There’s no question that San Francisco should be visited by anyone who sets foot in the US. Europeans, in particular, love it: its Victorian buildings and maritime setting reminds them of a few similarly set cities on the continent, plus its liberal traditions are closer to the hearts of many young European travelers. Just like New York, San Francisco is a historically significant city, being the first major settlement on the American West Coast, and even though it’s quite small compared to the Big Apple and really, most large cities in the world, it punches well above its weight in touristic and cultural reputation.
And for a good reason. It’s 49 square miles are full of vistas, interesting sights, both natural and man-made, and the setting on the Bay between the 2 magnificent 1930s suspension bridges is second to none.
Picking a top 10 sights is actually a tough task for San Francisco, but perhaps this list would be useful for anyone visiting on a time budget, and believe me, unless you are staying with friends, you don’t want to be lingering in the City by the Bay for too long, as accommodation prices have really shot through the roof in the last few years. So here we go.
1) Chinatown
For street photography, San Francisco is one of the best cities in the US, and Chinatown is the best neighbourhood for it in the City. It’s almost as if time froze here about 60 years ago – at least it’s a piece of mostly southern China as it was back then. Life in Chinatown goes on its on clock – it really feels like you have suddenly been taken out of the US and transported across the Pacific. There are lots of people who live here their whole lives and speak almost no English. You can see them go about their daily business, haggling at food markets, selling trinkets and souvenirs, crowding out buses and bus stops. There are two main streets and many alleyways here. After walking along the touristy Grant Avenue, make sure you take a stroll on Stockton as well, to see the less glamorous, residential Chinatown life. Don’t be shy to use your camera: after all, this is your chance to feel like a foreigner even if you’re as American as apple pie. Tip: San Francisco souvenirs are the cheapest here, so stock up on those t-shirts, baseball caps and fridge magnets in one of many shops on Grant.
2) Sea Lions at Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf, for the most part, is a tacky tourist neighbourhood designed mostly to separate you from your banknotes at numerous overpriced estabishments. A classic tourist trap. So what should you do as a smart traveller? Ignore all the cheesy shops and walk straight to the end of Pier 39 to see the only real sight here worthy of your time – a colony of sea lions that has been lounging on wooden platforms here for many years. Watch them bark and fight at each other as they keep crawling up and plopping back into the water. Personally, I could spend hours there, even surrounded by the crowds. Not to mention the great views of Alcatraz that you will see from here. Tip 1: for another great view, walk across all the cafes and shops to the Municipal Pier for another great vantage point of Golden Gate Bridge, particularly at sunset. Tip 2: I know I said most places here are overpriced, but it’s not a bad idea to have some clam chowder or crab bisque at one of the many restaurants here, especially on a cold day.
3) Telegraph Hill
You’re likely going to see Coit Tower from most of your walks in central San Francisco, so you’d always know where the top of Telegraph Hill is. One of the smallest yet steepest hills of the city, it’s home to affluent homes, killer views and flocks of wild parrots. If you’re lucky, you’ll see them, or at least hear them. Coit Tower is definitely worth its admission fee for, again, amazing views. Tip: as you’d probably get hungry going up and down those streets, there’s no better place than the nearby North Beach for an Italian meal or a coffee. Touristy it might be, but it’s still full of character and a few historically interesting sights, such as St Peter and St Paul church.
4) Crissy Field and Fort Point
The northern side of San Francisco is home to another affluent neighbourhood – the Marina, and you will see numerous yachts moored as you travel along Marina Boulevard towards Crissy Field, where the city suddenly stops and nature begins. You’ve got a beach here, a great jogging and walking path, a small marsh with waterfowl living there, picnic areas and some warming huts for those cold foggy days. But keep walking, and as you approach Golden Gate Bridge, which you have been ogling all along, you will find Fort Point, a curious old US military facility that is now open as a small museum. The best part about it is that it’s directly beneath the Bridge, affording unique views of its steel construction. Definitely not to be missed. Just make sure you are here before 4, as Fort Point does close early. Tip: on the opposite end of Crissy Field, where you began your walk, make sure you visit Palace of Fine Arts, which is not a palace at all but a curious open-air installation built for an exhibition back in 1915 and currently a popular wedding photography spot.
5) Golden Gate Bridge
Should I say more? Here you’ve got one of the most famous bridges in the world, and you can easily walk its whole length, if you’d like. You can’t do that at the other well-known local bridge – Bay Bridge – so do take advantage of this opportunity, taking pictures and admiring both the views and the metalwork. They call its colour International Orange, although most people see it as red. It is just as much fun to bike the Bridge, which you would do on the opposite side, but watch out for somewhat rude local cyclists who routinely use it for exercise and will not hesitate to shout at you if you stop in their way. There are lifts to the tops of each tower, but unfortunately, they are not open to the public – you have to be an employee or a family member of the Bridge Authority to even have a chance of seeing that million-dollar view. But it ain’t half-bad from down below. Tip: you can walk the bridge from either end of the Bridge. The City side is obviously more popular, but the Marin side is where you can see a few more very interesting viewpoints of this magnificent structure.
