Experience
Charismatic, progressive and frequently foggy, San Francisco is a compact city of hills surrounded on three sides by water. Hit the streets to experience the city's unique mix of big-city buzz and laid-back joie de vivre and check out the vibrant alternative scene.
See
Cycle, walk or drive across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge for spectacular views of the Bay and the city. The Museum of Modern Art – an architectural attraction in itself – presents an engaging programme of exhibitions, while a trip to the Cable Car Museum recalls the city's unique transportation history. Take a ferry to Alcatraz and experience the strange combination of solitary confinement and spectacular city views.
New
Visit the city's latest architectural marvel and cultural showplace, the brand-new De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, and take in its outstanding collections of Californian and Pacific Islander art. Sample the sublime chicken mole (with spicy chocolate sauce) at the newly refurbished Roosevelt Tamale Parlor in the Mission. Wash down some edamame (soya beans) with Japanese whisky at Nihon, also in the Mission.
Spend
You can sift out the key clothing, jewellery, sporting equipment and art from the department stores and designer boutiques around Union Square. Find vintage clothing shops and funky, trendy places for shoes, art, CDs, and DVDs in upper Haight Street (aka the Haight-Ashbury), Valencia Street in the Mission, and Hayes Valley. Souvenirs, from the tacky to the tasteful, abound in the shops of Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf.
Get Out
The vast Golden Gate Park is an oasis of green meadows, trees, flowers, lakes and trails, and home to the Californian art of the newly rebuilt De Young Museum. Hire skates or bicycles to make the most of its miles of smooth paths. To the west of the park lies China Beach, a quiet little stretch of sand at the edge of the Seacliff district, frequented by sunbathing locals (they take it all off at Baker Beach‘s nude strip at the northern end). Stroll among towering redwoods in Muir Woods, about 30 minutes north of the city, over the bridge in Marin County.
Culture
San Francisco's major performance venues are clustered around Union Square and the Civic Center, where you'll find the city's highly regarded theatre, ballet, opera and symphonic companies. Delve into the long-standing, vibrant music scene – with jazz and chamber music and hip-hop at venues such as Yoshi's in Oakland and the Great American Music Hall in the Tenderloin. Fans of stand-up comedy can find laughs at Cobb's and The Punch Line.
Eat & Drink
San Francisco is famous for its seafood, such as freshly steamed crabs at Fisherman's Wharf. Berkeley's Chez Panisse is the epicenter of Californian cuisine's local (often organic) artisanal cheeses and breads, and free-range meat. Inventive places such as Green's (at Fort Mason) keep vegetarians far from boredom. A thriving Latino community has created distinctive taqueria spicy salsas, grilled and marinated meats and fresh tortillas. The city's large Asian population means you're spoilt for choice for Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Korean.
New Perspective
Head for Coit Tower, where its not only the views from the top that will impress – the superb Depression-era murals inside the base of the tower tell dozens of stories about 1930s San Francisco and California.
See
Cycle, walk or drive across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge for spectacular views of the Bay and the city. The Museum of Modern Art – an architectural attraction in itself – presents an engaging programme of exhibitions, while a trip to the Cable Car Museum recalls the city's unique transportation history. Take a ferry to Alcatraz and experience the strange combination of solitary confinement and spectacular city views.
New
Visit the city's latest architectural marvel and cultural showplace, the brand-new De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, and take in its outstanding collections of Californian and Pacific Islander art. Sample the sublime chicken mole (with spicy chocolate sauce) at the newly refurbished Roosevelt Tamale Parlor in the Mission. Wash down some edamame (soya beans) with Japanese whisky at Nihon, also in the Mission.
Spend
You can sift out the key clothing, jewellery, sporting equipment and art from the department stores and designer boutiques around Union Square. Find vintage clothing shops and funky, trendy places for shoes, art, CDs, and DVDs in upper Haight Street (aka the Haight-Ashbury), Valencia Street in the Mission, and Hayes Valley. Souvenirs, from the tacky to the tasteful, abound in the shops of Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf.
Get Out
The vast Golden Gate Park is an oasis of green meadows, trees, flowers, lakes and trails, and home to the Californian art of the newly rebuilt De Young Museum. Hire skates or bicycles to make the most of its miles of smooth paths. To the west of the park lies China Beach, a quiet little stretch of sand at the edge of the Seacliff district, frequented by sunbathing locals (they take it all off at Baker Beach‘s nude strip at the northern end). Stroll among towering redwoods in Muir Woods, about 30 minutes north of the city, over the bridge in Marin County.
Culture
San Francisco's major performance venues are clustered around Union Square and the Civic Center, where you'll find the city's highly regarded theatre, ballet, opera and symphonic companies. Delve into the long-standing, vibrant music scene – with jazz and chamber music and hip-hop at venues such as Yoshi's in Oakland and the Great American Music Hall in the Tenderloin. Fans of stand-up comedy can find laughs at Cobb's and The Punch Line.
Eat & Drink
San Francisco is famous for its seafood, such as freshly steamed crabs at Fisherman's Wharf. Berkeley's Chez Panisse is the epicenter of Californian cuisine's local (often organic) artisanal cheeses and breads, and free-range meat. Inventive places such as Green's (at Fort Mason) keep vegetarians far from boredom. A thriving Latino community has created distinctive taqueria spicy salsas, grilled and marinated meats and fresh tortillas. The city's large Asian population means you're spoilt for choice for Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Korean.
New Perspective
Head for Coit Tower, where its not only the views from the top that will impress – the superb Depression-era murals inside the base of the tower tell dozens of stories about 1930s San Francisco and California.
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