With several iconic and top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco, it is the most tourist-attracted place in the whole United States and the jewel of the northern part of the country. This city is full of historic and iconic places such as museums, beaches, parks, great neighborhoods and several other things for your entertainment.
The most famous places with great site views are Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz Island. Also, the china town in this city is the biggest one in the northern part of the country and it is worth a visit. Also in addition to that the cable car ride is one of the best things to do in the city.
These are the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco
1. Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the best tourists attracted sites in the whole of California. This bridge is the most photographed place in San Francisco city. The view of this bridge on a clear day with the blue water in the background makes the tourist go mad at the view.
This bridge connects San Francisco city with Marin county and other places in the north. This structure has been named the greatest man-made structure in the whole united states at that time. The construction of this bridge was completed on 28th May 1937 and it took 4 years to complete this gigantic suspension bridge. This bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world at completion with 2 miles of length.
In case you are visiting this bridge US Highway 101 or SR 1 is your road through this bridge and in case you are crossing this by bicycle or by foot there are walkway lanes on both sides of the bridge. At the start of the bridge, the walkway starts and it ends with a viewpoint of Marin County.
Locals always enjoy the bridge crossing to visit the nearby town called Sausalito by bicycle. Normally the pedestrian access is at the East and the bicycle access is on both East and West sidewalks, but the bridge is open to both parties during the daytime only.
In case you are searching for a good viewpoint for photographs of the bridge there are several places, among those the place called Nob Hill from the San Francisco end has a better view of the bridge with several posh mansions in that place.
Also in addition to that at the Marin County end the Golden Gate National Recreation area is also worth a visit for you. Also other than that in case you are planning to visit Alcatraz there are clear views from the boat and the island.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco.
2. Alcatraz Island
This historic island hosts the notorious Alcatraz penitentiary. It is one of the most infamous prisons in the USA. This prison operated for 30 years and closed in 1963 and then it was opened for tourism in 1973. This prison kept some of the worst criminals in US history like AI Capone and the Birdman who was the basis of the movie the Birdman of Alcatraz.
The visitors can take a ferry over to the island and tour the prison site while listening to an audio record that gives them a better understanding of the prison rather than reading it on a leaflet or something. This recording was made including some of the inmates and the guards.
1576 inmates were prisoned in this place for over 30 years. There were never more than 250 inmates at a time even though the prison had 450 cages with a size of 10 ft. by 4 ft., sometimes the number of guards is more than the inmates had.
But some people visit this place to watch an old prison and others visit this place to watch the nesting ground of the sea birds.
It is an easy and convenient way to save time by taking an Alcatraz and San Francisco City Tour to watch the Golden Bridge, Alcatraz prison, and Chinatown rather than visiting these places individually. If your visit includes the Alcatraz prison visit then this ticket is your best option to finish the visit quickly and easily, but booking in advance is advised due to the lower availability of tickets.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco.
3. Fisherman’s Wharf
This place has the best tourist attraction in San Francisco. In case your visiting period is low then this place is a must-see place for you. This old place is known for its restaurants, shops and beautiful setting and it is known as the little Italy of San Francisco.
This place is a great place for site seeing and it has a great view of the city of San Francisco. Also in addition to those things, you can arrange a fishing charter. Pier 39 is the best place for you in case you are interested in sea lions
There are lots of tourist-attracted areas in this place such as Musée Mécanique, Ghirardelli Square, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and Ripley’s Believe it or Not!. Also, you can see the restored 19th-20th century ships at San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park formally known as the Hyde street pier.
Also, the USS Pampanito is a decommissioned WW2 submarine displayed at San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park. Also, there are more than 50 places to eat on pier 39 of this place.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco.
4. Ride the Cable Cars
These cable car services have been introduced to this place since 1873 and in the present day, the remaining few cars offer tourists a great experience while touring the city. These tram-like cars had the opportunity to become the only public transport stream to be declared as a unique monument, since 1964.
In these cable cars, the famous routes are Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason, and you can travel around the city and watch the beautiful sites of Ghirardelli Square, Nob Hill, Ferry Building, Lombard Street and Fisherman’s Wharf. To ride in these cable cars, you can buy the tickets while you are on board or in case you are planning to visit for longer periods you can buy a pass.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco.
The official website of this place is: http://www.sfcablecar.com/
5. Golden Gate Park
This Golden gate park is one of the places filled with gardens and museums that offers you are green place in the centre of the city and most of the time it is called the lungs of the city due to its green background. Before this place was constructed in 1871 this place was an arid dune.
In the present day, this place is filled with more than 5000 different kinds of plants and species of trees, bicycle and walkway paths, several lakes, bridal paths and buffalo paddock. In addition, for that, the main attraction of this place includes the California Academy of Sciences Museum with Steinhart Aquarium, de Young Museum, the San Francisco Botanical Garden and the Japanese Tea Garden.
