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The historic city of San Francisco needs no introduction. It's quite often in the news for a wide variety of reasons (after all, it's a major city) but it's a place that's worth visiting at least once. With iconic landmarks, cable cars, tech giants, and a melting pot of excellent food, you'll never run out of things to do and places to see. It's one of the most visited cities in the country for good reason.
Here are the nine best things you should do when visiting San Francisco:
See The Golden Gate Bridge
No visit to San Francisco is complete without seeing the Golden Gate Bridge. One of the most photographed bridges in the world, the steel suspension marvel of engineering is also one of the most beautiful. It spans a little over a mile and a half, so feel free to walk across it if you're feeling up to it. If not, check out the Visitor Center for some of the history behind the bridge or hike one of the many trails in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on either side of the bridge to find various lookout points and photo opps.
Visit Golden Gate Park
Not to be confused with the above, Golden Gate Park is located south of the bridge and stretches for over a thousand acres, akin to New York's Central Park. It has all of the activities you would find at a much smaller park, including playgrounds, picnic grounds, and tennis courts, but there's so much more to do and discover when you're not staring up at the trees towering above you. Check out the California Academy of Sciences or de Young museum, or for more nature exploration, visit the Botanical Garden, Conservatory of Flowers, and Japanese Tea Garden. While the park itself is free to enter and walk around, many of these places do have entrance fees so plan accordingly.
Eat Chocolate At Ghirardelli Square
Located in the Marina district, Ghirardelli Square is home to cute boutique shops, restaurants, and of course, the San Francisco-founded chocolate company Ghirardelli. Visit the Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience to buy chocolate (their 72% cocoa squares and non-dairy baking chocolate chips are vegan!) or try a hot fudge sundae. Vegans can rejoice because they recently introduced a non-dairy vegan sundae. For more info on that and more vegan-friendly options around the city, check out this blog post.
Walk Up/Down Lombard Street
San Francisco is known for being a hilly city but there is no street more steep or crooked than the infamous single-block section of Lombard Street situated between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. It's about 600 feet long and attracts an unfathomable amount of visitors. Seriously, who wants to see a "boring" street? Me, apparently. My friend and I did the walk up Hyde Street (which was manageable), and arrived at the top of Lombard before descending the walkway to the left. And at the end of the day, it's still just a street but you should visit just to say that you did it.
Explore The Ferry Building Marketplace
The San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace is (obviously) located in a bustling ferry terminal located between Piers 1 and 2 and on The Embarcadero. It's over a century old and while it isn't as busy as it used to be, there are still ferries that operate out of the terminal and there's an expansive marketplace to explore. You can find fresh produce or hot sauce in the farmers' market outside, visit the shops inside for cute souvenirs and baked goods, or stop by for a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants. There are also plenty of events to check out, or you can host a private one of your own.
For a review of vegan-friendly options at the market, check out this blog post.
Visit Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39
After you visit Ghirardelli Square and Lombard Street, walk east until you hit Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 45 before continuing onward to Pier 39. You can walk on the piers, check out the local dining, and get a great view of Alcatraz Island (if you want). But if you came to see the sea lions like I did, they're just off the end of Pier 39, where there's always a crowd so you can't miss them (and you'll hear them). They like to nap and show off a little bit so go say hi and whatever you do, do not feed them.
If you're looking to grab lunch, might I suggest the next thing on this list?
Try The Sourdough At Boudin Bakery
No visit to San Francisco is complete without getting sourdough bread from Boudin, home of the original San Francisco sourdough since 1849. Their flagship store is located in Fisherman's Wharf and you can see the bakers go to work or buy souvenirs to take home. Their soups and chilis served in sourdough bread bowls are popular items but if you're vegan like me, you'll be ecstatic to hear that their sourdough bread is vegan! You can pick up a loaf for later and get the California Veggie Sandwich without Havarti cheese and mayo, and swap the multi-grain bread for the sourdough. Lunch sorted.
Walk Around Union Square
The Union Square neighborhood is located in the heart of San Francisco. During our most recent trip, we stayed at the Hilton on O'Farrell Street while they were hosting a psychonomics conference so it was busier than I expected. The hotel itself is quite nice (and was decorated for the holidays while we were there) but its best asset is that it's in a prime location, where you're able to walk to so many fantastic restaurants, shops, landmarks, museums, the Ferry Building, et cetera. There was a lighted Christmas tree with an ice skating rink a few blocks away. You're steps away from the Cable Car Museum, the San Francisco Museum of MOdern Art, Yerba Buena, and the Dragon Gate and Chinatown. There's tons to see and even more to do.
Catch A Warriors Game @ Chase Center
This last item on the list may not be for everyone (if you're not a professional basketball or sports fan, that is) but the Chase Center is one of the premier sporting venues that I've been to. Granted, the Warriors didn't get off to the best start this season but you wouldn't be able to tell from the crowd. They were in the game for its duration, from the first second to the last (in overtime). The venue itself was sleek and clean, and I had my head lifted to the sky as we were walking in. There was a lawn outside the main entrance where there was live music (and hustle and bustle). I didn't get to eat but I would expect the food to be great as well. The in-arena entertainment kept fans engaged all night. I highly recommend visiting even if you don't stay for the whole game.
And there you have it. Did I miss anything? Is there something I didn't mention that I should check out the next time I visit San Francisco? Let me know in the comments below!
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