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1
Golden Gate Bridge
The 1.7-mile span connecting San Francisco to Marin, opened in 1937. Walking, cycling, and viewpoints on both sides.
Bring layers and walk the east-side path; the wind is steady and the fog can vanish or close in within minutes.
On screenThe Maltese Falcon 1941, Dark Passage 1947, The Caine Mutiny 1954, It Came From Beneath the Sea 1955, Flower Drum Song 1961 and 22 more
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA 94129 Full write-up → -
2
Coit Tower
An Art Deco tower on Telegraph Hill with panoramic views and Depression-era murals inside. Take the Filbert Steps up through the gardens and wild parrots.
Lobby and murals are free; you only pay for the elevator. Come early for the lightest crowds.
On screenAfter the Thin Man 1936, The House on Telegraph Hill 1951, Pal Joey 1957, The Enforcer 1976, The Presidio 1988 and 9 more
1 Telegraph Hill Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94133 Full write-up → -
3
Palace of Fine Arts
The surviving structure from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Designed by Bernard Maybeck and rebuilt in concrete in the 1960s. Free to visit.
Free and open daily. Expect wedding photographers and picnickers on the lawn. Check the theater calendar for current shows.
On screenVertigo 1958, Time After Time 1979, The Woman In Red 1984, Forrest Gump 1994, Jade 1995 and 15 more
3601 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123 Full write-up → -
4
Alcatraz Island
How to visit Alcatraz: how to book tickets through the official operator, what's on the audio tour, and what to expect on the ferry from Pier 33.
Book your ferry weeks ahead and take the night tour if you can.
On screenBirdman of Alcatraz 1962, Point Blank 1967, The Enforcer 1976, Escape From Alcatraz 1979, So I Married an Axe Murderer 1993 and 2 more
Pier 33, The Embarcadero, San Francisco Full write-up → -
5
Mission Dolores
San Francisco's oldest building, an adobe chapel completed in 1791 that survived the 1906 earthquake. Founded as the sixth Spanish mission in California.
Non perdere: i travi del tetto sono sospesi a spesse cinghie di pelle senza chiodi. Dipinto con pigmenti vegetali grezzi.
On screenVertigo 1958, Class Action 1991
3321 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 Full write-up → -
6
Conservatory of Flowers
Victorian wood-and-glass conservatory at 100 JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, opened in 1879. Five galleries of tropical and aquatic plants. $12 adults, free first Tuesdays.
On screenVertigo 1958, Harold and Maude 1971, High Anxiety 1977, Heart and Souls 1993, Playing Mona Lisa 2000
100 John F. Kennedy Dr, Golden Gate Park Full write-up → -
7
Lombard Street: Visiting San Francisco’s Crooked Street
Lombard Street's crooked block on Russian Hill has eight brick switchbacks built in 1922. Here's how to visit, by foot or by cable car.
Walk down the stairs on either side rather than waiting in the car line. The Powell-Hyde cable car drops you at the top at Hyde and Lombard.
On screenSudden Fear 1952, Vertigo 1958, The Love Bug 1968, What’s Up Doc? 1972, Boys and Girls 2000 and 2 more
Lombard St between Hyde St and Leavenworth St, San Francisco, CA 94109 Full write-up → -
8
Painted Ladies Victorian Walk
The famous row of Victorians on Alamo Square is just the start. San Francisco has roughly 48,000 Victorian and Edwardian homes built between 1849 and 1915.
Climb to the top of Alamo Square for the postcard shot, then wander north into Pacific Heights for the bigger mansions.
On screenInvasion of the Body Snatchers 1978, Foul Play 1978, The Woman In Red 1984, Maxie 1985, Patty Hearst 1988 and 4 more
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9
Golden Gate Park
1,017 acres stretching 3 miles from the Haight to Ocean Beach. Gardens, museums, lakes, a bison herd, a Dutch windmill, and miles of trails.
Cluster the museums and gardens at the eastern end, then bike west for the bison, Stow Lake, and the empty paths.
