UltimateCity Guide San Francisco
Our favourites
The San Francisco skyline from Pier 7 on the Embarcadero The San Francisco skyline from Pier 7 on the Embarcadero The Golden Gate Bridge seen from Battery Spencer A cable car on California Street The Painted Ladies on Alamo Square

The city guide to San Francisco, California

Best of San Francisco

Cable cars over Nob Hill, espresso in North Beach, murals in the Mission, tasting menus with three MICHELIN stars and the Golden Gate Bridge rising out of the fog.

Where to eatWhat to see

Your trusted, one‑stop guide to San Francisco

San Francisco packs a world of neighbourhoods onto its hills: the grand hotels of Nob Hill, the lanes of Chinatown, North Beach’s cafés, the murals of the Mission, the museums of SoMa and the waterfront from the Ferry Building to Fisherman’s Wharf, with the Golden Gate at the end of it all. We’ve checked every listing against its own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Californios

Feature

San Francisco’s three-star tables

SoMa·Contemporary Mexican

Four San Francisco restaurants hold three MICHELIN stars in the 2026 California guide: Atelier Crenn, Benu, Quince and, newly promoted, Californios.

See the restaurants

The San Francisco icons

The bridge, the island prison, the cable cars and the Ferry Building.

The Golden Gate Bridge seen from Battery SpencerSightThe Golden Gate BridgeWelcome Center 9am–6pmAlcatraz Island seen from PIER 39SightAlcatrazFerry from Pier 33 onlyA cable car on California StreetSightThe cable carsThree lines, $9 a rideThe Ferry Building clock tower on the EmbarcaderoSightThe Ferry BuildingFarmers market Tue, Thu, Sat

San Francisco by neighbourhood

Ten neighbourhoods, from Union Square to the Golden Gate.

Union Square in DecemberNeighbourhood guideUnion SquareShops, theatres and cable carsThe Fairmont San Francisco on Nob HillNeighbourhood guideNob HillGrand hotels and Grace CathedralColumbus Avenue in North BeachNeighbourhood guideNorth BeachEspresso, books and Coit TowerThe Dragon Gate at the entrance to Chinatown on Grant AvenueNeighbourhood guideChinatownThe Dragon Gate and Waverly PlaceMission Dolores Park at sunsetNeighbourhood guideThe MissionMurals, Dolores Park and Valencia StreetThe Painted Ladies on Alamo SquareNeighbourhood guidePacific HeightsMansions, views and Fillmore StreetThe Palace of Fine Arts in the MarinaNeighbourhood guideMarina & PresidioThe Palace of Fine Arts and Crissy FieldSFMOMA seen from Yerba Buena GardensNeighbourhood guideSoMa & EmbarcaderoSFMOMA, the Ferry Building and Oracle ParkA street in Hayes ValleyNeighbourhood guideHayes ValleyBoutiques and the opera houseThe Fisherman's Wharf signNeighbourhood guideFisherman’s WharfSea lions, ships and Irish coffee

Beyond San Francisco

Across the Golden Gate to Marin, north to wine country and south down the coast.

The Sausalito waterfrontBeyond San FranciscoSausalito & MarinFerries, redwoods and Mount TamRedwoods in Muir WoodsBeyond San FranciscoMuir WoodsReserve parking aheadVineyards in the Napa ValleyBeyond San FranciscoNapa ValleyWine countryWaves on the coast at Half Moon BayBeyond San FranciscoHalf Moon BayThe coast to the southVineyards in the Napa ValleyOur sister siteThe California guideWine country, Big Sur, Tahoe and more

Plan your trip

Airports, getting around, money and the weather.

The International Terminal at SFOBefore you goSan Francisco essentialsAirports, Muni, tipping, layersA BART train and the skyline at sunsetGetting aroundAirports, BART and MuniSFO, OAK, SJCThe Painted Ladies on Alamo SquarePropertyBuying propertyHow it works, transfer tax

