THE BEST Sights and Attractions in San Francisco
From iconic landmarks to hidden gems — explore the best sights and attractions in San Francisco with curated picks, local tips, and free itinerary planning tools.
🏛️ Sights and Attractions in San Francisco
- Golden Gate Bridge — The Art Deco suspension bridge, painted International Orange and framed by fog and bay views.
- Alcatraz Island — A former federal prison on a rocky island in the bay, now a museum with audio tours.
- Fisherman’s Wharf — A bustling waterfront neighbourhood with sea lions, crab stands, shops and bay cruises.
- Lombard Street — A famously winding, flower-lined one-block street on Russian Hill.
- Chinatown — The oldest Chinatown in North America, with markets, temples, dim sum and the Dragon Gate.
- Golden Gate Park — A large urban park with museums, gardens, lakes, buffalo and the Japanese Tea Garden.
- Palace of Fine Arts — A Beaux-Arts structure and lagoon built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.
- Pier 39 — A touristy pier with shops, restaurants, sea lions and bay views.
- Union Square — A central shopping and hotel district with the Powell-Hyde cable car turnaround.
- Coit Tower — A tall art deco tower on Telegraph Hill with murals and panoramic city views.
- Cable Cars — Historic moving National Historic Landmarks that climb the steep hills.
- Painted Ladies — A row of colourful Victorian houses near Alamo Square, famous from many films and TV shows.
- Exploratorium — A hands-on science museum on the Embarcadero with interactive exhibits for all ages.
- California Academy of Sciences — A natural history museum in Golden Gate Park with an aquarium, planetarium and rainforest dome.
- Twin Peaks — Two hills centre offering 360-degree views and the bay.
- Ferry Building — A Beaux-Arts transit hub and gourmet food hall on the Embarcadero.
- Haight-Ashbury — The historic centre of 1960s hippie culture, with vintage shops and colourful Victorians.
- Muir Woods — A national monument just with towering old-growth redwood trees.
- Sausalito — A charming waterfront town across the Golden Gate Bridge with houseboats and galleries.
- Crissy Field — A former airfield turned park with beaches, trails and prime Golden Gate Bridge views.