San Francisco packs more icons per mile than any city in America: an orange bridge, a rock in the bay, crooked streets and cable-car hills — plus redwoods, wine valleys and the wild Pacific an hour away. This guide gathers the best of it all, with the tours and places our readers love most.
The Golden Gate and the bay
Walk or bike the Golden Gate Bridge, then see it from the water: the 1.5-hour bay sailing tour, the sunset & city lights cruise, the romantic sunset catamaran or the premier brunch cruise with champagne and live music. Below the bridge, the Presidio has become everyone’s national park. → All bay cruises
Alcatraz and the waterfront
The Alcatraz Inside tour — ferry, audio guide and a night option — sells out weeks ahead; read our story of Alcatraz Island before you go. Back ashore, meet the sea lions at Fisherman’s Wharf and climb to Coit Tower for its art-deco murals and a 360° city hug. → All San Francisco places
City tours and attractions
See 15 highlights on the Painted Ladies city tour, ride the Love Tour in a 1970s VW hippie bus, go small-group luxury with Skip The Bus, steer a talking GoCar or groove with Vantigo’s VW bus. Under one living roof, the California Academy of Sciences mixes aquarium, planetarium and rainforest. → All city tours
Classic viewpoints and neighborhoods
Drive the world’s most charming crooked street, Lombard Street; dream Roman at the Palace of Fine Arts; take the city’s sky-high balcony, Twin Peaks; and picnic on San Francisco’s happiest lawn, Dolores Park. A thousand acres of green joy wait in Golden Gate Park. → Family-friendly San Francisco
Wine country
Two famous valleys, one happy day: the Napa and Sonoma premium small-group wine tour, or boutique tastings on the Sonoma wine country tour with a Golden Gate photo stop. → All wine tours
Coast and nature day trips
Giants in every direction: Muir Woods and Sausalito among the redwoods, the combined Golden Gate, Muir Woods & Sausalito tour, Highway 1’s wild coast on the Big Sur, Monterey and Carmel day tour, the 17-Mile Drive and Carmel day trip, and granite grandeur on the small-group Yosemite day trip. → All day trips
Food tours
Taste your way through the city: seven tastings on the Chinatown, North Beach & Little Italy walking food tour, and tacos and murals on the Mission District food tour. → All food tours
Where to stay and what’s on
Pick your hill — compare neighborhoods in Where to Stay, check what’s on this week and our concerts, and plan with the 1-to-5-day itineraries.
Keep exploring: get the best of San Francisco every week — new tours, openings and events — in the Happy City News newsletter.