ULTIMATE City Guides: Europe & beyond

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

The Acropolis of Athens by day, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.Visit the guide The old town of Belgrade above the Sava, with the spire of the Cathedral Church of St MichaelSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.Visit the guide The Romanian Athenaeum in its gardenRomaniaULTIMATE BucharestBelle Époque palaces, concerts at the Athenaeum, a buzzing food and coffee scene, and the castles and mountains of the Carpathians.Visit the guide The Hungarian Parliament lit up at night on the DanubeHungaryULTIMATE BudapestThermal baths, grand coffee houses, ruin bars and MICHELIN-starred dining on both banks of the Danube, with day trips to the Danube Bend and Lake Balaton.Visit the guide Blue domes of Oia above the Santorini calderaGreeceULTIMATE Greek IslandsIsland hopping made easy: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos and the Cyclades, plus Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, with ferries, beaches, hotels and tavernas.Visit the guide Helsinki Cathedral above the South HarbourFinlandULTIMATE HelsinkiSuomenlinna and the South Harbour, saunas by the sea, Aalto and the Design District, two-starred Palace and day trips to Porvoo and Tallinn.Visit the guide The Blue Mosque at nightTurkeyULTIMATE IstanbulTwo continents, one city: Hagia Sophia and the bazaars, Bosphorus ferries, meyhanes and rooftop bars, Sinan’s hammams and the car-free Princes’ Islands.Visit the guide The Triple Bridge over the LjubljanicaSloveniaULTIMATE LjubljanaSlovenia’s green, car-free capital of river cafés and Plečnik’s bridges, an hour from Lake Bled, the Julian Alps, the caves and the Adriatic.Visit the guide The Palace of Westminster and the Elizabeth TowerUnited KingdomULTIMATE LondonRoyal palaces and the Thames, world-class museums, West End theatre, grand hotels, and the restaurants and bars of Soho, Mayfair and the City.Visit the guide La Seu, Palma’s Gothic cathedral, and the Almudaina above the old sea wall, seen from the Parc de la MarSpainULTIMATE MajorcaPalma’s cathedral and palace hotels, the UNESCO Tramuntana, Deià and Sóller, nine MICHELIN-starred kitchens, and Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.Visit the guide Yachts in Puerto BanúsSpainULTIMATE MarbellaWhitewashed lanes and orange trees in the Old Town, the yachts of Puerto Banús, beach clubs on the Golden Mile and day trips to Ronda and Gibraltar.Visit the guide Monaco from above, Port Hercule and Monte-Carlo below the mountainsOur sister guideULTIMATE MonacoThe Casino and Monte-Carlo’s palace hotels, the Prince’s Palace on the Rock, superyachts in Port Hercule, Larvotto’s beach clubs and the Grand Prix streets.Visit the guide The Millennium Bridge over the MoračaMontenegroULTIMATE PodgoricaMontenegro’s relaxed capital of rivers and café terraces, and the gateway to the Bay of Kotor, Lake Skadar, Cetinje and the mountains.Visit the guide The Sebilj fountain and the square of BaščaršijaBosnia & HerzegovinaULTIMATE SarajevoWhere East meets West at a line in the pavement: an Ottoman bazaar, Habsburg boulevards, Bosnian coffee and the 1984 Olympic mountains, with Mostar two hours away.Visit the guide The Stone Bridge over the VardarNorth MacedoniaULTIMATE SkopjeA 15th-century stone bridge between a 21st-century square and an Ottoman bazaar, Kenzo Tange’s concrete city, Matka Canyon, and Lake Ohrid three hours away.Visit the guide St Alexander Nevsky CathedralBulgariaULTIMATE SofiaRoman streets beneath the city, golden domes, warm mineral springs and a mountain at the end of the main boulevard.Visit the guide Skanderbeg Square with the Et’hem Bey MosqueAlbaniaULTIMATE TiranaAn Ottoman mosque painted with waterfalls, museums in bunkers, Blloku’s cafés and the Dajti cable car, with Berat, Gjirokastër, the Alps and the Riviera within reach.Visit the guide The tiled roof of St Mark’s Church in Zagreb’s Upper TownCroatiaULTIMATE ZagrebCroatia’s