San Francisco

United States·North America

Currency

USD

Language

English

Timezone

Los Angeles

Continent

North America

Our guide

Discover San Francisco

San Francisco fits on a peninsula seven miles across, which makes it one of the few American cities you can walk — if you accept the hills. The Golden Gate Bridge closes the bay to the north, often half-drowned in fog, and Alcatraz Island is reached by ferry from the piers. Lombard Street drops through eight tight turns, Coit Tower watches from Telegraph Hill, and the Palace of Fine Arts outlived the 1915 exposition it was built for in temporary materials. The de Young Museum and the Japanese garden sit in Golden Gate Park, larger than Central Park.

When to go

September and October, without hesitation: the warmest and clearest months of the year, against everything you would expect. Summer is cool and foggy — the fog rolls in off the ocean in the afternoon and can erase the bridge entirely. Winter brings the rain but stays mild. Whatever the season, bring layers: the gap between a sunny district and one under the fog reaches ten degrees a few streets apart.

Getting around

The cable cars are not folklore but real transport, the last manually operated cable system left in the world; the powerhouse and its winding machinery can be visited. Muni covers the rest of the city, BART links the airport and the bay. Walking works and is often a pleasure, but read the contours before drawing a route: some streets climb more than thirty per cent.

Where to eat

Sourdough was born here and goes with Dungeness crab in season. The Mission burrito has its own definition — rice, beans, everything inside the tortilla — and argues with Los Angeles about it. Chinatown is the oldest in North America and dim sum is taken in the morning. The city also invented a good share of third-wave coffee culture. Fifteen halal addresses are listed.

Good to know

The US dollar is the currency, tax is added at the register and a tip of 18 to 20 % is expected. The city is expensive, accommodation especially. The fog is not a curiosity: it decides what you will see of the bridge, and mornings are often clearer than afternoons in summer. And the hills tire you faster than you expect — plan fewer stops a day than you would elsewhere.

Smart Planning