San Francisco is the kind of quirky place where old money meets new. A range of technology start ups have moved into town bringing with them new bars and restaurants.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and cute trams used to be the reason why people visited San Francisco, but with the booming tech industry spilling out of nearby Silicon Valley, tech tourism is coming into its own.
Think industrial warehouses in SoMa, eclectic museums and cultural centres, funky cafes and a huge concentration of restaurants serving fusion food. All the stuff of a great trip or – as they say in The Bay - a ‘hella holiday’.
Beyond the city, in the surrounding bay area, there’s so much more to explore, including Silicon Valley’s innovations and the Napa Valley.
- Tour the city by Cable Car
- Take in some culture at the Museum of modern art
- Experience Alcatraz with their spectacular audio tour
- Hire a bike and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge
- Hop a bus to Golden Gate Park to visit the de Young Museum
- Grab some chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf.
The neighbourhoods of San Francisco are as diverse as they are fascinating, from SoMA to Nob Hill - you’ll find something intriguing at every turn.
South of Market
South of Market is where it’s at in San Fran - the area parallel to Market Street at the epicentre of the dot com boom.
The area is a patchwork of warehouses, trendy nightspots, residential hotels, some of the city's newest museums, dot com head offices and restaurants.
Union Square
One of the city’s major public transport hubs, Union Square is where to go to catch a theatre show, go shopping at one of the many shopping malls (Saks, Macys, Barneys, Bloomingdale), indulge in a delicious meal or visit the nearby historic French quarter.
Nob Hill and Russian Hill
Nob Hill is one of the city’s most affluent neighbourhoods, renowned for its city landmarks and the famous hotels that border Huntington Park, go there to travel on the gorgeous cable cars and enjoy the panoramic views.
Next door is Russian Hill, famous for 'the world's most crookedest street' Lombard Street and is a little more visitor friendly than its more formal neighbour. It's a residential neighbourhood with pockets of charming restaurants and unusual boutiques - the views are also just as dazzling.
Fishermans Wharf
Teeming with tourists, Fishermans Wharf is where you will find fishing boats, seafood stalls and restaurants, sourdough bakeries and sea lions basking in the sun.
This is the place to go for San Francisco’s iconic seafood chowder and the ferry launch to Alcatraz Island.
The Castro and Noe Valley
The epicentre of the LGBTQ community in San Francisco, this former working class Irish neighbourhood is a major cultural reference point of this open-minded progressive Californian city.
Golden Gate
You’ll end up at Golden Gate at some point, if not for well-heeled neighbourhoods like the Marina District, Cow Hollow, and Pacific Heights, then for the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and historical landmarks.
The Avenues
An area in Western San Francisco comprising the awesome Golden Gate Park, the vistas of Lincoln Park and the Richmond and Sunset neighbourhoods.
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In summer (June to August) temperatures average 25-30°C while in winter (December to February) the average is a chilly 5°C. Autumn (September to November) is the recommended time to visit.
From the airport
You can get to your hotel easily on the efficient Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system or via an arrival transfer.
In and around the city
Once you are in the city, the cable car is both a tourist highlight and great way to see San Francisco. There are also bus, ferry, taxi, the BART and the San Francisco Hop-on Hop-off Tour.
Interested in San Francisco or want to see other destinations in the USA? Find out more about flights to USA.
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