33 Best Sights in San Francisco, California

Thousands of visitors come every day to walk in the footsteps of Alcatraz's notorious criminals. The stories of life and death on "the Rock" may sometimes be exaggerated, but it's almost impossible to resist the chance to wander the cell block that tamed the country's toughest gangsters and saw daring escape attempts of tremendous desperation. Fewer than 2,000 inmates ever did time on the Rock, including Al "Scarface" Capone, Robert "The Birdman" Stroud, and George "Machine Gun Kelly."

Some tips for escaping to Alcatraz: (1) Buy your ticket in advance. Visit the website for Alcatraz Cruises to scout out available departure times for the ferry. (2) Dress smart. Bring a jacket to ward off the chill from the boat ride and wear comfortable shoes. (3) Consider going for the evening tour. The evening tour has programs not offered during the day, the bridge-to-bridge view of the city twinkles at night, and your "prison experience" will be amplified as darkness falls. (4) Be mindful of scheduled and limited-capacity talks.

The boat ride to the island is brief (15 minutes) but affords beautiful views of the city, Marin County, and the East Bay. The audio tour (which comes with each ticket and is highly recommended to actually listen to for the best visit experience) includes observations by guards and prisoners about life in one of America's most notorious penal colonies. Additional programs and ranger tours are listed at the dock once you arrive on the island. Plan your schedule to allow at least three hours for the visit and boat rides combined.

Walking into this fascinating museum of "science, art, and human perception" is like visiting a mad-scientist's laboratory, but one in which most of the exhibits are supersize and you can play with everything. Signature experiential exhibits include the Tinkering Studio and a glass Bay Observatory building, where the exhibits help visitors better understand what they see outside. Get an Alice-in-Wonderland feeling in the Distorted Room, where you seem to shrink and grow as you walk across the slanted, checkered floor. In the Shadow Box, a powerful flash freezes an image of your shadow on the wall; jumping is a favorite pose. More than 650 other exhibits focus on sea and insect life, ice crystals, electricity, patterns and light, novelties like bicycle-powered jump rope, the weather, and more. Don't miss a walk around the outside of the museum afterward for superb views and a lesson about the bay's sediment and water motion in the Bay Windows presentation.

Whether you've seen them on postcards or on the old TV show Full House, the colorful "Painted Ladies" Victorian houses are some of San Francisco's world-renowned icons. The signature view of these beauties with the downtown skyline in the background is from the east side of this hilly park. Tourists love the photo opportunities, but locals also adore the park's tennis courts, dog runs, and ample picnic area—with great views, of course. After taking plenty of photos, swing by the park's northwest corner and admire the William Westerfeld House ( 1198 Fulton St.), a splendid five-story late-19th-century Victorian mansion. If it's a sunny day, grab picnic provisions from Bi-Rite Market. Thursday through Sunday, the Lady Falcon Coffee Club truck is stationed in the park, offering a great caffeine pick-me-up.

Golden Gate Park's longtime superintendent, John McLaren, designed this 12-acre park in the early 1900s, modeling its steep south-facing terracing on that of the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo. At any time of day, you're guaranteed to find San Francisco's exercise warriors running up the park's south steps. From the top of those steps, you can see Marin to the north, downtown to the east, Twin Peaks to the south, and Golden Gate Park to the west.  Kids love the many play structures at the large, enclosed playground at the top; dogs love the off-leash area in the park's southeast corner.

For an outdoorsy adventure and some fascinating though sometimes disturbing history, consider a day at this island northwest of Alcatraz, the bay's largest natural island. Used by the Coast Miwok as a favored camp, explored by Spaniards in 1775, and declared a U.S. military reserve 75 years later, the island was used as a screening ground for Asian, mostly Chinese, immigrants—who were often held for months, even years, before being granted entry—from 1910 until 1940. You can visit the restored Immigration Station, from the dock where detainees landed to the barracks where you can see the poems in Chinese script they etched onto the walls.

In 1963 the government designated Angel Island a state park. Today people come for picnics, hikes (such as one to the top of Mt. Livermore and a scenic 5-mile path that winds around the island's perimeter), and tram tours that explain the park's history. Golden Gate Ferry is the only Angel Island ferry service with departures from San Francisco; boats leave from the Ferry Building.

West of the Golden Gate Bridge is a mile-long stretch of soft sand beneath steep cliffs, beloved for its spectacular views and laid-back vibe (read: small chance you'll see naked people here on the northernmost end). Its isolated location makes it rarely crowded, but many San Franciscans know that there is no better place to take in the sunset than this beach. Kids love climbing around the old Battery Chamberlin. This is truly one of those places that inspires local pride. Amenities: parking (no fee); toilets. Best for: nudists; solitude; sunsets.

