San Francisco began as a city of adventurers obsessed with the glitter of the Gold Rush and the possibility of instant enrichment. From a small settlement of Yerba Buena, it has grown to a large modern city that today attracts thousands of tourists.
Unfortunately, everything that was built before 1906 has practically not survived. As a result of a large-scale earthquake, old San Francisco ceased to exist. But gradually a new one began to appear - with magnificent squares, business districts and huge parks.
There are many amazing places in the city - this is Pier 39 with a colony of Californian lions, settled right in the city limits, and a mysterious prison island, and a group of Victorian mansions that miraculously survived. In short, everyone can find a sight to their liking.
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What to see and where to go in San Francisco?
The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.
Golden Gate Bridge
The main transport artery of Northern California and a recognizable symbol of San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge was opened to traffic in 1937. The design is loved not only by motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Many filmmakers have filmed Golden Gate in their films. The grandiose flying spans of red can be seen in the films Interview with the Vampire, Terminator 4, Superman and others. The bridge was designed by D. Strauss, I. Morrow and C. Ellis. The structure is 2737 meters long and 27 meters wide.
Alcatraz
Former prison on an island in the San Francisco Bay. This place became famous for the fact that well-known and especially dangerous criminals were kept here under the strictest protection. Until it closed in 1963, not a single person managed to escape from Alcatraz and survive. In 1969, the island was occupied by Indian chiefs who protested against the government and believed that the Americans occupied their rightful lands by force. At the moment, Alcatraz has been turned into a museum.
Presidio of San Francisco
San Francisco Bay Park, next to the Golden Gate Bridge. At the end of the 18th century, Spanish fortifications were located on this site. Then, for more than 200 years, this territory was occupied by a military base. And in 1994, a national park was set up here. The park has paths for walking and cycling. The most popular is the coastal trail.
Cable car
Historic public transport that began operating in 1873. The cable car moves like a funicular along a cable car, that is, the engine is not in the car itself, but in the depot at the substation. Now this transport is used more as a tourist attraction, but the system is capable of carrying up to 7 million passengers per year. In the middle of the XX century, there was a serious struggle to preserve the historical line, as a result, after several reconstructions, it was decided to leave the tram.
Union Square
One of the central squares of San Francisco, located in the area of the same name. It is surrounded by huge shopping malls, boutiques, hotels, gift shops, restaurants, salons and galleries. Life here is in full swing around the clock and does not stop for a minute. The square is the starting point for exploring the city; locals make dates and business meetings here.
Girardelli square
The famous square of the city, which has become a symbol of renewal. At the end of the 19th century, a cloth factory was located on this site, then a chocolate factory. The renovation of the square began in 1962, when William Roth bought out the entire block and organized the reconstruction of the square. Currently, it is a restaurant and shopping complex. The former clock tower houses the Fairmont Heritage Place.
Lombard Street
A picturesque street, or rather, a 400-meter section of the highway, located on the Russian Hill. Lombard Street is famous for being in the form of a winding ribbon that descends at a rather steep angle to the track. For cars, this is a rather difficult section of the road, for tourists it is an interesting sight like an attraction. The road surface of the street is made of red brick, green lawns are planted along the edges.
Park "Golden Gate"
A city park with a fairly extensive territory (area is about 400 hectares), which starts in the city center and ends on the ocean coast. Inside there are artificial lakes, hills, islands, waterfalls, dunes, plains, and there are also several museums. The park has all the conditions for sports, walking, cycling and just relaxing. In terms of attendance, the Golden Gate is second only to Central Park in New York.
Painted ladies
A group of Victorian houses that survived the 1906 earthquake. The attraction is located on the territory of the elite urban quarter of Nob Hill. The houses got the name "Painted Ladies" thanks to their architecture and bright exterior colors, which were worked on by B. Kardum in 1963. Picturesque wooden facades of buildings are decorated with balconies, towers, verandas and other architectural delights.
Fisherman's Wharf
Tourist port area, which is famous for the abundance of fish restaurants, shops, museums. Ferries to Alcatraz leave from here, as well as a cable car line. During the Gold Rush, Fisherman's Wharf became a habitat for unlucky gold prospectors who began to fish for food. There is a Marine Historical Park on the territory of the district.
