and cycle across the Bridge to Sausalito, a charming small town and artist colony full of cutesy cafés and boutiques, and a number of art galleries.

This compact bayside hamlet marks the perfect end (or halfway point) to a bike ride. Stop for lunch or afternoon tea, with views back across the bay to the city. Then cycle or take the ferry back.

Even if you don’t fancy the eight-mile cycle ride there, catch ferries both ways. It’s still a lovely place for a cycle and a spot of lunch, including the boat trip across the harbour past Alcatraz. You can also hire electric bikes which reduce the effort needed (notably on hills).

From its myriad of art museums to its on-the-rise-again street art, there’s no shortage of stand-out artwork in San Francisco.

Nearly everything about the city has an artistic edge. There’s the exquisite Art Deco beauty of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the colourful heart sculptures – which debuted in 2004 – that still dot the streets in spots like the Lyon Street Steps and SOMA’s Moscone Center.

The city is home to several world-class art museums, including the Museum of Modern Art and the De Young Museum for fine art.

For showcasing local artistic talent, there are top-quality independent art galleries and special events such as SF Open Studios, the spring Art Market and the DIY Renegade Craft Fair.

First of all: the Golden Gate Park is not adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge. Rather, this rectangular, 1017-acre urban park lies on the city’s west side – San Francisco’s equivalent of Central Park but 20% bigger.

It’s home to some pretty stellar attractions, among them the world-class DeYoung Art Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Tea Garden, and the Conservatory of Flowers – not to mention acre upon acre of green goodness.

You can hire bikes or rollerskates to explore, and rowboats or waterbikes from the boathouse on the northwest side to float on Stow Lake, one of the park’s loveliest spots.

Part of California’s 82,116 acre Golden Gate National Recreation Area (which also includes Alcatraz and San Francisco’s Presidio), 558-acre Muir Woods is a forest of towering old-growth Redwood trees, some more than 150 years old.

Named after John Muir, ‘Father of the National Parks’, this Endor-like landscape became the country’s 10th national monument in 1908, and the first one to be created solely from land donated by an individual – in this case congressman William Kent.

Here you can stroll among giants in the forest’s Cathedral and Bohemian groves, where you can actually reach out and touch some of these ancient behemoths.

Outstanding walking trails and hiking paths wind through the forest. Trails range from an easy 0.8-mile Main Trail that follows along the park’s Redwood Creek (stroller and wheelchair accessible), to the Dipsea Trail, a strenuous 16.1 km out-and-back hike that climbs through redwood forest and offers sweeping views of the Pacific before descending onto its shores at Stinson Beach.

There’s plenty of wildlife too. Look out for black-tailed deer, bobcats and banana slugs.

Thanks to both the ocean and an abundance of farms on its doorstep, San Francisco is big on farm-to-table and sustainable cuisine. Green-leanings aside, culinary talent runs rampant in SF – in fact, the Bay Area is one of the three areas in the US that the Michelin Guide series rates.

A long-standing immigrant community from the East translates to some of the best Asian food outside Asia.

San Francisco is a city famous for its hills – which even today can make navigating the city hard work. In the ‘good old days’ at the end of the 19th century, before the widescale adoption of the motor car, San Francisco had 23 cable car lines crisscrossing the city.

Sadly, most were decommissioned in favour of more modern transportation and just three now remain. It’s the last manually operated cable car system in the world. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964, it carries both visitors and locals alike over some of the city’s steepest hills while showcasing some of its most iconic views. A ride on one is a must for visitors.

Of its three remaining lines, the Powell-Mason line, which goes from Union Square, over Nob Hill and into Fisherman’s Wharf, is arguably the most picturesque. If you can, try scoring one of the cable car’s coveted standing spots on the outside for a quintessential San Francisco experience.

The California Academy of Sciences has a lot going for it: it’s the world’s greenest museum, it’s one of the largest natural history museums, it’s overflowing with innovative, interactive learning spaces, it has a planetarium, aquarium, and four-storey rainforest under its roof – and it’s hands-down one of San Francisco’s best attractions.

