San Francisco is a city that rewards walking — which is fortunate, because the hills make it unavoidable. Built across a peninsula of hills and water at the northern tip of the California coast, it is compact enough to feel knowable, distinctive enough in its neighbourhoods that the same city feels different block to block, and situated well enough — Bay, ocean, bridges, fog — that the backdrop is permanently theatrical.
We have been to San Francisco many times: driven through it, walked through it, even cycled through it. It’s a city that stays with you. The neighbourhood variety is real: the Mission is not the Haight is not North Beach is not the Castro, and each has its own character, food culture, and street life. The fog rolling in off the Pacific in summer is also real and catches many visitors off guard — pack a layer regardless of the forecast.
A Little Background
The peninsula was home to the Ohlone people long before European contact. Spanish missionaries established the Mission Dolores in 1776 — the oldest intact building in the city, still standing at 16th and Dolores Streets. American control came with the Mexican-American War in 1848, and what followed was the Gold Rush of 1849, which transformed a small settlement into a boomtown almost overnight. The population went from approximately 1,000 in 1848 to 25,000 by the end of 1849.
The earthquake and fire of April 1906 destroyed approximately 80% of the city; the rapid rebuilding that followed largely defined the streetscape that exists today. The mid-twentieth century brought the Beat Generation (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti — based around North Beach and City Lights Books), the Summer of Love (1967, centred on Haight-Ashbury), and the emergence of the Castro as the centre of LGBTQ+ life in America. The technology industry’s dominance since the 1990s has transformed the economics of the city considerably, driving up costs and changing its demographics, but the underlying character of the city — its tolerance, its neighbourhood identity, its relationship to dissent — remains distinct.
What to See and Do
Alcatraz Island sits in the middle of San Francisco Bay, 2.4 kilometres offshore — a former maximum-security federal penitentiary that held Al Capone, Robert Stroud (the Birdman), and George “Machine Gun” Kelly before it closed in 1963. The cellhouse audio tour (narrated in part by former guards and inmates) is excellent. Ferries depart from Pier 33; adult admission including the audio tour is approximately US$45. Book at least two weeks ahead in summer — this sells out.
The Golden Gate Bridge is best experienced on foot or by bicycle. The pedestrian walkway on the eastern side gives views of the Bay, Marin County, and the city; the crossing is roughly 2.7 kilometres. A bike hire from near Fisherman’s Wharf lets you cross the bridge and descend to Sausalito on the Marin side, returning by ferry — a half-day trip and one of the better things to do in the Bay Area. The bridge itself is free; the ferry back costs approximately US$15.
The Mission District is the neighbourhood for food — particularly burritos, which here are a serious proposition rather than a fast-food approximation: warm flour tortillas, the full contents of a taqueria. La Taqueria on Mission Street is the standard reference point. The Mission also has some of the best murals in the city (the Clarion Alley and Balmy Alley collections are worth seeking out) and Dolores Park, the neighbourhood’s living room on a sunny afternoon.
Haight-Ashbury — the intersection itself is modest; what matters is the neighbourhood extending around it, still home to independent record shops, vintage clothing, and a general atmosphere of cheerful anti-convention. The Grateful Dead lived at 710 Ashbury Street (now a private home, worth a look from the pavement). The Haight connects naturally to Golden Gate Park.
Golden Gate Park is larger than Central Park in New York — 1,017 acres of gardens, museums, meadows, and trails stretching from the Haight to the Pacific Ocean. The de Young Museum (San Francisco art and international collection; adult approximately US$30) and the California Academy of Sciences (natural history and planetarium; adult approximately US$40) sit within the park. The Japanese Tea Garden, the oldest public Japanese garden in the US, is a pleasant detour.
North Beach is the Italian neighbourhood and the literary neighbourhood simultaneously — coffee, pasta, and City Lights Booksellers (the independent bookshop founded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1953, still going). Sit in a café with a view of Columbus Avenue and take your time.
Cable cars run on three routes — the Powell-Hyde line is the most scenic, climbing over Nob Hill and descending to Fisherman’s Wharf. They cost US$9 per ride, are slow, and are crowded in summer. Take one anyway; they have been running since 1873 and are unlike anything else. At Powell and Market Streets, watch as the cable cars are manually swivelled round on wooden turntables at the end of the line to begin a fresh journey.
Getting There
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is 21 kilometres south of the city, connected by BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) directly to downtown — approximately 30 minutes to Powell Street station, US$11. Taxis and rideshares are more expensive and subject to traffic. Oakland International Airport (OAK) is also an option for some routes, connected to San Francisco by BART via a longer journey.
Cost and Hours
San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in the US. Mid-range hotel rooms in the city run US$250–400+ per night; budget options are limited and often compromised in location. Food costs similarly: coffee US$5–6, a burrito US$14–18, a mid-range dinner US$60–80 per person. Alcatraz, the de Young, and the Academy of Sciences are the main paid attractions. Allow three to four days minimum; a week if you plan to explore the wider Bay Area.