San Francisco Things to Do by Neighborhood

This section highlights more top attractions and other San Francisco things to do. It is broken out by SF neighborhoods to make your planning easier.

San Francisco tourist attractions such as Chinatown, Coit Tower and the Mission district murals are featured. I also included information on the Haight Ashbury district, recommended San Francisco walking tours, Union Square in San Francisco and much, much more!

San Francisco is broken out into a number of neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has a unique vibe, a number of things to do and amazing restaurants. Feel free to jump ahead to the San Francisco neighborhood you are interested in visiting.

Chinatown | Fishermans Wharf and Pier 39 | North Beach

The Marina | The Mission | Haight Ashbury

Union Square/Financial District | Nob Hill/Russian Hill

Other SF Neighborhoods

Chinatown

This area is located in the heart of San Francisco. The main street in Chinatown is Grant Street between Bush and Jackson Streets. The majority of the Chinatown restaurants, shops and activities are located right on Grant Street. It's a crowded and busy, yet interesting neighborhood in San Francisco.

chinatown san francisco

The 'Dragon's Gate' is a decorated entrance to Chinatown from the south end on Bush Street. As you walk through the gate, you encounter an entirely different scene from just a few minutes before.

I created a more detailed section on China Town San Francisco with some tips on how to get there, where to start your shopping experience, recommendations on where to eat and other San Francisco things to do in this district.

Fishermans Wharf and Pier 39

Fishermans Wharf and Pier 39 San Francisco is another popular neighborhood in San Francisco. Here you'll find ferries to Alcatraz so you can learn more about Alcatraz history or over to Angel Island San Francisco.

You can also visit Ghiardelli Square San Francisco. Due to the number of attractions in a small area, it's one of the most popular San Francisco things to do for those visiting the area.

North Beach

This neighborhood is located just to the south of Fisherman's Wharf. It's a neighborhood known for its Italian roots. There are several attractions in North Beach San Francisco. Coit Tower, Saints Peter and Paul Church (where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio took photos after their wedding - the wedding itself was held in a different location) and many amazing Italian restaurants are all San Francisco things to do in this neighborhood.

Columbus Avenue is the main street in North Beach. It runs on a diagonal and is lined with a number of great restaurants, shops and bars.

North Beach also has some great nightlife options including Cobb's Comedy Club, Bimbo's 365 Club with live music and the popular Beach Blanket Babylon.

If you decide to drive to North Beach, review the information on the San Francisco parking garages page for parking tips.

The Marina

The Marina district in San Francisco runs along the northern part of San Francisco. It directly borders the San Francisco bay. It's the last stop before heading over the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Marina also has a number of popular San Francisco things to do. We'll start with one of my favorite San Francisco things to do, visiting the Palace of Fine Arts.

marina san francisco

This building was originally built for the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915. It was one of many buildings built in the Marina for this event. It is the only one that is still standing today.

Its gold dome raises high above the other buildings around and the best thing is that it's free. You can walk through the beautiful gardens as you take a closer look at this amazing structure.

In 1969, the Exploratorium, an interactive science museum, was added inside this building. No, unfortunately that part is not free, but the Exploratorium is one of the great San Francisco things to do if you are traveling with children.

Across the road from the Palace of Fine Arts is an area called Crissy Field. This is a popular area for San Francisco locals for running, walking or enjoying a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

If you walk along Crissy Field or drive to the parking lot near the bridge, you will stumble upon another historical spot in the city, Fort Point. The Fort Point National Historic Site was built in 1861 as a military fort to protect the San Francisco bay. It sits right below the Golden Gate bridge and was kept intact when the bridge was built.

I recommend this as one of the San Francisco things to do. You can quickly poke your head in and taking a look.

It's free also and has a short film with an overview of its history. It's in an interesting location, it's not very well known, but it's a nice place to stop for a few minutes.

Once you are done at Fort Point, it's time to head over the Golden Gate Bridge. You can walk, bike or drive over the bridge and there are a number of spots for a great photo. Visit my Golden Gate Bridge History and Visiting Tips section to learn more.

There are also a number of great restaurants and shops in the Marina. Chestnut Street and Union Street are the two main streets in the Marina.

The Mission

The Mission is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. It has a lot of character, great restaurants and an eclectic mixture of people.

The Mission is located near the middle of San Francisco. You can reach it easily by BART (16th Street and 24th Street Stations), bus (49 from Van Ness Street) or taxi. It's tough to park in this neighborhood, so I'd highly recommend public transportation. If you do decide to drive, find some recommendations for San Francisco parking garages in the Mission. At the bottom of the page, you will also find some tips for parking on the street in the neighborhood.

