Visit San Francisco

We now find ourselves in the fancy Russian Hill district. The name goes back to the Gold Rush period, in which new settlers found a Russian graveyard up on the hill. Although the corpses were never precisely identified, they were linked with Russian fur traders and sailors, who had settled in Fort Ross. Read more

Another must-see in San Francisco, here's its most iconic street, the famous Lombard Street! Did you know before arriving in San Francisco that you were going to see one of the steepest streets in the world? In reality, it's not the steepest street in the world, nor even in San Francisco for that matter! Read more

This 20-story white tower at the corner is stylish, isn’t it? That’s the Bellaire Tower, nicknamed “the Jewel”, which stands on top of Russian Hill. This magnificent Art Deco-style building Read more

Before going down the beautiful Macondray Lane, I have to tell you that this is the perfect place to take pictures of the famous leaning houses ! Tip of the day, you should frame your shot so that the cars are straight, that way you will have wonderful pictures of dangerously leaning houses! Read more

You now arrive in the Ina Coolbrith Park, named in honor of the famous poet, writer and librarian Ina Coolbrith. She was a key figure of San Francisco’s litterature community. Read more

We find ourselves inside of the Washington Square Park, in the heart of the North Beach district. Picture yourself in the 1800s, surrounded by nothing but open land. This land was owned by a mexican farmer named Juana Briones, she grew potatoes and raised cattle. Read more

You've seen it from the beginning, here is the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. It is known as the "Italian Cathedral of the West" despite not actually being a cathedral. It has served as a religious and cultural hub for the entire Italian-American community of San Francisco. Read more

So you're now standing on top of Telegraph Hill, which, as its name suggests, is the hill on which San Francisco's first semaphore was installed before it was replaced by an electric telegraph. It was used to communicate with ships arriving in the bay. Read more

In front of you now rises one of the landmarks of the San Francisco’s skyline, the Coit Tower. If you want a 360° view of the surrounding area, you can climb up to the top of the tower, but the ticket isn't cheap. This beautiful 64-meter-tall tower was built in 1933, fulfilling the wishes of Lillie Hitchcock Coit, to honor San Francisco's firefighters. Read more

On your right, you'll see Pier 33, where boats depart for Alcatraz, San Francisco's main attraction. As we won't be able to go all the way there with you, I'd like to take you on a tour of the 3D model of one of the world's most famous prisons! Read more

The stairs you are now taking are the famous Filbert Steps. They're the best way to walk from the Embarcadero to the Coit Tower. The three sections of the staircase take you past art deco buildings, through beautiful gardens and offer stunning views of San Francisco and beyond. Read more

You're walking along what's known as the Embarcadero, quite simply meaning the Pier in Spanish. This long artery along San Francisco's waterfront begins at the Ferry Building, which you may have discovered on our Downtown tour of San Francisco Read more

You see it in the big signs, the hustle and bustle, and the statue of that crab welcoming you with open claws, you're arriving at a popular place. This is Pier 39, the most visited pier in the city. In the same vein as Santa Monica Pier that you might know if you're coming from Los Angeles. Read more

You had to come all the way to the end of the pier to have a beautiful open view of the horizon. Moreover, it's an excellent vantage point for observing Alcatraz Island. San Francisco Bay is an estuary. Read more

They are definitely the real stars of the pier ! The Sea Lions of San Francisco! They have affectionately been nicknamed "Sea-Lebrities." These elephant seals, also known as California sea lions, are not actally seals, so don't mistake them for seals—they don't like the comparison! Read more

On your left, you'll see Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in San Francisco. You're certainly familiar with these famous museums, the first of which was created by French sculptor Marie Tussaud in London in 1835. There are museums all over the world, in Berlin, Shanghai, Istanbul, Sydney, Prague, Tokyo, Washington, Vienna and Singapore. Read more

Here's another iconic image of San Francisco: the Fisherman's Wharf sign, marking the renowned fisherman's wharf. So renowned that the entire dock area ended up with the name of Fisherman's Wharf. This is San Francisco's oldest harbor, created when the city's population was booming with gold fever. Read more

The park you're wandering through right now, just in front of the beautiful beach, is part of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. It is composed of The Aquatic Museum, housed in the large building behind you, which used to be a bathhouse Read more

You're now walking through Cannery mall. This large red-brick building is a fine example of the reuse and renovation of industrial space. Read more