San Francisco is one of those cities that rewards curiosity.
From iconic landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz to underrated neighborhoods, coastal trails, world-class food, and hidden local gems, there’s no shortage of unforgettable experiences packed into its seven square miles.
Whether you’re visiting for the first time or rediscovering the city with fresh eyes, San Francisco offers an ever-changing mix of culture, history, nature, and everyday magic.
This guide rounds up 18 amazing things to do in San Francisco, from classic must-sees to lesser-known spots locals love and neighborhoods to wander. Of course, there is so much more, but I hope this guide gives you a glimpse of what makes San Francisco one of the best cities in the world.
Consider this your starting point for experiencing San Francisco in all its foggy, hilly, gorgeous glory.
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If you’re planning to do a lot of sightseeing and want to save time and money, consider the Go City All-Inclusive Pass that lets you into 30+ attractions for one price.
Read more about how to visit San Francisco on a budget in my detailed guide.
1. Break Into Alcatraz
A must on any San Francisco itinerary, the infamous prison-turned-museum and National Park was originally built in the mid-19th century as a lighthouse and military fortification. Surrounded by the chilly waters of San Francisco Bay, the island, about 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) offshore, served as a prison from 1934 to 1963.
Book tickets and tours well in advance to avoid the disappointment of not getting to stand in a cell or learn about a day in the life of former inmates such as Al “Scarface” Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert Stroud, aka the “Birdman of Alcatraz.”
Night tours are cool, especially for kids, as they add a spooky element to the experience.
2. Hop on a Cable Car
More than just transportation, these rolling national landmarks have been around since 1873, offering a nostalgic ride with amazing city views.
There are three active cable car lines in San Francisco: the Powell-Hyde, Powell-Mason, and California Street.
If you only ride one Cable Car, I suggest the Powell-Hyde line. It runs between downtown San Francisco, near Union Square (on Powell Street) to Fisherman’s Wharf.
On the way you go up and down some of San Francisco’s famous hills, and get some amazing views of the skyline, the bay, and Alcatraz. It even stops at the top of Lombard Street.
Travel Tip
Make a stop at the Cable Car Museum and see the actual cables that pull the cars up and down San Francisco’s hills. It’s FREE to enter.
3. Bike or Walk the Golden Gate Bridge
It’s the symbol of the city, so of course it’s on the list. Every time I come home from a trip and see the Golden Gate Bridge, I smile. It never gets old, whether smothered in fog or gloriously International Orange (the official color).
The structure spans 1.7 miles across the Golden Gate Strait, the narrow entrance to the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. You can walk, bike, or drive across it.
Travel Tip
Rent an e-bike in San Francisco and pedal over to Sausalito, then take the ferry back
If you aren’t into two-wheel adventures, have a taxi take you to the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, where you can check out the exhibits and browse the gift shop before starting your trek across on foot.
4. Wander Around Chinatown
Who wouldn’t want to visit the oldest Chinatown in North America? The roughly 30-square-block neighborhood is also home to San Francisco’s first street: Grant Avenue.
Visit the small streets, alleyways, and grocery stores selling unusual produce on Stockton Street. And check out the Tin How Temple on Waverly Place, one of the oldest still-operating Chinese temples in the United States.
There are tons of grocery stores, dim sum joints, noodle bars, tea tasting lounges, etc. to eat your way around. If you want a little more neighborhood history while you nosh, I recommend taking a food tour.
Lately, Chinatown has welcomed some upscale eateries such as Mister Jiu’s (Michelin-star), Empress by Boon, and China Live, a multilevel food hall-style place where you can taste and drink a little bit of everything.
5. Hit Up a Ball Game at Oracle Park
Select your tickets and enjoy peanuts and Cracker Jacks at Oracle Park, home to the San Francisco Giants and one of the most beautiful MLB ballparks in the country.
With its sweeping views of the Bay Bridge and McCovey Cove, it’s a stunning place to catch a game, grab some good grub, or just soak up the waterfront atmosphere.
