SF
Guide
Curated by a local tour guide.
What I recommend on tour, collected in one place.
Neighborhoods
All neighborhoods →The Marina spreads along the northern waterfront.
The Financial District is built on the filled-in Yerba Buena Cove, with Gold Rush ships still buried beneath…
Hayes Valley is named for Thomas Hayes, who developed the area in the 1850s. Its current walkable form…
The Sunset is the residential grid south of Golden Gate Park, running from Stanyan Street out to the…
Where to Eat
All restaurants →Sotto Mare
Great Italian seafood in North Beach. Known for their Cioppino.
Hon’s Wun-Tun House
Hong Kong-style wonton noodle soup with hand-wrapped wontons and clean broth. So Tasty!
Sam’s Burgers
Anthony Bourdain ate here on The Layover and called it "top three in the world." plus It's great for late night food after the bar.
b. patisserie
If you are staying downtown, use the Union Square kiosk on Powell for the kouign-amann rather than crossing town, but go to California Street if you want the full range.
Things to Do
All activities →Mission Dolores Cemetery
The cemetery at Mission Dolores, the oldest in San Francisco. Hitchcock filmed Madeleine visiting Carlotta Valdes's grave here in Vertigo (1958); the prop headstone is gone, but the spot is unchanged.
Shakespeare Garden
A walled garden in Golden Gate Park planted only with species mentioned in Shakespeare's works; plaques pair each bed with the relevant passages. The bronze bust at the back is cast from a 17th century original in Stratford-upon-Avon, a gift from that town's mayor. Free, open sunrise to sunset, near the California Academy of Sciences.
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.
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 →Nick Hakim at August Hall
She & Him – Pump Up The Volumes Tour
Mountain Grass Unit – Appalachian Smoke Tour
Event Image Link – Mountain Grass Unit – Appalachian Smoke Tour | Event Date – 05 October
EsDeeKid – Council House Rat Tour
Rat Utopia Experiment, False Flag, Fatale
She & Him, Jordana
OPEN MIC NIGHT
Arrows in Action at Cafe Du Nord
The Menzingers
Arrows in Action – I Think We’ve Toured Here Before // [SF, CA]
Sammy Rae & The Friends with special guest Melt
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