25 Best Things to Do in San Francisco: Famous Sights, Hidden Gems, History & Unusual Places
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San Francisco is one of those rare cities where the real history can sound almost like fiction.
A supposedly inescapable prison sits on an island in the middle of the bay. Ruins of an enormous Victorian swimming complex crumble beside the Pacific Ocean. Cable cars still climb impossibly steep streets. Gold Rush fortunes, devastating earthquakes, forgotten cemeteries, Beat poets, immigrant neighborhoods and some of America's most famous criminal stories are layered across a city measuring less than 50 square miles.
And then there are the icons.
The Golden Gate Bridge emerges from the fog. Victorian houses climb the hills. Sea lions crowd the waterfront. Chinatown lanterns hang above narrow streets, and ferries cross the same cold bay that once separated some of America's most notorious prisoners from freedom.
For travelers who love history, mysteries, unusual places and fascinating stories, San Francisco is difficult to beat.
Here are 25 of the best things to do in San Francisco, including its most famous landmarks, historic locations and some of the stranger places hiding beyond the usual tourist trail.
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1. Explore Alcatraz Island
Few places are as closely associated with San Francisco as Alcatraz.
The rocky island in San Francisco Bay served several purposes before becoming the federal penitentiary that made it infamous. From 1934 until 1963, the prison held men including Al Capone, George "Machine Gun" Kelly and Robert Stroud.
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| Alcatraz Island in 1907, decades before it became the infamous federal penitentiary. The island previously served as a military fortification and U.S. military prison. |
Its greatest mystery came in June 1962.
Prisoners Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin escaped their cells through openings they had enlarged in the walls, left papier-mâché heads in their beds and disappeared from the island on an improvised raft.
They were never conclusively found.
Authorities concluded that the men most likely drowned in the cold waters surrounding the island, but the absence of definitive proof helped turn the escape into one of America's enduring mysteries.
Today visitors can walk through the cellhouse, see the cells associated with the escape and stand inside the prison while the skyline of San Francisco remains clearly visible across the water.
That view helps explain why imprisonment here could be psychologically brutal. Freedom seemed incredibly close.
For the full story of the prison and its most famous escape, read our guide to the Escape from Alcatraz.
Travel tip: Alcatraz is one San Francisco attraction worth booking ahead. Ferries depart from Pier 33, and popular dates can sell out.
2. Walk Across the Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and quickly became one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
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| The Golden Gate Bridge has spanned the entrance to San Francisco Bay since 1937 and remains one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. |
Its famous International Orange color was not simply an aesthetic choice. The warm color worked beautifully against the surrounding landscape and also increased visibility through the fog that frequently rolls through the Golden Gate.
The bridge stretches approximately 1.7 miles across the strait connecting San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean.
Walking even partway across provides extraordinary views of the city, Marin Headlands, Alcatraz and the Pacific.
For another perspective, visit Battery Spencer on the Marin side or explore the trails around the Presidio.
3. Discover the Ruins of Sutro Baths
This is one of the most fascinating places in San Francisco and one that feels remarkably different from the polished attractions downtown.
In 1896, entrepreneur and former San Francisco mayor Adolph Sutro opened an enormous public bathhouse beside the Pacific Ocean.
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| Sutro Baths around 1897, near the time the enormous swimming and entertainment complex opened to the public. |
Sutro Baths contained seven swimming pools beneath a huge glass enclosure. The complex also included diving platforms, slides, hundreds of dressing rooms, spectator seating, restaurants and exhibits.
It was part swimming facility, part entertainment complex and part Victorian engineering marvel.
Eventually, however, the enormous facility became financially unsustainable.
The baths closed in 1966. While the complex was being demolished, a fire destroyed what remained.
Today its concrete foundations sit exposed beside the Pacific.
Visitors can walk among the ruins and imagine the gigantic glass structure that once stood here while waves crash against the rocks below.