This park makes you feel every hour you spent as a day spent in this place also no need to walk around this park on foot, there are bikes for rent and it allows you to visit each place easily. Also, there is a guided tour called the Segway Tour to tour the site within 2.5 hours.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco.
The official website of this place is: https://goldengatepark.com/
6. Chinatown
You may have visited a china town but this one is different from any china town in the country. This china tow is the largest of its kind outside China and the oldest one in northern America. In the 1906 earthquake, this place was almost destroyed and since then it was rebuilt according to the Chinese style and now it is more attractive than ever.
But in the present day visiting this place has become one of the top ideas of visitors who come to San Francisco because of the theatres, temples, workshops, stores, small businesses, tea houses and pharmacies.
If you are travelling near this place on one of the celebrated days of the Chinese people you will see those celebrations in this town. Also in addition to those things the new year celebrations of the Chinese people in this place are considered the best in northern America.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco.
7. Legion of Honor
California Palace of the Legion of Honor museum is one of the most visited places in San Francisco and its Neoclassical Beaux-Arts building is impressive. This Legion of Honor was the gift of the philanthropist, socialite, and patron of the art, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels. Mainly because of her desire for all things Parisian, this museum was designed and constructed as a replica of Paris’s Palais de la Légion d’Honneur.
This museum has a vast collection of art from paintings and sculptures, European decorative arts and items from the near east and the Mediterranean. If you are visiting this place admission to this museum gives you access to the de Young Museum on the same day.
This museum is located in Lincoln Park which is a green area with access to golf courses, a coastal area with woodlands and places for leisure walks. Outside of the museum, there is the Lincoln Highway which allows you to watch the view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the wonderful view of the sea.
In addition to those if you are seeking more adventure hikes, then you can go for Land’s End Trail which gives you a great hiking experience with a great view of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Bridge.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco.
The official website of this place is: https://legionofhonor.famsf.org
8. Palace of Fine Arts
This building is the last building from the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition and it is one of the most attractive places in the San Francisco area. This building is listed as a historic place in the national register and because of its location, its image reflects on the lagoon in front of the building when it is clear.
Since the beginning, the place has been restored from buildings to the ground and in the present day it hosts about 1000 patrons in its fine art theatre for art exhibitions it hosts.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco. 3301 Lyon Street, San Francisco is the address of this site in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://palaceoffinearts.org/
9. California Academy of Sciences
This place is one of the best tourist attracted places in the San Diego area because of its architectural finish. This natural building has a 2.5-acre living roof, that is covered with native plants and the surrounding hills are constructed to match the natural state-of-the-art finish of the roof. Also, the roof consists of solar panels to power the building and the soil act as an insulation media. To allow the natural light to come inside the building the walls are made of glass.
This museum has a planetarium, rainforest, natural history museum and aquarium among other things. The aquarium named Steinhart Aquarium includes 38,000 live specimens and a 25ft deep coral reef. The rain forest named Osher Rainforest has a height of four stories and houses animals and amphibians in a wonderful layout.
Visitors can go down in the elevator to the depths and look through an acrylic tunnel to watch fish swimming overhead. Along with several exhibits, the Kimball Natural History Museum has a skeleton of a T-Rex and a blue whale.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco is the address of this site in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: http://www.calacademy.org/
10. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the best places that tourists love to visit and it has a 170,000 square feet area on 10 floors. This museum mainly focuses on arts belonging to the 20th century and the exhibits always change. In this museum, the permanent collection contains 33,000 pieces of artwork and the more interesting items are in the Fisher collection.
The current building the museum is on has renovated in 2016 and has a good architectural and eye-catching view.
In case you need any dining experience you can get to the Café 5 dining place in Jean and James Douglas Family Sculpture Garden or Michelin-starred Situ restaurant for a more refined experience.
According to the details above this place is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in San Francisco. 151 Third Street, San Francisco is the address of this site in case you are planning to visit this place in the future.
The official website of this place is: https://www.sfmoma.org/
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most visited place in San Francisco?
The most visited place in San Francisco city is pier 39. It offers the visitors a wonder full attractions, dining, entertainment and shopping with a spectacular view of the city.
Why is San Francisco a popular tourist destination?
It is mainly because this city is the most beautiful city in the northern united states with iconic sites like the Golden Gate Bridge. Also, the city consists of lots of sites like museums, beaches, historic buildings, gardens and great neighbourhoods that the tourist can visit and enjoy their vacation times.
Which street is famous in San Francisco?
The most famous street in the San Francisco area is Lombard street. Also, it is known as the most crooked street in the world. This street is one of the landmarks of San Francisco city and every year millions of visitors come to this place.
Is San Francisco safe to walk at night?
Most of the San Francisco area is safe to walk at night. But there are some places in the city that you should avoid like the Tenderloin district and Mission district. But the main thing is in case you are not sure of an area you can seek advice from the hotel staff before going.