SF
Guide
Curated by a local tour guide.
What I recommend on tour, collected in one place.
Neighborhoods
All neighborhoods →SoMa stands for South of Market.
Nob Hill is a residential and hotel district at the summit of the hill.
The Tenderloin is one of the densest neighborhoods in San Francisco.
Pacific Heights developed as a wealthy residential district from the 1870s. Much of its early Victorian and Edwardian…
Where to Eat
All restaurants →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.
Swan Oyster Depot
Anthony Bourdain called this his favorite seafood spot in America on No Reservations.
Marufuku Ramen
Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen in Japantown. So delicious.
Burma Superstar
Tea leaf salad mixed tableside is the dish the restaurant is best known for.
Things to Do
All activities →Musée Mécanique
More than 300 antique arcade machines in a private collection at Pier 45. Includes Laffing Sal (the laughing machine that stood at Playland at the Beach from 1928 to 1972). Ed Zelinsky started the collection as a child; his son Dan now runs it. Free. Machines cost $0.25–$1.00 per play. Bring quarters.
Garden of Fragrance
A sensory garden inside the San Francisco Botanical Garden, designed in 1965 for blind visitors. Plants are chosen for scent and texture, and the signs are in Braille. Many of the walls were built with stones from a 12th century monastery that William Randolph Hearst shipped to San Francisco. Included with garden admission (free for SF residents).
Coit Tower
Lobby and murals are free; you only pay for the elevator. Come early for the lightest crowds.
Best of San Francisco
All lists →Tours I Recommend
All tours →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…
Sunset Sail on San Francisco Bay
Sail under the Golden Gate Bridge aboard a 55-foot catamaran. A 90-minute sunset run past Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, and the city…
Muir Woods Half-Day Tour
A 4-hour guided trip from San Francisco to Muir Woods National Monument, with stops in Sausalito on the return. Hotel pickup included.
Upcoming Events
All events →Red Richardson at Punch Line Comedy Club
Event Image Link – Boys Go To Jupiter | Event Date – 17 September
Josh Thomas: Jiggle, Jiggle (MOVED FROM THE CASTRO)
Ian Bagg
JOSH THOMAS: JIGGLE, JIGGLE (moved to the Great Star Theater)
Boys Go To Jupiter
Mustard Service
Dutch Melrose
My Hero Academia in Concert (No children under 5 allowed)
josh conway: the plum tour
Unsane, Cnts, Facet at Bottom of the Hill
Dutch Melrose at Brick & Mortar Music Hall
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