18 Amazing Things to Do in San Francisco
When it comes to vacation, one word gets whispered like it’s a dirty piece of Page Six gossip: the dreaded “T-word.” No, it’s not traffic, tech bros, or travel insurance. It’s touristy.
Somehow, the eight-lettered word has become a four-lettered one that means “don’t go there.” But in my opinion, this is misguided loathing. Touristy doesn’t mean bad. And in San Francisco, these tourist hotspots are also beautiful, historic, and culturally significant.
Whether it’s walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, eating clam chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf, or hopping aboard a Cable Car, the “T-word” stands for “totally worth it”.
Here are my top 18 things to do in San Francisco, whether you’re a first-time visitor or a long-time resident looking to staycation.
1. Alcatraz “The Rock”
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 the San Francisco Bay, the island, located about 1.25 miles (two kilometers) offshore, served as a prison from 1934 to 1963. Book tickets well in advance to avoid the disappointment of not standing in a cell or learning 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.”
FYI: Night tours are also available and add a spooky element to the experience.
2. Fisherman’s Wharf
I’m not going to lie— the lively 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. It originated in the mid-1800s with Italian fishermen who established a thriving fishing community in the area. Only later did it develop into an entertainment hub and top San Francisco tourist attraction. 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).
Tip: book a ticket to ride the SkyStar Wheel, at Fisherman’s Wharf since 2023. Touristy and totally worth it.
Walk or bike across the famous Golden Gate Bridge, or just admire it from Crissy Field
3. 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 across the Golden Gate Bridge, but many choose to rent a bike and pedal over to Sausalito (an e-bike makes it easier), 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, or not.
4. 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. Go to nosh on noodles, dumplings, and fresh-from-the-oven egg tarts. Wander down the small streets and alleyways, visit grocery stores selling unusual produce, check out the Tin How Temple on Waverly Place, and sip tea and shop for souvenirs under the swaying red lanterns along Grant Avenue. Of late, Chinatown has welcomed some upscale eateries too, like Mister Jiu’s (Michelin-star), Empress by Boon (hint: you can nibble in the bar too and forego the pricy prix-fix dinner), and China Live, a multilevel food hall-style place where you can taste and drink a little bit of everything.
There’s nowhere else like San Francisco’s Chinatown in the city, state, or country.
Enjoying America’s favorite pastime on a sunny day in San Francisco. Giants won!
5. Oracle Park
A trip to San Francisco isn’t complete without a stop at Oracle Park, home of 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 tours are fun and make great gifts for the sport’s fans in your life. These guided experiences take you into the dugout, clubhouse, press box, and even onto the field, offering a rare glimpse of what it’s like to stand where the pros play. Batter up!
6. Cable Cars
More than just transportation, these rolling postcards offer a nostalgic ride with amazing city views. And just so you know, San Franciscans don’t call them trollies. The best line to ride is the Powell-Hyde line that runs between Fisherman's Wharf and downtown San Francisco. The California line will take you to the top of Nob Hill. San Francisco’s cable cars have been around since 1873 and were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Today, they are the world's last manually operated cable car system, and seriously, how cute are they? Riding the Cable Cars is totally worth it! Currently, a one-way trip is $9. See how to pay here.
Tip: Make a stop at the Cable Car Museum (free) to see the actual turning cables that pull the cars up and down San Francisco’s hills.
Eating dumplings in San Francisco’s Chinatown is a must
7. Coit Tower
The fluted Art Deco column on Telegraph Hill 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 lobby murals funded by the New Deal, painted in 1934 by 30 California artists who the Public Works of Art Project funded. The images depict life during the Great Depression and were considered controversial at the time.
Tip: Docent-led tours (there’s a per-person fee around $10) are offered if you’re interested in a granular-level backgrounder on the tower and paintings, but you are welcome to go it alone, too.
8. The Exploratorium
You won’t get in trouble touching anything at this hands-on museum on Pier 15, where visitors are encouraged to pull, twist, twirl, move around, and get curious about how things work via more than 600 exhibits. Founded by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer in 1969, the museum was originally located in the Palace of Fine Arts and was relocated in 2013. I guarantee it’s not just kids who will love it. A new exhibit invites visitors to explore the ethics, biases, and environmental impact of AI. Avoid weekends and weekday mornings, when it’s extra crowded with visitors and school field trip groups.
Tip: Thursday evenings from 6–10 p.m., adults-only entry features live music, cocktails, guest speakers, and other programming set up amidst the interactive exhibits.
9. Palace of Fine Arts
Go on any given day, and you’re bound to see couples posing for proposal, engagement, and wedding photos. My daughter even snapped some of her prom pictures here. You’ll understand why when you see it. This picturesque Beaux-Arts structure, originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, is set against a tranquil lagoon and resembles a building that would be at home in Greece or Rome. A great place for a stroll and an only-in-San-Francisco photo. #GuessWhere
San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts was built in 1915 and is a favorite picture-taking spot in the Marina District
10. The Ferry Building
The clocktower-topped building is located where Market Street meets the Embarcadero and 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. Flash forward several decades, and some rough years, and it’s fair to say the Ferry Building is bustling anew.
You can still catch ferries to Sausalito, Tiburon, Larkspur, and Treasure Island. For those who travel with their stomachs in mind, Ferry Building has become synonymous with food thanks to the main hall’s stalls occupied by artisanal breadmakers, bakeries, grocers, coffee roasters, restaurants, and other gourmet-related shops. A thrice-weekly market also unfurls around the perimeter, the biggest one held on Saturdays.
