Jan
10
A trip to San Francisco
The Golden Gate Bridge is the symbol of San Francisco, a city which boasts a vibrant harbour area. Exploring the city on foot, with its steep hills (home to the steepest road in the world) and cable cars, is simply charming. Top this off with an American experience like watching a baseball or football game at Candlestick Park. International flights arrive directly at San Francisco International Airport, as well as at two nearby regional airports: Oakland and San Jose international airports.
Flights to San Francisco
San Francisco can be easily accessed from three international airports: San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. San Francisco International Airport has the most international connections, while the other two serve primarily regional and domestic flights. All three airports are well serviced by public transportation, with shuttle buses and BART rail system links. Taxis are also abundant and make for a convenient way to get into the city if you have a lot of luggage. If you are looking for a cheap flight to San Francisco try Expedia.
Driving a car in downtown San Francisco can be tricky and complicated, but a car is handy if you want to explore the Bay Area and the rest of California. The famous five-line highways are a great way to travel. Within the city, most areas are easily explored on foot or by short taxi ride. Don’t miss a ride on the famous San Francisco cable car, which starts its journey from Union square.
San Francisco
Sightseeing in San Francisco
The pier is a favourite destination for locals as well as visitors. Go to Fisherman’s Wharf to enjoy some mouth-watering seafood or stroll and shop. There are many shops here selling everything from plastic kitsch to handicrafts. Pier 39 is the main entertainment district and also where boats for the infamous Alcatraz depart.
San Francisco is famous for its Chinatown, which is well worth a visit. There are more than 30,000 Chinese residents in San Francisco and Chinatown is fun for eating, strolling and shopping. Japan Town is adjacent to Chinatown and has some great sushi bars.
Fun by night – eating drinking and partying
Restaurants and bars are spread across the city, with something for everyone. San Francisco is readily compared to New York when it comes to range and depth of cuisine on offer. In Noe Valley, visitors will find smaller but pricey and well-known restaurants. The Civic Centre area is full of eateries and bars catering to the pre- and post-opera scene. The city also has a very vibrant gay scene and many bars and restaurants cater specifically to gay clientele, especially in the Castro street area.
Seafood is one of the main attractions in San Francisco and visitors should head to Fisherman’s Wharf or Ghirardelli square to try the catch of the day. Restaurants such as Alioto’s and Scoma’s are institutions here.
Fun by day - shopping and activities
Shopping in San Francisco is a serious affair and the city offers plenty for shopaholics. The main downtown shopping areas are Union square, Hayes Valley, Upper Fillmore, and Mission and Sacramento streets. Each area has its own unique style and range of shops. There are also plenty of malls worth visiting as well, such as Westfield San Francisco Center and Embarcadero Center.
Daytrips
San Francisco Bay is huge and harbours many islands in its frigid waters, including the most famous in the country, Alcatraz. The military-cum-prison island famously housed America’s most dangerous and high-profile criminals of the day, including Al Capone and Frank Morris, and you can learn all about them on a tour. Boats leave from Pier 69 of the Fisherman’s Wharf.
Marin County lies just across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and is one of the most affluent areas in the Bay area. It is supremely trendy and laid back, and features great shopping and outdoor pursuits. Must-see places here include the expensive Sausalito, Point Reyes National Seashore for whale watching, and Mount Tamalpais for views.
Oakland is across the Bay Bridge to the east of San Francisco and is a beautiful and peaceful area famously home to the California campus of Berkeley. Many of San Francisco’s affluent residents choose to live here. Drive out this way while taking a daytrip to the wine country areas of Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, and Calistoga.
Yosemite National Park is also within reach of San Francisco but needs more than a daytrip to explore.
Must-see attractions
Although you won’t see much fishing going on here today, Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the star attractions of San Francisco and is the launching point for touring the bay area and visiting Alcatraz. The shopping and eating at the wharf are great, with a real fish market atmosphere and many bustling pubs. Also, be sure to see the Californian sea lions on the floating docks.
The Golden Gate Bridge is in the top 10 of America’s best loved and most recognisable icons. You can see it from all over town and it famously sits in the stunning Golden Gate Park as well as providing direct access to upmarket Marin County. The bridge was built in the 1920s and is two miles long.
Golden Gate Park was here before the bridge, having opened in the 1860s, and is one of paved paths, wooded trails and flower gardens. Highlights of the park include Strawberry Hill, the Conservatory of Flowers, and the Japanese Tea Garden. If you want to mingle with the locals, this is the place to be.
San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of America’s largest and is a bubbly and fascinating neighbourhood to explore. Chinatown’s streets are typically loaded with genuine Chinese restaurants and shops as well as markets and Chinese residents.
Best time to go
Summer is warmest and driest and is the best time to go to San Francisco weather wise, although it does get very busy with tourists at this time of year. While winters are cold and rainy, spring and autumn are quite nice in San Francisco and you will see fewer crowds and cheaper hotels.
Rainy day suggestions
For that rainy day in San Francisco, check out the fun Exploratorium; an enjoyable mix of a museum, laboratory and amusement arcade. There are hundreds of fun exhibits here and kids can get to touch a tornado.
Another rainy day attraction is the Asian Art Museum. It contains one of the largest collections of Asian art in the Western hemisphere, with thousands of paintings, sculptures, and items covering all major periods in Asian history.
Comments
Leave a Reply
-
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
