Sights & Attractions in San Francisco

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Top Attractions

Name	Category	Location

Alcatraz Thousands of visitors come every day to walk in the footsteps...	Jails	On the Waterfront

Asian Art Museum You don't have to be a connoisseur of Asian art to appreciate...	Museums / Galleries	Civic Center

Balmy Alley murals Mission District artists have transformed the walls of their...	Public Art (Mural / Sculpture / Statue)	Mission District

Cable Car Museum One of the city's best free offerings, this museum is an absolute...	Museums / Galleries	Nob Hill

Castro Theatre Here's a classic way to join in the Castro community: grab some...	Arts / Performance Venues	Castro


Chinatown Gate This is the official entrance to Chinatown. Stone lions flank...	Architectural Sites	Chinatown

Chinatown Kite Shop This family-run shop has been selling bright, fun-shaped kites—dragons...	Stores / Malls	Chinatown

City Lights Bookstore Take a look at the exterior of the store: the replica of a revolutionary...	Stores / Malls	North Beach

Coit Tower Whether or not you agree that it resembles a fire-hose nozzle...	Architectural Sites	North Beach

Contemporary Jewish Museum Daniel Liebeskind designed the postmodern CJM, whose impossible-to-ignore...	Museums / Galleries	SoMa

Dragon House A veritable museum, the store sells authentic, centuries-old...	Stores / Malls	Chinatown

Exploratorium Walking into this fascinating "museum of science, art, and human...	Museums / Galleries	On the Waterfront

Ferry Building The jewel of the Embarcadero, erected in 1896, is topped by a...	Markets / Bazaars, Transportation Sites	On the Waterfront

Golden Gate Bridge With its simple but powerful art-deco design, the 1.7-mile suspension...	Bridges / Tunnels	Presidio

Grace Cathedral Not many churches can boast an altarpiece by Keith Haring and...	Religious Sites	Nob Hill

Haas-Lilienthal House A small display of photographs on the bottom floor of this elaborate...	Houses / Mansions	Pacific Heights

Haight-Ashbury Intersection On October 6, 1967, hippies took over the intersection of Haight...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Haight

Hyde Street Pier Cotton candy and souvenirs are all well and good, but if you...	Marinas / Piers	On the Waterfront

Ina Coolbrith Park If you make it all the way up here, you may have the place all...	Parks	Russian Hill

Japan Center Cool and curious trinkets, noodle houses and sushi joints, a...	Stores / Malls	Japantown

Kabuki Springs & Spa This serene spa is one Japantown destination that draws locals...	Spas	Japantown

Legion of Honor The old adage of real estate—location, location, location—is...	Museums / Galleries	Western Shoreline

Lincoln Park Although many of the city's green spaces are gentle and welcoming...	Parks	Western Shoreline

Lombard Street The block-long "Crookedest Street in the World" makes eight switchbacks...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Russian Hill

Macondray Lane San Francisco has no shortage of impressive, grand homes, but...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Russian Hill

Maiden Lane Known as Morton Street in the raffish Barbary Coast era, this...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Union Square

Mission Dolores Two churches stand side by side at this mission, including the...	Religious Sites	Mission District

Old Shanghai Hand-painted robes, formal dresses, and jackets are sold here...	Stores / Malls	Chinatown

Palace of Fine Arts At first glance this stunning, rosy rococo palace seems to be...	Architectural Sites	Marina

Pier 39 The city's most popular waterfront attraction draws millions...	Marinas / Piers	On the Waterfront

Presidio When San Franciscans want to spend a day in the woods, they head...	Parks	Presidio

S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien A participant in the D-Day landing in Normandy during World War...	Nautical Sites	On the Waterfront

San Francisco Art Institute A Moorish-tile fountain in a tree-shaded courtyard draws the...	Museums / Galleries	Russian Hill

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art SFMOMA closed for a massive expansion project in 2013 and is...	Museums / Galleries	SoMa

Telegraph Hill Residents here have some of the city's best views, as well as...	Neighborhoods / Streets	North Beach

Tin How Temple Duck into the inconspicuous doorway, climb three flights of stairs...	Religious Sites	Chinatown

Union Square Ground zero for big-name shopping in the city and within walking...	Squares	Union Square

Wave Organ Conceived by environmental artist Peter Richards and fashioned...	Public Art (Mural / Sculpture / Statue)	Marina

Yerba Buena Gardens There's not much south of Market Street that encourages lingering...	Gardens / Arboretums	SoMa
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