SF
Guide
Curated by a local tour guide.
What I recommend on tour, collected in one place.
Neighborhoods
All neighborhoods →The Castro was farmland called Eureka Valley before becoming San Francisco's gay neighborhood in the late 1960s and…
The Tenderloin is one of the densest neighborhoods in San Francisco.
The Richmond is the residential grid west of Arguello and north of Golden Gate Park, running out to…
Japantown is a small neighborhood in the Western Addition, centered on the Japan Center malls and the Peace…
Where to Eat
All restaurants →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.
Flour + Water
Seven-course pasta tasting menu around $90.
Arsicault Bakery
Go early on a weekday and get the plain croissant first, then the almond.
Sotto Mare
Great Italian seafood in North Beach. Known for their Cioppino.
Things to Do
All activities →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.
GLBT Historical Society Museum
America's first standalone LGBTQ history museum, in the Castro, about 1,600 square feet. Exhibits draw on more than 1,000 items from the GLBT Historical Society's collection; past displays included Harvey Milk's camera and artifacts from the 1966 Compton's Cafeteria riot. $10, free the first Wednesday of each month. An expansion on Market Street was approved by the Board of Supervisors in late 2024.
Dear San Francisco
Created by Shana Carroll and Gypsy Snider, two co-founders of Montreal's The 7 Fingers (Les 7 Doigts), as a tribute to their hometown. A 90-minute circus show that opened October 12, 2021 at Club Fugazi, the North Beach theater that hosted Beach Blanket Babylon from 1975 to 2019. On Green Street; tickets from around $59.
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 →Event Image Link – Dave Hause and The Mermaid | Event Date – 05 November
Squirrel Flower
Black Angels w/ GHOSTWOMAN
Dave Hause and The Mermaid
Jim Norton
Jake Johannsen at Punch Line Comedy Club
Greg Freeman
Moby (18+)
Jim Norton: Stupid Smile
AZ Chike
Mystery Skulls & Fox Stevenson
Fresh Off the Page: New Musical Theater
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