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…
A 1,500-acre former Army post on San Francisco's northern tip, now national park land. It holds the south…
Nob Hill is a residential and hotel district at the summit of the hill.
The Castro was farmland called Eureka Valley before becoming San Francisco's gay neighborhood in the late 1960s and…
Where to Eat
All restaurants →Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
Join the Yelp waitlist before you walk over and order the Margherita first thing. It sells out early.
Butter & Crumble
The Tuesday 9am pastry-box preorder window is how regulars skip the line.
Liguria Bakery
They close when the day's batch sells out, often by late morning. Go early.
Marufuku Ramen
Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen in Japantown. So delicious.
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.
Coit Tower
Lobby and murals are free; you only pay for the elevator. Come early for the lightest crowds.
Exploratorium
A hands on science museum founded in 1969 by physicist Frank Oppenheimer, moved to Pier 15 on the Embarcadero in April 2013. Around 600 exhibits on the floor, curated from more than 1,000 the museum has built itself. After Dark Thursdays are 18+ with cocktails. The Tactile Dome requires a separate reservation.
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 15 SF neighborhoods in a luxury van. Buses can't reach these streets, but 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 →Taylor Bickett at The Hotel Utah Saloon
Winston Hodges at Punch Line Comedy Club
Gilla Band
Rebecca Black – Exhibitionism on Tour
Reem Edan & Melissa Shoshahi
Olivia O’Brien
Sobs
Missio: Love & Heartbreak Tour w/ Fifteenoeight, Kent Osborne
Missio w/ Fifteen0eight
Sex Mex, Sutros, X-Acto at Bottom of the Hill
Taylor Bickett
Sobs with Lace
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