A List of Things to Do in San Francisco

Below is a collaborative catalog of great experiences in and around San Francisco. It is intended to be a list of things every resident should do at least once, and/or things to do with visitors.

It can include both “touristy” activities and specialized local finds. Please feel free to contribute. Permanent attractions, weekly and monthly events should go in the Ongoing list, annual or seasonal events should go in the Seasonal list.

See also this list of 103 Things for Children To Do from the Chronicle (via @aprilini).

Ongoing

  1. Bike across Golden Gate Bridge.
  2. Have a drink at Bourbon & Branch.
  3. Try coffee from the siphon bar at Blue Bottle.
  4. Go to the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market on Saturday.
  5. Eat a pastry from Tartine while listening to Gaucho Gypsy Jazz Band on the 1st & 3rd Thursday of each month.
  6. Go swing dancing in Golden Gate Park on Sunday.
  7. Ride the cable car.
  8. Have a tea service above Yerba Buena Gardens at Samovar.
  9. Eat a burrito in the Mission (recommended: Taqueria Cancun, Papalote).
  10. Have a picnic in Dolores Park.
  11. Ride the elevator at the St. Francis Hotel in Union Square to the top.
  12. Fly a kite in Chrissy Field and get coffee in the Warming Hut. (via @amylola)
  13. Do a beatnik bar crawl in North Beach at Specs and Vesuvio. Stop at Citylights in between. Get an Irish coffee nightcap at Tosca. (via @amylola)
  14. See the art at the Palace of Legion of Honor, hike down to Sutro Bath Ruins, and have cocktail at Cliffhouse. (via @amylola and @cloveman)
  15. Get a coffee made to order at Philz.
  16. Find secret staircases.
  17. White you're doing 14, do the loop - hike from the Legion of Honor to the Cliff House via Land's End.
  18. And don't miss the Labyrinth while you're doing the Land's End hike.
  19. Go to Sunday Brunch at the Thai Buddhist Temple in Berkeley.
  20. Do the 49-Mile Scenic Drive. (16-20 via @quepol)
  21. Do a Tiki Bar crawl starting at Trad'r Sam's, then to the Bamboo Hut, ending at the over-the-top Tonga Room. (via @tempo)
  22. See an old movie at the Castro Theatre, where every film begins with a pipe organ performance. (via @tempo)
  23. Take a mural tour through the Mission (60 murals in 10 blocks) led by Precita Eyes. (via @tempo)
  24. See the City view from 20th & Wisconsin in Potrero Hill, then have dinner at Chez Maman. (via @deniseflaherty)
  25. Visit Flora Grubb Gardens. (via @j)
  26. Ride down the Seward Street Slides. (via @j)
  27. Climb the Greenwich Street Steps to Coit Tower. (via @j)
  28. See a show at Bimbo's 365 Club. (via @j)
  29. Drive down Vermont Street and Lombard Street. (via @j)
  30. Visit the unique shops on Valencia: 826 Valencia (the pirate store), Paxton Gate, Little Otsu, and the Curiosity Shoppe. (via @willotoons)
  31. Stroll along the coastline of Ocean Beach. (via @willotoons)
  32. Walk around the Palace of Fine Arts. (via @willotoons)
  33. Have breakfast or a milkshake at St. Francis Fountain. (via @willotoons)
  34. Go on the night tour of Alcatraz.

Seasonal

  1. On November 2nd, join the Dia de los Muertos celebration at the Mission end of 24th Street.
  2. In early January, go to Ocean Beach for the annual Christmas Tree burn.
changed May 12, 2009