What to see, what to do San Francisco?
The 10 good reasons to go San Francisco
The richness of the fauna
Between bears, squirrels, deer and whales, animals are omnipresent.
Openness to others
Latinos, Asians, French, there is room for everyone
Nature in the city
Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, the Presidio... Nature is everywhere.
The incredible architecture
Skyscrapers of all shapes, pagoda roofs, multicolored Victorian houses..
A breath of fresh air
Hybrid cars, few traffic jams and pollution swept by the sea winds.
The grandiose landscapes
One drive and you are in Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, on the Pacific Coast...
The culinary melting pot
Californians never stop mixing the cuisines of the world.
The richness of history
Beat Generation, Summer of Love, Internet: the last revolutions took place here.
Sexual freedom
Homosexuals, polyamorists, libertines, everyone does what he wants
Sport everywhere
Here you can bike, skate, hike, play tennis...
What to visit San Francisco?
Interview: My San Francisco
By Antoine Calvino, author of the guide
Meet Antoine Calvino, the author of this guide, who has made four pilgrimages to San Francisco since 1997. First attracted by the echoes of the Summer of Love, then by the madness of Burning Man and finally by the grandiose landscapes of the Pacific coast and the Sierra Nevada. A little less enthusiastic about the rampant gentrification of the city in recent years.
See the video of the interviewGood to know to visit San Francisco
Timetable
The vast majority of attractions and museums are open every day of the week, usually from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., throughout the year, with the exception of certain holidays, including December 25, January 1 and Thanksgiving. When museums that normally charge admission offer free admission, expect crowds
To be booked
Few tourist attractions in the area require advance reservations. It is highly recommended to make a reservation for a trip to Alcatraz
Budget & Tips
It's going to be difficult for us to give you good plans to pay less, everything is overpriced in San Francisco! That's why it's a good idea to buy a pass to visit the must-see places in San Francisco at unbeatable prices. The City Pass (www.citypass.com/san-francisco ) allows you to save money if you plan to visit 4 of the city's must-see attractions.
Main events
San Franciscans like to party, a lot and often. Everything is an excuse for a parade, a festival or a fair. They especially like to dress up and take any opportunity to bring out feathers, hats and clown noses. The list of festivals is long, but the 4th of July, Gay Pride, Chinese New Year and St. Patrick's Day are worth a visit. Even our Bastille Day on July 14th gives rise to festivities, especially in the French Quarter downtown, between the Café de la Presse and the Hôtel de France, where flags and blue/white/red balloons are waving..
Guided tours
To see as much as possible in the shortest time, hop on a red double-decker bus from the Big Bus Tour (www.bigbustours.com) and you'll get around the city without getting tired and with the commentary of the guides. For the sporty, there are guided bike tours or running tours; for the foodies, there are food tours (Local Tastes). And if you are more comfortable in French, let yourself be guided by French-speaking expatriates (Voyage en français). They offer thematic guided tours, often off the beaten track, to discover San Francisco in a different way. You can even discover the wine route from the comfort of a sidecar (www.ridesbyme.com).
Smokers
Smoking is prohibited in public buildings, offices, clubs, concert halls, bars, restaurants and even on patios. In fact, the minimum distance to light a cigarette from the entrance of a building is 4.5 meters (15 feet). It is also very bad to light your cigarette in private homes.
Tourist traps
The cable car at 8 dollars a ticket looks like a tourist trap. Beside that, we don't really notice any scam in the streets of San Francisco.
What's very local
There aren't many hippies left in San Francisco. But if you go out to techno parties, you might run into Burners, their futuristic rainbow-furred descendants who appeared at Burning Man.