It is beautiful, strange and slightly haunting, particularly when San Francisco's fog moves across the coast.
4. Hike Lands End
Continue from Sutro Baths into Lands End for one of San Francisco's most dramatic coastal walks.
Trails wind through cypress and eucalyptus trees above cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Along the way are views toward the Golden Gate Bridge, rocky coastline and remnants of San Francisco's coastal history.
The combination of shipwreck stories, fog, cliffs and abandoned structures makes Lands End feel surprisingly wild for somewhere inside a major city.
5. Ride a Historic San Francisco Cable Car
San Francisco's cable cars are not replicas created for tourists.
They are survivors.
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| San Francisco's historic cable cars still climb the city's steep streets today, continuing a transportation tradition that began in the nineteenth century. |
Cable cars began operating in San Francisco in the 1870s, when the city's steep hills made conventional horse-drawn transportation difficult.
The cars are pulled along their routes by continuously moving underground cables that the operator grips and releases.
Riding one through the hills remains one of the quintessential San Francisco experiences.
For visitors interested in how the unusual system actually works, the Cable Car Museum provides a look at the machinery that keeps the system moving.
6. Explore San Francisco's Chinatown
San Francisco's Chinatown dates to the Gold Rush era and is generally recognized as the oldest Chinatown in North America.
.webp "San Francisco's Chinatown") |
| San Francisco's Chinatown in 1903. The neighborhood grew rapidly during the nineteenth century and became one of the city's most distinctive historic districts. |
Enter through the famous Dragon Gate and explore streets filled with restaurants, bakeries, markets, temples and historic buildings.
But don't limit your visit to Grant Avenue.
Nearby Stockton Street offers a different experience, with produce markets, seafood shops and businesses serving the local community.
One particularly fun stop is Ross Alley, home to the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.
Chinatown also contains stories of secret societies, gambling rooms, Prohibition-era nightlife and underground spaces that have contributed to legends about tunnels beneath the neighborhood.
Some tunnel stories are better documented than others, but Chinatown's complicated history makes it one of San Francisco's most fascinating neighborhoods.
7. Visit the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
Hidden down narrow Ross Alley, this tiny factory has been producing fortune cookies since 1962.
Visitors can watch cookies being shaped while they are still warm and purchase bags of traditional and flavored versions.
Despite their association with Chinese restaurants, the modern fortune cookie has strong ties to California rather than China.
It is a quick stop, but exactly the kind of unusual San Francisco experience worth seeking out.
8. See Lombard Street
A single block of Lombard Street has become one of San Francisco's most photographed locations.
Between Hyde and Leavenworth streets, the road descends through eight sharp turns surrounded by landscaping and homes.
The switchbacks were created to make the extremely steep hill more manageable for vehicles.
Walking down the neighboring stairs provides a better opportunity to appreciate just how unusual the street really is.
9. Wander Through the Presidio
Long before San Francisco became an American city, the Presidio was a Spanish military outpost.
Spain established the post in 1776. Control later passed to Mexico and then the United States.
Today the former military installation is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Its forests, historic military buildings, overlooks and trails make it one of the best places to explore the layers of San Francisco history while escaping the busiest parts of downtown.
10. Visit Mission Dolores
Mission San Francisco de Asís, better known as Mission Dolores, dates to 1776.
Its surviving mission church is the oldest intact building in San Francisco.
The site provides a window into Spanish colonial California, but its history also includes the devastating consequences the mission system had for Indigenous communities.
Beside the mission is a small historic cemetery.
Many of San Francisco's old burial grounds disappeared as the city expanded, making the cemetery here an unusual survivor from the city's earliest era.
11. See the Painted Ladies
The row of Victorian houses beside Alamo Square is one of San Francisco's most recognizable views.
Often called the Painted Ladies, the homes were built during the late nineteenth century.
One reason surviving Victorian architecture is so significant is the destruction caused by the 1906 earthquake and fires.
Thousands of buildings were lost.