6) Twin Peaks
You’ve no doubt already gathered that viewpoints are among the top sights in San Francisco. And none of them beats Twin Peaks for the sweeping panorama of the entire city. Conveniently, you can drive here, and I recommend doing it at daytime and at night, but do bring layers of warm clothes, as these two hills get the full swing of those famous San Francisco winds. The viewpoint faces Market Street that from this angle, seems to cut the City in half. You can also walk up the other hill for slightly less interesting views of the surrounding residential areas and all the way to the ocean. You will also be near the Sutro Tower, which is basically a three-pronged TV that despite its strictly utilitarian purpose is one of the symbols of San Francisco. Tip: don’t listen to those who tell you that Twin Peaks is the highest point in the City. It’s actually Mount Davidson situated nearby, which is also accessible to public, but the coveted city view from it is blocked by you guessed it, Twin Peaks. Still, if you have an additional hour to kill, it’s a pleasant mini-hike to get to its top, and unlike the completely treeless Twin Peaks, Mt Davidson is covered in thick eucalyptus forest amidst which you would also find the largest cross you’ve probably ever seen.
7) Golden Gate Park
Even if you come to SF for a couple of days, I highly recommend you make your way to Golden Gate Park. The number of sights and things to do here is off the charts – De Young museum, Academy of Science, Conservatory of Flowers, Botanical Gardens, Japanese Tea Garden… You want more reasons to come here? How about a couple of redwood groves; a rose garden; 2 windmills, one dating back to 1600s; a bison corral; a waterfall with a huge Celtic cross on top of it; tennis, football, polo and archery fields; rollerskating patch; multiple monuments and memorials; several small lakes, dozens of picnic grounds – all interconnected with a maze of paths and walkways that feel like hikes through the woods at times. Here are a few practical tips, though. First off, stay away from the park at night, especially its eastern quarter, as it’s been known to shelter a lot of homeless. If all the sights I mentioned make your head spin, you’ve got to be choosy. If arts and sciences is your thing, then definitely visit De Young museum. Its collection is rather modest, but it’s location and architecture is outstanding. Academy of Science Museum is rather overpriced, but if you have kids with you, they would love it. Bison corral is free to visit and you can look at the beasts all you want, providing they are out in the open. Botanical gardens are free for San Francisco residents, so if you are not, it might be more worth paying for the Japanese Tea Garden, or you can simply stroll for free, especially if you happen to visit on a Sunday, when most roadways in the park are closed to traffic.
8) Land’s End
Just like Golden Gate Park, Land’s End is actually more than just one point of interest. The area is actually a part of the national park that is Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and is everybody’s favourite nature hike located within SF city limits. First, you’ve got Sutro Baths – an abandoned and mostly demolished public bath area that is now a popular photography spot. As you continue walking along the hiking path, you will see gorgeous glimpses of you guessed it, Golden Gate Bridge. In the middle of the hike, you will see stairs going all the way down to the beach, which I recommend you take. The waves are usually strong here, and the rocks and boulders create a taste of wilderness right here on your urban hike. Walk up the cliffs to see more views and imagine yourself an early explored facing these shores for the first time. You can continue walking towards China Beach, or you can walk up across the golf course to the Palace of the Legion of Honor, one of the finest fine arts museums in San Francisco. If you’ve recently visited the Louvre or the Hermitage, you an skip it, though, as it won’t compete, but if you happen to be here on a first Tuesday of a month, a free museum day, it’s worth a popover. Tip: for a less wild and smaller stroll, cross Point Lobos Avenue and walk to Sutro Heights park, which has a particularly Mediterranean feel and a great view of Ocean Beach.
9) SFMOMA
If you have time and budget to visit only one museum in San Francisco, make it SFMOMA – San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It has recently undergone a major renovation, and after three years of closure, reopened with three times the previous size. Unfortunately, its admission price has gone up, too, but now you have seven floors of mostly modern (and sometimes, very modern) art at your enjoyment. Its location smack in the middle of central San Francisco makes it a very convenient sight to visit wherever you are in the City. Make sure you don’t miss the amazing living wall on the 3rd floor and a rooftop sculpture garden. The Museum café is quite good, too. And just as with most museums in San Francisco, first Tuesdays of each months are free!
10) Bernal Heights
To conclude the list of most important viewpoints of San Francisco, I can’t miss Bernal Heights, another steep hill in the southern part of the city. It’s the local’s favourite dog-walking spot, so you can enjoy both the sweeping vistas and lots of mostly friendly dogs. It’s a real 360 degree panorama from the top, but don’t forget to visit the central street of this cozy, village-like neighbourhood – Cortlandt Ave, with a few interesting bars, a couple of restaurants and proximity to the Outer Mission, one of the few remaining authentic immigrant areas of San Francisco.
This strictly subjective list is what you should see and visit on your first visit to San Francisco. If you have been before and seen all these sights already, there are tons more I can recommend. In fact, stay tuned for another list coming soon – my personal favourites that are slightly off the beaten path, and some are barely known even by the long-time residents.