San Francisco packs steep hills, a working harbor and some of the country's best Chinese and Mission-style Mexican food into seven square miles. The fog rolls in most summer afternoons, so pack layers regardless of the season.
Good to know
- Weather is cool and foggy even in summer — 'Fog City' — bring layers regardless of season.
- Book Alcatraz tickets weeks in advance; it regularly sells out, especially summer weekends.
- Muni and BART cover most sights; a rental car is more hassle than help within the city.
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Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Ferry out to the former federal prison for the acclaimed audio tour, narrated partly by former guards and inmates. Book weeks ahead.
Touristy but fun — sea lions hauled out on the docks, clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, and ferries to Alcatraz.
Walk or bike partway across the bridge, or view it from the beach at Crissy Field with the city skyline behind you.
Hop the Powell-Hyde line for the steepest, most scenic route, ending near Fisherman's Wharf.
The oldest Chinatown in North America — dim sum, herbal shops and a tiny factory folding fortunes into cookies by hand.
Balmy Alley's political murals alongside the taquerias that claim to have invented the Mission burrito.
The famously crooked block, eight switchbacks of brick lined with hydrangeas — walk down rather than drive to skip the car queue.
Fine arts museum with a free observation tower, inside a park that also holds the Japanese Tea Garden and a bison paddock.
Artisan food hall in a restored 1898 terminal, with a farmers market outside Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, with rainbow crosswalks, the Castro Theatre marquee and a lively bar scene.
A scenic bay ferry to a houseboat-lined harbor town, with a bike ride back across the Golden Gate Bridge as an option.
Cantonese and Hong Kong-style dim sum carts away from the tourist prices of Chinatown.