san francisco: unmissable things to see, do & eat
San Francisco on the west coast of the USA has a great laid-back vibe, great food, and amazing things to see and do.
SAN FRANCISCO’S NEIGHBORHOODS
NORTH BEACH houses Little Italy, full of great Italian restaurants, cool bars and coffee shops.
HAIGHT ASTBURY is the former hippy center of San Francisco.
CHINATOWN. Starting at Dragon’s Gate you enter into Chinatown, which is exactly like stepping into another country. In fact the San Francisco Chinatown is the largest outside of Asia. It is full of restaurants and souvenir shops, cheap goods shops and more. You can watch fortune cookies being made at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory (it can get pretty crowded), have your fortune told, and shop for anything Chinese.
MARINA WATERFRONT. Full of trendy restaurants, shops
MISSION
CASTRO
SAN FRANCISCO’S FAMOUS LANDMARKS
Golden Gate Bridge
Most people just view Golden Gate Bridge from a distance, but you can cross over it. You can walk it, or bike it, or drive over it by car. The Golden Gate Bridge is the iconic bridge of San Francisco.
There is a beach near to the bridge, Baker Beach. You can walk along the beach, let your dog run around (hopefully yours won’t roll in seagull poop like the one we went with!).
Lombard Street
Lombard Street is that iconic twisty street that is always shown as representative of San Francisco. It is sandwiched between Hyde Street and Leavenworth Street.
It is a lot of fun to watch when a car is meandering down Lombard Street, with its twists and turns!
San Francisco Trolley
The San Francisco trolley is an iconic part of San Francisco. Whenever I visit a city that has a trolley I always ride the trolley! So many cities have got rid of these wonderful old trams.A trolley ride around San Francisco is a great thing to do. The trolley car drivers are fully aware that most of the riders are tourists, and they do their best to stop for photo opportunities!
Ghiradelli Square
Ghiradelli chocolates originated in San Francisco. You can get free samples in the square here, also shop great Ghiradelli items, and take in the shops and restaurants in the square.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf is the waterfront area of San Francisco. Here you can wander around and take in the sights, eat creamy delicious clam chowder, and chew amazing sourdough bread.
Alcatraz
Alcatraz can be seen from the harbor, but if you want to get closer you can take a ferry there. It is the famous prison on an island that sits out in the middle of San Francisco Bay.
Haight Ashbury
Museum of Ice Cream
Botanical Garden