Call: 1-800-960-8099

Top Ten “Must See” Places in San Francisco

IMG_0234_edited With so many historic places, fun attractions and world-class landmarks in and around San Francisco, it's hard to know where to begin.

That's why we've created this list of "Must See" places in San Francisco that you won't want to miss.

1. The Golden Gate Bridge

http://www.goldengatebridge.org/

The most widely recognized symbol of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge is visible from just about every high site in the city. Completed in 1937, the 6450-foot long Golden Gate Bridge was for the next 3 decades the largest single-span suspension bridge in the world and is still in the top 5. Its engineering is amazing, its beauty is even more stunning.

2. Ride on a Cable Car

http://www.sfcablecar.com/

Since 1873, cable cars have been an instantly identifiable image of San Francisco. At their peak in 1906, six hundred cable cars ran on over 110 miles of track throughout San Francisco. In 1964, San Francisco citizens voted to protect the last few remaining miles as one of the few National Landmarks that move. It's most fun to ride in the open-air part of the car where you really feel part of the local scene.

3. Chinatown

http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/

Established in the 1850s, San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest, the most historical and the second most populous in North America. With its unique and exotic sights, smells and sounds Chinatown rewards a slow walk through its main streets and hidden alleyways and to its Taoist temples and fascinating bazaars.

4. Muir Woods

http://www.visitmuirwoods.com/

Our coastal redwoods are among the oldest living things on our planet, with life spans that can exceed 2000 years; at up to 36 stories, they are the tallest of trees. They're also inexpressibly beautiful. And peaceful. Less than an hour's drive from downtown San Francisco, the 560-acre Muir Woods National Monument includes six miles of paved trails for you to explore.

5. Golden Gate Park

http://www.parks.sfgov.org/site/recpark_page.asp?id=17796

Larger than NYC's Central park and probably the favorite weekend hang-out for locals, Golden Gate Park offers something for everyone: a great new art museum, the peaceful Japanese Tea Garden with its half-moon bridge, the "wedding-cake" Conservatory of Flowers, a Dutch windmill, an historic carousel, an arboretum, real buffalo (they don't roam much though), skating, boating, bicycling, lawn bowling, lakes, gardens, and (returning soon) the remarkable California Academy of Sciences, an avant-garde example of "green" architecture.

Make space in your itinerary for several hours there (especially with kids), then walk over to —

6. The Haight

http://sfgate.com/traveler/guide/sf/neighborhoods/haight.shtml

Which is what San Franciscans call it — best known nationally in the Sixties as the Haight-Ashbury. Don't miss its blocks and blocks of colorful Victorian homes, vintage clothing stores, tattoo parlors and lively street scene.

7. Alcatraz from Fisherman's Wharf

http://www.nps.gov/alcatraz/
http://www.fishermanswharf.org/

Why spend your vacation in prison? Because you'll be fascinated by Alcatraz' 100-year history, the remains of the prison itself, and the panoramic vistas from the Island and on the ferry ride out and back. Realistically, you'll need to devote 3 hours or more from the time you line up to board the ferry to when you get back to Pier 33.

And everybody tells you to see Fisherman's Wharf. Locals will tell you to avoid it, because on a sunny day in our high season, the crowds can be overwhelming, bargains at the hundred of souvenir shops and fast-food outlets few and far between. But there's also the uproarious sea lion colony at Pier 39, seeing sourdough bread made by the people who invented it, the Musee Mechanique of antique toy-like contraptions, the fresh-crab stands, great maritime museums, a few really good restaurants and incredible views.

Once you're "done," take an historic trolley along the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building, the foodies' mecca under the clock tower at the foot of Market Street.

8. The Wine Country

http://www.napavalley.org
http://www.sonomavalley.com

When most people say "Wine Country" they mean Napa Valley. But Sonoma Valley's next door, just as historic and beautiful, but less crowded; the Russian River region is the newer popular destination with serene landscapes and great wines too. Not to mention the wineries outside Carmel and Mendocino — more than 900 within 2-hours' drive of downtown San Francisco.

You go to the Wine Country to taste world-class wines (or cheeses or olive oils or hand-made chocolates), to learn about a global industry, to have a wonderful meal in a star restaurant, to cycle the backroads, to bathe in mud, stroll through sculpture gardens, all while enjoying sublime scenery.

Why fly to Europe when you can save time and money by visiting America's Tuscany — casual elegance and sophistication against a background of green mountains?

9. Sausalito

http://www.ci.sausalito.ca.us/

You've heard of it, the beautiful 'Mediterranean' hillside town of Sausalito, famous for its picturesque shopping district and excellent restaurants along San Francisco Bay. Just a short drive north of the Golden Gate Bridge this small town of 7,500 residents boasts spectacular waterfront views of the city skyline and Alcatraz.

10. The Mission District

http://www.missionmerchants.com

Two things make the Mission stand out from all other San francisco neighborhoods — its hundeds of striking, colorful murals, its 50+ Zagat-rated restaurants, its large Spanish-speaking population — and the fact that most tourists never get there. It's San Francisco's artist colony and possibly the best place to go to experience the city's youthful vitality and cutting-edge creativity.

Call: 1-800-960-8099Reserve Your Tour

A Friend in Town

The Premier Personalized Tour Service for the San Francisco Bay Area