Explore San Francisco With Someone Who Actually Lives There

Find the neighbourhoods

The Mission, North Beach, the Richmond, the Haight, Hayes Valley, Japantown: every few blocks the city changes. A Local Friend strings two or three of them into a day that makes sense on foot and by Muni.

Eat like a San Franciscan

Mission burritos, dim sum in the Richmond, focaccia in North Beach, oysters at the Ferry Building, coffee taken seriously. The best of it is not on Fisherman's Wharf.

Read the weather and the hills

It can be sunny in the Mission and foggy at the beach at the same moment. Locals dress in layers, pick the sunny side of town and know which hill has stairs instead of a sidewalk. You'll do the same by lunchtime.

The Mission

Murals on Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley, taquerías, bakeries, bars and Dolores Park on a sunny afternoon. Usually the warmest part of the city.

North Beach & Chinatown

Side by side: Italian cafés, City Lights bookstore and old bars in North Beach; dim sum, temples and markets in the oldest Chinatown in North America.

The Haight & Cole Valley

The 1960s corner, now vintage shops and Victorian houses, next to the quieter, village-like Cole Valley and the entrance to Golden Gate Park.

Hayes Valley

Small shops, restaurants and a green strip of park in the middle, a short walk from City Hall and the opera house.

The Richmond & the Sunset

The fog belt by the ocean: dim sum and Russian bakeries on Clement Street, Golden Gate Park along one side, Ocean Beach at the end. Where much of the city actually lives.

The Castro

Rainbow crosswalks, the Castro Theatre and decades of LGBTQ+ history, in one of the friendliest neighbourhoods in the city.

Japantown & the Fillmore

The Japan Center's restaurants and shops, and the Fillmore's jazz history and Saturday farmers market.

September and October are the warmest, clearest months. Spring is mild and green. Summer is often cool and foggy, especially by the ocean — bring a jacket in July. Winter is mild with most of the year's rain.

Car break-ins are the most common crime visitors meet: never leave anything visible in a car, not even a bag in the boot you were seen putting there. Watch your phone on Muni and in crowds. Parts of the Tenderloin and the area around Civic Center and Mid-Market are rough, especially at night; a Local Friend will route you around them.

Walk, and use Muni buses, light rail and cable cars with a Clipper card or a contactless card. BART runs from the airport to downtown and across the bay to Oakland and Berkeley. The hills are steep: plan routes along the flatter streets, or let a local plan them. A car in the city is more trouble than help.

Layers, always: a T-shirt, a sweater and a windproof jacket, even in summer. Comfortable shoes with grip for the hills. Sunglasses and sunscreen for the days the fog lifts.

English, with Spanish common in the Mission and Cantonese and Mandarin in Chinatown and the Richmond. People call it 'San Francisco' or 'the city', rarely 'Frisco'.

One of the most expensive cities in the US, especially for hotels. Budget: about $120–180/day before accommodation (Muni, burritos, free walks and parks). Mid-range: about $300–450/day with a hotel. A Mission burrito $12–16. Coffee $5–7. Dinner $45–80 a head with tip. Alcatraz tickets about $45. Restaurants expect an 18–20% tip, and many add a small health surcharge to the bill.