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San Francisco
Photo: Amanda Marsalis
Neighborhoods
- Alamo Square
- Bernal Heights
- Chinatown
- Cow Hollow
- Embarcadero
- Fillmore District
- Financial District
- Fisherman's Wharf
- Hayes Valley
- Hunters Point
- Japantown
- Marina
- Mission District
- Nob Hill and Russian Hill
- Noe Valley
- North Beach/Telegraph Hill
- Pacific Heights
- Potrero
- Presidio
- Richmond and Sunset Districts
- SoMa
- The Castro
- The Haight
- Theater District/Tenderloin/Civic Center
- Union Square
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members have been here
You could spend all your time in San Francisco strolling the familiar visitor zones of Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, hopping the crowded tour boat to Alcatraz, or taking snapshots on a cable car, and have a perfectly blissful time-few other cities, after all, can match this town's charms, even the obvious ones. But what makes San Francisco so incomparable is the sheer breadth of its neighborhoods, its distinct pockets of ever-more-local culture. Within a relatively compact 40 square miles one can find showy Victorian manses and elegant Art Deco skyscrapers; the sprawling, verdant oasis of Golden Gate Park, along with some shockingly good museums; and funky boho bastions filled with independent bookstores and galleries, free-trade coffee shops, and indie-designer ateliers. Oh, and restaurants where everyone's wearing jeans (if that)-but where the food, much of it made with sustainable, local ingredients, is simply sublime. See the slideshow.
Don't Miss
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Strolling polyglot Clement Street, in the inner Richmond District. Known for its ethnic restaurants, it’s also got design-kid galleries, a boutique selling French tchotchkes, a bespoke-shoe salon, and the city’s biggest used-book store, Green Apple.
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Seeing an obscure-but-riveting documentary at the Roxie, a classic theater in the Mission, and following it up with dinner at Foreign Cinema restaurant (which does indeed screen films on the wall of its courtyard).
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The annual Bay to Breakers footrace, held every May. Some 75,000 runners and walkers, many in costume (and a few in their birthday suits), tackle this 7.46-mile course—which also happens to be the city’s biggest (moving) party.
T+L Favorites
Where to Stay
Campton Place Hotel
When the honchos from LVMH and Neiman Marcus come to town, the 110-room Campton Place is where th
... MoreWhere to Eat
What to Do
Alcatraz Island
The island itself has remained more or less the same since the Park Service first opened it to vi
... More
Tips See All SAN FRANCISCO Tips
San Francisco tourist resources
The Web site for the city’s visitors’ bureau (www.sfcvb.org) has good hotel listings, as well as a useful events calendar. The San Francisco Chronicle’s site (www.sfgate.com) is a great place to go... More
Cable cars in San Francisco
You see long, long lines of would-be passengers waiting to board at the cable-car turnarounds on Powell and Market streets—but there’s no need to queue up if you’re willing to walk a little. Just h... More
Taxis in San Francisco
Since late-night bus service is limited, a taxi is your best bet if you’re out till the wee hours. Yellow Cab (415-333-3333) and Luxor (415-282-4141) are generally reliable; be warned, though—on bu... More
Muni buses in San Francisco
Although you may want to rent a car for day trips outside central SF, you can get by without one downtown—the Muni bus system, a mix of diesel, electric, and new hybrid vehicles, covers the territo... More
Getting to San Francisco from SFO
A taxi from the airport downtown will cost about $40. A much cheaper option is the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) line, which connects SFO with four different downtown stops along Market Street for ... More