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| Ruins near Market and Turk Streets following the devastating San Francisco earthquake and fires of 1906. |
Today the Painted Ladies provide a striking glimpse of the architecture that once filled much more of the city.
For the classic photograph, stand in Alamo Square with the houses in the foreground and San Francisco's modern skyline behind them.
12. Explore the Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts looks as though a fragment of ancient Rome somehow appeared beside San Francisco Bay.
.webp "Palace of Fine Arts") |
| The Palace of Fine Arts was originally built for San Francisco's 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition and remains one of the city's most distinctive architectural landmarks. |
It was originally created for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, an enormous world's fair that celebrated San Francisco's recovery following the destruction of 1906.
Its monumental rotunda, columns and lagoon made it one of the exposition's most beloved structures.
Most of the fair disappeared.
The Palace survived.
Today it is one of San Francisco's most atmospheric places for a walk, especially near sunset.
13. Search for the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Not every San Francisco mystery involves prisons or ruins.
Sometimes it involves parrots.
A flock of wild cherry-headed conures has lived around Telegraph Hill and other parts of San Francisco for decades.
Exactly how the population began is not completely certain, although escaped or released pet birds are believed to have formed the original flock.
Their bright feathers and loud calls seem strangely tropical against San Francisco's architecture.
Keep an eye and an ear out around Telegraph Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods.
14. Climb Coit Tower
Rising above Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower was completed in 1933.
Inside are murals created during the Depression era depicting scenes of life and labor in California.
The tower is sometimes mistakenly described as having been designed to resemble a fire-hose nozzle because benefactor Lillie Hitchcock Coit had a famous connection to San Francisco firefighters.
The resemblance is largely legend.
The real story is still fascinating.
Coit's bequest helped fund a monument intended to beautify the city she loved.
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| Coit Tower rises above Telegraph Hill near North Beach, one of San Francisco's most historic and atmospheric neighborhoods. |
15. Explore North Beach
At the bottom of Telegraph Hill lies North Beach, San Francisco's historic Italian neighborhood.
Italian restaurants, cafés and old bars still line the streets, but the neighborhood also became famous for something completely different during the 1950s.
The Beat Generation gathered here.
Writers including Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg became associated with the neighborhood's cafés, bars and bookstores.
Visit City Lights Booksellers, walk along Columbus Avenue and stop at Vesuvio Cafe to experience part of that literary history.
16. Visit City Lights Booksellers
Founded in 1953 by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Peter D. Martin, City Lights became one of America's legendary independent bookstores.
Its history became intertwined with the Beat Generation and the fight over literary censorship.
The publication of Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems led to an obscenity trial that became an important American free-speech case.
Even visitors who are not serious book collectors may appreciate standing inside a place that played a genuine role in twentieth-century cultural history.
17. See the Sea Lions at Pier 39
Pier 39 is unapologetically touristy, but its most famous residents arrived without an invitation.
California sea lions began gathering around the marina after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Their numbers increased dramatically, and eventually the docks were largely surrendered to them.
Today visitors can watch the animals bark, sleep, argue and pile on top of one another beside the pier.
The number present changes throughout the year as animals migrate.
18. Explore Fisherman's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf is one of San Francisco's busiest visitor districts, but beneath the souvenir shops is genuine maritime history.
Italian immigrants helped build San Francisco's fishing industry here, particularly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Today the waterfront remains a good place to try Dungeness crab, clam chowder and cioppino.
It is also convenient for reaching Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Hyde Street Pier and the Alcatraz ferry departure area.
19. Visit Ghirardelli Square
Chocolate maker Domenico Ghirardelli established his company in San Francisco during the Gold Rush era.
The former chocolate factory complex near the waterfront was later transformed into shops and restaurants, becoming an early example of adaptive reuse of historic industrial buildings.
Visitors can explore the square and, naturally, stop for chocolate or a sundae.
