The City by the Bay

Bridge, bay, and one great meal. Stop there.

• Golden Gate Bridge Crissy Field to Fort Point pairing
• Ferry Building + Embarcadero marketplace browse, walk to Pier 7 for photos
• North Beach City Lights Books, Washington Square
• Mission Dolores Park late afternoon into sunset
• Dinner anchor La Taqueria or Taqueria El Farolito, then dessert at b. Patisserie or Dandelion

House rules

• Transit rule Muni for in-city, BART for downtown and East Bay, cable car as ride-once experience; Clipper card or contactless tap
• Layers rule fog rolls in by afternoon even in summer; bring layers regardless of season, mornings burn off slowly
• Hills rule walk uphill in the fog, downhill in the sun; the Powell-Hyde cable car covers the hardest climb if knees say no
• Fog window Karl the Fog spills in through the Golden Gate; west side stays foggy longest, east side clears first
• Sourdough rule order on the day; it goes stale fast, Tartine bakes throughout the day, Boudin is the tourist trap
• Tipping 20% standard before tax; the SF Surcharge gets disclosed on the bill, do not double-count it
• Burrito rule "Mission-style" means foil-wrapped, rice and beans inside; ask for super to add guac and sour cream
• Wine country rule two tastings is a day, three is a mistake; spit if driving back
• Bay Wheels and bikes the Wiggle is the no-hill bike route west; Bay Bridge is the canonical bike crossing
• Museum clock de Young and Legion of Honor are free first Tuesday of the month; SFMOMA late Thursday

Iconic

• Golden Gate Bridge walk or bike across; best pairing is Crissy Field to Fort Point
• Alcatraz book weeks ahead; the night tour is the better version
• Ferry Building + Embarcadero marketplace browse, waterfront walk to Pier 7 for photos
• Cable car Powell-Hyde line; ride once, end at Hyde Street Pier, do not stand in the Powell Street turnaround line
• Lombard Street the crooked street; photograph from below, do not drive down
• Coit Tower Telegraph Hill; the WPA murals inside, bay views from the top
• Painted Ladies at Alamo Square skyline plus Victorian row shot

Parks and viewpoints

• Twin Peaks the panoramic city view; windy, bring layers, drive or rideshare up
• Lands End to Sutro Baths coastal trail with cliff views and ruins
• Japanese Tea Garden Golden Gate Park; oldest in the US, the pagoda and bridge
• Conservatory of Flowers Golden Gate Park; Victorian greenhouse, the photo from the lawn
• Palace of Fine Arts Marina; the dome and lagoon, walk-around free
• Presidio the former military base turned park; Crissy Field, Battery Spencer for bridge views

History and culture

• Mission Dolores oldest building in SF, founded 1776; the cemetery is the older part
• Chinatown the oldest in North America; Grant Avenue is touristy, Stockton Street is real
• Castro Theatre and the Castro neighborhood the Harvey Milk anchor; pair the theatre and walk the street
• Fisherman's Wharf do it once; the sea lions at Pier 39, Boudin sourdough viewing, then leave

North

• North Beach City Lights Books, Washington Square, Italian heritage strip, cocktail bars
• Chinatown oldest in North America; Grant is touristy, Stockton is real
• Russian Hill and Nob Hill hilltop views, Lombard Street, Grace Cathedral
• Telegraph Hill Coit Tower, Filbert Street stairs, the wild parrots
• Pacific Heights Victorian mansions, Fillmore Street walk

Central

• Hayes Valley shopping and cafés, the most walkable central pocket
• The Castro historically significant, Harvey Milk's neighborhood, the Castro Theatre anchor
• Haight-Ashbury Victorian homes, independent shops, the counterculture anchor
• Japantown Japan Center, pagoda, Kabuki Springs; the only one of its kind in the US
• Western Addition and Fillmore jazz heritage, Boom Boom Room, Yoshi's adjacent
• Tenderloin rough but real; speakeasies, Vietnamese restaurants, day-only for most visitors

