San FranciscoTravel Guide

The Art Deco suspension bridge that defines San Francisco's skyline — walk or bike across for harbour views, or photograph it from Battery Spencer or Crissy Field on the clearer, less foggy mornings.

The former federal penitentiary in the bay, reachable only by the official ferry — the audio tour, narrated partly by former guards and inmates, is one of the city's most consistently praised experiences. Book weeks ahead.

A restored 1898 marketplace on the Embarcadero, now home to artisan food stalls and a Saturday farmers market — a good lunch stop with bay views.

The oldest Chinatown in North America, entered through the ornate Dragon Gate on Grant Avenue — Waverly Place's balconies and the fortune cookie factory on Ross Alley are worth seeking out beyond the main strip.

A 1,000-acre park larger than New York's Central Park, holding the de Young Museum, Japanese Tea Garden, and California Academy of Sciences within its grounds.

An old-growth coastal redwood forest 30 minutes north of the city — some trees predate the Roman Empire. Parking requires an advance reservation; the shuttle from Sausalito is the easier option.

A grand Beaux-Arts rotunda and colonnade built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, the only structure from that world's fair still standing — a favourite for photos and quiet lagoon-side walks.

Two of the city's highest points, with a viewpoint reachable by car or a steep walk — on a clear day the panorama takes in the bridges, downtown, and both bays at once.

Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley in the Mission District hold decades of political and cultural street art — a self-guided walk here pairs naturally with the neighbourhood's taquerias.

A coastal cliff walk past the ruins of the Sutro Baths, with views out to the Golden Gate Bridge and the open Pacific — quieter and wilder than the bridge itself.