San Francisco

A Bay Area city of the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars, with Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, redwood forests, Napa wine country and Silicon Valley's Stanford.

San Francisco sits at the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, surrounded by water on three sides: the Pacific Ocean to the west, San Francisco Bay to the east, and across the Golden Gate Strait to the north, Marin County. It covers just 121 square kilometers yet has more than 40 hills, and is the core of the Bay Area metropolitan region. It was founded during the 1848 Gold Rush and rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake; its Chinatown is the oldest in North America, and Silicon Valley to the south is the world's tech center. The city is divided into several areas for sightseeing: Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square and the Alcatraz ferry in the northeast corner; North Beach, Chinatown, Coit Tower and the cable car line to Lombard Street; Union Square, SFMOMA and Civic Center; the waterfront Ferry Building and the Exploratorium; the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, the Palace of Fine Arts and Baker Beach; Golden Gate Park and its museums; Land's End at the western tip; and Twin Peaks, the Haight-Ashbury hippie district and the Mission District. Day trips: across the bridge to Battery Spencer, Sausalito and Muir Woods; Berkeley in the East Bay; south to Stanford and Silicon Valley; and north to Napa wine country. The climate is cool, 10–20°C all year, with September–October the sunniest and warmest; June–August is foggy, chilly and windy, so be sure to bring a jacket; November–March is the rainy season. Several Chinese cities have direct flights to SFO, and BART takes about 30 minutes into the city. Within the city, rely on Muni, cable cars, BART and ride-hailing, and rent a car to go farther out. We recommend 3–4 days in the city plus 1–2 days for the surrounding area. Tips: avoid the Tenderloin at night and never leave belongings in your car; Alcatraz ferry tickets and parking at Muir Woods must be reserved in advance. Yosemite is covered as a separate destination.

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Where to eat

Itineraries