Pier 39
A marina with a wide range of entertainment options, a popular destination for visitors and residents of San Francisco. The main attraction of Pier 39 is the California sea lion rookery. For animals in the water, special wooden platforms have been built, on which they rest and bask in the sun in whole flocks. In total, about 1500 lions live in the pier area; they first appeared in the bay in 1989.
Chinatown
A vibrant and colorful Chinatown with traditional red lanterns and pagodas. Chinatown is not only a place of residence for immigrants from the Middle Kingdom, but also a popular tourist attraction. The area began to form in the middle of the 19th century and became home to numerous Chinese refugees from Guangdong province. For more than 150 years of history, the quarter has grown and acquired its own infrastructure.
Castro Quarter
A small urban area with a large population of sexual minorities. On the streets of the quarter, rainbow flags of the LGBT community are hung everywhere. Local attractions are dedicated to the history of the emergence and development of the gay movement, as well as its struggle for equality. There is the Museum of LGBT History, the famous gay club Twin Peaks with glass walls, and the Pink Triangle Park.
Grace Cathedral
The construction of the temple began in 1906 after the earthquake and lasted for over 50 years. Due to the seismic instability of the territory, the architect had to abandon additional elements of facade decoration, as they could collapse during a natural disaster. The interior of the cathedral is made in the neo-Gothic style with numerous stained-glass windows, frescoes and massive bronze gates.
Palace of Fine Arts
The structure is located on the shore of an artificial lake. It is not a palace in the literal sense; the structure is an open arched white stone colonnade surrounded by a picturesque park.In fact, the Palais des Beaux-Arts is a sturdier replica of a 1915 exhibit called the Gem Tower. The design was so fond of the inhabitants of San Francisco that they called it a palace and decided to save it for the city.
Palace of the Legion of Honor
Museum located in Lincoln Park. Built in 1922-1924 by the tycoon Speckels. He and his wife have amassed a unique collection of art and historical items. The earliest exhibits of antiquity date back to the 4th century BC. Works of art form the basis of the museum's collection. Including, these are the works of El Greco, Rubens, Monet.
Cable car museum
The cable car is a hybrid of a cable car, funicular and tram. The museum of this unusual vehicle is located in the building of the operating depot. In it you can see the types of cable cars from different times, see how the cable moves. The first carriages are also on display in the museum. The history of the creation and development of the cable car is presented in the form of a photo gallery.
Museum of Contemporary Art (SFMOMA)
The largest museum on the West Coast of the United States and the second most popular in the entire country. It exhibits works by contemporary artists who worked in the XX-XXI centuries. Among the exhibits there are works by Pollock, Klee, Matisse, Saarinen, Warhol and other eminent masters. The gallery opened in 1935, and in 1995 an original modern building was built for it, designed by M. Bott.
Exploratorium Science Museum
An interactive exhibition founded by experimental physicist F. Oppenheimer in 1969. Some visitors call it "the museum of the mad scientist". Oppenheimer himself could not hold academic positions after being accused of anti-American activities. He took a job as a science teacher in high school. At this time, he made many experiments to study the properties of the environment and materials, which became the preparations for the future museum.
De Young Museum
The exposition is located on the territory of the Golden Gate Park. It was founded by M. de Young, a journalist for a local news agency. The exhibition halls house a collection of objects and works of art belonging to the period of the 17th - 21st centuries. - paintings, clothes, furniture, etc. Basically, the exhibits were collected in the Americas, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.
California Academy of Sciences
The Natural History Museum, which is also a serious scientific organization. The Academy was founded in the middle of the 19th century. The team is engaged in educational work, organizing exhibitions and conducting scientific research in various fields, which include marine botany, ichthyology, ornithology, paleontology, anthropology and other disciplines.
Asian Art Museum
The exposition is housed in a building that previously belonged to the Public Library. The museum displays exhibits brought from various parts of the Asian region. There is also a shop at the gallery where you can buy jewelry, Chinese porcelain, silk and various antiques. Free guided tours are organized around the museum.
