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Things To Do in San Francisco

Vibrant, bustling, historic San Francisco, golden City by the Bay, projects an irresistible attraction. For centuries people from all over the world have been coming and going through the narrow one-mile-wide Golden Gate strait that connects San Francisco Bay with the Pacific Ocean. They are drawn to a truly legendary city with a multitude of unique attractions and an undefinable aura that entices visitors to return again and again.

Return trips are almost a necessity because there is such a rich selection of things to do in San Francisco. Cross the amazing Golden Gate Bridge and walk the winding streets that thread over and around more than 50 steep hills within the city limits. Explore the cityscapes that have been featured in hundreds of movies and television shows. Hop on a classic cable car through North America’s oldest and largest Chinatown. Listen to jazz or catch a poetry slam in the same North Beach clubs that gave birth to the Beat Generation. While you are in North Beach, feast on some of the country’s best Italian food, and of course hit Fisherman’s Wharf for some clam chowder, Dungeness crab, and fresh sourdough bread.

It’s all there in San Francisco, and Cool San Francisco is your concierge service for the magical City of the Golden Gate. Browse hundreds of San Francisco tours, tickets, and activities. Make bookings, get tickets and vouchers, and handle everything from the comfort of your home, hotel room, cruise ship cabin, or even airline seat. Cool San Francisco has you covered for the San Francisco visit of a lifetime.

San Francisco Attractions

San Francisco brims with attractions, and visitors encounter new sights, sounds, and tastes at every turn. The very air is heady with the scent of exotic spices in Chinatown, boiling crab on Fisherman’s Wharf, and the waterfront bouquet of brisk salt air blending with the tar of the wharfs. Just walking the streets of the city is an adventure in itself.

Many San Francisco attractions are clustered in particular districts, making this city an ideal destination for those who enjoy walking tours. The historic waterfront from the Embarcadero north around the point past Piers 33, 35, and 39, on to Ghirardelli Square and the Marina District, presents so many varied points of interest and amusement that many visitors spend their entire vacation in the area.

Head inland and up the hills on foot or via cable car, bus, or minivan. There you will find Chinatown, Jackson Square and the Financial District with the Transamerica Pyramid that you have undoubtedly seen in movies. Look for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the gritty Tenderloin neighborhood, and Japantown for a sushi lunch. Enjoy views out over the bay from these neighborhoods, then take a short downhill walk or bike ride to get within range of the Presidio and southern approach to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Along with some of the best urban sightseeing in America, San Francisco offers fine places to relax. You can enjoy expansive green spaces like Golden Gate Park and the Panhandle. If the weather permits, get some beach time at Crissy Field, Marshall’s, Baker, or Ocean beaches. Everything is close at hand in this compact city, and you can put together the complete San Francisco itinerary of places to go and things to do by using the resources here in the pages of Cool San Francisco.

Recommendations: The Best Things to Do in San Francisco

Navigating the busy, narrow, hilly streets of San Francisco and sorting the choices of things to see and do are nearly overwhelming tasks. Let us help you out with a few suggestions:

In what is arguably the most eclectic city in the U.S., the 1.7-mile-long Golden Gate Bridge gets billing as the top attraction. Unless it is hidden in fog, it draws the visitor’s eye like a magnet even through the windows of arriving airliners. You have to see the bridge up close and learn its history. Tour the grounds of the historic Presidio where batteries of massive guns once guarded the entrance to the bay. Then explore Golden Gate Park and the many interesting neighborhoods and districts that lie adjacent to the Presidio area.

The forbidding old federal prison on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles out in the bay off Fisherman’s Wharf, is a slice of history that attracts millions of visitors. With only a 15-minute ferry ride, you can visit the cells that once held notorious prisoners like Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz. The island is also home to the oldest lighthouse on the West Coast, interesting tide pools, and large colonies of seabirds. When the weather cooperates, the ferry ride to and from the island offers spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline.

Because San Francisco occupies such a unique geographic location, there are many nice combination tours that present multiple highlights in one convenient package. Definitely take a day trip north across the Golden Gate to visit the Muir Woods redwood forest, the harbor village of Sausalito, and the wine country. The redwood trees are a natural wonder of the world that you must see, and a day spent out of the city gives you time to unwind and relax in peaceful, beautiful surroundings.

Cool San Francisco is your key to the amazing City by the Bay. This website has everything you need to put together the ultimate San Francisco tour. Just choose your favorite San Francisco activities with a few clicks then use our fast, secure booking technology to make all the arrangements. Cool San Francisco is an independent company not affiliated with any specific tour provider, so we are free to present the best San Francisco activities and attractions along with unbiased reviews. Enjoy planning your San Francisco visit and please contact our friendly customer service reps if you have any questions.