San Francisco Sightseeing Guide

Chinatown during a Chinese New Year's festival.

Partly because of its hilly topography, San Francisco is a city of distinct neighborhoods where unique local identity is a high priority. Several of the San Francisco's districts are historic in their own right or have high culture interest. Many immediately think of the Haight-Ashbury region, a center of the 1960s counterculture, which still preserves a playful air of freespiritedness. North beach is renown for its Italian restaurants and City Lights Bookstore, a home of the Beat literary movement. Chinatown, on the east side of Nob Hill, is instantly recognizable and much loved for its rich history. Other popular destinations include the Castro district, a haven of the gay community. SOMA is home to the Moscone Center, Yerba Buena Gardens and the Metreon, and a hub of the information technology industry.

Coit Tower from the south.

Of course, San Francisco is home to the Golden Gate Bridge, an iconic image of the city connecting it with its neighboring county to the north. Bike rentals for sightseeing trips to the bridge are very popular, and there is also parking for visiting motorists. On the other side of the city, originating in the Financial District, is the double-level Bay Bridge, which connect the city with Oakland to the east. While both of these bridges offer fantastic views, there is nothing quite like the view from the top of Twin Peaks, a hilly outcropping near the center of the city overlooking Market Street and West Portal. A trip to the top of Coit Tower is rewarded with a remarkable downtown view at 210 foot and impressive murals of California history. A short distance to the west of Coit Tower is the stretch of Lombard Street known as the crookedest street in the world.

The Main Branch of the SF public library in Civic Center Plaza.

San Francisco will not disappoint the museum-loving cultural maven. For fine art, the city boasts three world-class exhibitors in the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park, the Legion of Honor Museum in Lincoln Park, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA) in the SOMA district. The Asian Art Museum in the Downtown/Civic Center Plaza is a wonderful counterpoint to the Japanese Tea Garden and Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. Also in the park is the California Academy of Sciences' state of the art facility complete with a living rain forest dome, a live coral reef, numerous live animal exhibits, and a distinctive "green" roof. Interested visitors can also take a look at the Cable Car Museum in the Financial District.

A natural scene near Fisherman's Wharf.

No sightseeing tour of San Francisco would be complete without at least a brief trip to Fisherman's Wharf, on the northeast shore, where fresh Dungeness crab and sourdough bread accompany the sounds of live music and the seaside view of San Francisco Bay. Enjoy an Irish coffee from historic Buena Vista Café, watch the sea lions from Pier 39, or visit Ghirardelli Square to satisfy your sweet tooth. Follow the Embarcadero to the east to buy tickets for and launch on a ferry trip to Alcatraz Island, where an audio tour of the historic prison awaits you.