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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.
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA 94129 Full write-up → -
2
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.
Pier 33, The Embarcadero, San Francisco Full write-up → -
3
Cable Cars
The only city-operated cable car system still in daily service, with three lines climbing the hills from downtown. Technology patented by Andrew Hallidie in 1871.
Skip the long Powell turnaround line and board a few stops up, or ride the California Street line, which rarely has a wait.
Powell & Market Streets (turnaround), San Francisco Full write-up → -
4
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.
501 Stanyan St, San Francisco, CA 94117 Full write-up → -
5
Lands End
A coastal trail at the northwest edge of San Francisco, about 1.5 miles one way. Cypress trees, shipwreck remains visible at low tide, and a cliffside labyrinth above Mile Rock Beach.
Plan your hike around low tide and you can spot shipwreck debris below the overlooks.
680 Point Lobos Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121 Full write-up → -
6
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.
One Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111 Full write-up → -
7
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.
3601 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123 Full write-up → -
8
Twin Peaks
The highest point you can drive to in San Francisco at 922 feet. On a clear day you can see from the Farallon Islands to Mount Diablo. Christmas Tree Point is the main viewpoint.
Park at Christmas Tree Point, then take the short trail between the summits for the views without the crowd.
501 Twin Peaks Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94114 Full write-up → -
9
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.
1 Telegraph Hill Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94133 Full write-up → -
10
SFMOMA
The West Coast's largest modern art museum spans seven floors of painting, sculpture, photography, and architecture. Free first-floor gallery, no ticket needed.
Start with the sculpture filled atrium, then work your way up through seven floors of galleries.
151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Full write-up → -
11
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.
55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118 Full write-up → -
12
Exploratorium
A hands-on science museum at Pier 15. About 600 exhibits explore perception, physics, and the natural world. Founded in 1969, relocated to the Embarcadero in 2013.
Pier 15, The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94111 Full write-up → -
13
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.
Dolores Street at 19th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 Full write-up → -
14
Tunnel Tops
A 14-acre park built on top of the Presidio Parkway tunnels, with views of the Golden Gate Bridge, picnic areas, a playground, and food trucks. Opened July 2022; the Outpost Meadow expansion opened July 2025.
210 Lincoln Boulevard, Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129 Full write-up → -
15
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.
Lombard St between Hyde St and Leavenworth St, San Francisco, CA 94109 Full write-up → -
16
Baker Beach
A mile of sand at the southwest edge of the Presidio, with the Golden Gate Bridge visible from the beach.
Walk to the north end for the cleanest bridge view; that stretch is also the clothing-optional one.
1504 Pershing Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129 Full write-up → -
17
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.
75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park Full write-up → -
18
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.
3321 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 Full write-up → -
19
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.
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco Full write-up → -
20
Balmy Alley
A one-block residential alley in the Mission covered with murals since 1972. Themes include immigration, Central American politics, and neighborhood history. Free to visit, daylight is best.
Balmy Alley has held murals since 1972; the modern tradition took off in 1985, when Ray Patlan organized 27 murals honoring Central American indigenous heritage and protesting US intervention. About 30 murals line the alley between 24th and 25th Streets at any given time. Free, open around the clock, best visited in daylight.
Balmy Alley between 24th and 25th Streets, Mission District Full write-up →
Last updated August 18, 2026
