Best San Francisco Attractions

It's impossible to fully grasp the scale of the Golden Gate Bridge without seeing it on foot or two wheels. Even if you're afraid of heights, do your best to suck it up for this walk -- because you'll be blown away by the views, the sensation of being atop this San Francisco icon and, on some blustery days, by the fickle clouds that will drift over you in a mist of advection fog.

For those afraid of heights, it may be disconcerting at first to be so high. But there are guard rails. And, the walk gets easier as you grow accustomed to the sensation.

• Guide to the Golden Gate Bridge
• Walking/Biking Bridge
• Walk Crissy Field to the Golden Gate Bridge
• Fort Baker to the Golden Gate Bridge (on the north side)

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Before I ever took the Alcatraz Night Tour, I envisioned a much creepier crawl among the ghosts of the rock. Anyone drawn to the night tour might have a high threshold for eerie encounters. If you do, you'll be a bit disappointed by how perfectly normal, organized, and populated the night tour actually is.

That's not to say evening hours in the historic prison don't have their ghostly elements . . . sometimes enhanced by the mist sweeping over the island. But there are no scary surprises as you meander through the dim halls with your self-guided audio.

Then, chill yourself into a cube, as you stand on the cliff, contemplating the lethal jump escapees made into 50-degree bay currents.

Alcatraz Cruises website.

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You'll hardly hear a good word about Fisherman's Wharf from city natives. I happen to think the area gets too much of a bad rap, although I understand why. It's a tourist zone, to be sure. Streets are lined with vendors selling identical pastel sweatshirts. It feels, at times, like a typical, arcade-style seaside resort.

Yet, the wharf also showcases the city's affiliation with the sea. In and around the tourist venues is a hidden memorial chapel, a self-guided historic walk, and an old three-masted schooner. It's home to a large raft of sea lions and a range of sea birds.

History:

• Maritime Historical Park
• USS Pampanito
• Musee Mecanique

Nature at Fisherman's Wharf:

• Sea Lions
• Aquarium of the Bay
• Bay Area Birds

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Grant Avenue in San Francisco's Chinatown is a straight passage from Union Square to North Beach. You can expand your day's walk by following the historic Barbary Coast Trail through the (mostly) modern structures and amenities which now line the route.

The beauty of the Barbary Coast Trail is that in the span of this walk, you'll visit some of San Francisco's popular destinations: Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach, Coit Tower, and Fisherman's Wharf.

Check out this Photo Tour of the Barbary Coast Trail for an idea of what you'll encounter along this famous walk.

You'll also walk the Montgomery corridor along the trail. See some additional Photos of the Financial District for information on San Francisco's financial history.

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There's probably not a soul who visits San Francisco without anticipating a cable car ride. You have to interrupt your ride to disembark at the Cable Car Barn and Museum. This is the control center that drives the entire cable car system. You'll see the motors, cables, and sheaves used to propel the cars throughout San Francisco.

At sea level, along Market Street and the Embarcadero, is another breed of streetcar known as the F-Market Line. It can be near impossible to get on during high season (crowds). But, even from the outside, you can admire the fleet of historical streetcars imported from Australia, Milan and . . . Chicago.

• Riding Cable Cars
• San Francisco Cable Car Map
• San Francisco Streetcars
• Guide to Muni and BART

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It wasn't that long ago that visitors to the San Francisco Ferry Building were met with the atrocity of a freeway blocking the view to the waterfront. After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, that section of freeway came down, and the Ferry Building was redeemed.

An extensive renovation rendered one of our most beautiful, historical central marketplaces. At the foot of Market Street at the Embarcadero, the San Francisco Ferry Building is home to restaurants and proprietors selling Bay Area produce, cheese, seafood and freshly-baked bread -- among other sustainable goods.

See photos and information about the Ferry Building and the marketplace within.

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In either direction from the Ferry Building, enjoy a walk with a view along the San Francisco Bay waterfront. If you're heading toward Fisherman's Wharf, exit Ferry Building on Embarcadero and turn right. Access the beginning of a promenade at Pier 1. Follow the promenade around Pier 1 and all the way to the long fishing pier between Pier 5 and Pier 7, before heading north to the Wharf.

In the other direction (south), turn left from Ferry Building on Embarcadero. Walk toward Pier 14 which has a rotating exhibit of public art at its gate. If you choose to go farther, you can walk all the way to the Bay Bridge and past that, to AT&T Park along the water.

• About SoMa/South of Market District
• Public Art Walk in SoMa

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The Yerba Buena Arts District (mentioned below) is a great spot to explore San Francisco's art scene in a relatively small area. The collections and exhibitions, of course, don't stop at the border of Market Street.

To get a better sense of San Francisco's breadth of museum offerings, check out this San Francisco Museum Map and then the more detailed Museum Guide. From the Museum Guide, you can link out to profiles of individual art venues.

Many of the city's museums offer once-a-month free admission. The first Tuesday of each month is free at a number of local favorites. Other museums offer free admission throughout the year. See this San Francisco Free Museum Days roster to learn about the free and discounted hours and events.

The greatest concentration of museums is within a small radius in the South of Market area. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art used to be the new kid on the block. But with the 2008 ribbon-cutting at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and the existing community of smaller museums, SF MOMA is now a mature inhabitant of this growing arts district.

Start at Yerba Buena Gardens and you won't go more than a few blocks to hit the major museums of the area.

• Photos of Yerba Buena Gardens
• San Francisco Museum Guide (A to Z)
• San Francisco Museum Map
• Free Museum Days in San Francisco

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End to end (east to west) Golden Gate Park is just a bit more than three miles long. You can walk from the east end (Haight Ashbury) to San Francisco's Ocean Beach (on the Pacific Ocean), then reward yourself with a microbrew at the Beach Chalet.

The Beach Chalet has Works Progress Administration (WPA) murals -- similar to the murals at Rincon Center.

You can rent bikes in the park (Wheel Fun Rentals) or at the eastern end (San Francisco Cyclery). Explore beyond the park -- through the Outer Richmond and Sunset districts.

Visit the de Young Museum, the Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco Botanical Garden, and the California Academy of Sciences (open in September 2008).

• Golden Gate Park Map & Attractions
• Guide to Inner Sunset