Best Things to Do in San Francisco: A Local's 13 Picks

At a glance

• Where: Across San Francisco, California; all 13 picks are inside the city limits
• Time needed: Two to three days for the full list; most picks take 30 minutes to 3 hours
• Hours: Typically daily, but varies by pick; check each official site before you go
• Cost: Many picks are free (Presidio Tunnel Tops, Mission Dolores Park); others charge admission, so check official sites

The best things to do in San Francisco are walking the Golden Gate Bridge, riding a cable car, spending a day in Golden Gate Park, exploring the Presidio, and then heading into the Mission District, North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf. Everything below is inside the city limits of San Francisco, California, and every pick was checked against its own official site.

This is the list a local gives a friend who has two or three days and wants the real thing. Hours and prices change, so we give them as "typically" and send you to the official site before you go.

How we chose

We picked places that are genuinely inside San Francisco, that are known for being worth the trip, and that had a current official page showing them open. We skipped anything we could not confirm from an official source. We kept the list to things you can do in a few hours or less, so you can stack three or four in a day.

What about Alcatraz Island?

Alcatraz Island is part of the National Park Service in San Francisco Bay, and the only way there is by ferry with Alcatraz City Cruises, which the Park Service calls its only authorized ferry provider. Book ahead and buy only through that operator. The island sometimes closes temporarily for work such as dock repairs, so check the official Alcatraz page before you plan a day around it. We have left it out of the numbered picks for that reason.

The five anchors

1. Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is the one thing to do in San Francisco that nobody skips, and the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center is typically open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The bridge's towers are 746 feet tall, according to the bridge district.

Plan on 1 to 2 hours. Walk out on the sidewalk for a stretch rather than just photographing it from the parking area. The district sometimes closes the east sidewalk overnight for work and moves cyclists to the west side, so check the Golden Gate Bridge site before you go.

Local tip: fog is the rule here, not the exception. If the bridge is hidden in the morning, do something else first and come back in the afternoon.

2. Fort Point National Historic Site

Fort Point National Historic Site, at Long Avenue and Marine Drive in the Presidio of San Francisco, is typically open Thursday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed Tuesday and Wednesday, per the National Park Service. Roof access closes at 4:30 p.m.

Allow about an hour. The fort sits right beside the bridge, and the exterior is accessible seven days a week, so even on a closed day you can walk the shoreline. Confirm hours and any fees on the Fort Point page.

Local tip: pair this with the bridge walk. The fort gives you a view of the bridge from below, which most visitors never see.

3. The Presidio of San Francisco

The Presidio of San Francisco is a National Historic Landmark and a national park site inside the city, run by the Presidio Trust, and its Visitor Center at 210 Lincoln Boulevard is typically open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It was a military post under three flags before it became a park.

Plan 2 to 3 hours. Presidio Tunnel Tops is outdoors, free, open daily year-round, and has a playground called the Outpost and pop-up food vendors. Start at the Presidio site and pick a trail from there. Our Presidio area page goes deeper.

Local tip: when the city feels loud, the Presidio's wooded trails are where locals go to walk among trees for an hour.

4. Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park covers 1,017 acres, according to San Francisco Recreation and Parks, which makes it a full day of options rather than one stop. The park office, McLaren Lodge, is at 501 Stanyan Street.

Give it at least half a day, and pick a theme: gardens, museums or a long walk toward the ocean. Two of the best anchors are below. For the park overall, see San Francisco Recreation and Parks.

Local tip: it is long and narrow. Do not try to walk the whole thing in one go; pick the east end near the museums or the west end near Ocean Beach.

5. San Francisco cable cars

San Francisco's cable cars run on three lines operated by the SFMTA, the Powell-Hyde, Powell-Mason and California lines, and you can pay with MuniMobile, a Clipper card or exact cash. Board at Powell and Market or California and Market, or at the brown-and-white cable car signs along the route.

Budget 30 to 45 minutes for a ride, plus waiting. At the busiest stops, including Powell and Market, Bay and Taylor, and Hyde and Beach, tickets must be bought in advance between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily, so download the app first. Details are on the SFMTA cable car page.

Local tip: the Cable Car Museum at 1201 Mason Street in San Francisco lists free admission on its site and explains how the cable cars work. Check its current hours at cablecarmuseum.org before you walk up the hill.

More of Golden Gate Park

6. Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden at 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in Golden Gate Park is open every day, typically from 9 a.m., with last entry at 4:30 p.m. in winter and 5:30 p.m. in summer. The Gardens of Golden Gate Park, which runs admissions, asks visitors to reserve a timed-entry slot in advance.

Allow an hour. Book and check the current price on the Gardens of Golden Gate Park site. Local tip: go right at opening, when the paths are quiet and the light is soft.

7. California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences at 55 Music Concourse Drive in Golden Gate Park is typically open Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On most Thursday evenings it runs an adults-only NightLife event from 6 to 10 p.m.

