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Updated on January 10, 2021November 26, 2014San Francisco San Francisco Things to do Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco Things to do in California Things to do in San Francisco Things to do in USA Travel USA

Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA

There are countless things to do and attractions in San Francisco USA really and this post merely touches the surface. Nonetheless, if you’re heading to San Francisco, we hope this list of things to do and attractions in San Francisco can kick start your visit and give you an idea of what you might like to do there!

Things to do in San Francisco USA

1. Endless Dining Options!

There are so many dining options in San Francisco and we’re gonna introduce some of the yummilicious stuff that we had during our visit!

Pizza Bianca Con Arugula E Prosciutto - Fresh mozzarella, fontina cheeses, prosciutto, arugula, shaved parmesan and white truffle oil (Umbria Ristorante San Francisco) — Pizza Bianca Con Arugula E Prosciutto – Fresh mozzarella, fontina cheeses, prosciutto, arugula, shaved parmesan and white truffle oil (Umbria Ristorante San Francisco)

Rice noodle roll with BBQ pork with yummy soy sauce (Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco)

Dungeness Crab roasted in garlic and olive oil (Fisherman's Grotto San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf) — Dungeness Crab roasted in garlic and olive oil (Fisherman’s Grotto San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf)

Linguini with meatballs at Fior d'Italia - Possibly the best pasta ever eaten! (17USD) — Linguini with meatballs at Fior d’Italia – Possibly the best pasta ever eaten! (17USD)

Cannoli usd4.50! but very nice and creamy on the inside, crispy and buttery on the outside

2. Steep Slopes of San Francisco

Cars are advised to park perpendicular to the slope - Haight Park San Francisco — Cars are advised to park perpendicular to the slope – Haight Park San Francisco

San Francisco is built upon steep slopes and as a result, many picturesque views can be derived at the top or bottom of these slopes. Do enjoy these views as one of the things to do in San Francisco!

San Francisco Attractions

3. San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf

San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf is surely one of the main tourist attractions. You can learn about the history, see the various attractions and of course savour the freshest sea food! This section will cover some of the things and attractions at San Franciso’s Fisherman’s Wharf!

Fisherman's Grotto @ Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco - Where we had our lunch — Fisherman’s Grotto @ Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco – Where we had our lunch

Sea Lions at Pier 39 - they just happened to be there one day and have been there ever since! — Sea Lions at Pier 39 – they just happened to be there one day and have been there ever since!

Boudin Bakery & Cafe - Famous for its sourdough bread (since 1849) — Boudin Bakery & Cafe – Famous for its sourdough bread (since 1849)

4. Historic Cable Cars of San Francisco

The Cable Car is one of the most iconic attractions in San Francisco. Invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie to overcome the steep slopes of San Francisco, it was one of the main modes of transport in the early part of the 20th century.

About an hours wait for the cable car (6USD one way) at the edge of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf — About an hours wait for the cable car (6USD one way) at the edge of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf

5. Historic F Line

6. The Crookedest Street in San Francisco – Lombard Street

To overcome this steep slope at Lombard Street, a series of winds and curvatures were designed on this street making it the crookedest street in San Francisco, attracting many visitors, tourists and locals alike, daily!

View from the top of Lombard Street - The Crookedest Street in San Francisco — View from the top of Lombard Street – The Crookedest Street in San Francisco

"Crookedest Street" in San Francisco Lombard Street — “Crookedest Street” in San Francisco Lombard Street

Coit Tower and Bay Bridge San Francisco as seen from Lombard Street (Crookedest Street in San Francisco)

7. Golden Gate Bridge

One of the main reasons why we decided to make another trip to USA (West Coast this time round) is because of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. But we did something better this time, we drove through it and this is the video of that drive!

Driving through Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco!

8. Chinatown

The Chinatown of San Francisco is not only the oldest Chinatown in America, it also offers many picturesque locations, souvenir options and of course great tasting Chinese fare.

9. Ferry Building – The Embarcadero

The clock tower atop the Ferry Building is surely one of the picturesque location in San Francisco. On Saturdays, there is also the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market where you can find many local farmers set up tents to sell their produce. Do try the peaches there, they’re REALLY SWEET!!