Even if you’re not in town during baseball season, the behind-the-scenes ballpark tour is fun for kids and adults, and makes a great gift for the sport’s fans in your life.
6. Grab Clam Chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf
I’ll be honest, this lively part of San Francisco’s waterfront is a magnet for tourists and selfie sticks. Still, it’s worthwhile to go if only because this area is almost as old as the city itself.
Fisherman’s Wharf was established in the mid-1800s by Italian immigrants who built up a thriving fishing community here. Only later did it turn into an entertainment hub and a top San Francisco tourist attraction.
Even so, it’s still an active fishing port, too, and when I’m around, I like to grab clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl or fresh Dungeness crab to take home when it’s in season (usually mid-November to June).
7. Climb Coit Tower
The fluted Art Deco column on Telegraph Hill known as Coit Tower is an emblematic part of the San Francisco skyline, built between 1932 and 1933 at the bequest of a wealthy San Francisco woman, Lillie Hitchcock Coit.
Go to see panoramic views from the top, but also to check out the colorful murals, painted in 1934 by 30 California artists. The images depict life during the Great Depression and were considered controversial at the time.
Docent-led tours are offered for a fee if you’re interested in a granular-level backgrounder on the tower and paintings, but you are welcome to go it alone, too.
8. Visit a Museum
San Francisco’s museums form a rich, eclectic landscape where art, science, history, and innovation intersect. Alongside heavyweights like SFMOMA, the de Young, California Academy of Sciences, and the Exploratorium, the city delights in its quirkier side with gems like the Beat Museum, the Cable Car Museum, and the Musée Mécanique, where nostalgia and counterculture reign.
Many museums offer free entry days. Check out my How to Visit San Francisco on a Budget guide for more details.
9. Pose at the Palace of Fine Arts
Go on any given day, and you’re bound to see couples posing in front of the eye-catching monument. I used to live in this neighborhood and have seen proposals, engagement and wedding photos. My daughter even snapped some of her prom pictures here.
This picturesque Beaux-Arts structure is set against a tranquil lagoon and resembles a building at home in Greece or Rome.
A great place for a stroll and an only-in-San-Francisco photo opp. #LoveSanFrancisco
10. Eat the Ferry Building
The clocktower-topped building is located where Market Street meets the Embarcadero. It used to be one of the busiest transit hubs in the world, handling around 50,000 daily ferry commuters at its peak. The opening of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges in the 1930s curbed that.
The Ferry Building is now home to 50+ shops, cafes, restaurants, bakeries, wine bars, groceries, and more food-centric finds. Drop by for the thrice-weekly market (Tue, Thu, Sat) that unfurls around the perimeter.
That’s a lot of places to check out so I’ve created a guide to my favorite places to eat and shop in the Ferry Building.
It’s still a transit hub, too, and you catch ferries to Sausalito, Tiburon, Larkspur, and Treasure Island.
11. Peace Out in Haight-Ashbury
The epicenter of the 1967 Summer of Love, the Haight-Ashbury district still oozes psychedelic history and counterculture vibe.
You can take a walking tour passed the homes of Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, or explore the colorful tie-dye and vintage shops brimming with bohemian vibes.
Some of my favorite haunts? Vintage stores like Decades of Fashion and Relic.
If you like cocktails, Alembic makes some of the best in the city. And I never pass up a chance to drop by Sandy’s Muffulettas for a real taste of New Orleans and its famous sandwich.
12. Sail Over to Sausalito
One of many easy day trips from San Francisco , a visit to Sausalito feels like a proper vacation. Catch a ferry at the Ferry Building and enjoy lunch or a full day out.
Stroll along Bridgeway, the town’s main waterfront drag, dip into art galleries, grab a coffee at Suzette Bistro, or a margarita at Copita, rent a kayak (or book a guided tour) with SeaTrek to check out the houseboats, and pick up a local souvenir at Sausalito Books by the Bay and Heath Ceramics, a unique Sausalito studio and showroom included in my How to Visit Sausalito like a Local guide.