With its native plant–covered living roof, retractable ceiling, three-story rainforest, gigantic planetarium, living coral reef, and frolicking penguins, the California Academy of Sciences is one of the city's most spectacular treasures. Dramatically designed by Renzo Piano, it's an eco-friendly, energy-efficient adventure in biodiversity and green architecture. Moving away from a restrictive role as a museum that cataloged natural history, the academy these days is all about sustainability and the future, but the locally beloved dioramas in African Hall remain.

It's best to look at the academy's floor plan to design your visit before you arrive. Here's the quick version: head left from the entrance to the wooden walkway over otherworldly rays in the Philippine Coral Reef, then continue to the Swamp to see Claude, the famous albino alligator. Swing through African Hall and study the penguins, take the elevator up to the living roof, then return to the main floor and get in line to explore the Rainforests of the World. You'll end up below ground in the Amazonian Flooded Rainforest, where you can explore the academy's other aquarium exhibits. The popular adults-only NightLife event, held every Thursday evening, includes after-dark access to all exhibits, as well as special programming and a full bar.  Considering the hefty price of admission, start early and take advantage of in-and-out privileges to take a break. Buy tickets a few days ahead for the best rate.

Whatever you do, be sure to at least drive by the Conservatory of Flowers—it's too darn pretty to miss. The gorgeous, white-framed 1878 glass structure is topped with a 14-ton glass dome. Stepping inside the giant greenhouse is like taking a quick trip to the rainforest, with its earthy smell and humid warmth. The undeniable highlight is the Aquatic Plants section, where lily pads float and carnivorous plants dine on bugs to the sounds of rushing water.

On the east side of the conservatory (to the right as you face the building), cypress, pine, and redwood trees surround the Dahlia Garden, which blooms in summer and fall. Adding to the allure are temporary special exhibits; a recurring holiday-season model-train display punctuated with mini buildings, found objects, and dwarf plants; night blooms; and a butterfly garden that returns periodically. To the west is the Rhododendron Dell, which contains 850 varieties, more than any other garden of its kind in the country. It's a favorite local Mother's Day picnic spot.

With how seamlessly the Presidio Tunnel Tops landscape flows from the Presidio's Main Parade Lawn downhill to Crissy Field, it's almost impossible to envision the two not being connected. Yet, that was always the case until this impressive 14-acre green space with 1.8 miles of winding walking paths was completed in 2022. It's a park that is both function (bringing together two important areas atop a highway tunnel) and form (beautifully designed by James Corner Field Operations, the same firm that designed New York City's acclaimed High Line elevated park). 

The Presidio Tunnel Tops are a marquee destination for many reasons, but there's no escaping that the park is best known for its panoramic view of the Golden Gate Bridge. There's plenty more to do, from grabbing lunch from a visiting food truck or letting kids explore the impressive 2-acre Outpost playground that tells the Presidio's extensive history and evokes its natural habitat. There are three lawn areas for picnicking, a Campfire Circle where ranger talks are given, and 200,000 plants to gaze at.

Altogether, it's a fun breath of fresh air—and it's hard to believe that you're literally on top of the busy 101 highway. After exploring the Presidio Tunnel Tops, make sure to head over to their lesser-known "above the highway" park sibling, Battery Bluff. This park doesn't have the activities or amenities that makes the Tunnel Tops such a draw, but it's worth a visit for the views and to see the four preserved historic gun batteries.

Ask a hundred San Franciscans about Salesforce Park and the city's tallest building, the 1,070-foot Salesforce Tower, and you'll get a hundred different opinions. The tower opened in 2018 and is the second-tallest building west of the Mississippi. This splashy, impossible-to-miss, rocket-shape glass high-rise dominates the city's skyline and has become the symbol of the city's tech-money elite. It is photogenic, but some feel it dominates photos of the city too often. Building visits are limited to employees and people coming for business purposes.

The true highlight of the Salesforce mini-neighborhood is Salesforce Park, a sprawling urban park with 13 ecosystems atop the four-block-long Salesforce Transit Center. It's a downtown green gem, a true civic accomplishment. This is a favorite destination for families, walkers, and workers trying to get fresh air on their lunch break. A beer garden from Barebottle Brewing Co. in Bernal Heights has swiftly become the happy hour destination of choice for downtown office workers. For a weekday coffee break, there's a branch of local favorite Andytown Coffee Roasters on the seventh floor of the spectacular 181 Fremont skyscraper; it's attached to the park via skybridge. The park can be reached via elevators or escalators (a thrilling glass-enclosed gondola from ground level to the park has been closed in recent years but might reopen at some point in 2025).

