San Francisco is well-known for its liberal community, hilly terrain, Victorian architecture, scenic beauty, and ethnic and cultural diversity. Walking is an enticing way to see the neighborhoods as long as you keep your street smarts.

Steep hills make driving difficult, but provide breathtaking views and a workout for the rambler. There are many stairway walks scattered throughout the city when the streets are too steep.

 
Great Neighborhoods

• Golden Gate— Fashionable neighborhoods with expensive views, historical landmarks - The Presidio and Fort Mason, and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
• Fisherman's Wharf— A touristy waterfront neighborhood which encompasses Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square and the ferry launch to Alcatraz Island, as well as a plethora of seafood restaurants and souvenir stores.
• Nob Hill-Russian Hill— Two ritzy neighborhoods with upscale hotels, cable cars, panoramic views and steep inclines.
• Chinatown-North Beach— Two vibrant immigrant communities, stylish laid back 'Little Italy' next to the crowded and largest Chinatown outside of Asia.
• Union Square-Financial District— The center of shopping, theater and art in the city, next to the many skyscrapers of downtown.
• Civic Center-Tenderloin— While the 'loin is grittier compared to its ritzier neighbors downtown, there's still plenty of interesting architecture and attractions to see here.
• SoMa (South of Market)— A rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of downtown that is the center of a lot of new construction, including AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.
• Western Addition— A historic neighborhood with many Victorian homes that was once a hotbed of African-American culture. Within the area is also Japantown, the center of San Francisco's Japanese population.
• Haight— Famous for being the home of the Hippie movement, this once bohemian area, although gentrified, is still an eclectic treasure.
• The Avenues— Including both the foggy Sunset and Richmond Districts, the area is also home to the Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach.
• Twin Peaks-Lake Merced— Covering most of southwestern San Francisco, this area is home to many of the taller hills of San Francisco and the large Lake Merced park which contains the San Francisco Zoo.
• Castro-Noe Valley— Colorful and cohesive, the Castro is historically known for being the cultural center of the city's LGBTQ community.
• Mission-Bernal Heights— This colorful area is home to a large Hispanic community as well as new urban artisans.
• Southeast San Francisco— A mostly residential area, this district contains several bay-side neighborhoods, many nice parks, and Monster Park, home of the 49ers NFL team.

Great Walks

• Chinatown. Grant from Bush to Broadway takes you through the heart of the famous district. Returning by the parallel Stockton or Powell will give you a better feeling of the day to day life of the residents, and are both good for those looking for imported commodities such as tea or herbs.
• Ocean Beach. Ocean Beach is entirely open to pedestrians in both the Richmond and Sunset districts from the Cliff House restaurant and Sutro Baths in the north to the zoo in the south. For a shorter walk, the windmills near Lincoln at the end of Golden Gate park offer a good base for a stroll north.
• Telegraph Hill. Greenwich and Filbert Steps on the east side of Telegraph Hill, both strenuous and unforgettably beautiful, offer cottages and a flock of wild parrots to enjoy on the way up to the Coit Tower.
• North Beach. Columbus runs from North Point in Fisherman's Wharf, through the grand church and famous cafés at the heart of North Beach to the landmark TransAmerica pyramid, accessible to transit on nearby Market.
• Haight Ashbury. Haight from Divisadero to Stanyan covers the shopping district famous for hippie culture; at Stanyan the street becomes a path through Golden Gate Park to a popular site (then and now) for relaxing and concerts.
• Cow Hollow. Union Street between Gough and Fillmore is one of the finest shopping streets outside of the city center.
• Mission. Mission between 15th and Cesar Chavez streets provides a look at a neighborhood famous for its Latino food and culture, as well as occasional gang activity; women alone should be careful here at night. Parallel to Mission, Valencia Street is the artery of the many higher end boutiques and offbeat cafés starting to characterize the neighborhood, and has little of the grit of Mission St.
• Pacific Heights. Fillmore between Pine and Broadway is lined with a good mix of shopping, views, steep slopes, and some of the city’s largest and most expensive homes.
• The Fillmore. Post from Laguna (near 38 bus stop) to Fillmore takes you through upscale shopping and restaurants in Japantown, and turning left onto Fillmore across Geary and on to Turk takes you past the internationally known jazz venue and a mix of Black and Korean owned shops.
• The Castro and Noe Valley. Market from Church to Castro St. and a left down Castro St to 19th takes you through the center of the city’s famous gay mecca. Continuing up Castro St over the hill from there takes you to 24th St, the main drag of bohemian Noe Valley.