Walt Disney Family Museum
The museum was opened to the public in 2009 thanks to the efforts of the daughter of a famous cartoonist. The building is located in the Presidio Park. Here is a collection of personal belongings of W. Disney, his sketches and sketches, models and other exhibits. One of the walls of the building, where the exhibition is located, is made of glass. Thanks to this, you can admire the picturesque views of the San Francisco Bay.
Marine National Historical Park
Open-air museum in the bay. It includes several facilities: the library, the museum itself, the marina and the visitor center. The exposition is dedicated to the history of shipbuilding and navigation, as well as some events of the US naval history. At the pier, you can see the historic ships of the XIX-XX centuries. The museum library contains old documents - drawings, archives and maps.
City hall
The building of the city hall of 1915, built in the elegant architectural style of Bozar according to the project of A. Brown Jr. The building is crowned with a monumental dome, marble decoration prevails in the interior, statues of the mayors of San Francisco are installed in the corridors. Tourists are offered excursions around the City Hall, or you can go inside on your own - on weekdays, admission is free.
Ferry building
The largest market in San Francisco, very popular with tourists. The shopping area is located in the ferry terminal building, which is located in central San Francisco. In addition to shops with a large selection of drinks and quality products, the market has cafes, ready-to-eat stalls and shops with products from local farms.
Transamerica
Skyscraper pyramid, the tallest building in San Francisco. The construction of the structure was completed in the 1970s. The tower is 260 meters high and has 48 floors, where offices and various retail premises are located. 1.5 thousand people come to work here every day. Tourists cannot climb to the top of the tower, since only the first floor is open for free visits.
Coit Tower
The structure is located at the top of the Telegraph Hill. The tower is an architectural monument of a difficult period in the history of the United States - the Great Depression (1930s). Inside the walls, the buildings are painted with frescoes showing the current themes of those years: economic difficulties, unemployment, social protest. There are even drawings depicting sympathy for communist ideas.
Westfield San Francisco Center
Shopping center and entertainment complex located in the central part of San Francisco. The interior of the building is made in a somewhat pompous style for such a place; many structures are decorated with gilding and decorated with marble. Inside the mall there are more than 170 high-end stores and several expensive restaurants. Westfield opened in 1988.
AT&T park
Baseball stadium, which is located in one of the suburbs of San Francisco. It is an important sports facility and a popular tourist attraction. The arena is home to the San Francisco Giants (a member of the US Major League Baseball). AT&T Park is not only capable of hosting matches, but also great for concerts, festivals and other large-scale social events.
Japanese tea garden
A traditional Japanese-style garden located within the Golden Gate City Park. In 1894, it was a temporary exhibit at the World's Fair, but later turned into a permanent garden. For a long time, the gardener-emigrant from Japan M. Hagiwara took care of the park. Through his work, visitors can admire the picturesque alleys, pagodas, streams, cherry blossoms, arched bridges and stone statues.
Twin Peaks
A hill with an observation deck offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. There is a natural park on the slopes. It is best to arrive at the site before sunset. At this time, the sun's rays flood San Francisco with golden light and bright reflections play in the waters of the bay. According to many tourists, no skyscraper observation deck can compare with Twin Peaks.
Lands End Trail
A walking trail at the "end of the earth" - this is the name of the tip of San Francisco from the northwest. The trail runs through thickets of cypress and eucalyptus along the winding cliffs of the ocean. From here, a picturesque view of the main attractions of the area opens up - the Pacific Ocean, the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The trail is laid far from civilized places, so it is not recommended to go off it. Wildlife can be dangerous.
Ocean Beach
Beach on the Pacific Ocean, located at the western edge of the Golden Gate Park. The Great Highway runs along the beach. The water in this place is quite cool, and in summer there can be fogs at a temperature of only 9 ° C. It is best to visit the beach in late autumn or early spring. Ocean Beach is the most attractive for surfing, but there are often dangerous currents here.
Baker Beach
A small beach 800 meters long located in the northwestern part of San Francisco. It's great for hiking, barbecuing or sunbathing, but the water is too cold for swimming. From the beach, the Golden Gate Bridge is perfectly visible, framed by picturesque coastal hills. Baker Beach is quite popular among nudists; the north side of the beach is specially designated for them.