The San Francisco murals in the Mission are popular with tourists and locals. Throughout the mission there are a number of colorful murals. You can walk them on your own or you can sign up for a guided walking tour a local tour company.

The oldest building in San Francisco is also located in the Mission. On the corner of Dolores and 19th Street is the Mission Dolores.

There is a small charge to visit the Mission Dolores, but if you are in the neighborhood I recommend this as another one of the San Francisco things to do. The mission was originally built in 1791. Today, there is a working church next door and the mission is mainly used as a museum and gift shop.

I'm sure you already guessed, but the Mission also has a lot of great restaurants. It's officially known for its Mexican restaurants. I have a number of favorite restaurants in the Mission.

Haight Ashbury

The Haight and Ashbury district was the heart of the hippie culture in San Francisco in the 60s. A number of famous people lived in this neighborhood during this time. Many used Golden Gate Park as their playground.

Today, there are a number of shops lined up along Haight Street. It's a fun place to shop, especially if you are looking for some a little different or some new tie dyed clothing.

Union Square/Financial District

Another one of the popular San Francisco things to do is visit Union Square. If you are looking to pick up some goodies while you are here, then you'll want to check out the Union Square San Francisco shopping section of the site.

There are also quite a few San Francisco hotels Union Square and fabulous Union Square restaurants. If you are driving, you can find some recommendations for San Francisco parking garages and tips for street parking in Union Square.

Bar with a View
If you want to grab a drink with a view, I have a great recommendation for you. The Starlight Ballroom, located in the Sir Francisco Drake hotel on Post Street and Powell Street.

The Starlight is located on the 21st floor, the top floor, of the hotel and is a little bit of a cheesy lounge with great views. You can see Union Square and quite a bit of San Francisco from the windows in the bar.

I recommend you go early if you don't have reservations. I usually go for a drink or two around 6:30 or 7 and then head to dinner from there. That way, you don't have to worry about a reservation, cover charge or dealing with a crowd.

Ferry Building
Located on the Embarcadero is another one of the great San Francisco things to do, visit the Ferry Building. The Embarcadero is a street that runs along the east side of San Francisco. All of the working and non-working piers are located right off the Embarcadero.

The Ferry Building is Pier 1. It was rehabbed several years ago and has a number of great shops & restaurants inside. It's also the location where many commuters hop on their ferry for the ride home.

It closes pretty early in the evening, so you'll want to stop by in the morning or afternoon. There is also a large farmers market there on Tuesdays over the lunch hour and Saturday mornings.

Nob Hill/Russian Hill

My neighborhood is Nob Hill and just to the north of me is Russian Hill. The top of Nob Hill is the highest point in San Francisco.

This area in San Francisco was not developed until 1878 when the first cable car, the California line, opened. Shortly after, the wealthy of San Francisco began to develop this part of San Francisco and it was named Nob Hill. You can learn more about the history of the cable cars San Francisco.

The "Big Four" were four famous San Francisco and railroad entrepreneurs that built their mansions on the top of Nob Hill in the late 1800s. Three of the four mansions burned down in the 1906 earthquake and fire. One of the mansions still stands today and is located at the corner of California Street and Mason Street.

Several high end hotels are located in Nob Hill including the Fairmont Hotel, the Mark Hopkins Inter-Continental Hotel and the Huntington Hotel. Each is a part of San Francisco history. This section gives you more details about these hotels and other San Francisco luxury hotels.

Grace Cathedral

grace cathedral san francisco

One of my favorite San Francisco things to do in Nob Hill is to visit Grace Cathedral. It's a beautiful Episcopalian church located near the three hotels mentioned above.

They began building it in 1928, but didn't fully finish it until 1964. It has a number of traditional elements including beautiful stained glass windows.

My favorite part of the church is even before you step inside. A blocked off entrance to the church features two beautiful doors called The Doors of Paradise. They are a replica of the doors in the Baptistery in Florence. I recommend a picture outside standing next to these amazing doors.

Lombard Street: The Crooked Street

crooked street san francisco

Lombard Street, the famous crooked street, is located just a few blocks from me in Russian Hill. It's another one of the great San Francisco things to do. It starts at the top of Hyde Street and is just one block long.

It's fun to drive down, but even more fun on foot. If you visit by car on Saturday or Sunday, you might have to wait in line for over an hour. Also, prepare yourself to wait on a large hill with cars in line behind you. This is one of the San Francisco things to do that makes some people a little nervous, so it is something you should be aware of before you get stuck in line.

I would recommend taking the Powell-Hyde cable car over to Lombard Street and walking down on foot. This way, you can turn around at the end for an amazing photo back up the hill. You might even get lucky and see another cable car coming down the hill, which makes an unforgettable picture!