• The Golden Gate Bridge has been called one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. The bridge spans the Golden Gate, a strait between San Francisco and Marin County to the north, and is one of the major routes into the city.
• Cable cars run up and down the hills of San Francisco between Market Street and Fisherman's Wharf  - the ride is an experience!
•  The Presidio, was amilitary post in the U.S. before closing as a base in 1994. It is now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and contains the Fort Point National Historic Site. From its vantage point overlooking the spectacular Golden Gate, Fort Point protected San Francisco harbor from Confederate & foreign attack during & after the U.S. Civil War. The beautiful Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition is reminiscent of Roman and Greek architecture.
• Coit Tower, atop Telegraph Hill in North Beach, is dedicated to the San Francisco firefighters, who fought a massive blaze in 1906 after the earthquake that destroyed much of the city center.
• The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest and most recognizable building in San Francisco, located among the skyscrapers of the Financial District.
• Alamo Square Park in the Western Addition district is home to the famous Painted Ladies row of Victorian houses.
• Lombard Street is the crookedest street in America, between Hyde & Leavenworth on Russian Hill. You can see if from the Powell & Hyde cable car line.
• 22nd Street between Vicksburg and Church in Noe Valley and Filbert Street between Leavenworth and Hyde on Russian Hill - At a 31.5% grade, these streets share the honor of steepest streets in San Francisco.
• The Mission Dolores Church in the Mission District is one of the oldest structures in the city with superb city views from Dolores Park. The walls of many nearby buildings, especially on alleys between Market and Valencia are painted with a fantastic collection of murals.

Critical Mass
On the last Friday of each month, bicyclists in San Francisco (and about 200 like-minded cities world-wide) gather at the north end of Market Street on the Embarcadero and ride en masse to some destination, militantly demonstrating their right to occupy the roads. If you are driving in SF on a Critical Mass day, you will want to listen for radio traffic reports, but if you are stopped by the mass the best thing to do is maintain a good sense of humor and remember that it will all pass in about 5 minutes. Although, tempers can and do flare, and there have been cases where run ins with drivers and bicyclists have gotten violent.

Fabulous Food

• San Francisco is a sensual, epicurean city with a vast array of restaurants. The price range is huge, and you can spend anywhere from a small fortune to a couple bucks. Vegetarians and vegans will find SF a paradise. Sushi is a local obsession.
• San Francisco also has the largest Chinatown in North America, as well as one of the largest Chinese communities in the West, and many exceptional restaurants serving dim sum and other Chinese delicacies. This localized Chinese cuisine has its feet in Hong Kong and America, and is different from whatyou may be accustomed to. 
• Fisherman's Wharf serves fresh seafood, especially clam chowder and crabs cooked to order. North Beach is the place to go for Italian food, and the Mission birth place of the mission style burrito for Mexican restaurants and Latin American cuisine of all sorts). San Francisco restaurants are also very corkage friendly. Average corkage fee appers to be in the $15 range, with some of the more pricey places charging $25-35.

The Scene
The best way to find a good bar or club is to ask the advice of a local. The SF Bay Guardian or the SF Weekly will help you find something suited to your personal taste. Review website Yelp is based in San Francisco, and offerscoverage of San Francisco's night life. 

San Francisco is very much of a "scene" town. Head to the Marina for mid-20s to mid-30s professionals (and those visiting from Los Angeles). Haight-Ashbury, famous for the “Summer of Love” and hippies, is still a place for alternative lifestyle, now has many neo-punks and hipsters in the mix. South of Market (SoMa) and the Mission District have left-over dot-commers and hipsters hanging out on every corner. The Castro primarily serves San Francisco's gays. 

With a large Irish population, San Francisco has a number of very good Irish pubs extending out into the Sunset neighborhood. North Beach is home to several dance clubs and strip clubs. If you like soccer (football) and all things English, you should stop into the Kezar Pub, at the edge of the Haight-Ashbury District, or Lower Haight's Mad Dog In the Fog. The pub quiz and bar food are good. Swill some pints and stay in the dark. Good for an entire day's worth of drinking. It is also central to other "dive" bars on Haight, including the beer mecca Toronado.

• Beach Chalet & Park Chalet are at the Pacific end of Golden Gate Park, where you can enjoy a view of the ocean or sit in the lawn area.
• Pizza Orgasmica in the Richmond District specializes in California-style pizza.
• Magnolia Brewing Company is in the heart of the Haight, and operates a second restaurant down the street, The Alembic.
• San Francisco Brewing Company is on Columbus Ave in North Beach, in the shadow of the Coppola Building.
• Thirsty Bear, South Of Market, caters mostly to the happy hour crowd.