On screenA Jitney Elopement 1915, The Lady from Shanghai 1947, The Lineup 1958, Vertigo 1958, Petulia 1968 and 24 more
501 Stanyan St, San Francisco, CA 94117 Full write-up → -
10
Ferry Building
The 1898 ferry terminal at the foot of Market Street, now a food marketplace and the Saturday morning home of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Come for the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, an outdoor market selling produce and fruit.
On screenThe Maltese Falcon 1941, I Remember Mama 1948, D.O.A 1950, Serial 1980, Sudden Impact 1983 and 6 more
One Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111 Full write-up → -
11
Fisherman’s Wharf
The northern waterfront stretch from Pier 39 to Aquatic Park. Working fishing docks at Pier 45, historic ships at Hyde Street Pier, and the original Ghirardelli factory site.
Fresh Dungeness crab is in season November through June. Working fishing boats still tie up at Pier 45.
On screenExperiment in Terror 1962, Herbie Rides Again 1974, Time After Time 1979, Sudden Impact 1983, A View to a Kill 1985 and 10 more
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco Full write-up → -
12
Dolores Park
A 13.7-acre park in the Mission District with a sloped lawn facing the downtown skyline, tennis and basketball courts, two off-leash dog areas, and the Helen Diller Playground with its 45-foot hillside slide.
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.
On screenDirty Harry 1971, Casualties of War 1989, Sweet November 2001, Mission (aka City of Bars) 2001, Murder in the First, Season 1 2014 and 7 more
Dolores Street at 19th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 Full write-up → -
13
Washington Square Park
A 19th-century public square at the base of Telegraph Hill. Morning tai chi, afternoon picnics, and Saints Peter and Paul Church on the east side.
Go straight to Liguria Bakery on the northeast corner. Focaccia sells by the piece and typically sells out around lunchtime.
On screenThe Dead Pool 1988, The Bachelor 1999, Bedazzled 2000, Chance – Season 1 Pilot 2016, Chance- Season 1 ep106 2016 and 2 more
Filbert & Stockton Streets, San Francisco, CA 94133 Full write-up → -
14
California Academy of Sciences
An aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum under one living roof in Golden Gate Park. Over 46 million specimens, plus a four-story rainforest dome.
See the four story Rainforest Dome and the coral reef aquarium, and come back for the 21+ NightLife event on Thursday evenings.
On screenThe Lady from Shanghai 1947, The Lineup 1958, Freebie and the Bean 1974, Time After Time 1979, The Competition 1980 and 3 more
55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118 Full write-up → -
15
Sutro Baths
The ruined foundations of an 1894 saltwater bathing palace that burned in 1966, on the rocks at Lands End.
Park free at Merrie Way and go late in the day for the light, but keep off the wet algae covered concrete at the water's edge.
On screenThe Lineup 1958, Harold and Maude 1971, Looking 2014
680 Point Lobos Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121 Full write-up → -
16
Japanese Tea Garden
The oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, built for the 1894 World's Fair and tended by the Hagiwara family for nearly 50 years.
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.
On screenPetulia 1968, Jade 1995, The Wedding Planner 2001
75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park Full write-up → -
17
Ocean Beach
Three and a half miles of Pacific sand on the city's western edge, with dangerous surf and no lifeguards.
Park at the Beach Chalet lot off Fulton and walk in, because the old Great Highway between Lincoln and Sloat is a car free park now.
On screenAround the Fire 1998, Blue Jasmine 2013, The Diary of a Teenage Girl 2015, Smile Again, Jenny Lee 2015, I Am Michael 2015
Great Highway at Fulton St, San Francisco, CA 94121 Full write-up → -
18
The Castro Theatre
A 1922 Timothy Pflueger movie palace at 429 Castro Street, back in February 2026 after a $41 million restoration. Around 1,115 seats for a film, 1,385 standing for a concert, programmed by Another Planet Entertainment.
On screenEdtv 1999, When We Rise 2017, A Taiwanese Tale of Two Cities 2018
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19
War Memorial Opera House
1932 Beaux-Arts hall on Van Ness. Home to the San Francisco Opera and Ballet. About 3,128 seats. Schedule runs September through June.
On screenThe Lineup 1958, Foul Play 1978, Heart and Souls 1993, Jade 1995, Steve Jobs 2015 and 2 more
301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102 Full write-up →
Last updated September 22, 2026
