San Francisco Sightseeing

Regularly voted best city in the USA in national polls, San Francisco is a visual feast that offers something for every eye. The many hilltops and landmarks, such as the 55m- (180ft-) high Coit Tower, on Telegraph Hill, provide grand vistas of the Bay and the city. Works of art are on display in myriad museums. For the more contemporary tastes, the high-tech offerings of Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts, and the AT&T Park, home of baseball's San Francisco Giants, are yet another side to the city.

But it is where mankind and nature meets that this implausibly diverse city comes into its own. A visit to the Golden Gate Bridge, which used enough wire to go around the earth several times over and was hailed as impossible to build, is a must. Golden Gate Park covers 412 hectares (1,017 acres) and is the one of the largest manmade parks in the world, thanks to Scotsman John McLaren, the extraordinary gardener who tamed the sands of San Francisco and created the magnificent park.

Then there is Alcatraz, the stuff of legend, Grant Street, the city's oldest, running the length of Chinatown, Haight-Ashbury, which rekindles memories of Flower Power and the Beat Generation, and Fisherman's Wharf, at the edge of the Bay, offering hundreds of resident sea lions, cheap souvenirs and, always, something to eat. At the other end of The Embarcadero the landmark Ferry Building has become a foodie haven where visitors get an eyeful as well as a belly-full.

San Francisco Visitor Information Centre
900 Market Street
Tel: (415) 391 2000.
Website: www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com  
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat-Sun 0900-1500.

The San Francisco CityPass (website: www.citypass.com) allows admission to six attractions (the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Exploratorium or Asian Art Museum, Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise, De Young/Legion of Honor and Aquarium of the Bay) and also includes a seven-day Muni & Cable Car Passport (see Getting Around). It is valid for nine days and can be purchased from the attractions on the day or online in advance.