20. Walk Through the Ferry Building
The Ferry Building opened in 1898 and once functioned as one of the city's great transportation gateways.
Before the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge transformed regional travel, enormous numbers of passengers arrived in San Francisco by ferry.
The building survived the 1906 earthquake.
Today its distinctive clock tower still dominates the Embarcadero, while the interior houses food shops, restaurants and markets.
21. Find the Wave Organ
This may be one of the strangest musical instruments in California.
The Wave Organ is an acoustic sculpture built into a jetty extending into San Francisco Bay.
A series of pipes interacts with waves and changing water levels to create subtle gurgling, rushing and resonating sounds.
The experience varies with the tide.
It is not a dramatic concert. It is something much stranger: an instrument essentially played by the bay itself.
22. Walk the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps
San Francisco's hills have created hundreds of public staircases, but few are as colorful as the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps.
A huge mosaic flows up the staircase, incorporating imagery inspired by the sea, sky, moon and sun.
Climb to the top and continue toward Grandview Park for sweeping views across the city.
23. Visit Grace Cathedral
Standing on Nob Hill, Grace Cathedral is one of San Francisco's great architectural landmarks.
Construction of the current cathedral followed the destruction caused by the 1906 earthquake and fire.
One of its most unusual features is its labyrinth.
The design is based on the medieval labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France, turning a visit into something more contemplative than a typical sightseeing stop.
24. Explore Haight-Ashbury
In 1967, thousands of young people descended on San Francisco during what became known as the Summer of Love.
Haight-Ashbury became one of the centers of the counterculture movement.
The neighborhood was associated with psychedelic music, communal living, political activism and musicians including the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin.
Today vintage shops and colorful Victorian houses remain alongside reminders of that extraordinary period.
25. Watch the Fog Roll Over San Francisco
San Francisco's fog deserves a place on the list.
It forms when moist air from the Pacific is drawn toward California's warmer interior and encounters the cold coastal environment.
The Golden Gate acts almost like a doorway, allowing fog to pour into the bay.
Sometimes the Golden Gate Bridge disappears almost completely.
At other times its towers rise above a white blanket of fog.
For one of the most memorable views, head toward the Presidio, Crissy Field or the Marin Headlands and watch the weather transform the landscape.
Fascinating Facts About San Francisco
San Francisco's history contains plenty of details that sound almost unbelievable.
The California Gold Rush transformed the settlement dramatically after 1848 as people arrived from around the world hoping to make their fortunes.
The 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires destroyed huge sections of the city, but reconstruction happened remarkably quickly.
San Francisco's cable cars remain a functioning part of the city's transportation system rather than simply a museum attraction.
Alcatraz Island once contained the first operational lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States.
San Francisco's Chinatown grew from the Gold Rush era and became one of the most important Chinese communities in North America.
Much of modern San Francisco was shaped not only by earthquakes but by fire, immigration, maritime trade, military history and repeated waves of cultural change.
Even the city's landscape has changed. Shorelines were filled, hills were altered and cemeteries were relocated as valuable land was redeveloped.
That means the San Francisco visible today is only the latest version of a city that has repeatedly rebuilt and reinvented itself.
Ultimate Travel Guide
Where to Eat in San Francisco
Food is part of San Francisco's history, so some of the most interesting places to eat are attractions in their own right.
Tadich Grill
Location: 240 California Street, San Francisco
Operating since the Gold Rush era, Tadich Grill traces its history to 1849 and is widely regarded as California's oldest continuously operating restaurant.
The dining room retains an old-school San Francisco character with seafood, steaks and classic dishes.
For visitors interested in experiencing the city rather than simply eating dinner, this is one of the most historically interesting choices.
Best for: Historic atmosphere • Seafood • Old San Francisco
The Buena Vista Cafe
Location: 2765 Hyde Street, San Francisco
The Buena Vista is famous for helping popularize Irish coffee in the United States.
