SF
Guide
Curated by a local tour guide.
What I recommend on tour, collected in one place.
Neighborhoods
All neighborhoods →Hayes Valley is named for Thomas Hayes, who developed the area in the 1850s. Its current walkable form…
Japantown is a small neighborhood in the Western Addition, centered on the Japan Center malls and the Peace…
The Mission is San Francisco's Latino cultural heart and sunniest neighborhood, known for taquerias, mural-lined alleys, and Mission…
A 1,500-acre former Army post on San Francisco's northern tip, now national park land. It holds the south…
Where to Eat
All restaurants →Tartine Bakery
Get the morning bun. It sells out first.
Butter & Crumble
The Tuesday 9am pastry-box preorder window is how regulars skip the line.
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.
Liguria Bakery
They close when the day's batch sells out, often by late morning. Go early.
Things to Do
All activities →Dolores Park
The south slope above 20th Street gets sun longest and has the downtown view; the flat north end by 18th Street is where the food lines and vendors are. The J-Church stops at 18th Street on the western edge, which puts you at the top of the hill without the climb.
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).
Cable Car Museum
San Francisco's cable cars have run from this powerhouse since 1887. Watch the 14 foot winding wheels grip the cables that run under the city's streets. Free, about 30 to 45 minutes, with stops on the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines.
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 →Haute Freddy at Bimbo’s 365 Club
Show Moved to the Castro on 9/14
Haute & Freddy at the Castro Theatre
Haute & Freddy
Haute & Freddy – MOVED TO THE CASTRO THEATRE
Isaiah Falls
Spits, FLESHIES, Pranks, dj Fuzz
Squeeze (6 and Over)
Marie Faustin
Luv Language Tour With Jeff Bernat
The Tear Garden (The Legendary Pink Dots & cEvin Key)
Starbomb w/ Epic Rap Battles of History
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