Built on 7 hills and surrounded by water on 3 sides, San Francisco is the liveliest laid back city in California. Famous for its iconic landmarks, its reputation as a great tourist destination and from cult TV shows such as “The Streets of San Francisco,” the City by the Bay draws millions of visitors every year.

I am one of the few lucky ones who live close to the city. In this article, I am going to tell you about the best sights of San Francisco as I see them.

The Best Sights of San Francisco

This article is growing quite large, so I broke it up. Simply click on the links below to go to the respective sections.

1. Golden Gate Bridge
2. Fisherman’s Wharf
3. Golden Gate Park and Lincoln Park
4. Alamo Square and Civic Center
5. Lombard Street and Cable Cars
6. Marina, Palace of Fine Arts and Presidio
7. Alcatraz
8. Embarcadero and Coit Tower
9. Chinatown
10. Beaches
11. Skyline Views
12. Outside the City Limits

Practical Tips

Parking

Although not as bad as other large cities, finding a parking spot is sometimes not as easy. To get your parking ticket validated, you need to park in the right garage. Pier 39 or the Ferry Building have their own parking and you can get the tickets validated if you buy something.

You can park on Chestnut or Hyde free, but there is a two-hour limit. This is long enough to see Lombard Street, some cable cars and take a short walk to Fishermans Wharf. During the main travel season, it is very hard to find an empty parking spot here though.

Public Transport

Public Transport in San Francisco is good. You can take BART (Bay Area Transportation) into the city. Park your car outside in San Mateo or any other BART hub. In San Francisco, you can hop on a street car. Street Car tickets are usually valid for 4 hours and let you change lines often enough to take you everywhere you need to be. Other options include the bus to Civic Center, the ferry or the cable cars.

Airport

From San Francisco’s airport (SFO) you can take a courtesy shuttle to your hotel or rent a car. If your hotel does not offer a courtesy shuttle, you can take either a cab or one of the other paid shuttles. Supershuttle (blue mini vans) are affordable and take you wherever you need to go within the San Francisco Bay Area. You can also walk to the BART (Bay Area Transportation) station and take a local train to San Francisco or cities of the East Bay.

Shopping

The biggest department stores are located near Union Square. Macy's spans two city blocks and offers a wide selection of goods. Nordstrom is located in the top five floors of the San Francisco Shopping Center.

Good shopping is also found in the Embarcadero Center with more than 125 shops covering eight blocks.

Rooftop Bars

Enjoy your drink with a fantastic view. Located in the 52nd floor, the Carnelian Room (555 California Street) is the highest of the rooftop bars. The altitude is only rivaled by the ego of the waiters. Cityscape on the 46th floor of the Hilton is another upscale dining location.

San Francisco (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) author: Annelise Sorensen asin: 0756615356

PhotoSecrets San Francisco & Northern California: The Best Sights and How to Photograph Them (Photos author: Andrew Hudson asin: 0965308715