san francisco best places to visit

27 Top Tourist Attractions in San Francisco (with Map) - Touropia

San Francisco is the best place to visit in the United States. The city offers an exciting and diverse range of attractions, including museums, landmarks, parks and more. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a better way to spend a weekend than exploring San Francisco with your family or friends.

While there are many things to do in San Francisco for adults, we recommend visiting one of the city’s many museums that specialize in art and history. The Asian Art Museum features a collection of Chinese art dating back as far as 2000 BC! The de Young Museum houses an impressive collection of American art from the 17th century through today. And if you love history then be sure to visit Alcatraz Island—it was once home to America’s most notorious criminals!

If you’re looking for great places to visit in San Francisco during Covid, then be sure not to miss Fisherman’s Wharf! This popular tourist attraction offers plenty of fun activities like fishing trips and boat rides on the bay as well as restaurants where you can enjoy fresh seafood prepared by local chefs!

California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences is a world-class scientific and cultural institution in the heart of San Francisco. The landmark building houses the largest natural history museum on the West Coast and a planetarium that offers free weekend shows.

Located in Golden Gate Park, it also has a rainforest, an aquarium, and a living roof (a park atop the building) with more than 150 species of plants native to California and Latin America. The academy’s Steinhart Aquarium features one million gallons of water displaying marine life from around the world, including jellyfish, sharks, turtles and piranhas!

The Palace of Fine Arts

The Palace of Fine Arts is a historical structure in San Francisco Bay. It was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, held to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal and commemorate the discovery of California by Spanish explorers. Today it is a National Historic Landmark and has been preserved as a public park.

The building itself is an architectural marvel, with its classical Roman columns and ornate statues looming over visitors as they wander through this green oasis in the middle of some of the city’s most densely populated neighborhoods. It’s also a great place to take pictures; there are plenty of opportunities for unique angles when photographing The Palace from behind or down below (as in one example). The architecture itself makes it easy to create interesting compositions that really showcase how grandiose this structure really is!

Ferry Building Marketplace

The Ferry Building Marketplace is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. A historic building that serves as a marketplace, this destination offers up delicious food, drink and retail options to go with its waterfront views.

Located in San Francisco, the Ferry Building Marketplace is easily accessible via public transportation or by car. If you’re planning on visiting during off-peak hours (Monday through Friday between 10 am and 2 pm), we recommend parking at Embarcadero Center Garage — it’s cheaper than the nearby lots!

Angel Island

Angel Island is a small island in San Francisco Bay. It is located in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, between Oakland and Alameda. Angel Island State Park is located on its northern end and offers gorgeous views of the surrounding area, including San Francisco’s skyline. The island has several hiking trails that you can take to explore this beautiful park. If you’re looking for something more adventurous, try your hand at boating or scuba diving off one of Angel Island’s many docks!

Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge that spans the Golden Gate strait, connecting San Francisco with Marin County. It was built in 1937 and remains one of the world’s most famous structures. A visit to the Golden Gate Bridge can be combined with other great attractions in San Francisco, including Alcatraz Island and Fisherman’s Wharf.

Visitors can walk across the bridge or take an elevator up to see sweeping views of both sides of the bay as well as Angel Island State Park and Mount Tamalpais (1 mile away). If you’re visiting San Francisco for business or pleasure, a trip across this iconic structure is an experience like no other!

Alcatraz Island

Alcatraz Island is a small island located in the San Francisco Bay. It served as a prison from 1933 to 1963 and is now a popular tourist attraction, with tours available for visitors to see the former prison cells and learn about its history. Visitors can take an hour-long boat ride from Pier 33 or Pier 41 in Fisherman’s Wharf to get to this historic site. Tours begin at Alcatraz Landing (near Crissy Field) on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:30am – 11:45am; Thursdays between March 1st and October 31st at 10:00am – 12:15pm; Fridays between April 1st and September 30th at 10:00am – 12:15pm; December 1st through January 31st Saturday through Thursday at 9:30am – 11:45am.*Admission costs $25 for adults over 13 years old, $20 for seniors 65+ years old and $12 for children ages 5-12 years old (children under 5 enter free). Children under 18 must be accompanied by adults during their visit.*Hours may vary based on seasonality

Lombard Street, the Crookedest Street in San Francisco

Lombard Street, also known as “the Crookedest Street in the World” is a historic street located in San Francisco. It’s famous for its eight sharp hairpin turns and is one of the most famous tourist attractions of San Francisco. Lombard Street was first laid out in 1922 by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., who designed it to connect with several other parks and walks through hillsides above Bayview-Hunters Point and Portola neighborhoods on land that once belonged to John McLaren, former mayor of San Francisco.

While walking along Lombard Street you’ll notice that there are many unique shops where you can buy souvenirs or enjoy yummy treats like churros or ice cream cones! The street itself is also worth seeing because it has so many beautiful Victorian style homes which make it look exactly like something out of a movie set!

Fisherman’s Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco. Located at the edge of the bay and right across from Alcatraz Island, it’s a great place to walk around and take in all that this city has to offer. If you plan on visiting Fisherman’s Wharf with kids, they will definitely love all of the street performers who will entertain them throughout their day. The wharf itself is home to many restaurants, shops, and attractions for those who want some retail therapy along with their entertainment. You can also catch a glimpse at some amazing views of Alcatraz Island from here! Fisherman’s Wharf is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for something fun and exciting while visiting San Francisco!

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is a unit of the national park service and preserves and interprets the maritime history of San Francisco Bay. The park contains a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center/museum, research library and archives, theater, boat rides and exhibits. The park also conducts non-profit educational programs on bay water transportation topics through their affiliated organization: National Maritime Research Center (NMRC).

The collections held by NMRC consist of over 100 vessel histories; 75 oral histories; over 2,000 photos; 3 linear feet of textual materials related to maritime activities in San Francisco Bay; approximately 900 hours of video footage (including home movies) documenting life on the waterfront during World War II; approximately 3500 still images from various sources including commercial photographers working for shipping companies headquartered at Pier 30+32 during 1938-1939

Chinatown, San Francisco

Chinatown is an area of San Francisco that has long been home to Chinese immigrants. This neighborhood is also known for its vibrant culture and food scene.

Chinatown is one of the best places to visit in San Francisco because it’s a great place to experience a different side of the city than you might be accustomed to. You can spend your time browsing through shops selling items from all over Asia, enjoying delicious food at local restaurants or simply walking around the neighborhood while taking in the sights and sounds.

trip to san francisco

San Francisco is one of the most popular cities to visit in California. The city’s natural beauty and historical significance has attracted visitors for decades, but it’s also a good place for a vacation. San Francisco offers many attractions for tourists who are interested in seeing what life was like back then.

San Francisco has many great sites that you can visit while you’re there. There are museums that offer tours of their collections, which include photography exhibits by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston; paintings by artists like William Keith; sculpture and architecture from different periods throughout history; artifacts from famous battles fought on US soil during World War II (including those at Pearl Harbor); paintings by Robert Rauschenberg; furniture made by Frank Lloyd Wright

You can also enjoy various recreational activities while visiting this beautiful city! The Golden Gate Bridge connects San Francisco proper with Marin County across a strait known as The Golden Gate Strait (or simply “The Golden Gate”). This structure was designed by Joseph Strauss himself before his death in 1924 at age 77 due to complications brought about by pneumonia contracted during construction work upon completion of both landforms themselves.”

Conclusion

Take a trip to San Francisco and visit these amazing locales. You will love this city and all it has to offer.

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