The story dates to 1952, when owner Jack Koeppler and travel writer Stanton Delaplane attempted to recreate the Irish coffee served at Shannon Airport in Ireland.
Today rows of Irish coffees being prepared behind the bar have become a San Francisco tradition.
Its location near the Hyde Street cable car turnaround also makes it easy to combine with Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square.
Best for: History • Irish coffee • Breakfast • Waterfront atmosphere
John's Grill
Location: 63 Ellis Street, San Francisco
Opened in 1908, John's Grill combines old San Francisco atmosphere with literary history.
The restaurant became famous through Dashiell Hammett's detective novel The Maltese Falcon.
Dark wood interiors, historic photographs and classic steak-and-seafood dishes preserve the feeling of another era.
Best for: Literary history • Steaks • Classic San Francisco
Scoma's
Location: 1965 Al Scoma Way, San Francisco
Scoma's has been part of Fisherman's Wharf since 1965.
Its waterfront location and seafood-focused menu make it an atmospheric choice for visitors exploring the Wharf.
Best for: Seafood • Waterfront dining • Fisherman's Wharf
House of Nanking
Location: 919 Kearny Street, San Francisco
For a completely different experience, head toward Chinatown.
House of Nanking has become a long-running favorite for Chinese food near the edge of Chinatown and North Beach.
Its central location makes it particularly convenient while exploring both neighborhoods.
Best for: Chinese food • Casual dining • Chinatown sightseeing
Tony's Pizza Napoletana
Location: 1570 Stockton Street, San Francisco
Located beside Washington Square in North Beach, Tony's is a popular stop for pizza in the city's historic Italian neighborhood.
Its location makes it easy to combine dinner with Coit Tower, City Lights and an evening exploring North Beach.
Best for: Pizza • North Beach • Casual dinner
Where to Stay in San Francisco
Where you stay can dramatically change the experience of visiting San Francisco.
For a first visit, Fisherman's Wharf offers easy access to many famous attractions, while Union Square provides a more central base for exploring different neighborhoods.
Argonaut Hotel
Location: 495 Jefferson Street, San Francisco
Set inside a historic waterfront building near Fisherman's Wharf, the Argonaut combines a maritime theme with one of the most convenient sightseeing locations in the city.
Ghirardelli Square, Aquatic Park, Hyde Street Pier and the cable cars are nearby.
Best for: First-time visitors • Waterfront • Families • Historic atmosphere
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Fairmont San Francisco
Location: 950 Mason Street, San Francisco
The Fairmont is one of San Francisco's legendary hotels.
Standing atop Nob Hill, it has hosted generations of celebrities, political figures and international visitors.
The hotel is also home to the wonderfully unusual Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar, where tropical décor surrounds an indoor lagoon and simulated rainstorms add to the experience.
Best for: Historic luxury • Nob Hill • Couples • Classic San Francisco
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The Westin St. Francis
Location: 335 Powell Street, San Francisco
Opened in 1904, the St. Francis survived the 1906 earthquake but was badly damaged by the fires that followed.
It was rebuilt and became one of the city's landmark hotels.
Its location directly on Union Square makes it convenient for cable cars, shopping and exploring downtown.
Best for: Historic hotels • Union Square • Central location
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Chancellor Hotel on Union Square
Location: 433 Powell Street, San Francisco
The Chancellor opened in 1914 and offers a historic hotel experience directly on the Powell Street cable car line.
Its location makes it particularly useful for visitors who want a central base without staying on the waterfront.
Best for: Value • History • Cable cars • Central sightseeing
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Fairmont Heritage Place at Ghirardelli Square
Location: 900 North Point Street, San Francisco
For travelers who want more space and a premium waterfront location, this all-suite property occupies part of historic Ghirardelli Square.
Fisherman's Wharf, Aquatic Park and the cable car turnaround are within easy walking distance.
Best for: Families • Groups • Luxury • Waterfront location
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Hotel Zoe Fisherman's Wharf
Location: 425 North Point Street, San Francisco
Hotel Zoe provides another convenient base close to Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf and the Alcatraz ferry area.