Outside it’s just as spectacular: the glass-and-steel building was designed by Renzo Piano, and has a 2.5-acre garden roof covered with 1.7 million native plants.

Set in a striking new building clad entirely in copper (designed to oxidise so that it eventually blends in with the surrounding eucalyptus trees), De Young’s highly regarded collection showcases American art from the 17th-21st centuries, as well as international contemporary art, costumes and textiles.

Together with SF’s Legion of Honor, which focuses more on ancient artworks, the two make up the largest public arts institution in the city.

Look for works by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, Surrealist painter Salvador Dali, and fabric sculptor, Nick Cave.

Marketers call Lombard the world’s crookedest street. True or not, the block-long lane hits eight hairpin turns – built to slow people as they drive the steep-steep street – as it snakes down Russian Hill. Instead of driving it (and sitting in traffic), you’ll have more fun walking it.

Located in the historic Ferry Building on the Embarcadero at Market, this first-rate foodie foray – a hall of more than 40 different restaurants and food shops – has outlets offering anything from mushrooms grown in Moss Landing (a town two hours south), to cheeses from a local creamery.

The building itself is a late 19th-century landmark that was completely renovated and restored in 2002. It still serves as a transportation centre for ferries to Oakland, Alameda, Sausalito, and Angel Island.

Its views overlooking the bay and out toward the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge are worth going for alone.

Once, this historic hub was where Chinese and Italian fisherman made their living catching fish, crab, and oysters along the waterfront. Although still known for seafood, today the Wharf is predominantly the city’s prime tourist hub.

As well as the usual tourist fare of attractions like Madame Tussauds and the city’s Aquarium, it’s also home to the SS Jeremiah O’Brien Liberty Ship Memorial and Aquatic Park Cove, where Dolphin Club swimmers brave the bay’s frigid waters daily. A large colony of noisy sea lions famously beds down on Pier 39.

Many tours, including the one to Alcatraz, depart from here too. Even if you’re trying to avoid the crowds, you’ll likely end up here at some point.

Editor: Please note, it’s a horrible tourist trap. We’re only including it as ‘bucket list’ as everyone feels they should go there as part of a visit.

San Francisco is home to North America’s oldest Chinatown – and the largest Chinatown outside Asia – so no surprise then that their Chinese New Year Festival is something to behold.

The annual multi-week event typically occurs in January and/or February, coinciding with the new year of the solar Chinese calendar, and includes everything from a flower market fair to the crowning of Miss Chinatown.

Thousands of people line downtown San Francisco’s streets to catch sight of the Chinese New Year Parade, a lengthy procession of floats, marching bands, costumed dancers, and even a 28-foot-long Golden Dragon that culminates in the heart of the Chinatown neighbourhood.

Escape the city mayhem in the immaculate, contemplative Japanese Tea Garden, which was first developed in 1894 to showcase a traditional Japanese village for the California International Exposition (World’s Fair). An additional tea house and pavilions were built and the garden became a permanent fixture of the Golden Gate Park.

This fascinating museum is dedicated to the life and achievements of the Great Imagineer ‘Walt Disney‘. Interactive galleries feature early drawings and animation, movies, music, and a 12-foot diameter model of Disneyland. The lobby holds 248 awards Walt won during his career, including an honorary Oscar for Snow White and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The elaborate Victorian greenhouse at the Conservatory of Flowers is the oldest building in the park, constructed in 1878 and rising 60ft (18m). Plants and flowers from around the world are housed in a variety of climate-controlled galleries, including Highland Tropics and Lowland Tropics. Closed on Mondays.

A Beaux Arts replica of Paris’ Legion of Honor Palace of all things, this art museum houses a collection of European and ancient art that spans over 6,000 years of artistic creation. The sister museum to the De Young.

