The best things to do in San Francisco, from Alcatraz to Chinatown

Sure, there are icons: the Golden Gate Bridge really is as ridiculously good-looking as the pictures; Alcatraz Island a bizarre and fascinating chapter of history. But the most captivating thing about San Francisco is that it’s as much an enclave of raw, natural beauty as it is a vital, forward-thinking city. Take time to get to know both sides: for every rattling cable car ride or raucous Chinatown restaurant, there’s a peaceful, pine-scented hike with views stretching infinitely across the Pacific. And as the nation’s progressive capital, creativity is in the very fibre of these streets, making art of everything from hidden back alleys to the Bay Bridge. Here are the things to do you can’t miss.

Marina District

Bike over that bridge

It’s a tourist staple for a reason: cycling across the Golden Gate Bridge is a remarkable experience and shouldn’t be missed. Rental companies such as Blazing Saddles offer bikes with self-guided tour maps. There are various routes, but the perfect half-day entails pedalling to seaside town Sausalito on the Marin County side, then catching a ferry back. Autumn and winter are the best seasons for clear skies, when the views over the blue-green bay can’t be beat.

Insider’s tip: Call ahead for a table at Salito’s (1200 Bridgeway; 00 1 415 331 3226) in Sausalito, where a lunch of local Dungeness crab in a signature garlic sauce will restore you for the return journey. Ask for a spot on the harbour-facing terrace.

Contact: 00 1 415 202 8888; blazingsaddles.com
Opening times: Depends on location
Prices: ￡

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Hike the world’s best-looking army base

The Presidio National Park – 1,500 acres of forest and beaches at the northern tip of the city – was previously a United States Army fort and was reclaimed for public use in the 1990s. It’s now a serene getaway only four miles from hectic downtown, with walking paths through pine and cypress forest, and a waterside promenade leading directly under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Insider’s tip: Starting at Land’s End on San Francisco’s western edge, the wooded two and a half-mile hike along coastal cliffs to Baker Beach in The Presidio is an absolute stunner. End with a picnic on the sand and another exceptional view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Contact: 00 1 415 561 4323; presidio.gov
Opening times: 24 hours a day, year-round
Prices: Free

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The Mission

Discover colourful protest art

When Latino immigrants started moving to The Mission district in the 1960s, they brought with them a rich tradition of political murals, recalling masters like Diego Rivera. Today, the entire neighbourhood appears like a bright canvas, though a handful of alleys carry the most revered pieces. Don’t miss Balmy Alley, where intricate works address everything from the Salvadoran civil war to modern gentrification.

Insider’s tip: Most visitors tour the murals independently, but Precita Eyes (00 1 415 285 2287), a mural arts collective that paints throughout the Bay Area, gives small, two-hour guided tours on weekends for those keen to know more about the medium.

Opening times: 24 hours a day, year-round
Prices: Free

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Embarcadero

Escape to Alcatraz

An excellent audio tour of Alcatraz dramatically brings to life the realities of confinement on the island, both for inmates and staff. Visitors wander as they please, peering into cells and admiring officers’ gardens – not to mention soaking in stirring 360-degree views of the city and its landmark bridges. Heaven for tourists, but for prisoners? Must’ve been hell.

Insider’s tip: Consider the nighttime tour over the self-guided daytime version. Here, a ranger leads smaller groups on an eerie, after-dark journey. It’s popular, so book three months ahead.

Contact: 00 1 415 981 7625; alcatrazcruises.com
Opening times: Day tours, 8.45am-3.50pm; night tours, 5.55pm, 6.30pm
Prices: ￡￡

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Scale a scenic staircase

Two things San Francisco isn’t short of: incredible views, and thigh-busting hills. So it should come as little surprise that many of the city’s best vistas are found at the top of staircases. Filbert Street Steps, which cut through tumbling gardens, are the best. Also noteworthy are the landscaped Lyon Street Steps that give a sweeping Marina vantage, and the Sunset District’s brightly mosaiced 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, which peep over rooftops to the Pacific.

Insider’s tip: As these stairs can be steep, take a top-down approach if you can – unless you’re one of those super-fit types who spend weekend mornings treating Lyon Street Steps like a Stairmaster.

