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Below is our list of things to do in San Francisco. Click here to jump down to a list of our recommendations for places to eat.
Things to Do
1) Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. The famous Golden Gate Bridge is one-mile long and offers stunning views of the entire Bay Area. Biking across (rentals are easily available) is also an option. If biking, we recommend continuing down to Sausalito for lunch and taking the ferry back to San Francisco so you don't need to ride back up the hill. 2) Visit Alcatraz. A visit to this former prison is a Bay Area must! You should purchase tickets well in advance since it will be a holiday weekend. We strongly recommend getting the audio tour. Click here for ticket information. 3) Check out the Saturday Farmers' Market at the Ferry Building. The historic and recently refurbished Ferry Building provides an ideal location to shop for local produce and artisan goods. On a nice day, the views of the East Bay and the Bay Bridge are outstanding. 4) Walk up Coit Tower. Located above North Beach, Coit Tower was erected as a tribute to San Francisco firemen and is shaped like a firehose. Besides more beautiful views of the city, there are some cool Depression-era art inside the tower. Please be aware that this is a steep walk up but driving is an option. Afterwards, head on down to North Beach to enjoy a cappuccino and some Italian pastries. We recommend Stella Bakery on Columbus Ave. and Victoria Pastry Co. on Stockton at Vallejo. 5) Contemplate Grace Cathedral .This impressive Episcopal Church is located on the top of Nob Hill. The cathedral includes a replica of Ghiberti's "Doors of Paradise" that are found at the Duomo in Florence, Italy. The less devout can stop for a drink at the nearby 'Top of the Mark', located at the top of the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel. Yet another place for great views of the city! 6) Wake your senses at the Conservatory of Flowers. Located within San Francisco's famous Golden Gate Park, the Conservatory of Flowers is a historical landmark made of glass that houses more than 2,000 rare plant species. While at the park, stop for tea at the Japanese Tea Garden or check out the newly renovated DeYoung Museum. 7) Visit a museum. San Francisco has lots of great museums. We recommend going to the following: SF MOMA (Museum of Modern Art), located conveniently downtown; The Asian Art Museum, the largest museum in the West dedicated exclusively to Asian art; The Legion of Honor, a beautiful fine arts museum located near the ocean at the northwest tip of San Francisco (so farther away from downtown); and the Cable Car Museum , a free, little museum in Nob Hill where you can learn the history of the cable cars and actually see the cables moving beneath the city. 8) Eat and shop in Sausalito. Sausalito is a quick ferry ride across the Bay. It contains lots of quaint shops and eateries and offers (you guessed it) spectacular views of San Francisco. Strolling around Sausalito is a nice way to spend an afternoon.
San Francisco is a food town, so dig in and enjoy yourself! You might begin with some of our suggestions below, which are all fairly near the hotels and the downtown area. Dinner reservations are generally advisable. Taxis are easy to hail in San Francisco and most cab drivers will know how to get to many of these restaurants. • San Francisco Establishments Worth Checking Out Harris' Steakhouse. Best steakhouse in the city, 2100 Van Ness Ave. 415.673.1888, www.harrisrestaurant.com. Palace Hotel's Garden Court. Try the Saturday afternoon high tea (reservations needed), 2 New Montgomery St., 415.546.5089, www.gardencourt-restaurant.com. Swan Oyster Depot. Worth the wait for the fresh Dungeness crab and oysters at this tiny family-owned seafood bar, not open for dinner, 1517 Polk St., no reservations taken. Stella Pastry Café. Italian bakery and café open late night (try the pinole!), 446 Columbus Ave. Tadich Grill. Gold Rush era seafood restaurant, 240 California St., 415.391.1849. • Great Breakfast Places (If You Don't Mind The Wait) Dottie's True Blue Café. Eggs and great baked goods, 522 Jones St., 415.885.2767 Mama's on Washington Square. More eggs and great baked goods, 1701 Stockton St., 415.362.6421 • Other Breakfast Places (Near The Hotels) Café de la Presse. Nice French café near Chinatown, 352 Grant Ave., 415.398.2680. Perry's. American pub and breakfast food, 185 Sutter St., 415.989.6895. Posh Bagel. Quick breakfast place, 270 Sutter St. • Lunch (Around Union Square/Hotel Area) Emporio Rulli Café. Italian pastries and sandwiches in the middle of Union Square, 415.433.1122. Medicine. Serving vegetarian cuisine of Japanese Zen Monasteries, 161 Sutter St., 415.677.4405. Mocca Café. European deli and café, 175 Maiden Lane, 415.956.1188. Neiman Marcus Rotunda. Offers nice views of Union Square, Union Square, 150 Stockton St., 415.362.4777, www.rotundarestaurant.com. • Dinner (Near The Hotels) Colibri Mexican Bistro. Gourmet Mexican bistro that also serves breakfast, 438 Geary St., 415.440.2737, www.colibrimexicanbistro.com/colibriHome.html. E&O Trading Company. Southeast Asian grilled cuisine, 314 Sutter St., 415.693.0303, www.eotrading.com. Max's on the Square. New York delicatessen-style restaurant with enormous sandwiches and decadent desserts, 398 Geary St., 415.646.8600, http://www.jdvhospitality.com/dining/dining/299. R&G Lounge. Authentic Cantonese cuisine, 631 Kearny St., 415.982.7877 (This restaurant is also close to the Bubble Lounge.) Sanraku Japanese Restaurant. Decent sushi and other Japanese cuisine, 704 Sutter St., 415.771.0803, www.sanraku.com. • Dinner in North Beach (Near The Bubble Lounge) R&G Lounge. Authentic Cantonese cuisine, 631 Kearny St., 415.982.7877. Rose Pistola. Family-style, Italian cuisine from the region of Liguria, 532 Columbus Ave., 415.399.0499, www.rosepistolasf.com. Tomasso's. Italian eatery that has long attracted local celebs and politicians with its wood-fired pizza (don't mind the adult bookstores and strip clubs nearby), 1042 Kearny St., 415.398.9696. Trattoria Contadina. Neighborhood Italian restaurant, 1800 Mason St., 415.982.5746. • High-End Restaurants If you are a "foodie" at heart and don't mind making a slight dent in your wallet, these restaurants are worth trying, provided you can get a reservation. Call now. Boulevard. French-New American cuisine, an old favorite in San Francisco, 1 Mission St., 415.543.6084, www.boulevardrestaurant.com. Gary Danko. Prix-fixe menu, considered one of the best restaurants in the country, 800 N. Point St., 415.749.2060, www.garydanko.com. Kokkari Estiartorio. Sophisticated Greek cuisine in a comfortable setting, 200 Jackson St., 415.981.0983, www.kokkari.com. Michael Mina. Prix-fixe menus featuring three-ways of preparing each item, Westin St. Francis, 335 Powell St., 415.397.9222, www.michaelmina.net. Myth. Great food and décor with a large selection of wines by the glass, 470 Pacific Ave., 415.677.8986, www.mythsf.com. |
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The San Francisco Bay Area is full of great things to see and do. Any decent guidebook should help you set your itinerary. You can also check out 