Its location works particularly well for travelers planning to spend several days exploring the waterfront.
Best for: Sightseeing • Couples • Fisherman's Wharf
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Unusual San Francisco Experiences Worth Booking
San Francisco is especially good for travelers who prefer experiences over ordinary sightseeing.
Look for Alcatraz day and night tours, San Francisco Bay cruises, Golden Gate Bridge bicycle tours, Chinatown food tours, North Beach walking tours, ghost and true-crime tours, Muir Woods excursions, Napa and Sonoma wine-country day trips and combination tours that include several major attractions.
An Alcatraz night visit is particularly atmospheric for travelers interested in the darker side of the city's history.
A bay cruise is another worthwhile experience because San Francisco looks completely different from the water. Many cruises provide views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the city skyline in a single trip.
Best Day Trips from San Francisco
San Francisco also makes an excellent base for exploring Northern California.
Muir Woods
Ancient coastal redwoods grow only a relatively short journey north of the city.
Walking beneath trees hundreds of years old provides an extraordinary contrast to San Francisco's busy streets.
Sausalito
Across the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito offers waterfront restaurants, galleries and views toward San Francisco.
It can easily be combined with Muir Woods.
Napa Valley
One of America's most famous wine regions lies north of San Francisco.
Visitors can join organized day tours or spend several days exploring wineries and the towns of Napa Valley.
Winchester Mystery House
Travel south to San Jose to visit one of California's strangest historic homes.
Sarah Winchester continuously expanded her mansion for decades, eventually creating a sprawling house filled with staircases, doors, unusual architectural details and countless legends.
The house became known as the Winchester Mystery House and remains one of California's most unusual attractions.
Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum
Also in San Jose, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum contains one of the largest collections of Egyptian artifacts on display in western North America.
Its Egyptian-inspired buildings and exhibits make it another excellent stop for travelers interested in ancient history and mysteries.
How Many Days Do You Need in San Francisco?
Three days is enough to experience many of San Francisco's most famous attractions.
Four or five days is better for travelers who want to explore neighborhoods, historic locations and less obvious places without rushing.
A longer stay also makes it easier to add Muir Woods, Sausalito, San Jose or California wine country.
A Perfect Three-Day San Francisco Itinerary
Day One: Begin at the Golden Gate Bridge and Presidio before visiting the Palace of Fine Arts. Continue toward Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square and Pier 39. Finish the evening with dinner near the waterfront.
Day Two: Visit Alcatraz in the morning or early afternoon. After returning to the city, explore Chinatown and North Beach. Visit City Lights, walk through Washington Square and continue toward Coit Tower.
Day Three: Explore Mission Dolores and Haight-Ashbury before heading west toward Lands End and the Sutro Baths. Finish the trip watching the sunset over the Pacific.
Travelers staying longer can dedicate another day to Golden Gate Park or take a day trip beyond the city.
The Secret Is to Look Beyond the Postcard
San Francisco is famous for a bridge, cable cars and a prison in the bay.
But those landmarks barely begin to explain the city.
Look closer and San Francisco becomes a collection of overlapping stories.
Victorian ruins sit beside the Pacific. Gold Rush restaurants still serve customers. Wild parrots fly above neighborhoods once occupied by Beat poets. An abandoned prison remains frozen on an island while one of America's greatest unsolved escape stories continues to inspire debate.
A nineteenth-century cable system still pulls wooden cars over hills in the twenty-first century.
Fog can erase one of the world's largest bridges in minutes.
And beneath almost every famous attraction is another story about the people who built, destroyed, escaped, rebuilt or transformed the city.
That is what makes San Francisco such an extraordinary place to explore.
Come for the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, but leave enough time for the ruins, alleyways, old restaurants, forgotten stories and strange corners that reveal the San Francisco hiding behind the postcard.