elegant capital of cafés, museums and markets, and the gateway to Plitvice Lakes, Istria, Dubrovnik and the islands of the Adriatic.Visit the guide Goat Cay and the turquoise shallows of the ExumasOur sister guideULTIMATE The BahamasSeven hundred islands: Nassau and Paradise Island, the Exuma Cays and the swimming pigs, Harbour Island’s pink sand, marinas and island hopping.Visit the guide The golden sand and calm water of Paynes Bay, St. JamesOur sister guideULTIMATE BarbadosThe Platinum West Coast and Sandy Lane, UNESCO-listed Bridgetown, rum where it was born, Friday nights in Oistins and the wild Atlantic east.Visit the guide Bixby Creek Bridge on the Big Sur coastUSAULTIMATE CaliforniaSan Francisco, Napa and Sonoma, Big Sur and the Pacific Coast Highway, San Diego, Palm Springs, Lake Tahoe and the national parks.Visit the guide The beach at Rosemary Beach on the Gulf of MexicoUSAULTIMATE FloridaOrlando and the theme parks, Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Sarasota, St. Augustine and Scenic Highway 30A.Visit the guide The Las Vegas Strip at duskNevadaULTIMATE Las VegasThe Strip and its shows, MICHELIN dining, Sphere and Fremont Street’s neon, with Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon beyond.Visit the guide Griffith Observatory with downtown Los Angeles beyondCaliforniaULTIMATE Los AngelesHollywood and the Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills’ grand hotels, the Sunset Strip, the Getty and the beaches from Santa Monica to Malibu.Visit the guide Art Deco hotels on Ocean Drive, Miami BeachFloridaULTIMATE MiamiSouth Beach and the Art Deco district, Wynwood’s murals, the Design District, Little Havana’s cafecito and the beaches of Key Biscayne.Visit the guide Sunset at the Naples PierFloridaULTIMATE NaplesWhite-sand beaches and sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico, Fifth Avenue’s terraces, grand beach resorts and golf, with the Everglades and Marco Island close by.Visit the guide The New York City skyline from Top of the RockNew YorkULTIMATE New YorkManhattan’s grand hotels and MICHELIN dining, Broadway and the Met, Fifth Avenue shopping, Central Park and the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO.Visit the guide Gros Piton and Petit Piton, the twin volcanic spires of the UNESCO-listed PitonsOur sister guideULTIMATE St LuciaThe UNESCO Pitons and Soufrière’s drive-in volcano, Marigot Bay, Rodney Bay and the Gros Islet street party, reefs, rum and cocoa.Visit the guide The Grand Palace reflected at dawnThailandULTIMATE BangkokThe Grand Palace and Wat Arun on the river, the grand hotels of Charoen Krung, MICHELIN stars from street food to tasting menus, rooftop bars and the Thai islands.Visit the guide An aerial view of a small island ringed by reef in the MaldivesOur sister guideULTIMATE MaldivesUndersea restaurants and overwater bars, Hanifaru Bay’s mantas, the whale sharks of South Ari, private islands and the little capital, Malé.Visit the guide The Taj Mahal Palace and the Gateway of India from the harbourIndiaULTIMATE MumbaiThe Taj and the Gateway of India, Marine Drive’s Queen’s Necklace, three UNESCO sites, modern Indian restaurants and day trips to Elephanta and the Ghats.Visit the guide The Lujiazui skyline and the Oriental Pearl Tower lit up at night across the Huangpu RiverChinaULTIMATE ShanghaiThe grand hotels of the Bund facing the towers of Pudong, every MICHELIN star, Yu Garden, the two Shanghai Museums and day trips to Suzhou and Hangzhou.Visit the guide The Nine Arch Bridge near Ella, in the hill countryOur sister guideULTIMATE Sri LankaColombo, the ramparts of Galle Fort, the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the tea country by train, Sigiriya and leopards in Yala.Visit the guide Burj Khalifa and Business Bay at blue hourUnited Arab EmiratesULTIMATE DubaiBurj Khalifa and the Fountain, abras on the Creek, resorts on the Palm, every MICHELIN star of 2026 and day trips to Abu Dhabi and Hatta.Visit the guide