Mission and south

• The Mission Clarion Alley murals, Dolores Park late afternoon, Valencia Street walk, the burrito anchor
• Bernal Heights calmer hilltop view, Cortland Avenue, quieter than Mission
• Noe Valley 24th Street corridor, sunny, family-oriented, locals
• Dogpatch former industrial; Minnesota Street Project galleries, Tartine Manufactory
• Potrero Hill hilltop residential, Anchor Brewing's old block

West

• Outer Sunset local food strip, Ocean Beach, the surfer-cafés strip on Judah and Noriega
• Inner Sunset Irving Street food, the better dim sum and Asian places, near Golden Gate Park
• Outer Richmond Russian heritage, Clement Street food, Lands End access
• Inner Richmond Clement Street density, dim sum, Green Apple Books
• Presidio former military base, now park; Walt Disney Family Museum, Battery Spencer

Downtown

• SoMa SFMOMA, MoAD, galleries, nightlife
• Embarcadero and Financial District Ferry Building, waterfront walk, weekday energy
• Union Square central shopping, hotels; transit hub, do not eat here
• Fisherman's Wharf Pier 39, sea lions, Ghirardelli Square; do it once

Views

• Twin Peaks big panorama, windy, bring layers; rideshare up, walk down to Castro
• Marin Headlands across the bridge; best full skyline and Golden Gate view in the Bay Area
• Coit Tower area Telegraph Hill stair walks (Filbert and Greenwich steps), the wild parrots, bay views
• Bernal Heights Park calmer viewpoint, shorter climb, locals
• Mount Davidson SF's highest natural point; the cross at the top
• Corona Heights the rocky outcrop above Castro; quieter than Twin Peaks

Coastal walks

• Lands End trail cliff views, Sutro Baths ruins; the best coastal walk in the city
• Ocean Beach at sunset pair with Outer Sunset food before
• Baker Beach underrated; direct Golden Gate Bridge views at ground level
• Crissy Field to Fort Point the bridge approach walk; pair with Golden Gate Bridge
• China Beach a small cove west of Baker; quieter

Walk lanes

• Valencia Street Mission spine; restaurants, vintage, bookshops, bars
• Hayes Street Hayes Valley; design shops, cafés, compact loop
• Polk Street Russian Hill to Nob Hill; restaurants, dive bars, walking density
• Fillmore Street Pacific Heights; upscale shopping, jazz history at the south end
• Castro Street the Castro spine; from Market through the rainbow crosswalks
• Haight Street the Upper Haight; vintage, head shops, the counterculture artery
• Chestnut Street Marina spine; brunch, retail, family-oriented daytime
• Clement Street Inner Richmond; dim sum, Asian food density, Green Apple Books
• Irving Street Inner Sunset; Asian food, near Golden Gate Park
• 24th Street Noe sunny, family-oriented neighbourhood walk
• 24th Street Mission the older Mission spine; Latin food, Galería de la Raza

Parks

• Golden Gate Park the city's green spine; de Young, Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers
• Presidio former military base turned park; Battery Spencer, Crissy Field, Walt Disney Family Museum
• Lands End and Sutro Heights the western edge; cliffs, ruins, cypresses
• Mission Dolores Park the city's social lawn; sunset is the move
• Glen Canyon Park wild canyon in the middle of the city, less touristy
• The Marina Green the Marina's flat waterfront; kite-flying, dog-walking, Blue Angels viewing

Pools and baths

• Kabuki Springs & Spa Japantown; Japanese-style communal baths, gender-segregated days
• Onsen Tenderloin; modern Japanese-style bathhouse, reservation-driven
• Archimedes Banya Bayview; Russian-style banya, the venik (oak-leaf) treatment
• Embarcadero waterfront walk Ferry Building to Pier 7, flat and easy

Art (high impact)

• SFMOMA SoMa; world-class modern and contemporary art, Snøhetta addition
• de Young Museum Golden Gate Park; free tower with panoramic views, strong American collection
• Legion of Honor Lincoln Park; Rodin's Thinker at the entrance, the cliff-edge location is half the visit
• Asian Art Museum Civic Center; substantial permanent collection

