Simone Anne / Stocksy United

San Francisco

If there's a technology still unimagined, a poem left unspoken or a green scheme untested, chances are it's about to happen here. Goodbye, inhibitions; hello, San Francisco.

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Best Time to Visit

Best Things to Do

Attractions

Must-see attractions for your itinerary

Golden Gate Park
San Francisco
When Frederick Law Olmsted, architect of New York's Central Park, gazed in 1865 upon the plot of land San Francisco Mayor Frank McCoppin wanted to turn…
Haight Street
The Haight & Hayes Valley
Was it the fall of 1966 or the winter of ’67? As the Haight saying goes, if you can remember the Summer of Love, you probably weren’t here. The fog was…
Chinatown Alleyways
North Beach & Chinatown
If you look close today at the clinker-brick buildings lining these narrow backstreets, past the temple balconies jutting out over bakeries, acupuncture…
City Lights Books
North Beach & Chinatown
No one could have predicted the cultural force City Lights would become when it first opened in 1953. Sure, it had a proletarian ethos suggested by its…
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa
When the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expanded in 2016, it was a mind-boggling feat that nearly tripled the institution's size to accommodate a…
Coit Tower
North Beach & Chinatown
If you want to really see San Francisco, head to Coit Tower, a 1933 art deco beaut designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. and Henry Howard that sits high up on…
Golden Gate Bridge
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Few cities boast a structure so iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge, commemorated in everything from films like The Maltese Falcon to not one but two emojis…
Dolores Park
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
Welcome to San Francisco's sunny side, the land of street ball and Mayan-pyramid playgrounds, semiprofessional tanning and taco picnics. Although the…

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Planning Toolkit

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip

Things to Know
San Francisco is an incredible city to visit but you could make your experience even better with these 12 top tips from a local.
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Best Neighborhoods
San Francisco has been divided into some 100 neighborhoods, each with a different offering. Here are the city's most notable neighborhoods to explore.
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Day Trips
Taking a day trip from San Francisco opens up a world of classic California experiences. These are our seven favorite day trips in the Bay Area.
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Money and Costs
These money-saving tips can help you explore San Francisco on a budget.
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Transportation
With notoriously bad traffic, near-impossible parking and streets as steep as ski jumps, ditch the car in San Francisco. Here's how to get around instead.
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Free Things to Do
Get to know San Francisco and its people with this guide to the best free things to do in the city.
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Traveling with Kids
The mild-weathered City by the Bay is a compact place, ranked number seven in the US for parks, with tasty food for even the most finicky eaters and with a…
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Articles

Latest stories from San Francisco

Best friends on vacation at oregon winery
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Two women drinking wine in the sunshine in a vineyard

Public Transport

7 awesome day trips from San Francisco

Jul 11, 2023 • 14 Min read

Taking a day trip from San Francisco opens up a world of classic California experiences. These are our seven favorite day trips in the Bay Area.

Activities
Experience San Francisco like a local with these 8 free things to do
Jun 28, 2023 • 11 Min read
Get to know San Francisco and its people with this guide to the best free things to do in the city.
Beaches
San Francisco with kids
Jun 25, 2023 • 16 Min read
The mild-weathered City by the Bay is a compact place, ranked number seven in the US for parks, with tasty food for even the most finicky eaters and with a…
Destination Practicalities
When is the best time to visit San Francisco?
Jun 21, 2023 • 9 Min read
Festivals, fog, food and fun times – San Francisco has it all. Depending on what you want, we've got the perfect on when to go.
Budget Travel
13 tips for exploring San Francisco on a budget
Jun 3, 2023 • 8 Min read
These money-saving tips can help you explore San Francisco on a budget.
Air Travel
How to get around San Francisco
May 30, 2023 • 9 Min read
With notoriously bad traffic, near-impossible parking and streets as steep as ski jumps, ditch the car in San Francisco. Here's how to get around instead.
Destination Practicalities
12 things to know before visiting San Francisco
May 26, 2023 • 8 Min read
San Francisco is an incredible city to visit but you could make your experience even better with these 12 top tips from a local.
Activities
16 of the best things to do in San Francisco
May 23, 2023 • 9 Min read
From riding cable cars to exploring the city's food scene, these are the essential things to do on a visit to San Francisco.
Beaches
8 amazing places to travel with friends
Mar 28, 2023 • 7 Min read
From wine tastings to wilderness adventures and wild nights out, these are the best places in the world to travel with friends.
Art and Culture
A reason to travel to San Francisco this month: the new Institute of Contemporary Art
Oct 5, 2022 • 4 Min read
The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco is part of a wave of new art in the Dogpatch neighborhood - and it's the perfect reason to plan a trip.