Sausalito was home to the Marinship shipyard, a major World War II facility that built 93 Liberty ships and other vessels to support the Allied war effort. You can see a small exhibit about these ships at the Bay Model Visitor Center.
Travel Tip: The last ferry back to the city is around 7 p.m., so plan accordingly. Or, book one of the hotels in town and make a special occasion weekend out of it.
If you’re thinking of an overnight stay, read my review of the incredible The Inn Above Tide in Sausalito.
13. Hike Angel Island
I love Angel Island for its natural beauty and panoramic views, especially along the 5-mile Perimeter Trail and from its highest point, Mount Livermore, at 788 feet (240 meters).
However, the 1.2-square-mile, car-free island is also a State Park and conceals an interesting bit of U.S. history.
Often called the “Ellis Island of the West,” Angel Island was the West Coast entry point for Asian immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship between 1910 and 1940. Visitors can check out Angel Island Immigration Station Museum and the Angel Island Detention Barracks Museum.
Angel Island is accessible by ferry from either San Francisco (Ferry Building) on the Golden Gate Ferry or from downtown Tiburon on the Angel Island Tiburon Ferry.
Once on the island, you can walk (a little over a mile) or take a direct shuttle to the museum.
14. Peruse The Presidio
The former U.S. Army post, which became a 1,500-acre national park at the north-west end of the city, was established in 1776, making it as old as our country.
The Presidio was an active military base until 1994, when it became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Today, it’s a popular place for visitors and locals, with hotels, museums such as the Walt Disney Family Museum, restaurants, and tons of hiking and biking trails, and waterfront walks.
Crissy Field is my favorite place to meet friends for a walk (you’ll see me there several times a week). I love the flat path, sandy beach, and unrivaled views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Travel Tip: The Presidio GO Shuttle offers visitors, employees, and residents FREE daily service to and around the San Francisco Presidio, and between the Presidio and Downtown. It’s just one of many ways to visit San Francisco on a Budget.
15. Spend a Day in Golden Gate Park
Where do I start? I HEART Golden Gate Park so much, and it’s an amazing place to spend a day, weekend, or just a moment. At 1,017 acres, it’s larger than New York’s Central Park.
There’s so much to do in the park, you’ll have to pick your pleasure. You’ll find the de Young Museum here, along with the Japanese Tea Garden, the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, as well as lakes, playgrounds, trails, meadows, and even resident bison.
16. Get Your Mamma Mia on in North Beach
New York has Little Italy; San Francisco has North Beach, a lively red-sauce-and-garlic-scented neighborhood with Italian flags painted on lampposts and streets dotted with trattorias, espresso bars, pizza joints, and cultural landmarks.
I’ve taken several food tours in the neighborhood, and I’ve learned something (and overeaten) every time.
You can certainly go it alone too, and try the award winning pies at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, and grab coffee at Caffe Trieste, a quintessential old-school hangout where Beat poets once congregated.
Tosca is a longtime favorite of mine, especially for famiglia-style dinners beneath its frescoed walls. Don’t skip the meatballs. Chef’s kiss!
17. Soak in California History at Mission Dolores
In San Francisco’s lively Mission District, you’ll find Mission San Francisco de Asís, aka Mission Dolores, the city’s oldest surviving building, founded by Franciscan priests in 1776.
Mission Dolores is the 6th in the California chain of 21 Spanish missions built between 1769 and 1833, and is the oldest intact building in San Francisco. The ornate Mission Dolores Basilica, next door to the mission, was dedicated in 1918, and its striking Spanish-Baroque architecture is worth ogling.
Just across the street is Dolores Park, one of San Francisco’s Great Parks
18. Take a Food Tour
As I mentioned above, I love a San Francisco food tour: part history lesson, part feast.
Whether you’re slurping ramen in Japantown, savoring soup dumplings in Chinatown, juggling burritos the size of your arm in the Mission, or eating Cioppino at Fisherman’s Wharf, one thing’s for sure: you’re going to learn a lot and go home full and happy.
Planning a trip to San Francisco? Read my article on the best time to visit.
