SF
Guide
Curated by a local tour guide.
What I recommend on tour, collected in one place.
Neighborhoods
All neighborhoods →Fisherman's Wharf runs along the northern waterfront from Pier 39 west to Aquatic Park and Ghirardelli Square.
Nob Hill is a residential and hotel district at the summit of the hill.
SoMa stands for South of Market.
Hayes Valley is named for Thomas Hayes, who developed the area in the 1850s. Its current walkable form…
Where to Eat
All restaurants →The Pawn Shop
Speakeasy tapas restaurant hidden behind a pawn shop facade
La Taqueria
Voted Best Burrito in USA. James Beard America's Classics Award winner.
Foreign Cinema
Films from the 1960s and 1970s projected on the courtyard wall.
Hon’s Wun-Tun House
Hong Kong-style wonton noodle soup with hand-wrapped wontons and clean broth. So Tasty!
Things to Do
All activities →Wave Organ
A sound installation built in May 1986 by Peter Richards of the Exploratorium with master mason George Gonzales, made of 25 PVC pipes and stone salvaged from the demolished Laurel Hill Cemetery. Free, open around the clock, on the jetty past the St. Francis Yacht Club. The sound is stronger at high tide; check NOAA tide tables before you go.
Balmy Alley
Balmy Alley has held murals since 1972; the modern tradition took off in 1985, when Ray Patlan organized 27 murals honoring Central American indigenous heritage and protesting US intervention. About 30 murals line the alley between 24th and 25th Streets at any given time. Free, open around the clock, best visited in daylight.
Japanese Tea Garden
America's oldest public Japanese garden, established for the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. The Hagiwara family managed the garden from 1895 to 1942; Makoto Hagiwara is credited with introducing fortune cookies at the teahouse. Three acres in Golden Gate Park; free for SF residents with ID, free for everyone before 10:00 AM Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Best of San Francisco
All lists →Tours I Recommend
All tours →Nob Hill on Film
A free self-guided film locations walk on Nob Hill: five stops including Madeleine's apartment in Vertigo, the Fairmont from TV's Hotel, the…
North Beach and Telegraph Hill on Film
A free self-guided film locations walk through North Beach and Telegraph Hill: nine stops from the Transamerica Pyramid to Coit Tower, including…
The Castro: Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Mile
A walk through the heart of LGBTQ San Francisco, from Harvey Milk Plaza and the Pink Triangle memorial to Milk's camera shop…
The Mission: Murals, Missions, and Taquerías
From the 1791 Mission Dolores through Dolores Park and the Women's Building to the mural alleys and the Calle 24 Latino corridor.…
Fisherman’s Wharf to the Marina: The Working Waterfront
A waterfront walk from the historic ships at Hyde Street Pier west past Ghirardelli, Fort Mason, and the Wave Organ to the…
Nob Hill: Bonanza Kings and the 1906 Fire Line
The hilltop of railroad and silver barons, from the working cable car powerhouse to Grace Cathedral. Six stops, under a mile, with…
Pacific Heights: Billionaires’ Row and Victorian Survivors
A walk along the city's wealthiest ridge, from a tourable 1886 Victorian and the Spreckels Mansion to the Mrs. Doubtfire house and…
The Fillmore: Harlem of the West and Japantown
The Black music history that the Haight's rock story overshadows, from Alamo Square up Fillmore Street to Japantown. Six stops, about a…
Golden Gate Park: A Cross-Park Walk
A three-and-a-half-mile east-to-west walk across Golden Gate Park, from the 1879 Conservatory of Flowers through the museums and gardens to the bison,…
SoMa and Yerba Buena: Industrial City to Museum Mile
How warehouses and rail yards became the city's cultural core, from SFMOMA and the Yerba Buena museums to the dot-com oval of…
The Embarcadero: Earthquake to Ferry Building
How a 1989 earthquake remade the waterfront. A flat walk from Cupid's Span and the Bay Bridge to the Ferry Building and…
North Beach Walking Tour
A free self-guided North Beach walking tour from a local SF guide. 10 stops through Beat Generation history and Italian North Beach:…
Walking the Haight: A Deep History Tour
A free self-guided Haight-Ashbury walking tour from a local SF guide. 17 stops from Buena Vista Park to Hippie Hill: the Grateful…
Chinatown Walking Tour
A free self-guided Chinatown walking tour from a local SF guide. 14 stops over 1.7 miles, from the Dragon Gate through the…
San Francisco by Luxury Van Tour
A 4-hour small-group ride through 16 SF neighborhoods in a luxury van. Buses can't reach these streets — vans can. Local snacks,…
Wine Country Small-Group Day Trip
Napa and Sonoma in one day without driving, which matters more than people expect once tastings are involved. Small group, long day,…
Yosemite and Giant Sequoias Day Trip
Fourteen hours and a lot of it is driving, so go in knowing that. You still get Yosemite Valley and the sequoias…
Vantigo VW Bus City Tour
A restored VW bus, a small group, and a driver who talks like a local instead of reading a script. The most…
Upcoming Events
All events →SF’s Free Concerts & Food Trucks: “Civic Center Soundtrack” (Every Tue/Thu)
Stephen Wilson Jr. – Gary The Torch Tour
Elder Island at Bimbo’s 365 Club
JACK WHITE LIVE 2026
Joanne Mcnally: Pinotphile
Paris Paloma (Ages 6 and Over)
Oscar LaDell
Elder Island
WesGhost & Red Leather
Sam Chase & The Untraditional with Ginger Molasses at Bottom of the Hill
Jack White Live at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Jack White at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
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