Opening times: 24 hours a day, year-round
Prices: Free

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Be dazzled by a two-mile-long light sculpture

While oft-overlooked for its crimson-coloured cousin (though note that the Golden Gate Bridge’s official shade is ‘International Orange’), the Bay Bridge – which stretches from the bay’s eastern shore to Oakland – is a must-see sight in its own right, especially at night. That’s when 'The Bay Lights', a permanent installation by artist Leo Villareal, starts up: 25,000 LEDs flash trippy patterns across the steel support cables, turning the bridge into a giant artwork.

Insider’s tip: Watch the display with a cocktail at Waterbar (399 The Embarcadero; 00 1 415 284 9922), where the bayshore location and floor-to-ceiling windows are ideal for enjoying the view.

Address: The Bay Bridge
Opening times: Lights turn on at sunset
Prices: Free

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Grab gourmet gifts at a historic landmark

The arcaded, 1898-built Ferry Building cuts a stately figure at the eastern end of main thoroughfare Market Street, its 245 ft-tall clock tower soaring above regimented palms. But you don’t come here just to catch boats and bay views – the building doubles as a bastion of the Bay Area food scene, where local producers peddle their wares at restaurants and food boutiques.

Insider’s tip: The Saturday Farmer’s Market here is touted a 'must-do', but it’s busy and overpriced. Come on a weekday to peruse locally-made cheeses in peace, plus there’s no queue for a scoop of ‘Secret Breakfast’ ice cream at Humphry Slocombe (it tastes like bourbon and cornflakes).

Contact: 00 1 415 983 8030; ferrybuildingmarketplace.com
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm; Sat, 8am-6pm; Sun, 11am-5pm
Nearest metro: Embarcadero
Prices: ￡￡-￡￡￡

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Union Square

Ride on an icon

While San Francisco's cable cars are hardly the world’s most comfortable transport, trundling up the city's implausible hills on one has to be done. These are the same rickety carriages that carried commuters in the 1870s, pulled by cables under the road. Out of three distinct routes, Powell-Hyde is the longest and most scenic, with dizzying views of the water, and a stop at zig-zagging Lombard Street.

Insider’s tip: Hitching a ride often involves a wait; lines to board are long. Least painful is getting to the Powell Street turnaround no later than 8am, ideally on a weekday (services start at 6am).

Contact: sfmta.com
Opening times: Depends on line and day of week. First departures generally around 6am; final departures just before or just after midnight
Nearest metro: Powell
Prices: ￡

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Chinatown

People watch in the city's most interesting neighbourhood

Swarms of tourists surge through Chinatown’s Dragon’s Gate daily, but the district remains home to scores of Chinese immigrants. Streets bedecked with red lanterns burst with shoppers bartering over Asian vegetables, or buskers playing erhu (a sort of Chinese fiddle). Back alleys stash temples and fortune cookie factories where once there were opium dens and brothels. Get stuck in to discover truly brilliant dive bars (Li Po Lounge, Buddha Lounge and Bow Bow Cocktail Lounge, to name a few) and busy dim-sum halls (Great Eastern is the most authentic one).

Insider’s tip: Drop by Enter the Cafe (1401 Powell Street; 00 1 415 967 3276) on Saturday mornings for the latest creations by guerrilla pastry-makers Baker Doe. The secret duo make incredible French pastries infused with Asian flavours – think sesame-cream-stuffed croissants.

Opening times: 24 hours a day, year-round
Prices: Free

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Haight-Ashbury

Get back to nature

At more than 1,000 acres, Golden Gate Park is bigger than Manhattan’s Central Park — and, dare we say it, better. Along with lakes, themed gardens (Shakespeare; dahlias), and plentiful picnic groves, it’s got two excellent museums: fine arts at the De Young, and a rainforest dome, planetarium and aquarium under one living roof at the California Academy of Sciences.

Insider’s tip: The best picnic spot is at the top of Strawberry Hill, sitting on the island in the middle of scenic Stow Lake. Climb the spiralling, sandy path to a clearing and steal a glimpse of two International Orange, Art Deco towers through the cypress branches.

Contact: goldengatepark.com
Opening times: 24 hours a day, year-round. Attractions in the park have their own opening hours
Prices: Free, but many attractions charge admission