Looking for the best things to do in San Francisco? Locals point visitors to the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park and its museums, a ferry to Alcatraz, the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf, a cable car ride, and the Mission for murals and food. Here’s how San Franciscans actually spend their time — by neighborhood, by night, by budget (and by fog).

Things to do in San Francisco, by neighborhood

Golden Gate Park & the Richmond/Sunset

The city’s green heart: the de Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Tea Garden, and nearby Lands End and Ocean Beach.

The Mission

Murals (Balmy and Clarion Alleys), taquerias, Dolores Park, and the city’s best bar-and-food scene.

North Beach & Chinatown

Italian cafés, Coit Tower, City Lights bookstore, and the oldest Chinatown in North America.

Fisherman’s Wharf & the Embarcadero

Pier 39 sea lions, the Ferry Building marketplace, and ferries to Alcatraz and Sausalito.

Alamo Square & Hayes Valley

The Painted Ladies postcard view and the boutiques and dining of Hayes Valley.

Things to do in San Francisco at night

The Mission for bars and taquerias, SoMa for clubs and music, North Beach and Hayes Valley for dining. Sunset from Twin Peaks or Dolores Park is the local move.

Indoor, foggy & rainy-day things to do in San Francisco

SFMOMA, the de Young, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Exploratorium. The Ferry Building and Chinatown are great any-weather wanders.

Free things to do in San Francisco

• Walk or bike the Golden Gate Bridge
• Golden Gate Park and Lands End
• The Painted Ladies at Alamo Square
• The Mission murals
• Browsing the Ferry Building

Things to do in San Francisco for couples

Walk the bridge, catch sunset at Twin Peaks or Baker Beach, dine in Hayes Valley or North Beach, and ferry to Sausalito for the day.

Things to do in San Francisco with kids

Family wins: the California Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium, the Pier 39 sea lions, a cable car ride, and the SF Zoo.

What San Francisco locals actually recommend

Which neighborhoods are worth it, where to eat off the tourist track, the best fog-free spots — that comes from people who live here. On Neighborhood Nurturers’ San Francisco community, real SF neighbors answer “what should I actually do this weekend?” Join your SF neighbors free →

Fitting it into a day in San Francisco

The best days here mix the well-known spots with the places only locals frequent. What sets San Francisco apart is how close everything sits together. Start near Golden Gate Park, work in one of the spots from this guide, and you are minutes from the Lands End Trail if you want to keep going. Locals often round out a full day out with a detour to the Ferry Building or a quieter stop at Dolores Park. Because the distances are short, you can improvise as you go rather than lock the whole day down in advance.

More San Francisco guides

San Francisco rewards people who dig a little deeper. These related guides map the same neighborhoods from different starting points: Free things to do in San Francisco, Best restaurants in San Francisco, undefined San Francisco — enough to plan a whole day or two.

Get a local’s take

Guides are a starting point; the current, on-the-ground details come from people who live in San Francisco. Hours shift, favorites change, and residents always know what is genuinely worth it now. Ask San Francisco neighbors directly or join your town community free to hear from real locals.

The one that almost nobody plans and everybody remembers

Skip past the bridge for a moment. The best few hours in San Francisco are on its western edge.

Sutro Baths are the ruins of what was once the largest indoor swimming establishment in the world. Adolph Sutro — engineer, millionaire and mayor of San Francisco — began building in 1894 and opened on 14 March 1896: three acres, seven heated seawater pools, over 500 dressing rooms, and stadium seating for 3,700.

It closed in 1966 and burned on 26 June 1966 during demolition. What is left is concrete, seawater and a tunnel on a cliff, protected inside the Golden Gate National Recreation Area since 1973. Park at Merrie Way and walk down. Then keep going on the Lands End Trail, the best coastal walk inside the city. Full detail in the Sutro Baths and Lands End guide.

Golden Gate Park has things almost nobody knows about

Everyone visits the park. Very few people find what is actually in it, and the search data shows it — these are all things people specifically look for once they hear about them.

A bison herd. There are American bison living in a paddock in Golden Gate Park, and they have been a feature of the park for well over a century.

An archery range. A public one, in the park.

A disc golf course. Free, and busy with regulars.

A golf course, and a bandshell that hosts free concerts.

Any one of those is a better afternoon than another photograph of the same view. See the parks guide.

The food that is actually specific to this city

Doing rather than looking, which is usually the better use of a day here.

A Mission burrito. La Taqueria at 2889 Mission Street has been there since 1973 and is in the Michelin Guide; El Farolito has been the late-night answer since 1983. Argue about it afterwards.

Shellfish at Swan Oyster Depot, 1517 Polk Street — 18 stools, a marble counter, both installed in 1912, and the same family running it since 1946.

An Irish coffee at the Buena Vista Cafe, 2765 Hyde Street, where the drink was introduced to the United States on 10 November 1952.

A sandwich on Dutch crunch, which is the local knowledge visitors never arrive with. See the Dutch crunch guide.

Views, done properly

Twin Peaks is the classic city panorama — and it is markedly better at night, which is what people who live here actually search for. Parking at the top is limited and the wind is serious; bring more clothing than the temperature downtown suggests.

Lands End gives you the Golden Gate Bridge from the side, through cypress, with no crowd and no ticket.

Ocean Beach gives you the horizon and nothing else, for miles. It is a serious surf beach with dangerous currents — walk it, do not swim it.

Where to walk instead of where to queue

San Francisco rewards walking neighborhoods far more than it rewards attractions.

Clement Street in the Inner Richmond and Irving Street in the Inner Sunset — the two best everyday eating streets in the city, on either side of the park.

24th Street in the Mission, for Latin American food and murals.

Chinatown, which is a working neighborhood and not only a tourist route — walk one street back from the main drag and it changes entirely.

See the neighborhoods guide.

About the fog

It has a name here — Karl — which tells you how central it is to the experience.

The practical version: San Francisco summers are cold and grey, particularly in the west of the city, and July is often the worst month for weather. September and October are the reliably warm, clear ones. Whatever the season, bring layers and plan for the possibility that the view you came for is inside a cloud.

The ruins at Lands End are better in fog. Take the consolation.

Frequently asked questions

What are the top things to do in San Francisco?

Locals send visitors to the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park (with the de Young and California Academy of Sciences), a ferry to Alcatraz, the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf, a ride on a cable car, and the Mission for murals and food. Add the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square for the classic view.

What is there to do in San Francisco at night?

SF nights live in the Mission (bars and taquerias), SoMa (clubs and music), North Beach (Italian and old-school bars), Hayes Valley, and the Castro. Sunset from Twin Peaks or Dolores Park is a local move.

What can you do in San Francisco when it’s foggy or raining?

Head indoors to SFMOMA, the de Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Exploratorium. The Ferry Building marketplace and Chinatown stay lively in any weather.

What are free things to do in San Francisco?

Walk or bike the Golden Gate Bridge, explore Golden Gate Park and Lands End, see the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square, wander the Mission murals (Balmy Alley, Clarion Alley), and browse the Ferry Building — all free.

What are the best things to do in San Francisco for couples?

Walk the Golden Gate Bridge, catch sunset at Twin Peaks or Baker Beach, wine and dine in Hayes Valley or North Beach, and take the ferry across the bay to Sausalito.

What are fun things to do in San Francisco with kids?

Family favorites: the California Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium, the sea lions at Pier 39, a cable car ride, and the San Francisco Zoo.