I couldn’t resist posing at this crossroads sign, lowered just for picture taking
11. Haight-Ashbury
The epicenter of the 1967 Summer of Love, the Haight-Ashbury district still oozes psychedelic history and counterculture vibe. Once home to musicians like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, the area near Golden Gate Park’s panhandle blends nostalgic and bohemian vibes amid its vintage shops and quirky and casual eateries. A must-see slice of San Francisco’s countercultural legacy.
Some of my favorite haunts? Vintage stores Decades of Fashion and Relic (for men and women). Cocktails at Alembic and Sandy’s Muffulettas, for those times you just can’t get to New Orleans but are craving a taste of their famous sandwich.
Scoma’s is one of many Sausalito restaurants with a San Francisco and Bay view
12. Sausalito
For a day trip from San Francisco that feels like a proper vacation, hop aboard a ferry (at the Ferry Building) and cross the bay to picturesque Sausalito. 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.
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. Today, it’s a sweet little town with a large sailing community, stunning homes, and views that can’t be captured with a camera (but you should definitely try). Curious about the San Francisco Bay? Be sure to visit the Bay Model Visitor Center. Administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it showcases a working hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento - San Joaquin River Delta System.
Tip: The last ferry back to the city is around 8 p.m., so plan accordingly. Or, book one of the hotels in town and make an overnight or weekender out of it.
Read my Saualito like a local guide here
13. Angel Island
I love Angel Island, the 2nd largest in the bay, for its nature and hikes with panoramic views, especially along the perimeter trail and from its highest point----Mount Livermore at a height of 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 should check out Angel Island Immigration Station Museum and the Angel Island Detention Barracks Museum, which detail the Chinese immigrant experience, many of whom were kept on the island for years!
Angel Island can only be accessed by boat. Take the 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. There are also bike rentals on the island.
The Presidio is home to the Walt Disney Family museum and many other indoor and outdoor attractions. Photo by @SFTravelAssociation
14. The Presidio
Another “t-word” (totally worth it) San Francisco must-visit is the Presidio of San Francisco, a former U.S. Army post turned 1,500-acre national park at the north-west end of the city. Every time I’m there, I think to myself, “I can’t believe we are in a major U.S. city.”
Established by the Spanish in 1776, it was an active military base until 1994, when it became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Today, the Presidio is a vibrant public space, mixing historic buildings with trails, museums, and stunning forested and waterfront walks.
Down by the bay, 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 beaches, the Warming Hut Park Store, and unrivaled views of windsurfers and sailboats beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. If you want a family photo with the San Francisco symbol in the background, this is your spot!
Nearby, the Presidio Tunnel Tops is a newish 14-acre park area with seating, kids’ play areas, nearby food trucks, and more epic views. And don’t miss the Walt Disney Family Museum, featuring the life and legacy of Walt Disney, an American icon.
Coit Tower sits atop San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill
15. Golden Gate Park
Where do I start? Golden Gate Park is an amazing place to spend a day, weekend, or moment. At 1,017 acres, it’s larger than New York’s Central Park and home to the coolest science museum ever, the California Academy of Sciences. You’ll find the de Young Museum here too, which welcomes exhibitions from around the world.
I love to take out-of-town guests to the Japanese Tea Garden, the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, created in 1894 as part of the California Midwinter International Exposition. Its Buddha, pagoda, and landscaped Zen gardens are serene and make for great photos.
With its lakes, playgrounds, trails, meadows, and even resident bison extending all the way to Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park is arguably one of the best city parks in the country, and certainly a favorite among San Franciscans.
16. North Beach
New York has Little Italy, San Francisco has North Beach, a lively red sauce-scented neighborhood with Italian flags painted on light posts and streets dotted with trattorias, espresso bars, pizza joints, and cultural landmarks.
Once the hangout of Beat Generation writers, it still feels irreverent. City Lights Booksellers, the legendary independent bookstore and publishing house, is still here, selling tomes and hosting events.
Foodies line up for a table at Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, where you can get several types of the namesake’s award-winning pies. Caffe Trieste is a quintessential old-school hangout where Beat poets once congregated. And Tosca begs for famiglia-style dinners with its red leather booths and frescoed walls. Make a reservation and don’t skip the meatballs. Chef’s kiss!
Mission Dolores is the oldest intact building in the city and part of the California Mission System. Photo by InterestingImages
17. Mission Dolores & Dolores Park
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, five days before the Declaration of Independence was signed.
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 the city of San Francisco.
Be sure to check out its historic cemetery, one of the few remaining within the city limits, which holds the graves of Ohlone, Miwok, and other Indigenous peoples, as well as early California pioneers. The ornate Mission Dolores Basilica next door to the mission was dedicated in 1918, and its striking Spanish-Baroque architecture is worth oggling.
Just across the street is the ever-vibrant Dolores Park, where neighbors and visitors gather on the grassy slopes to pluck their guitars, picnic, and admire the unbeatable views of the San Francisco skyline.
18. Take a Food Tour
If San Francisco had a love language, it would definitely be food, and a food tour isn’t just a stroll between restaurants; it’s also a bite-by-bite history lesson on the people and neighborhoods that have become the global stew. Whether you’re slurping ramen in Japantown, savoring fresh-from-the-oven egg tarts 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 about the neighborhood you tour, and go home full and happy.
I’ve been on a few food tours in the city. It’s something my best friend and I do as our Christmas gift to each other. We get to spend time together, explore our own city in a new way, and eat good food. Win-Win-Win! Edible Excursions in Japantown was fabulous and definitely had us dipping into places I wouldn’t have thought to go in. I like Stretchy Pants Food Tours for their small groups, friendly guides, and variety of neighborhoods, including the Ferry Building, Fisherman’s Wharf, and North Beach. Bon appétit.
Pick a neighborhood and taste some of San Francisco’s best food with a great friend
Dont forget to tag #AgingPlayfully
