San Francisco Travel Guide

  Union Square
by skullcrusher
 
  • Union Square
      Union Square
    by skullcrusher
  •   San Francisco
    by YellowRose125
  • My Favorite Bridge
      My Favorite Bridge
    by riorich55
  • views of the Bay
      views of the Bay
    by dustmon
  • The Ferry Building
      The Ferry Building
    by riorich55
 

Pro

Karnubawax profile photo

 IT"S SAN FRANCISCO! Beautiful views, eclectic neighborhoods, amazing people, great spirit 


Con

karenincalifornia profile photo

 Tough city for driving around - even for a local. Homeless situation is #1 problem and needs to be fixed. 


In a nutshell

Geisha_Girl profile photo

 The charm,cultural diversity, and beautiful skyline will make you want to come back for more..... 

 

Explore San Francisco

Things to Do  

Golden Gate Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

 248 Reviews  Everybody knows this bridge, but for a Portuguese is... "I think I've seen it before". And that's because the bridge has a twin in Lisbon. I know, that this one is a little bigger and older, and the technical problems are always stronger in first model than in second one, and the rough sea is a... 

Lombard Street

Lombard Street, San Francisco

 132 Reviews  There are at least two jokes in Portugal about the size of things in the USA: One says that in the USA everything is so big that even the small things are big. The other says that the streets are so large that even to cross them we have to take the car. Can you imagine why did Lombard street... 

Hotels  

Argonaut Hotel - A Kimpton Hotel

 4 Reviews and 2395 Opinions  There's no doubt this hotel, provides a level of luxury and convenience, that many travellers will... 

Hotel Palomar - A Kimpton Hotel

 8 Reviews and 838 Opinions  Hotel Palomar is part of the Kimpton Hotel group. It is located in downtown San Francisco, at 4th... 

Restaurants  

Boudin Bakery & Café

Boudin Bakery & Café, San Francisco

 26 Reviews  BOUDIN BAKERY SCAMS PEOPLE! I ordered a loaf of sourdough from them online for my mom’s birthday, and the bread was perfectly good. About two weeks later, though, a second charge from them appeared on my bank account for around $50. I had not been on the site since the original purchase, so I... 

Nightlife  

Night Clubs

Night Clubs, San Francisco

 18 Reviews  Liquid's resurrection is Pink, the brainchild of two French hipsters one of which is DJ Franky Boissy who spins Latin House and Deep, sexy house. The cool ambiance is heightened by rose scented candles lit for the entire evening lending it a rosy glow and perfuming the air in the process. French... 

Transportation  

SF MUNI

SF MUNI, San Francisco

 85 Reviews  We have VT members who are geniuses at spelling out metro transit procedures. I am not one of them. Thankfully, the SF MUNI system has an excellent website that will tell you virtually anything you need to know. Here are a couple of general tips to get you started: • A MUNI ticket or pass book... 

Cable Cars

Cable Cars, San Francisco

 120 Reviews  Take a fabled and famous cable car around SF, espeically when the weather is nice. The cable cars are open cars that allow you a fantastic experience while enjoying some of San Francisco's most amazing views!! On my first ever experience with the cable cars we were on our way to Fisherman's Wharf... 

Shopping  

Shopping Centers / Malls

Shopping Centers / Malls, San Francisco

 25 Reviews  The Embarcadero Center is a mixed office and shopping center built in the early 1970s as part of an "urban renewal" program for the Embarcadero area of downtown San Francisco. It is between the Financial District and the Ferry Building. Because of its location, it tends to be rather empty and closed... 

Union Square

Union Square, San Francisco

 22 Reviews  Place to be for all your shoppers. A lot of hotels surround the area. You'll find an open square to hang out. Tons of tourist walking around. Louis Vutton, Saks Fifth Avenue, local shops around and just beyond the square. Bring your credit cards. Check out the Streets of San Francisco Trolley... 

Local Customs  

S.F. Nicknames / Pride

S.F. Nicknames / Pride, San Francisco

 11 Reviews  When you refer to San Francisco as Frisco or San Fran, you're marking yourself as an outsider. No one here calls it that, and those abbreviations grate on our ears. We say San Francisco or The City. And while we're on the subject, the name of our state is California. Absolutely no one calls it... 

Tipping

Tipping, San Francisco

 10 Reviews  Taxis: Driver - 15-20% of fare; generally a minimum of $1 Airport: Skycap - $1-2 per bag Personal Care: Barber - 15% of the cost; generally a minimum of $1 Hairdresser - 15% of bill for one operator; if several operators, 10% of bill to haircutter/colorist/stylist, 10% divided among... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Areas to Avoid

Areas to Avoid, San Francisco

 87 Reviews  Ive lived in San Francisco for 5 years now and it is mostly safe. Tenderlon is definitely dangerous ( a friend got punch there) if you don't feel safe in a muni, you can sit closer to the driver, ( I've sit way at the back when the muni wasn't crowded and almost got attack by a drunk man) so really... 

People to Avoid

People to Avoid, San Francisco

 68 Reviews  The people who are truly homeless in San Fran will take no for an answer. You have to watch out for the people who are not homeless but are still standing around on the street corner. They are the ones that are stealing cell phones out of peoples hands. They are the ones that are openly selling... 

