The city of a thousand lives, the city of a thousand colors … San Francisco is an unmissable destination for those looking for a vacation that never gets boring! Born from an ancient Spanish mission, grown as a port city, free, open and capricious, it has risen from earthquakes, fires and revolutions more beautiful than ever. It is also one of the few American cities with a historic center worthy of the name and for this reason a source of curiosity for tourists from all over the world. People come to San Francisco to experience art by day and transgression by night. And to discover, among one thing and another, a fascinating nature all around.
Best period to visit San Francisco
San Francisco is the city of fog and rain, certainly colder than Los Angeles and much less “Californian” in style. But this also makes it more pleasant to explore in the summer, which is the ideal time to vacation here. Choose the months between June and September, when humidity is at its lowest and sea breezes make the heat tolerable.
Travel documents
To enter the United States, you must have a valid passport. Possibly an electronic passport (info about it: at any US embassy’s website). Make sure your passport does not expire during your trip and has at least six months of validity remaining.
What to pack for your trip to San Francisco
You cannot enjoy San Francisco if you don’t take your time… walking! So when you pack your bags, you must put comfortable shoes in, plus sporty clothing to roam up and down the streets. Never forget a sweatshirt, a jacket and/or windbreaker, along with a swimsuit and sunscreen. “Frisco” loves to surprise you with sudden cool breezes, no matter if the calendar says it’s July! Also take sunscreen, hats, sunglasses. Elegant clothes are welcome too, if you want to enjoy the city’s bright nights! Very important! Make sure you have the adapter for American electrical outlets.
How to get to San Francisco
To get to San Francisco you can land directly at one of the two city airports, San Francisco Airport (SFO) and San Francisco Oakland (OAK), two modern, lively hubs with excellent connections to the surrounding area.
If you are already in California, you can also reach San Francisco with the famous interstate Greyhound buses, or with a private car along the highways US-101 N or Central Freeway.
There are interesting train connections, and San Francisco has excellent stations, but we recommend the train only if you have a lot of time to dedicate to the trip!
How to move through San Francisco
San Francisco is a big city but the tourist part, the most interesting one, is limited to the center and therefore moving (also walking!) among monuments, museums and restaurants is not difficult. The most famous means of transport here is the tram (cablecars), which still runs on old tracks and with carriages decorated in the style of the 19th century. There is no shortage of city buses, public and private taxis, urban trains of the BART line (a sort of external subway). Riding a bike is difficult, due to the steep slopes of the city streets. For the same reason it is not recommended to drive rental vehicles. Private transfers with a driver are much more useful and suggested.
What to see
San Francisco is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities of the United States. It is famous for its historical buildings still standing for everyone to admire, such as the many-coloured Victorian Houses, the church of Saints Peter and Paul, the Coit Tower, the quarter of Lombard Street.
The bridges are another important symbol of the city, especially the big, red Golden Gate Bridge along with the nearby Golden Gate Park, and the twin brother Bay Bridge. Every photo of San Francisco will show the “peak” of Transamerica Pyramide Building, a skyscraper you certainly must visit, while another interesting place to visit is Chinatown.
You should also go to: Alcatraz Island, Oakland Bay, Ocean Beach, Baker Beach, Marshall’s Beach and – ad the night comes – look for entertainment and crazy shows at the Marina, at SO.MA (South Market) and Mission.
What to do and NOT to do in San Francisco
What you shall do in San Francisco is walk, admire, relax and have fun. You must especially have fun, enjoying the freedom and happiness this city offers all the time. You must absolutely travel on one of the local trams (or cablecars) and of course drive along the Golden Gate Bridge.
What you must never do, here, is: talk or behave against environment and “green policy”, talk or behave against gay and lesbian people, talk or behave in general like a prudish traditionalist, walk alone in the Golden Gate Park at night, walk alone through Tenderloin district.