California Tourism

San Francisco Visitors Guide

Sometimes called the “Gateway to the Orient” San Francisco is a cultural melting pot with people from nearly every nation in the world and representing every state. There are more than 500 churches, temples, and meeting houses which hold services in 23 different languages and each week 50 periodicals are published in 13 languages.

San Francisco has been described as “Hellenic in its setting and climate, European in its intellectual and cultural scope, American in its vigor and informality and Asian in its tranquility”. When visiting this diversified city, you will see skyscrapers, historic landmarks and buildings, gorgeous flower gardens and, of course, renowned landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, Nob Hill and Fisherman’s Wharf.

You can tour San Francisco’s sites by cablecar, on one of the bus tours or by renting/driving your own vehicle. However, San Francisco is not for the faint of heart. Its hairpin turns on Lombard Street along with the city’s plethora of hills add to your driving adventure. You will find much to do---from museums to movies, shopping and sports, fine dining and the arts or lounges such as the Top of the Mark.

San Francisco Museums

For masterpieces from Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, China, Korea and Japan, spend some time at the Asian Art Museum. There are hundreds of shades of a jade, a 1,500 year old earthenware warrior, over 15,000 ornamental objects and numerous exhibits and displays devoted to Asian art.

To see vintage cable cars, historic displays, model cable cars and learn the history of San Francisco’s famed cars, visit the Cable Car Museum

The Cartoon Art Museum was established in 1987 with help from Peanuts creator Charles Shultz. It is the only one of its kind in the U.S. and has
over 6,000 pieces of original work.

For unique and unusual displays and exhibits, visit Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum which houses items like a cable car made from over 270,000 matchsticks, a two-headed calf and many other oddities from around the world.

The Wells Fargo Bank History Museum has artifacts and displays from the Gold Rush to the 1906 Earthquake to modern day banking.

For works by the masters, visit some of San Francisco’s many art museums. The Museum of Craft & Folk Art has exhibits and displays of artwork from cultures past to the present with items ranging from utilitarian items to contemporary art. The Palace of Fine Arts is also home to the Exploratorium, and has a Greco-Romanesque rotunda and Corinthian colonnades. For 20th century art, concerts and traveling exhibits visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Also of art interest is the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts where you can see works by emerging local artist in the visual, performing, film and video arts. There is a multipurpose Forum where you can see experimental performances, special events and attend meetings.

Historic San Francisco Landmarks

Alcatraz from Fishermans Wharf

Alcatraz Island, aka The Rock, was a maximum security prison from 1934-1963 and is one of San Francisco’s most popular sights. While there, you can visit the former cells of legendary criminals like Al Capone, Robert Stroud and many others as you listen to the 35 minute self-guided audio tours.

The City Lights Bookstore was founded by, and still owned, by beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It is one of America’s earliest bookstores and was a favorite of writers like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac.

The War Memorial Opera House (1932) was the first civic-owned opera house in the country. It is the site of the 1951 Japanese Peace Treaty and where the UN was started in 1945.

Lotta’s Fountain is a gift to the city by Vaudeville star, Lotta Crabtree, in 1857. During the 1906 earthquake it was a key meeting place for families who had been separated.

Famous San Francisco Locations

Beginning at Bush and Grant streets is the impressive dragon topped gateway to Chinatown. Upon entering this enchanting community, you will find herb shops, bustling markets, tea houses, Buddhist temples and dim sum restaurants. Interesting Chinatown landmarks include St. Mary’s at Square, the statue of Sun Yat Sen, the Chinese Cultural Center and Grant Street itself which has been called the “Street of 25,000 Lanterns”.

One of America’s most recognized architectural landmarks is the Golden Gate Bridge. Completed under budget and ahead of schedule, the Bridge opened for vehicular traffic in 1937. The Bridge’s span stretches an impressive 4,200 feet and each of its towers weighs 44,400 tons and reaches 746 feet above sea level. To view the Bridge at its best vantage points, take the sidewalks on either side of the 1.7 mile long structure.

Adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge is the Golden Gate National Recreation Area with its 28 miles of beaches (i.e. Baker Beach, China Beach, Ocean Beach and Muir Beach) the Marin Headlands with its wildlife and easy hiking trails, picnic areas and Fort Point National Historic Site.

At Golden Gate Park you will find a variety of activities. There is a 9 hole golf course, archery, baseball diamonds, handball courts and other assorted sporting facilities. Park attractions include the 10 acre Buffalo Paddock, the Japanese Tea Garden, Spreckles Lake, Slow Lake and the Mary Connolly Children’s Playground.

The area known as Fisherman’s Wharf is not only home to many impressive eateries, but it is also where you can see the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, the last intact liberty ship. Also while visiting the Wharf, don’t miss the Wax Museum with its realistic reproductions of celebrities and famous artistic masterpieces.

San Francisco is a delightful city of surprises. You can pursue outdoor activities like surfing the waves, windsurfing at Shoreline Park or Coyote Point, visiting the gardens and museums at Yerba Buena Gardens, view San Francisco from Coit Tower or Twin Peaks, go shopping at Union Square, the San Francisco Shopping Center, Pier 39 or the Japan Center and trying the exquisite and exotic foods at some of the best restaurants in America. Regardless of what you do, you are going to have fun. So grab your gear and head to San Francisco.

Driving in San Francisco

To go on your own driving tour of San Francisco and the surrounding areas contact CCInc Auto Tours to purchase 90 minute tapes that give mile by mile commentary. You will hear about Skyline Boulevard, Henry Cowell Redwoods, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Cannery and other locations as you make your way to Monterey. CCInc offers 14 driving tours including trips to Sacramento, Wine Country and even a dramatic re-creation of the San Francisco earthquake.

The Grey Line Bus Tours offer trips that last from 1 hour to all day. You can select locations like Muir Woods/ Sausalito, Yosemite by train, a Chinatown walking tour and the Napa Valley Wine Train.

San Francisco is home to several famous streets. You will want to visit Lombard Street which is known as the “crookedest street in the world”, the Haight-Ashbury intersection made famous by the “Flower Power/Summer of Love” from the 1960’s, Hayes Street with its unique shops and eateries, Marina Green which runs from the Craft Harbor and offers great views of Alcatraz, the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge and the business regions like Market Street and Montgomery Street.

Whale Watching in San Francisco

In San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center you can hire one of the expert guides for boating adventure. You can explore the Bay area and see some of nature’s magnificent creatures. When you go on a guided boat tour to the Farallan Islands, you may see gray or humpback whales, dolphins, sea birds or sea lions. The tours are available year round and last from 4 to 8 hours.

Photo Credits: Postcard Houses with San Francisco by Oscity; Old Photo by Bridge by Charles Cushman