Smaller, sharper

• Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) SoMa; small, sharp, free first Wednesday
• Contemporary Jewish Museum SoMa; Daniel Libeskind building, the architecture earns the visit
• Walt Disney Family Museum Presidio; the founder's archives, more substantive than expected
• GLBT Historical Society Museum Castro; small, free, Harvey Milk archives
• Cartoon Art Museum Fisherman's Wharf adjacent; the only cartoon-dedicated museum in the US

Science and nature

• California Academy of Sciences Golden Gate Park; natural history, planetarium, living roof, aquarium under one roof
• Exploratorium Pier 15, interactive science museum; genuinely excellent for adults, the Tactile Dome

Galleries

• Minnesota Street Project Dogpatch; multi-gallery warehouse, the most concentrated gallery visit in the city
• SoMa galleries around Mission and Howard Streets; Crown Point Press, Catharine Clark
• Mission galleries around Valencia; Ratio 3, Jessica Silverman
• Pier 24 Photography Embarcadero; appointment-only, the canonical photography space

SF staples

• La Taqueria Mission burrito
• Taqueria El Farolito Mission super burrito
• Swan Oyster Depot seafood counter, cash only — arrive early or expect a line
• Sotto Mare cioppino
• Zuni Café roast chicken, iconic room
• House of Prime Rib old school prime rib experience

Modern reservations

Michelin tier

• Benu SoMa, 3 Michelin stars — one of the best restaurants in the US
• Atelier Crenn Marina, 3 Michelin stars, Dominique Crenn
• Californios 2 Michelin stars, high-end Mexican tasting menu, Mission
• Lazy Bear 2 Michelin stars, communal dining experience, Mission
• Mister Jiu's Michelin-starred Chinese fine dining, Chinatown
• Liholiho Yacht Club Hawaiian-influenced, distinctly SF
• Al's Place Michelin star, vegetable-forward, Mission
• Octavia Michelin star, seasonal California cooking, Hayes Valley

Worth booking

• Flour + Water pasta restaurant, Mission — distinct from the pizzeria
• Che Fico Italian, Inner Sunset, consistently booked
• Foreign Cinema Mission, outdoor film screening plus dinner — a true SF experience
• State Bird Provisions small plates, high energy
• NOPA strong all around
• Rich Table ingredient forward
• Nari Thai fine dining, Tenderloin — undersung
• Outerlands Outer Sunset, local weekend brunch anchor — worth the trip out

Jackson Square and classics

• Cotogna rustic Italian, Jackson Square, wood-fired everything
• Bix 1940s supper club, Jackson Square — no equivalent elsewhere in the city
• Dumpling Time high-end dim sum and dumplings, SoMa

Asian anchors

• Burma Superstar Inner Richmond, Burmese — always packed with locals, worth the wait
• Rintaro Japanese izakaya
• Z and Y Sichuan
• Dragon Beaux dim sum
• San Tung Korean wings

Sushi

• Wako Richmond, high end omakase
• Ju-Ni NoPA, high end omakase
• Friends Only Union Square area, high end omakase
• Saru Sushi Bar Noe Valley, local regular
• Akiko's SoMa, reliable weeknight
• Ebisu Inner Sunset, reliable weeknight

Pizza

• Tony's Pizza Napoletana North Beach
• Pizzeria Delfina Mission, Pacific Heights
• Flour + Water Pizzeria North Beach
• Jules Lower Haight
• Square Pie Guys SoMa, Ghirardelli Square
• Golden Boy Pizza North Beach
• Outta Sight Pizza Tenderloin, Chinatown

Ramen and Japanese

• Marufuku Ramen Japantown; the canonical SF ramen, expect a line
• Iza Ramen Lower Haight; tonkotsu, locals
• Rintaro Mission; izakaya, the proper SF izakaya version

Vietnamese

• Turtle Tower Tenderloin; Northern Vietnamese pho ga (chicken pho), the canonical pick
• Ha Nam Ninh Tenderloin; harder-to-find regional Vietnamese
• Slanted Door formerly Ferry Building; upscale Vietnamese, the cocktail program
• Lily Mission; modern Vietnamese, the rolls and pho

Indian and South Asian

• DOSA Mission and Fillmore; South Indian, the rava masala dosa
• August 1 Five Civic Center; modern Indian, the more ambitious room
• Besharam Dogpatch; Gujarati, the chef Heena Patel's project
• Indian Paradox NoPa; small plates with wine pairings

