First time in San Francisco — what locals actually recommend
If it's your first weekend in San Francisco, this is the locals' shortlist — the sights worth the queue, the food you can't skip, and the neighbourhood walks that show you the place.
Top spots in San Francisco
Alcatraz Island
CultureBay
Ferry over for the famously eerie cell-house audio tour — book weeks ahead.
Mission Murals
CultureMission
Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley — decades of political street art.
Ferry Building Marketplace
Food & DrinkEmbarcadero
Saturday farmers market with the bay's best oysters and bread.
Golden Gate Bridge Walk
OutdoorsPresidio
Walk or bike the 1.7-mile span — best from Crissy Field side.
Golden Gate Park
OutdoorsSunset
1,000+ acres with bison, windmills, the de Young and free Sunday roads.
Lands End Trail
OutdoorsOuter Richmond
Cliffside coastal walk past Sutro Baths ruins to the Bridge view.
Where to eat
Swan Oyster Depot
$$Seafood · Polk Gulch
18 counter stools, Dungeness crab and clam chowder since 1912.
Zuni Café
$$$California / Mediterranean · Hayes Valley
The famous brick-oven roast chicken for two — a 1-hour ritual.
La Taqueria
$Mexican · Mission
James Beard winner — order the carnitas burrito 'dorado'.
State Bird Provisions
$$$Dim sum-style new American · Fillmore
Stuart Brioza's dim-sum carts of inventive small plates.
Tartine Bakery
$$Bakery · Mission
Country bread + morning buns that started a city-wide craze.
Frequently asked
- Standouts right now: Golden Gate Bridge Walk, Golden Gate Park, Ferry Building Marketplace. The shortlist is curated by people who live in San Francisco and refreshed regularly so it reflects what's actually open and worth your time.