Located along the city’s Embarcadero waterfront, this hands-on museum of science, art, and human perception founded by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer.

The interactive and experimental space features more than 600 exhibits and seven galleries, both indoor and outdoor. Whether it’s creating the illusions of flying and levitating with the Exploratorium’s anti-gravity mirror, or picking up sound vibrations through your teeth, you’ll experience endless wonder – all while overlooking San Francisco Bay.

Look out for the ping pong balls winding their way through artist Scott Weaver’s replica of San Francisco, made entirely of toothpicks, and the 27-foot-tall wind harp (outdoors).

Home to one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art on the planet, this Civic Center locale exhibits everything from future fantasy animations to Chinese jade carvings from more than 6,000 years ago.

Three days a week, the Ferry Building hosts this, one of San Francisco’s best markets. Every morning to mid-afternoon on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, more than 100 local purveyors set up shop offering top-quality, locally-grown produce.

Telegraph Hill, ascending 275 ft (84m), is crowned by Coit Tower, a mural-covered Art Deco column. An ascent on foot (via sidewalk and stairs) rewards with eye candy in many forms: gorgeous homes, gardens, and spectacular bay views from the observation deck at the tower’s top.

With no permanent collection, San Francisco’s CJM offers ever-changing exhibits highlighting the Jewish culture and its complexities. It’s housed in a historic Pacific Gas & Electric substation that’s been modernly redesigned with elements of Jewish symbolism.

Creative, trend-setting, colourful San Francisco is renowned for its exceptional visual arts community, and for four weekends in the fall (October and/or November), over 400 of the city’s best and emerging artists throw open the doors to their workspaces.

Visitors can get up close with the artists and their works, and learn more about their creative processes and life as a working artist.

Each weekend highlights studios in different neighbourhoods, so it’s easy to create your own self-guided, art-focused walking tour.

This 20th-century museum at Fisherman’s Wharf is stocked with over 300 mechanical (i.e. pre-electronic) carnival and arcade games, like arm wrestling machines and mechanical fortune tellers a la Tom Hanks in Big. Good old fashioned, nostalgic fund for kids and big kids. Open daily.

Hailed as the U.S. home of Irish coffee. Legend has it that in 1952, the cafe’s then-owner Jack Koeppler challenged a well-known travel writer to recreate a drink he’d had at Ireland’s Shannon Airport, and this local landmark has been serving them up (in an endless line along the bar) ever since.

There’s nothing better than sipping sugary mai tais in a dimly lit tiki setting, where an indoor thunderstorm occurs hourly on cue. With red leather banquettes, a floating stage with its own house band, and a dance floor created from a former schooner, the Fairmont’s historic Tonga Room has been drawing crowds since 1945. Weekend nights here are like the greatest wedding reception you’ve ever been to, times 10.

Swing by the Cheese School of San Francisco for a 2-hour themed class (book ahead) in cheese pairing, gourmet souvenirs, or some simple fromage and wine tasting. It’s home to San Francisco’s only cheesemaking creamery.

The commercial centre of San Francisco, this stretch of streets surrounding Union Square (a park-slash-plaza so named because of its history as the site of several pro-Union Civil War rallies) is full of luxury hotels, restaurants, and shops. A lovely neighbourhood that’s still worth a wander.

Celebrating black cultures around the world through a global lens, MoAD remains one of the few museums in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to the artworks of the African Diaspora. Artist discussions, literary events, and film screenings take place here regularly.

The largest Chinatown outside Asia, and the oldest in the USA, this roughly 24-block district is the beating heart of the city’s Asian immigrant communities. Home to some of the best eats the city has to offer at dim sum shops, fortune cookie ‘factories’, Chinese grocers and noodle joints.

The Castro doesn’t have much by way of ‘attractions’, but that’s not the point. The historic and current heart of the city’s gay community, the district is one of SF’s most vibrant. Come here to commune with the colourful locals in the neighbourhood’s funky cafés, bars, shops, and restaurants.