Allow 2 to 3 hours, and check prices on the official visit page. Local tip: if it is a foggy day, this is the best use of it, since it is mostly indoors.

Then go into the neighborhoods

8. Mission Dolores

Mission Dolores, formally Mission San Francisco de Asís, at 3321 16th Street in the Mission District, is typically open weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its site says it was founded on June 29, 1776, and calls it the oldest original intact Mission in California.

Allow 45 minutes. Self-guided visits need no reservation. See missiondolores.org for the current fee. It makes a good start to a day in the Mission District.

9. Balmy Alley and the 24th Street murals

Precita Eyes Muralists, at 2981 24th Street in the Mission District, runs public mural walks in Balmy Alley on Saturdays, typically at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., each about 1.5 hours. Prices are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors 65 and over, and $10 for ages 17 and under, with tickets sold online or at the door.

The City of San Francisco says 24th Street's El Corazón de la Misión stretch has the greatest concentration of murals and Latino businesses in the city. Check dates on the Precita Eyes site.

Local tip: finish with a burrito. The Mission is where the Mission-style burrito comes from, and a taqueria on Mission Street is the right reward.

10. Mission Dolores Park

Mission Dolores Park, bounded by Church, Dolores, 18th and 20th Streets in the Mission District, is typically open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to San Francisco Recreation and Parks. The City bought the land, once a cemetery, in 1905, and after the 1906 earthquake and fire the park served as a refugee camp.

Allow an hour or an afternoon. Bring a layer: the sun is often out here, but the wind can still cut through. See the Mission Dolores Park page.

11. Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory at 56 Ross Alley in Chinatown is typically open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and it makes up to 10,000 cookies a day on a cast iron rotating griddle wheel, according to its site.

Allow 15 minutes. It is a tiny working factory down an alley, so it pairs well with a walk through Chinatown. Check the factory's site for hours.

The waterfront

12. Ferry Building Marketplace

The Ferry Building Marketplace at One Ferry Building on the Embarcadero is typically open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., closed Thanksgiving and Christmas, though individual shops keep their own hours. The Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market runs typically from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. year-round with more than 100 vendors.

Allow 1 to 2 hours. Saturday is the day to go. See the Ferry Building site for details.

13. Pier 39 sea lions at K-Dock

The Pier 39 sea lions live on K-Dock at Pier 39 in Fisherman's Wharf, and Pier 39 says they always have a home there, though their numbers vary through the year. Males can reach about 850 pounds and 7 feet, according to the pier.

Allow 20 to 30 minutes. A live webcam on the Pier 39 sea lion page shows current conditions. Local tip: skip the shopping stretch and go straight to the viewing area.

The Fisherman's Wharf sign, with its giant crab, was first installed in 1968, according to the City of San Francisco.

Where does North Beach fit?

North Beach is San Francisco's historic Italian-American neighborhood, according to the City, with cafes and restaurants around Washington Square and music clubs along Broadway. It has no actual beach. Save it for an evening after Fisherman's Wharf, and walk up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower at 1 Telegraph Hill Boulevard. San Francisco Recreation and Parks lists Coit Tower as typically open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April to October and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November to March, so check the Coit Tower page before you climb.

Save this: a three-day route

1. Day one: Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point, then the Presidio for lunch and a walk.
2. Day two: Golden Gate Park, with the Japanese Tea Garden and the California Academy of Sciences.
3. Day three morning: Mission Dolores, Balmy Alley and Mission Dolores Park in the Mission District.
4. Day three afternoon: a cable car ride toward the waterfront, the Ferry Building, then the Pier 39 sea lions.
5. Evening: North Beach for dinner.

For eating, our food and dining listings are a good next step, and the areas guide helps you pick a base.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best things to do in San Francisco?

The classic things to do in San Francisco are the Golden Gate Bridge, a cable car ride, Golden Gate Park, the Presidio and the Mission District murals. Fisherman's Wharf and North Beach round out a first visit.

How many days do you need in San Francisco?

Two to three days covers the main sights in San Francisco. Our route puts the bridge and Presidio on day one, Golden Gate Park on day two, and the Mission District and waterfront on day three.

Is Alcatraz open to visitors?

Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay is run by the National Park Service and is generally open to visitors, but it sometimes closes temporarily for work such as dock repairs, so check the official Alcatraz page before you go. Ferry tickets are sold only by Alcatraz City Cruises, the Park Service's authorized ferry provider.

How do you ride a San Francisco cable car?

San Francisco has three cable car lines run by the SFMTA, and you can pay with MuniMobile, a Clipper card or exact cash. At Powell and Market, Bay and Taylor, and Hyde and Beach, tickets must be bought in advance from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

What is free to do in San Francisco?

Presidio Tunnel Tops and Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco are free to enter, and the Cable Car Museum shows free admission on its site. Walking the Golden Gate Bridge sidewalk is also a classic free option.