A city that needs no introduction, San Francisco is every traveller’s ultimate escape. The famous city is renowned as a destination that offers everything from a mouth-watering cuisine to an assortment of great activities for everybody. It is quite easy to enjoy everything in one trip thanks to the city’s small size. What it lacks in size though, the “City by the Bay” definitely makes up for in beautiful attractions, restaurants, and overall entertainment. From the great Golden Gate Bridge to the infamous Alcatraz Island, here are the main highlights of San Francisco you shouldn’t miss.
Golden Gate Bridge
As the most famous bridge in the world (easily recognized by its iconic orange colour), walking or biking across the Golden Gate Bridge is the first thing you should do after landing in San Francisco. The beautiful bridge represents an impressive feat of engineering that has taken about 4 years to be completed after battling unforgiving winds, fog, and huge tides. It is no wonder that the Golden Gate Bridge is also the most photographed bridge ever. From the walkway on the east side, you could see the magnificent city skyline with the Marin Headlands and the Pacific Ocean stretching in the background. In the afternoon, the bridge is known to be covered in fog making for such a spectacular and unique view.
Interesting fact: Every week, 25 brave painters maintain the bridge’s shiny exterior using 1000 gallons of orange paint.
Golden Gate Park
The Golden Gate Park is the perfect escape from the city for a relaxing afternoon surrounded by nature. Spreading across 1017 acres of land (larger than New York City’s Central Park) and filled with endless trees and beautiful flora, it is hard to believe this garden was once only sand dunes. There are a lot of must-see gardens within the park including the Botanical Gardens, Japanese Tea Gardens, Tulip Garden, Garden of Shakespeare’s Flowers, and Rose Garden. A day spent within Golden Gate Park will sure have you rejuvenated and starting fresh. Museums worth visiting include the California Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung Museum. The park is also known for celebrating music with various events and concerts throughout the year. The three-day annual concert called Outside Lands is the most famous one and it draws thousands of people every year.
Travel tip: If you’re short on time and cannot check the exhibits, head to the top observation deck of the DeYoung Museum for a wonderful panoramic view of the entire park.
Cable Cars
There’s no doubt you’ve seen in the movies or commercials the classic San Francisco cable cars. You can’t really brag about visiting the city without riding these cable cars just for the fun of it. If you’re staying a while and you purchased the San Francisco City Pass, then you can ride them as often as you’d like. On the other hand, a one-way trip will cost you $6. With only 3 lines, the most famous one operates between Powell and Hyde Street.
Travel tip: If you want to ride the cable car just to hang off the side, walk a few stops from the starting point and hop on from there.
Alcatraz
As America’s most well-known prison, a visit to the island and learning more about it makes for a very unique and exciting experience. The prison was founded back in the 19th century for the imprisonment of Civil War deserters and Native American protesters until Robert F. Kennedy closed it in 1963.The tour of the notorious prison is very spooky, especially at night.
Interesting fact: No prisoner is known to have ever escaped Alcatraz alive.
Twin Peaks
The Twin Peaks stand at about 280 meters and offer breath-taking panoramas of the entire city. Second in height to only Mt. Davidson, the Twin Peaks have become a well-known spot for tourists. This is where you get an idea of how San Francisco looked before all the modern changes. You will notice impressive plant diversity at the top as well as interesting bird species like the white-crowned sparrow.
Travel tip: The weather at the top is often very windy, so be prepared for it.
By Amal Ahmed
