Attractions in San Francisco
San Francisco is a very popular tourist city with a variety of attractions and sights. Here are historical attractions, beautiful buildings and exciting museums about each other.
- See AbbreviationFinder for commonly used abbreviation of city San Francisco, United States. Also includes meanings of the same acronym.
Golden Gate
One of San Francisco’s most important symbols is the majestic Golden Gate Bridge of 1937, the world’s second largest suspension bridge. The bridge connects San Francisco with Marin County, and is 2.7 miles long. You can walk across the bridge, but only on the eastern sidewalk. The best place to admire the bridge is from Fort Point, a fortress from 1861 that, with its 150 guns, would defend the bay against invaders. This is open on weekends from 1000 to 1700.
Japanese garden
In Golden Gate Park you will find Japanese Tea Garden.
In no time you can get rid of stress and the hustle and bustle of other tourists. A walk in a Japanese garden is a balm for the soul. This is the largest of its kind in the entire United States and was built after the 1894 World Exhibition. Free admission. Japanese Tea Garden closes 1645 in winter and 1800 in summer.
Ripleys Believe It Or Not Museum
San Francisco has a number of popular museums and most are located on or near Fisherman’s Wharf. At the city’s branch of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum at 175 Jefferson Street, you will find a large collection of bizarre, incredible, or weird objects from around the world that will surely make you gasp in disbelief. Admission costs in excess of $ 20 for adults. Opportunities for discounts for children and family packages etc. Open from 1000 to 2200 every day, on weekends until midnight.
Musee Mechanique
A rather unique museum is the Musee Mechanique, located on Pier 45. Here you will find a collection of old slots, from antique pinball games and 70s computer games such as Space Invaders and Asteroids, to old clay boxes and peep shows although the black and white images of French chambermaids in the underwear probably do not shock many. Open daily from 1000 to 1900.
San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is very popular and is located at 900 Beach Street at Polk. Here you will find old steamboats and sailboats from the 19th century, Chinese dunks, old charts and navigation equipment. Open daily from 0930 to 1900, during the winter months to 1700, free admission. If you want to board the historic ships at Hyde Street Pier, it costs entry fee.
The Winchester House
One of California’s (or the world’s) strangest and most exciting building is The Winchester House, which was built over a 40 year period at the turn of the last century. It is located at 525 South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, a few miles from San Francisco. This is a 160 bedroom Victorian manor house specially built with lots of hidden doors and mysterious stairs that lead nowhere.
The house will be haunted by ghosts and has an exciting weapons museum. Open 0900 to 1900, Entrance money depends on activity, and costs from $ 22 to $ 46 at the time of writing. It is desirable that you book your ticket the day in advance. Check details on the website of The Winchester House. Child under 9 years no access.
Alcatraz
Among San Francisco’s biggest tourist magnets we find the legendary prison island of Alcatraz, also known as The Rock. Alcatraz was a high-security prison from 1934 to 1963, and has had many celebrity prisoners, including gangster Al Capone. No one ever managed to escape from here.
Alcatraz is free to visit, but the ferry leaving Pier 33 every half hour from 0900 costs from $ 35 for adults. Discounts for children. The ticket includes a return ticket and guiding. Children under 18 must attend with guardians. Alcatraz tour should be booked well in advance in high season. You can also get more extensive guided tours.
Chinatown in San Francisco
Chinatown in San Francisco is one of the largest in the United States, and this district is an attraction in itself. The beautifully decorated and heavy Dragon Gate on Bush and Grant Street is the gateway to many quarters that could just as easily have been located in Beijing. Here it is teeming with Chinese restaurants and shops selling silk, jade and souvenirs. All street and shop signs are in Chinese.
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society Museum
San Francisco has for many years been known as a liberal city, and a gathering point for gays, hippies and bohemians. Nowhere is this more visible than in the Castro district, where you will find the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society Museum at 657 Mission Street. Here you can learn about the history and culture of this very colorful community within the community. Open Tuesday to Saturday 1300 to 1700.
Palace of Fine Arts
Between the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf you will find a 1900s building that seems so very out of place. But that’s what makes it so fascinating. The building mimics an ancient Roman temple building and could just as easily have stood in Rome. Palace fo Fine Arts looks very staid after a thorough renovation in the 1950s. The address is 3601 Lyon Street.
Tourist in San Francisco
If you are going to spend a few days in San Francisco and intend to bring most of the sights and attractions with you, consider investing in a tourist passport.
This gives you free access to many attractions, museums and a cruise, and is available in several price ranges depending on duration. Check City Pass or Go San Francisco for details.
You can join one of the double-decker sightseeing buses that will take you around the city with guide comments. These stop at all the major sights, where you can jump off wherever you want and continue whenever you want, within 48 hours. The price is NOK 140 for adults and 110 for children up to 11 years. The tour starts at Fisherman’s Wharf.