Ferry Building Clock Tower San Francisco

10. Golden Gate Park

There are many attractions at Golden Gate Park where visitors and locals will head to over the weekends…

Japanese Tea Garden Golden Gate Park San Francisco

Fountain at Music Concourse Golden Gate Park San Francisco

11. Haight Ashbury

Haight Ashbury is known for its hippie culture and it is evident from this picture below. The atmosphere is really lively and there are many trendy little shops here. Had great tasting sandwiches at the Panini Cafe as well!

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Related Posts

This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!

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Top 11 Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco USA
Top 8 Things to do and Attractions in Seattle USA!
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The Crab Pot Sea Feast : A Seattle MUST TRY!
Pike Place Market : (Possibly) Seattle’s Top Tourist Attraction!
What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!
Pizza and beers at Umbria San Francisco!
Great Eastern Restaurant Chinatown San Francisco : Even Obama visits it!
The steep slopes of San Francisco : A Pictorial Post
San Francisco’s “Crookedest Street” at Lombard Street!
Scenic Oregon Drive from Vancouver to San Francisco!
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San Remo San Francisco : Hotel with a PRIME location!
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For your convenience, we have arranged for the best hotel deals in San Francisco right here!

We hope that you have enjoyed our coverage of the things to do and attractions in San Francisco. Don’t forget to check out this post before your next visit to San Francisco!

Updated on January 10, 2021April 16, 2014San Francisco San Francisco Things to do Things to do and Attractions in San Francisco Things to do in California Things to do in San Francisco Things to do in USA Travel USA

What’s YOU MUST DO at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf!

San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the biggest attraction in the city and in this post, we’ll show you some of things you must do when you visit Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco!

1. Seafood of course!

How can one visit Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco without having some seafood? There are many options for seafood ranging from fish to crabs, prawns to the famous clam chowders in bread bowl. This time, we visited Fisherman’s Grotto. (This is after some price comparison with Franciscan Crab Restaurant)

Franciscan Crab Restaurant Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco — Franciscan Crab Restaurant Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco

Turns out that we made the right choice because Fisherman’s Grotto was the first restaurant to be opened by Mike Geraldi in 1948…

History of Fisherman's Grotto Restaurant @ Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco — History of Fisherman’s Grotto Restaurant @ Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco

At San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, there are 2 things that you should have. Clam chowder and of course the famous Dungeness Crab (especially so when it’s in season). We saw this on the menu and immediately jumped on it. This course is good for 2 to share…

Whole Dungeness Crab with Clam Chowder - Menu of Fisherman's Grotto Restaurant — Whole Dungeness Crab with Clam Chowder – Menu of Fisherman’s Grotto Restaurant

Clam Chowder in a cup with view of the wharf and boats (Fisherman's Grotto Restaurant San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf) — Clam Chowder in a cup with view of the wharf and boats (Fisherman’s Grotto Restaurant San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf)

We were really glad that we chose to have the dungeness crab roasted in garlic (had a choice of steamed or garlic roasted). This is because, for a cheaper price, you could have the steamed version at the food stalls all along the street…

Steamed Dungeness Crabs at Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco — Steamed Dungeness Crabs at Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco

Though the above clam chowder was not bought in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf (we only managed to try it at Ivar’s in Seattle), do remember to try one along the wharf or at Boudin’s Bakery. Before coming to San Francisco, we did not know what dungeness crabs were. After tasting it, it’s probably one of the sweetest crab (though not the muscular succulent type) we’ve had. (Disclaimer : We had the crabs when it was in season – probably why it tasted especially shiok!)

2. Pier 39 Sea Lions and Views of San Francisco / Alcatraz!

Pier 39 with views of Alcatraz, Sea Lions, Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco’s Skyline

Pier 39 of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf is a special place. Since the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989, sea lions started to arrive at Pier 39. Some thought that it was just due to the herring season and the sea lions would leave shortly after. They never left. Today, as you can hear from the loud noises in the video, they attract many visitors and it’s really quite fun to watch them bask and laze in the sun while having fun teasing and pushing each other around on the docks.

