Five Essential San Francisco Experiences

Fancy a road trip along California’s famous highway 101 this summer? There couldn’t be a better place to end your journey than San Francisco. The ‘City by the Bay’ truly has it all—natural beauty, incredible architecture, world-class cuisine and its own quirky culture. During your visit to this northern Californian metropolis, be sure to add the following stops to your itinerary:

Golden Gate Bridge Recreational Area

San Francisco’s beautiful natural scenery has led to its very active culture. Despite its famous hills, the city has quite a large cycling community. Walk or rent a bike and head across the Golden Gate.

On the other side of the famous Golden Gate Bridge, you’ll be in the small city of Sausalito, situated just across the Bay from San Francisco’s gorgeous skyline. It’s the ideal place to enjoy a lazy outdoor lunch by water before catching the boat back.

Tour Alcatraz

Though there are certain tourist attractions in San Francisco worth avoiding, Alcatraz is not one of them. Touring the famous island prison is truly fascinating. You’ll be given headsets with an audio guide of the premises; featuring realistic sound effects and the actual voices of former inmates and correctional officers, the audio guide really gives you a sense of what the prison was like.

Shop at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market

Surrounded by lush farmlands and vineyards, San Francisco is known for its fresh produce and culture of locally-sourced cuisine. Experience the region’s best ingredients by strolling through the famous Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market. Just down the road from the famous Fisherman’s Wharf, this massive outdoor market is where the Bay Area’s top farmers, artisan bakers and cheese producers go to sell their products directly to the locals.

By cutting out the middleman – supermarkets or restaurants – you’re guaranteed the freshest possible produce and you’re helping support the local economy. Tis the San Francisco way!

Cruise the Bay

There’s no better way to take in the majesty of San Francisco’s skyline than by viewing the city from the water Take a Red & White Fleet cruise around the Bay, where you’ll be amazed at just how impressive the Golden Gate appears from the waters below. This can also be a great way to see Alcatraz if the tickets to the island are fully booked during the summer months since many boats will sail close by giving you some of the history before continuing on their way.

Ride the Cable Cars

A trip to San Francisco wouldn’t be complete without a ride on the world’s last manually operated cable cars. These wooden trams soar up the city’s steep hills and are actually a very practical way to get from point A to point B. To better understand how the system works, visit the Cable Car Museum – right near Chinatown.

Chinatown

San Francisco is home to the oldest enclave of Chinese immigrants outside of Asia, and perhaps Vancouver. The Dragon Gate at the corner of Bush Street and Grant Avenue is a great place to start exploring Chinatown’s historic buildings, pocket parks and shops. Considered the birthplace of American Chinese food like chop suey and fortune cookies, as well as credited with introducing dim sum to the Western palate, you’d be remiss not to stop for a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants.

The Painted Ladies

These colorful Victorian and Edwardian houses is often called “Postcard Row,” as they have been featured in more than 75 different movies, ads and T.V. shows. Alamo Square across the street is a lovely park from which to photography the house.

Find more great attractions in San Francisco before planning a trip, and make sure you spend some time booking tickets to attractions in advance to avoid disappointment.