Bakeries and dessert

• Tartine bread and pastries; one of the most famous bakeries in the US
• Arsicault James Beard-winning croissants
• b. Patisserie pastries
• Dandelion Chocolate single origin
• Bi-Rite Creamery ice cream
• Mitchell's classic ice cream
• Boudin Bakery sourdough; the Wharf location is tourist trap, the bread is real
• Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory Chinatown; watch them fold, free samples

Coffee (third-wave)

• Sightglass Coffee SoMa; the design-led flagship, the roastery space
• Blue Bottle the origin café in Hayes Valley; SF's most exported coffee brand
• Ritual Coffee Roasters Mission and beyond; the early SF third-wave
• Four Barrel Mission; the Valencia Street roaster
• Saint Frank Russian Hill; smaller, careful programme
• Linea Caffe Mission and Outer Sunset; espresso-focused, design-conscious
• Andytown Coffee Outer Sunset; the locals' Sunset pick, the Snowy Plover

Bookshops

• City Lights Books North Beach; Ferlinghetti's Beat anchor, the upstairs poetry room
• Green Apple Books Inner Richmond and on the Park; the canonical SF independent
• Dog Eared Books Valencia Street, Mission; used and new, well-curated
• William Stout Architectural Books Jackson Square; design and architecture specialty
• Alley Cat Books 24th Street Mission; community-rooted indie
• The Booksmith Haight Street; the Haight's anchor bookshop
• Omnivore Books Noe Valley; food and cookbook specialty

Dishes to order

• Mission burrito foil-wrapped, rice and beans inside; La Taqueria or El Farolito for the canonical version
• Dungeness crab in season Nov-June; Swan Oyster Depot for the counter version, Sotto Mare for cioppino
• SF sourdough Tartine or Boudin; order day-of, fresh hours matter
• Cioppino Italian-American seafood stew, SF original; Sotto Mare or Tadich Grill
• Irish coffee Buena Vista Cafe at the Hyde Street cable car turnaround; the SF original since 1952
• Fortune cookie Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Chinatown; SF's invention
• Roast chicken at Zuni the canonical SF dish; book ahead
• Mexican breakfast El Farolito al pastor, Tartine Manufactory chilaquiles, La Palma Mexicatessen tamales

Speakeasies and hidden bars

Tenderloin

• Bourbon & Branch Jones St, password entry, reservation driven, Prohibition theme
• Wilson & Wilson inside Bourbon & Branch, smaller room, rarer spirits, reservation only

North Beach

• Cold Drinks Bar hidden cocktail bar, high polish

Polk Gulch and Lower Nob Hill

• Blind Pig Speakeasy Lounge strong cocktail program, date night lane

Cocktail lounges with local pull

North Beach

• Vesuvio Café Jack Kerouac's bar, literary SF institution — pair with City Lights next door
• Comstock Saloon Victorian-era room, serious cocktails

Union Square

• Pacific Cocktail Haven (PCH) consistent top tier cocktails

Mission

• ABV neighborhood bar, serious cocktails
• True Laurel modern cocktail bar, high craft
• Trick Dog creative rotating menus, strong local scene
• Wildhawk Mission cocktail bar, strong program

Hayes Valley

• Smuggler's Cove tiki institution, rum depth

Fort Mason

• The Interval at Long Now bar inside a museum and library — one of the most distinctive rooms in the city

Theatre and stages

• SF Symphony at Davies Hall Civic Center; Esa-Pekka Salonen era, Friday lates and free first Tuesdays
• SF Opera at War Memorial Opera House Civic Center; the SF Opera season runs September through July
• American Conservatory Theater (ACT) Geary Theater; the foundational SF theatre company
• SHN/BroadwaySF venues Curran, Orpheum, Golden Gate; touring Broadway and pre-Broadway runs
• Castro Theatre the restored single-screen; the Wurlitzer organ, classic films, drag and live programmes
• Berkeley Repertory East Bay; nationally respected new work, often pre-Broadway transfers
• SF Ballet at War Memorial oldest professional ballet company in the US