From Pier 39, you can also have a good photo opportunity with Alcatraz, formerly the state penitentiary where notorious criminals were held. Golden Gate Bridge is also in sight. The other view we enjoyed was of course the city skyline of San Francisco. With its sloping geographical formations, it forms a city skyline like no other.

View of Fisherman's Wharf with San Francisco City behind — View of Fisherman’s Wharf with San Francisco City behind

3. Boudin Bakery and Cafe

As we stayed at the San Remo Hotel, we were just a few blocks away (4 to be precise) from Fisherman’s Wharf. After dinner at Fior d’Italia (America’s Oldest Italian Restaurant), we strolled down to Fisherman’s Wharf to take in the sights at night. The area around Boudin is a great place to hang out and we were pretty much attracted by the smell of freshly baked sourdough bread that’s coming out of Boudin’s bakery!

Where the smell of freshly baked Boudin breads come from - really smart idea! — Where the smell of freshly baked Boudin breads come from – really smart idea!

Boudin at the wharf is a really cool place to hang out, especially for tourists because you can chill at its bistro and cafe, shop around at its baker’s hall, watch Boudin’s baking process or visit the Boudin museum and bakery tour (which is totally free!)…

Entrance to Boudin Museum at Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco — Entrance to Boudin Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco

Journey overland during from east to west and the well-equipped miner

Bakery tour at Boudin's - 72 hours of traditional bread baking from start to finish — Bakery tour at Boudin’s – 72 hours of traditional bread baking from start to finish

Though free, the museum tour was detailed and pretty much covered the whole history of San Francisco (not only about Boudin’s bakery). In this museum tour, we learnt a few things…

– How the journey across continental USA from east to west (due to the gold rush), claimed many lives – conservative estimates of 20,000 deaths.

– How prices soared during gold rush (and lack of food supplies) resulting in prices like $1 eggs (Which is madness considering this was the 1850s and even today, an egg costs only 20 cents!)

– How important live yeast was and during a fire that struck the bakery, the mother yeast was saved and today, we’re still enjoying the same taste from the same yeast.

– How living with the French (then) meant that you would be eating well – cause French at that time in USA were mainly bakers

– How the famous San Francisco cable cars were invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie after he witnessed a horse drawn cart loaded with passengers slipped down a hill causing so much injury to the horses that it had to be shot. On August 1, 1873, Hallidie debuted the first cable car on the steep Clay Street hill between Kearny and Leavenworth.

4. Museums at the Wharf

National Maritime Historic Park - San Francisco — National Maritime Historic Park – San Francisco

There are many museums at the wharf which includes the National Maritime Historic Park, Maritime Museum, Hyde Street Pier and the maritime library. We especially liked some of the displays along the way which described how life was back then. Fishermen had to continue fishing in the cold and being paid in fish for their hard work…

Paid in fish if you worked at the docks - fish are then sold or exchange for items — Paid in fish if you worked at the docks – fish are then sold or exchange for items

5. San Francisco’s famous cable cars

Nope, these are not the cables that we know that hangs over head and transports you with views of an area. Instead, these cable cars were invented by Andrew Smith Hallidie to overcome the steep slopes of San Francisco. Today, these cable cars are preserved and still ply the streets of San Francisco (Hyde Street, Mason Street, Jackson Street, Washington Street, Powell Street and California Street). Though we did not take the cable car (due to the long queue – approximately an hour), we did take some great shots there.

San Francisco cable car with long queues

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Related Posts

This is part of our coverage of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver USA. Check out these posts if you’re visiting the West Coast of USA!

For your convenience, we have arranged for the best deals at Sheraton Hotel @ Fisherman’s Wharf right here!

Ghirardelli Square is also one of the places where you can visit to shop and see the historic chocolate factory (Willy Wonka of San Francisco). We also continued west of Fisherman’s Wharf and eventually arrived at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Enjoy your next visit to San Francisco and let us know if we missed any experience or sights from Fisherman’s Wharf in our comments section below!