Once a staple at Playland at the Beach, San Francisco's early-20th-century amusement park, the antique mechanical contrivances at this time-warp arcade—including peep shows and nickelodeons—make it one of the most worthwhile attractions at the Wharf. Some favorites are the giant and rather creepy "Laffing Sal"; an arm-wrestling machine; (supposedly) the world's only steam-powered motorcycle; various retro pinball machines; and mechanical fortune-telling figures. This is a truly fun and somewhat surreal experience.   Admission is free, but you'll need quarters to bring the machines to life.

The city's most popular waterfront attraction draws millions of visitors each year, who come to browse through its shops and concessions hawking every conceivable form of souvenir. The pier can be quite crowded, and the numerous street performers may leave you feeling more harassed than entertained. Arriving early in the morning ensures you a front-row view of the sea lions that bask here, but be aware that most stores don't open until 9:30 or 10 (later in winter).

Follow the sound of barking to the northwest side of the pier to view the sea lions flopping about the floating docks. Pier 39's biggest celebrities reside here pretty much year-round (though the population is generally lowest in early summer), enjoying the nearby food in the bay and the ability to easily rotate between sleeping on the docks and going for a swim.

At the Aquarium of the Bay ( www.aquariumofthebay.org), guests of all ages enjoy strolling through a space surrounded on three sides by water that is filled with local San Francisco Bay marine life, from the orange garibaldi (the state marine fish) to sharks. Aquatic animals from elsewhere in the Northern California watershed also make an appearance, including white sturgeon and river otters.

Conceived by environmental artist Peter Richards and fashioned by master stonecutter George Gonzales, this unusual wave-activated acoustic sculpture at the entrance of a harbor gives off subtle harmonic sounds produced by seawater as it passes through 25 tubes. The sound is loudest at high tide. The granite and marble used for walkways, benches, and alcoves that are part of the piece were salvaged from a gold rush–era cemetery.

Two blocks encompass the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Metreon (a busy, nondescript urban shopping mall), and Moscone Convention Center, but the gardens themselves are the everyday draw. Office workers and convention-goers escape to the green swath of the Great Lawn, the focal point of which is the memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. Powerful streams of water surge over large, jagged stone columns, mirroring the enduring force of King's words, which are carved on the stone walls and on glass blocks behind the waterfall. Moscone North is behind the memorial, and an overhead walkway leads to Moscone South and its rooftop attractions.

The gardens are liveliest during the week and during the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, from May through October (ybgfestival.org), with free performances.

Atop the Moscone Center perch a few lures for kids. The historic 1906 Looff carousel ( $5; $3 with museum admission) twirls daily 10–5. The carousel is attached to the Children's Creativity Museum ( creativity.org), an interactive arts-and-technology center ( $20) geared to children ages 3–12. Outside in the children's garden, kids adore the slides, including a 25-foot tube slide, at the play circle. Also part of the complex are an ice-skating rink and a bowling alley.

One of the city's best free offerings, this museum is an absolute must for kids and compelling for adults, too. You can even ride a cable car here—all three lines stop between Russian Hill and Nob Hill. The facility, which is inside the city's last remaining cable-car barn, takes the top off the system to show you how it all works. Eternally humming and squealing, the massive powerhouse cable wheels steal the show. You can also climb aboard a vintage car and take the grip, let the kids ring a cable-car bell, and check out vintage gear dating from 1873.

Snoopy, Wonder Woman, Batman, and other colorful cartoon icons greet you at the Cartoon Art Museum, established with an endowment from the late cartoonist-icon Charles M. Schulz. The museum's strength is its changing exhibits, which have highlighted subjects such as emerging artists, "Sunday Funnies" comic strips (which supposedly may have started in the San Francisco Examiner in the late 1800s), and artwork that highlights the landmarks of San Francisco. Serious fans of cartoons—especially those on the quirky underground side—will likely enjoy the exhibits; those with a casual interest may be bored. The store here carries cool titles to add to your collection.

A former industrial part of the bay waterfront was beautifully redesigned from a shipbuilding area into a city park with two lawn areas; plenty of space for dogs, joggers, and picnickers; splendid East Bay and Bay Bridge views; and, yes, a small beach. However, it's not recommended to actually swim in the area—it's best to kayak or just dip your toes in the water. This is an urban renewal triumph enjoyed by all ages.

