California
San Francisco
San Francisco packs an extraordinary amount into seven square miles of hills and fog — the Golden Gate Bridge, the island prison of Alcatraz, the last manually operated cable cars on earth, world-class museums, and some of the country's most distinctive neighborhoods and food. The best visits ride the cable cars, get out on the bay, and balance the famous waterfront with the neighborhoods where the city actually lives. The weather is mild but tricky — pack layers year-round, and know that September and October are the warmest, clearest months.
22 booking options
Hotels
Where to Stay
Fairmont San Francisco
Nob Hill
The grande dame atop Nob Hill — a 1907 landmark with an opulent lobby, sweeping city views, and the legendary tiki-themed Tonga Room. Grand, historic, and central to the cable car lines.
The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
Nob Hill
Refined five-star luxury behind a neoclassical landmark facade on Nob Hill — impeccable service, elegant rooms, and a polished, full-service experience steps from the cable car lines.
Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel
SoMa
A storied 1909 grand hotel downtown, famed for the glass-domed Garden Court — one of the most beautiful rooms in the city — with a classic indoor pool and a central location near Union Square and SoMa.
Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel
Union Square
A design-forward landmark hotel near Union Square — home to the famous Redwood Room, a 1930s art deco bar — with stylish rooms in the heart of the Theater District and shopping.
Hotel Zephyr
A playful, nautically themed hotel right on the Fisherman's Wharf waterfront — fun, design-led rooms, a buzzy outdoor "yard" with games and fire pits, and the bay and Pier 39 at the door.
Hotel Zetta
SoMa
A sleek, tech-savvy boutique hotel in SoMa — modern design, a lively lobby playroom and bar, and a central location near SFMOMA, Union Square, and the Moscone convention area.
Hotel Bohème
North Beach
A charming, intimate boutique hotel in the heart of North Beach — Beat-era atmosphere on storied Columbus Avenue, steps from Little Italy's cafés, City Lights bookstore, and the city's best espresso.
Attractions & Tours
What to Do
Alcatraz Island
The infamous island prison in the middle of San Francisco Bay — ferry-only access, an unforgettable cellhouse audio tour narrated by former guards and inmates, and some of the best skyline views in the city. Book well ahead.
San Francisco Bay Cruise
A narrated sightseeing cruise around the bay — sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, past Alcatraz, and along the waterfront skyline, for the views and the angles you simply can't get from land.
San Francisco Cable Car Ride
Ride the last manually operated cable cars on earth — a moving national landmark running since 1873, clanging up and down San Francisco's steepest hills with open-air sides and unbeatable views.
Golden Gate Bridge
The most photographed bridge in the world — the 1937 Art Deco span in International Orange, soaring across the strait where the bay meets the Pacific. Free to walk, bike, or simply admire from a string of classic viewpoints.
San Francisco's classic waterfront — the working fishing piers, the famous sea lions hauled out at Pier 39, fresh Dungeness crab and clam chowder in sourdough, street performers, and the departure point for Alcatraz and bay cruises.
California Academy of Sciences
An aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum all under one living roof in Golden Gate Park — a Renzo Piano-designed marvel and one of the best family science destinations in the country.
Exploratorium
The original hands-on science museum, on Pier 15 along the Embarcadero — hundreds of interactive exhibits about perception, light, sound, and the physical world, with sweeping bay views from the pier.
de Young Museum
San Francisco's fine arts museum in Golden Gate Park — strong American, African, and Oceanic art and major touring exhibitions, in a striking copper-clad building with a free observation tower.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
One of the largest modern and contemporary art museums in the country — seven floors of painting, sculpture, photography, and design, dramatically expanded in 2016, in the heart of SoMa downtown.
Painted Ladies & Alamo Square
The "Postcard Row" of pastel Victorian houses at Alamo Square, framed by the downtown skyline behind — one of the most photographed streetscapes in the city, and free to admire.
Coit Tower
The Art Deco tower crowning Telegraph Hill — Depression-era WPA murals around its base and a 210-foot elevator ride to a 360-degree observation deck with sweeping views of the bay, the bridges, and the city.
Chinatown Walking Tour
A guided walk through the oldest Chinatown in North America — the Dragon Gate, temples, markets, hidden alleys, and the fortune cookie factory, with the food and history that make it one of the city's most vivid neighborhoods.
Aquarium of the Bay
A compact, family-friendly aquarium right at Pier 39 — walk-through glass tunnels surrounded by sharks, rays, and the creatures of San Francisco Bay, steps from the sea lions and the waterfront.
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco's vast green heart — larger than New York's Central Park — with the Japanese Tea Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, botanical gardens, lakes, bison, and the city's top museums, all free to wander.
Muir Woods & Sausalito Day Trip
A guided trip across the Golden Gate Bridge to the ancient coast redwoods of Muir Woods, then the charming bayside town of Sausalito — towering old-growth trees and a relaxed waterfront, all without the hassle of reservations and parking.
Go Deeper
The complete San Francisco guide
Neighborhood picks, itineraries, FAQs, and local answers from our San Francisco specialists — including 6 in-depth travel guides.