SF
Guide
Curated by a local tour guide.
What I recommend on tour, collected in one place.
Neighborhoods
All neighborhoods →The Embarcadero is the waterfront promenade along the eastern edge of San Francisco, running from Fisherman's Wharf to…
North Beach is named for a beach that was filled in during the 19th century. It became San…
The Mission is San Francisco's Latino cultural heart and sunniest neighborhood, known for taquerias, mural-lined alleys, and Mission…
The Richmond is the residential grid west of Arguello and north of Golden Gate Park, running out to…
Where to Eat
All restaurants →Butter & Crumble
The Tuesday 9am pastry-box preorder window is how regulars skip the line.
Scoma’s
Seafood goes from dock to kitchen with no middleman.
Sotto Mare
Great Italian seafood in North Beach. Known for their Cioppino.
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.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
A 55 acre garden in Golden Gate Park, home to more than 9,000 plant species, with collections from climates comparable to San Francisco: Mediterranean, cloud forest, and tropical highland. Founded through a 1927 bequest from Helene Strybing, laid out by a WPA crew in 1937, and opened in May 1940. Free for San Francisco residents with ID; open daily 7:30am to 9:00pm. Free for everyone the second Tuesday of each month.
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.
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 →Molly Kearney
Danielle Nicole
Olivia Carter
DEATH LENS + HEART TO GOLD + GRAVE SECRETS
Death Lens, Heart To Gold, Grave Secrets at Brick and Mortar
Death Lens, Heart To Gold, Grave Secrets at Brick & Mortar Music Hall
Brainstory, Bolero!, Radio Veloso at Bottom of the Hill
Mod80s Disco: XsonicwavesX, dm510, Little Treasure
MIXTAPE 1: Drewspacito, Crown G, Hecno, Okie._.Dokie at Club Waziema
Courtney Barnett: Creature of Habit Tour
Jack Grady
Osees w/ Traps PS
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