Here's what to do on your next trip to San Francisco
- With parks, museusms, shopping centers, and more, there's no shortage of activities in San Francisco.
- Insider's list of must-do activities in San Francisco will help you map out your itinerary.
San Francisco has museums, vistas, hikes, and tourist attractions worth seeing. If you're ready to embark on an adventure, check out our list of activities to keep you busy while you're in town.
Nature
San Francisco has an array of spectacular nature views and experiences. Ocean Beach offers a 3.5-mile stretch of beach, craggy cliffs, and hikeable coastal trails. This is also where you can explore the ruins of the Sutro Baths. Baker Beach also offers panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Views and vistas
For the best views of the city, visit Twin Peaks, Bernal Heights Park, Mount Davidson, Corona Heights Park, and Billy Goat Hill. For Golden Gate Bridge views, stop by Golden Gate Overlook, Fort Point, and Crissy Field. And if you have some time to spare, cross the bridge to view the city from the Marin Headlands.
Touristy but necessary
Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, and Aquatic Park are among the most touristy spots of the city along the bay. Their attractions include 3D rides, the Aquarium of the Bay, carnival rides, souvenirs, bungee trampolines, arcade games, and more.
Food and shopping adventures
Stop by the iconic Buena Vista Cafe, where you can have a cup of its famous Irish coffee. Ghirardelli Square also features some great restaurants and the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, where you can indulge in an ice-cream sundae while learning how Ghirardelli makes its chocolate.
For top-notch cuisine, boutique shopping, and specialty goods, there are several places you can't miss out on. The Ferry Building on the Embarcadero is an artisan marketplace offering crafts, culinary delights, and frequent farmers' markets. One65 is a French emporium headed by the Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chef Claude Le Tohic. And China Live is a modern marketplace and culinary destination offering multicourse Chinese fare, snacks, and artisan teas.
Another option is Union Square, one of the biggest, most all-encompassing shopping areas in the country. Here you can find department stores, fancy boutiques, gift shops, art galleries, designer stores, brand names, and more.
Instagram-worthy activities
For Instagramable murals and photo opportunities, check out Umbrella Alley on Beach Street. You can also tour the Bay Area and beyond with San Francisco Jeep Tours.
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park includes the botanical garden, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Music Concourse, Stow Lake, the Conservatory of Flowers, and the bison paddock. It's also home to several museums, such as the De Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences.
Neighborhoods
Each of San Francisco's neighborhoods has a distinctive allure:
- The Mission District is a colorful neighborhood featuring murals, buzzy nightlife, boutique shopping, restaurants and bars, and Dolores Park, a popular hangout.
- Haight Street is the birthplace of the counterculture movement (think all things psychedelic, hippy, and cannabis).
- San Francisco's Chinatown is billed as the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and the oldest in the US. Come for the restaurants and bakeries, cultural landmarks, tea shops, herbal shops, and more.
- North Beach has countless Italian restaurants, gelatorias, bars, and cafés, with a lively party atmosphere.
- The Marina District is a scenic area that's great for bar hopping, fine dining, and shopping. It's also home to Crissy Field and the Palace of Fine Arts.
- The Castro District is widely known as a neighborhood that celebrates LGBTQ+ communities. It was notably the home of Harvey Milk, one of most prominent gay-rights activists of the 1970s.
Honorable mentions: Coit Tower, the Painted Ladies, the Museum of Modern Art, Alcatraz Island, Japantown, the Exploratorium, the Legion of Honor, the Asian Art Museum, the Sunset District, Hayes Valley, and the Presidio.
View Insider's comprehensive guide to visiting San Francisco.