Tourist Traps  

Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco

 77 Reviews  I maintain there are two kinds of tourists: those who want a unique experience and seek to immerse themselves in the local experience, and those who don't put much thought into what makes a place interesting beyond the convenience experiences set up for them that the tourism industry thrives off of.... 

Pier 39

Pier 39, San Francisco

 40 Reviews  Again one of my favorite areas of the city. PIER 39 is San Francisco's Premier Bay Attraction. The 45-acre open air complex has two levels of shopping, dining, and entertainment. PIER 39 houses more than 110 shops, 14 full-service restaurants, entertainment and numerous attractions. Best of all,... 

What to Pack  

Clothes For Layering

Clothes For Layering, San Francisco

 42 Reviews  I cannot stress this enough: layer. It's true that San Francisco can be very cold and foggy, and fog often makes way to light rain, so rain jackets are a must 9 months out of the year. However, if you plan on doing a fair amount of walking, you're going to get warm pretty fast, as the hills can be... 

Sweater / Jacket

Sweater / Jacket, San Francisco

 23 Reviews  Bring warm clothes with you. San Francisco is located on the water, and even on the hottest summer day, the fog can roll in quickly. When that happens, the wind comes up, and the temperature can plummet as much as 20 degrees in a short time. There's a famous quote that's attributed, mistakenly, to... 

Off The Beaten Path  

Day Trips

Day Trips, San Francisco

 45 Reviews  One of the northern missions, this was originally part of Mission Dolores in San Francisco. Founded in 1817 as a sanitarium for Indians afflicted with European diseases, it was named for the patron saint of healing. This is still an active church and school. The phone number is that of the gift... 

Sausalito

Sausalito, San Francisco

 27 Reviews  Sausalito is a great little village located by the bay just across the Golden Gate Bridge which transends you a world away. The village has some really good places to eat, small art galleries, parks and wonderful views of San Franciso which makes this a good day trip from San Francisco. Just spend... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Candlestick Park / SF 49'ers

Candlestick Park / SF 49'ers, San Francisco

 11 Reviews  Originally built for the San Francisco Giants (who moved to Pac Bell or SBC Park) in 2000, Monster Park has been the home of the 49ers since 1971. Although Candlestick Park was built for the Giants, the Beatles played their last concert ever there on August 29, 1966, and the NFL’s 49ers have won so... 

Favorites  

Fog / Weather

Fog / Weather, San Francisco

 19 Reviews  San Francisco is a great city to walk in and around. The hilly streets give you a workout but also afford great views. There are numerous trails from which you can enjoy the city's spectacular setting as well as its justifiably famous red bridge. Longtime friends bring many special joys; for... 

Comments (2)

  • riorich55's Profile Photo
    Mar 19, 2013 at 1:59 PM

    As I was writing some tips for a city just west of where I live this morning I found out about this interesting event happening in June this year.

    I wanted to let anyone who lives in the United States and any visitors to the U.S. this summer that there is a very unique event going on. Lincoln Highway is not as well known as its other old U.S. Highway (Route 66), but is actually older (1913 vs 1926) then its road cousin and actually does travel through the middle of the country from coast to coast (New York to San Francisco). Route 66 actually starts in my hometown of Chicago and heads to California.

    Anyway here is a link and a bit of a description for anybody who is interested. www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/tour/2013.com

    "Join fellow historians and tourists for the Official Lincoln Highway Centennial Tours, headed for Kearney, Nebraska from each coast, for the centennial of America’s first paved transcontinental road: the Lincoln Highway. Antique cars, Classics, muscle cars, ’50s cars, trucks, motorcycles, street rods, and modern cars are welcome to participate.

    You will travel the original alignments of the Lincoln Highway covering many miles of two-lane history, four-lane progress, and even gravel scenic beauty. Travel from America’s urban centers, through pastoral farm lands, over breathtaking mountains and rolling prairies.

    Travelers from the East will start at Times Square, the heart of America’s most vibrant city. You will travel through ivy-covered college towns such as Princeton, New Jersey, and the Amish country of Pennsylvania. From Pittsburgh’s steel and beer brewing industrial history, you will travel through Ohio’s diverse agricultural and commercial mix. Indiana takes you through more Amish farm land, South Bend’s Notre Dame and automotive history and on to Illinois. From Illinois you will travel to Iowa’s farmland across the Mississippi River into the prairies of Nebraska and on to the Centennial celebration in Kearney at the Great Platte River Arch Museum.

    Western travelers enjoy beginning their journey in the urban centers of San Francisco and Oakland, California. After traveling through the state’s agricultural Central Valley you are exposed to the magnificent Sierra Nevada Mountains and Donner Pass before dropping into the deserts of Nevada and the Great Salt Lake of Utah. Climbing the mountains out of Salt Lake City, you will enter the wide open spaces of Wyoming and on to historic Cheyenne for an overnight stop. This is followed by your easterly trek into Nebraska and eventually joining the rest of the travelers from the east for the grand parade of cars into Kearney on opening day."

  • kevinism's Profile Photo
    Oct 29, 2012 at 9:59 AM

    Best. City. Ever.

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Jul 23, 2013 
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