Music venues

• The Fillmore Fillmore Street; Janis Joplin and Grateful Dead heritage, posters in the lobby
• The Independent Divisadero; indie music, the canonical mid-size SF venue
• Great American Music Hall Tenderloin; ornate Victorian room, mid-size
• Bimbo's 365 Club North Beach; 1931 Art Deco room, jazz and rock
• The Chapel Mission; converted mortuary, mid-size
• Bottom of the Hill Potrero Hill; small indie venue, the canonical small-room
• Café du Nord Castro basement; live music and supper club
• Yoshi's Jazz Club Oakland; jazz plus dinner, the East Bay jazz anchor

Marin and the North Bay

• Muir Woods plus Sausalito redwoods then waterfront lunch; book Muir Woods parking ahead
• Point Reyes coastal drive, oysters at Hog Island, the lighthouse; full day
• Stinson Beach and Bolinas Marin coast; the beach is wide, Bolinas is the locals' refuge
• Mount Tamalpais the Bay Area's iconic mountain; East Peak for the panoramic view
• Tiburon ferry from the Ferry Building; harbour town lunch

Wine country

• Napa or Sonoma two tastings is a day, three is a mistake; spit if driving
• Healdsburg the Sonoma County base; restaurants and the square
• Anderson Valley 2.5 hours north; Pinot Noir country, quieter than Napa

Coast (south)

• Half Moon Bay 45 min south; coastal town, the pumpkin patches in October
• Pescadero coastal South; Duarte's olallieberry pie, Año Nuevo elephant seals in winter
• Santa Cruz 90 min south; boardwalk, surf, university town, the Mystery Spot
• Monterey plus Carmel 2 hours south; Monterey Bay Aquarium, 17-Mile Drive, Carmel village
• Big Sur 3 hours south; the canonical Highway 1 drive, Bixby Bridge, McWay Falls
• Hearst Castle 4 hours south; pair with Big Sur as an overnight

Mountains and lake

• Yosemite 3.5 hours east; one of the world's great national parks, full day minimum
• Lake Tahoe 3.5 hours; skiing in winter, lake in summer, worth a week trip
• Sequoia and Kings Canyon 4.5 hours; bigger trees than Yosemite, fewer crowds

East Bay and South Bay

• Oakland Lake Merritt, Temescal, Uptown; ferry from the Ferry Building for the slow approach
• Berkeley UC campus, Chez Panisse pilgrimage, the bookshops
• Computer History Museum Mountain View; the canonical tech-history museum

Events

• SF Pride late June; one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world, Market Street parade
• Outside Lands August; Golden Gate Park, the SF music festival
• Hardly Strictly Bluegrass October; free music festival in Golden Gate Park, one of the best free festivals in the US
• Fleet Week October; Blue Angels over the bay, best from the Embarcadero or Marina Green
• Folsom Street Fair late September; the kink festival, iconic SF
• Castro Street Fair early October; the neighbourhood block party
• Carnaval in the Mission Memorial Day weekend; Latin culture festival, parade on 24th Street
• Lunar New Year Parade Chinatown, February; one of the largest outside Asia
• Día de los Muertos Mission, November 2; procession on 24th Street, altars at Garfield Square
• Bay to Breakers May; iconic SF race and costume parade, Hayes Street to Ocean Beach
• SF Marathon late July; over the Golden Gate Bridge
• Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Japantown, mid to late April
• SF Beer Week February; ten-day citywide celebration
• SFFILM Festival late April into early May
• Stern Grove Festival June to August; free Sunday concerts in the eucalyptus grove
• Holidays at Union Square ice skating, the tree; December
• Oracle Park Giants game April to September; the splash zone, garlic fries, the McCovey Cove kayakers
• Bay Lights Bay Bridge LED installation; year-round, the western span at night

Season notes

• September and October the best stretch; Karl the Fog backs off, warmest days of the year, the festival season
• April to June shoulder season; Pride builds, Bay to Breakers, cool but pleasant
• July and August coldest summer in the country; Mark Twain didn't actually say it but it's true, bring layers
• November to March the rainy stretch; museum season, fewer crowds, dungeness crab in season