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and locals talking about San Francisco, its beaches, restaurants, golf and the Everglades.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    Golden Gate Bridge

    This week's pick

    Golden Gate Bridge

    The Presidio / Golden Gate·Landmark bridge

    Walk Crissy Field to the Golden Gate Bridge, stop at the Welcome Center (open daily 9am–6pm) and walk out over the water.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    The Golden Gate Bridge seen from Battery SpencerItineraryThree days in San FranciscoThree days, on foot, by cable car and by ferryRedwoods in Muir WoodsItineraryA day across the Golden Gate: Sausalito and Muir WoodsOne day, by ferry and carThe Dragon Gate at the entrance to Chinatown on Grant AvenueItineraryNob Hill to North Beach on footOne day, on foot and by cable car

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Hotels

    1. 1Fairmont San FranciscoNob Hill · Grand hotel
    2. 2The Ritz-Carlton, San FranciscoNob Hill · Luxury hotel
    3. 3Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection HotelMarket Street / SoMa · Historic grand hotel
    See all 15

    Restaurants

    1. 1QuinceJackson Square · Contemporary Californian
    2. 2Atelier CrennCow Hollow · Contemporary French
    3. 3BenuSoMa · Contemporary Asian
    See all 22

    Cafés & Bakeries

    1. 1Tartine BakeryMission · Bakery & café
    2. 2Ritual Coffee RoastersMission (Valencia Street) · Specialty coffee
    3. 3Caffe TriesteNorth Beach · Espresso bar
    See all 6

    Bars

    1. 1Vesuvio CafeNorth Beach · Bar
    2. 2The Buena VistaFisherman’s Wharf · Café & bar
    3. 3Top of the MarkNob Hill · Rooftop lounge
    See all 12

    Nightlife & Live Music

    1. 1The FillmoreFillmore / Western Addition · Concert hall
    2. 2The MasonicNob Hill · Concert hall
    3. 3Bimbo’s 365 ClubNorth Beach · Nightclub & music venue
    See all 6

    Sights

    1. 1Golden Gate BridgeThe Presidio / Golden Gate · Landmark bridge
    2. 2Alcatraz IslandSan Francisco Bay · National park site
    3. 3Ferry Building MarketplaceEmbarcadero · Food hall & landmark
    See all 30

    Museums & Performing Arts

    1. 1SFMOMASoMa · Modern & contemporary art
    2. 2Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)SoMa · Museum
    3. 3The Walt Disney Family MuseumThe Presidio · Museum
    See all 9

    Parks & Walks

    1. 1Lands End and the Sutro BathsLands End · Coastal trail
    2. 2Crissy FieldMarina / Presidio · Shoreline park
    3. 3Golden Gate ParkGolden Gate Park · City park
    See all 7

    Shopping

    1. 1Union SquareUnion Square · Shopping district
    2. 2City Lights Booksellers & PublishersNorth Beach · Bookshop
    3. 3Ferry Plaza Farmers MarketEmbarcadero · Farmers market
    See all 9

    Supermarkets & Pharmacies

    1. 1Trader Joe’s North BeachNorth Beach / Fisherman’s Wharf · Supermarket
    2. 2Trader Joe’s Nob HillNob Hill / Russian Hill · Supermarket
    3. 3Trader Joe’s Pacific PlaceUnion Square / SoMa · Supermarket
    See all 7

    Spas & Wellness

    1. 1Kabuki Springs & SpaJapantown · Japanese-inspired bathhouse
    2. 2Archimedes BanyaHunters Point · Bathhouse
    See all 2

    Hospitals

    1. 1Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma CenterMission / Potrero Hill · Public hospital & trauma centre
    2. 2UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus HeightsParnassus Heights · University hospital
    3. 3UCSF Hyde Hospital (formerly Saint Francis Memorial)Nob Hill / Polk · Hospital
    See all 5

    Luxury Lifestyle

    1. 1Adventure Cat Sailing ChartersPIER 39 · Sailing catamaran
    2. 2Signature Aviation SFOSan Francisco International Airport · Private aviation terminal
    3. 3St. Francis Yacht ClubMarina · Yacht club
    See all 3

    Boats & Ferries

    1. 1Red and White FleetFisherman’s Wharf · Bay cruises
    2. 2Blue & Gold FleetFisherman’s Wharf · Bay cruises & ferries
    3. 3Golden Gate FerryFerry Building · Commuter ferry
    See all 5

    Motoring

    1. 1Porsche San FranciscoSoMa · Porsche dealer
    See all 1

    Property

    1. 1Vanguard PropertiesPotrero Hill (head office) · Real-estate brokerage
    2. 2Coldwell Banker Realty, San FranciscoSan Francisco · Real-estate brokerage
    3. 3One Steuart LaneEmbarcadero · New development
    See all 5

    Getting Around

    1. 1San Francisco International Airport (SFO)San Mateo County · International airport
    2. 2Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK)Oakland · International airport
    3. 3San José Mineta International Airport (SJC)San José · International airport
    See all 7

    The ULTIMATE letter

    San Francisco in your inbox

    An occasional email with new places, events and our latest in-depth articles. No spam, ever.