One of the most popular places for San Franciscans to get fresh air is this stretch of restored marshland along the sand of the bay, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Kids on bikes, folks walking dogs, and joggers share the paved path along the shore, often winding up at the Warming Hut, a combination café and fun gift store at its end, for a hot chocolate in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. Midway along the Golden Gate Promenade that winds along the shore is the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Visitor Center, where kids can get a close-up view of small sea creatures and learn about the rich ecosystem offshore. Alongside the main green of Crissy Field, several renovated airplane hangars and warehouses are now home to the likes of rock-climbing gyms, an air trampoline park, and a craft brewery (the latter is not open to the public). The Quartermaster Reach Marsh by Crissy Field was reclaimed as wetland ecosystem in 2020 and is an excellent area to see some of the local bird population.

The city's system of vintage electric trolleys, the F-line, gives the cable cars a run for their money as a beloved mode of transportation. The beautifully restored streetcars—some dating from the 19th century—run from the Castro District down Market Street to the Embarcadero, then north to Fisherman's Wharf. Each car is unique, restored to the colors of its city of origin, from Cincinnati and Philadelphia to Mexico City and Minneapolis. Pay with a Clipper card or purchase tickets on board; exact change is required.

Dwarfed today by the Golden Gate Bridge, this brick fortress constructed between 1853 and 1861 was designed to protect San Francisco from a Civil War sea attack that never materialized. It was also used as a coastal-defense fortification post during World War II, when soldiers stood watch here. This National Historic Site is now a sprawling museum of military memorabilia. The building, which surrounds a lonely, windswept courtyard, has a gloomy air and is suitably atmospheric. It's usually chilly, too, so bring a jacket. The top floor affords a unique angle on the bay.

Take care when walking along the front side of the building, as it's slippery and the waves can have a dizzying effect.

The popular guided candlelight tours, available only in winter, book up in advance, so plan ahead. Twice a day on days that the site is open (Fridays and weekends), rangers provide short orientations to the site's history. And, a few days a year, the site holds a Living History Day complete with Civil War reenactments, including a look at the music and medicine of that 1800s era.

Most of the redbrick buildings in this complex were once part of the Ghirardelli factory, which the prominent chocolate company purchased in 1893. Tourists visit to pick up the famous chocolate and indulge in ice cream sundaes at this dessert paradise, though you can purchase the chocolates all over town and save yourself a trip to what is essentially a glamorized mall food court (Ghirardelli's factory is now in the East Bay). But it's still a must-visit destination for chocolate lovers. Placards throughout the square describe the factory's history, and the giant Ghirardelli sign above the square, erected in 1923, remains one of the city's visual icons.

Once you're tired of chocolate, there are a few notable restaurants within the square. Palette Tea House serves some of the city's most artistic dim sum, Square Pie Guys has the Bay Area's gold standard for Detroit-style square pizza, Barrio offers enjoyable tacos and margaritas, excellent wines are poured by Cultivar Wines at their tasting room/wine bar, and there's a great beer garden setting at the San Francisco Brewing Co.

Follow your nose down Ross Alley to this tiny but fragrant cookie factory, an institution churning out treats for more than 60 years. Two workers sit at circular motorized griddles and wait for dollops of batter to drop onto a tiny metal plate, which rotates into an oven. A few moments later, out comes a cookie that's pliable and ready for folding. It's easy to peek in for a moment, and hard to leave without getting a few free samples and then buying a bagful of fortune cookies for snacks and wisdom later. You can even write your own fortunes.

Downtown malls may be struggling, but the Japan Center is thriving. Cool and curious trinkets, noodle houses and sushi joints, a destination bookstore, and a peek at Japanese culture high and low await at this 5-acre complex designed in 1968 by noted American architect Minoru Yamasaki. The Japan Center includes the shop- and restaurant-filled Kintetsu Mall and Kinokuniya Building; the excellent Kabuki Springs & Spa; the Hotel Kabuki; and the AMC Kabuki cinema.

The Kinokuniya Bookstore, in the Kinokuniya Building, has an extensive selection of Japanese-language books, manga, English-language translations, books on Japanese topics, and fun gifts. Afterwards, enjoy a crepe with green tea gelato, red bean paste, and matcha from Sophie's Crepes. Just outside, on the bridge connecting the buildings, check out Asakichi and its tiny incense shop for wind chimes and teakettles. Continue into the Kintetsu Mall for a taiyaki (fish-shape) cone at Uji Time.