Although downtown San Francisco doesn’t look big on the map, don’t forget that there are many very steep slopes. Walking around the city can be a lot more strenuous than you might expect.
Day 1 San Francisco Attractions and Tourist 1997
If you have arrived in San Francisco straight from Europe, it is unlikely that due to the time difference, you will wake up fresh and crisp early in the morning, or in the middle of the night. Since most American hotels have some meals included in the room rate, your first entry in today’s program will probably be to find a diner where you can have a hearty breakfast. Then head to Pier 33 at Fisherman’s Wharf, and if you’re unsure of the road, check out the easiest way to get there.
Alcatraz
At Hornblower Alcatraz Landing, you’ll find the boat that takes you out to the infamous Alcatraz Prison, located on a small island in the bay off San Francisco. Ideally, you have booked tickets well in advance on the homepage, because in high season you risk having to wait for hours before there is something available. Often it is sold out several days in advance.
Alcatraz started its history in 1854 as the first lighthouse on the American west coast. During the American Civil War, there was a harbor fortress before the military began using it as a prison. Alcatraz was a state high-security prison from 1934 to 1963, and has had many celibate prisoners, including gangster Al Capone. No one ever managed to escape from Alcatraz.
During the visit, you will receive a 45-minute audio presentation featuring prison officers and former prisoners who have actually worked and served at Alcatraz. Expect to spend a few hours out on the island, which also has a bustling bird life.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Once you’re back on Pier 33, you can easily spend the rest of the afternoon at Fisherman’s Wharf, where it is teeming with both tourists and tourist offers. Also, don’t miss the sea lions that lie and sunbathe on Pier 39. At Fisherman’s Wharf are several other attractions that most will enjoy visiting. For example, the Aquarium of the Bay, where you can get in close contact with sharks, seahorses and rays. Walk through hundreds of meters of transparent tunnels mending the sea life around you.
At the city’s branch of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum at 175 Jefferson Street, you will find a large collection of bizarre, incredible and weird objects from around the world, which will surely make you gasp in disbelief.
A slightly more unique museum is the Musee Mechanique, located on pier 45. Here you will find a collection of old slots, from antique pinball games and 70s computer games such as Space Invaders and Asteroids, to old lyric boxes and peep shows, but the once so vague black and white images of French chambermaids in the underwear probably no longer shock anyone. Open daily from 1000 to 1900.
Chinatown in San Francisco
You have a huge selection of restaurants to choose from for dinner tonight. Since you’re in the city with the largest Chinatown in the United States, why not try a Chinese restaurant that also has very good prices? The Great Eastern at 649 Jackson Street in Chinatown is frequented as much by the city’s Chinese population as by tourists, which must be considered a stamp of quality. The specialty is Cantonese seafood, and the main course prices are around 60-70 kroner.
Day 2 in San Francisco Attractions and Tourist 1997
After a visit to your nearest breakfast diner, we start the day at San Francisco’s perhaps foremost landmark, the huge Golden Gate Bridge that connects San Francisco with Marin County in the north. From Fort Point, a fortress from 1861 that, with its 150 guns, was to defend the bay against invaders, you have excellent views of the bridge. If you feel like a spectacular walk, you can walk across the bridge, but only on the eastern sidewalk. The bridge is 2.7 kilometers long, and on the other hand you should find the camera and shoot San Francisco with the Golden Gate. You can hardly get a more archetypal San Francisco image.
Trip with Cable Cars!
Take the bus back to Fisherman’s Wharf, and the cable car stopped in Bay Street. Here you can hop on San Francisco’s famous and historic cable cars, which is an attraction in itself. From the terminus you can, for example, take a walk on foot to the colorful district of The Castro, which for decades has become internationally known as the hometown capital. Here, multicolored flags are waving outside most houses and bars, and a heterosexual man can easily feel aloof and outside here.
Castro’s centerpiece is 18th Street and Castro Street, where it is teeming with specialty shops, bars, galleries and bookstores, and you will certainly find a nice cafe to have lunch here.
Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco
From The Castro you can continue on foot west until you reach the Haight-Ashbury district. During Summer Of Love in 1967, this was the place to be, and artists like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead lived here. There are still a lot of incense scented stores selling batik shirts, Ganesh figures and hookahs, but you no longer need flowers in your hair to thrive here.
For example, visit Buena Vista Park, which really lives up to its name with a glorious view of San Francisco’s low-lying neighborhoods.
Shopping at Union Square
Take the bus from The Haights down to downtown and get off at Market Street and 4th Street. You are now just off Union Square, where you can shop whatever your heart desires. Every self-respecting chain of stores has a larger branch on or near Union Square, so your credit card can really get there!
After a trip back to the hotel to unload shopping bags, it’s time to think about dinner. The historic John’s Grill restaurant at 63 Ellis is one of the city’s oldest and celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2008. The place is best known for its steaks, but also because some of the action in the Maltese Falcon is added here. Here you can meet celebrity guests and hear live jazz music.