Between the West Mall and the East Mall are the 5-tier, 100-foot-tall Peace Pagoda and the Peace Plaza, where seasonal festivals are held. The pagoda, which draws on the 1,200-year-old tradition of miniature round pagodas dedicated to eternal peace, was designed in the late 1960s by Yoshirō Taniguchi to convey the "friendship and goodwill" of the Japanese people to the people of the United States.

Founded in 1888 and impressively renovated, the country's first public children's playground has wave-shaped climbing walls, old-fashioned cement slides, and a 20-plus-foot rope-climbing structure that kids love and parents fear. Thankfully, one holdover from the park's early days is the beautiful, handcrafted 1912 Herschell-Spillman carousel. The lovely stone Sharon Building, next to the playground, offers art classes for youngsters. Bring a picnic or pick up grub nearby on 9th Avenue and you could spend the entire day here. Be aware that the playground, which has separate areas for toddlers and bigger kids, is unenclosed and sightlines can be obstructed.

Clusters of trees dot this four-block-square oasis for sunbathers and dog-and-Frisbee teams. On the south side of the park, squat but elegant 2151 Sacramento Street, a private condominium, is the site of a home occupied by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th century. Coats of arms blaze in the front stained-glass windows. Across from the park's eastern edge is another eye-catching historic home: the Queen Anne (and distinctly yellow) C. A. Belden House at 2004 Gough Street.

The park's northern border is anchored by the stately Spreckels Mansion, built originally for sugar heir Adolph B. Spreckels and his wife, Alma. It is now the 55-room home of celebrated romance novelist Danielle Steel. Giant, immaculately trimmed hedges hide most of the mansion from public view—and have been quite the topic of debate among locals for many years. The park itself is a lovely neighborhood space where Pacific Heights residents laze in the sun or exercise their pedigreed canines while gazing at downtown's skyline or the Bay and Marin County hills in the distance to the north.

Bay Area filmmaker George Lucas's 23-acre Letterman Digital Arts Center, a digital studio campus along the eastern edge of the land, is exquisitely landscaped and largely open to the public. If you have kids in tow or are a Star Wars fan yourself, make the pilgrimage to the Yoda Fountain between two of the arts-center buildings, then take your picture with the life-size Darth Vader statue in the lobby, open to the public on weekdays.

A newly built micro neighborhood within the greater Mission Bay neighborhood, this 28-acre waterfront development across McCovey Cove from Oracle Park is a public-private development between the Giants, the Port of San Francisco, and Tishman Speyer (a real-estate corporation). Its crowning glory, China Basin Park, was unveiled in 2024 and features a beach-like area with Adirondack chairs and a Willie McCovey statue, plus plenty of green space for dogs and humans to enjoy. The ballpark and skyline views throughout the park are sensational.

Further inland within the small set of high-rise buildings, the credit card company Visa now has its global headquarters. Several popular San Francisco restaurants, including Trick Dog, Flour + Water Pizzeria, and Che Fico, are expected to open-dining concepts in the "neighborhood" in 2025.

Younger kids who are still excited about petting a rabbit, touching a snakeskin, or seeing a live hawk will enjoy a trip to this nature museum. The museum sits beneath a hill variously known as Red Rock, Museum Hill, and, correctly, Corona Heights; hike up the steep but short trail for great, unobstructed city views. Just be sure to bring a windbreaker.

You'll feel as if you're out to sea when you step inside this sturdy, ship-shape (literally), Streamline-Moderne structure, dubbed the Bathhouse Building and built in 1939 as part of the New Deal's Works Progress Administration. The first floor of the museum, part of the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, has stunningly restored undersea dreamscape murals and some of the museum's intricate ship models. The first-floor balcony overlooks the beach and has lovely WPA-era tile designs. A short walk from the museum (past the cable car turnaround) is the national historical park's Visitor Center ( 499 Jefferson St.), whose fun, large-scale exhibits make it an engaging stop for learning more about San Francisco's fascinating maritime past in a building that was a Del Monte cannery warehouse. If you've got young kids in tow, the museum makes a great quick, free stop. Then pick up ice cream at Ghirardelli Square across the street and enjoy it on the beach or next door in the grassy Maritime Garden, where you can watch the cable cars turn around.

A labor of love from the same vintage-transit enthusiasts responsible for the F-line's revival, this one-room museum and store celebrates the city's streetcars and cable cars with photographs, models, and artifacts. The permanent exhibit includes the replicated end of a streetcar with a working cab—complete with controls and a bell—for kids to explore; the cool, antique Wiley birdcage traffic signal; and models and display cases to view. Right on the F-line track, just across from the Ferry Building, this is a great quick stop.