A guide to touring...

San Francisco

Steepest streets:

1. Filbert & Hyde
2. California & Mason
3. Webster & Broadway
4. Union & Jones
5. Sanchez & 21th (steepest street)

Best Views

1. Mt Tamalpais (45 minutes north of the city)
2. Treasure Island (first exit on the Bay Bridge)
3. Twin Peaks (drive up Market St for about 3 kms)
4. Hawk Hill (10 minutes north, first exit after the Golden Gate Bridge, turn left under freeway, best time is at 4pm)
5. Lake Chabot (northern part of Golf Links Rd)
6. Grizzly Peak Blvd (Berkeley)
7. Nimitz Way
8. Sausalito or Tiburon
9. Florence Steps (above the Broadway tunnel)
10. Pedestrian bridge of Vermont Ave exit of 101
11. Divisadero & Valencia
12. Carnelian Room (Bank of America, 555 California)
13. Hyatt Regency (revolving bar at the top)

Best Sunsets

1. Point Reyes lighthouse
2. Mt Tamalpais
3. Hawk Hill
4. Sutro Heights

Potrero Hill

• Bernal Heights (Folsom, past Army St)
• Benches (Vermont St off 101)

Sunset (**)

• Pacifica
• Lake Merced
• St Francis Wood (Monterey & ElVerano, St Francis & Sta Ana, 1400 Monterey)
• Twin Peaks (Portola Dr or Market St)
• Great Hwy
• Golden Gate Park (aquarium, planetarium, museums, arboretum)
• Cliff House (end of Geary Blvd) & Seal rocks
• Sutro Baths
• Sutro Heights (end of Geary Blvd)
• Presidio
• Land's End
• Legion Of Honor
• China Beach (27th & Sea Cliff)
• Baker Beach (Lincoln & Bowley)
• El Camino del Mar
• 28th St Stairs
• Lincoln Blvd
• Ft Point
• Golden Gate Bridge

Marina (**)

• Palace Of Fine Arts (34th)
• Marina Green
• Crissy Field
• Fort Mason
• Lyons Steps
• Fisherman's Wharf
• Aquatic Park, Hyde St Pier, Wave organ
• Jefferson St
• Cannery
• Ghirardelli Sq
• Musee Mecanique (Pier 45, end of Taylor Street)
• Pier 39
• Lombard St

North Beach (**)

• Washington Sq
• City Lights
• Vesuvio
• Broadway Strip
• Cow Hollow (Union St, bet Divisadero & Van Ness)
• Polk St (north of California)

Pacific Heights (**)

• Webster & Broadway (steep incline)
• Lyons steps (& Pacific)
• Divisadero & Vallejo
• 3200 block of Pacific (& Presidio), oldest homes
• Immanuel Temple

Richmond

• Clement St (between 1st and 6th)
• Geary Blvd

Haight (**)

• Haight St
• Alamo Sq (Postcard Row, Steiner & Hayes)

Castro (**)

• Liberty Stairs
• Italianate homes (109 & 159 Liberty St)
• Sanchez & 21th (steepest street)
• Vulcan Stairways: 20th & Connecticut (Saturn Stairways...)

Noe Valley

• 24th St

Mission (*)

• Mission Dolores
• Murals: Clarion Alley, Balmy Alley, Cypress St, Lapidge & 18th, 24th bet Harrison & York
• El Camino Real
• Levi Strauss (240 Valencia)
• Valencia & 16th

Civic Center

• City Hall
• Davies Hall and other classic buildings on Van Ness
• 49 Geary St (dozens of art galleries)

Downtown

• Japantown
• St Mary's Cathedral (Geary and Gough)

Victorian homes (**)

• Haans-Lilienthal House (2007 Franklin & Jackson)
• Octagon House (2645 Gough & Union)
• House at Franklin & California
• Whittier (2090 JAckson & Laguna)
• Union & Webster
• Alamo Square - "Postcard Row" ...

Russian Hills

• Cable car
• 1000 Vallejo
• Florence Steps (Broadway & Jones, above Broadway tunnel)
• Polk homes
• Macondray: Filbert&Polk-Filbert-Hyde stairways-Leavenworth-Green- Taylor steps-Vallejo steps-Mason steps-Broadway-Taylor- Florence steps- Vallejo-Taylor-Macondray-Jones steps- Green-Leavenworth-Union-Polk

Chinatown (**)

• Grant Ave (bet Bush and Broadway)

Telegraph Hill (**)

• Jackson Sq (Jackson & Montgomery)
• Levi's Plaza (1160 Battery & Union)
• Greenwich & Filbert Steps (Filbert St to Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower)
• Telegraph: Bay & Powell-Chestnut-Grant-Whiting-Julius steps-Chid steps- Telegraph Place-Telegraph Blvd-Greenwich steps-Coit Tower- steps to Montgomery-Francisco-Kearney-Wharf Plaza steps- Grant-Powell
• Coit Tower (Telegraph Hill)

Nob Hill

• California & Mason (steep incline)
• Grace Cathedral (1100 California St)
• Union Sq

Financial District (**)

• Transam Pyramid
• Montgomery St (banks)
• Shaklee Terraces
• Bank Of America (555 California)
• Salesforce Tower
• Hobart
• Wills Polk's Halladie Building (1918) (130 Sutter Street Between Montgomery and Kearny)
• Alcoa Building (1964) at 1 Maritime Plaza
• 388 Pine
• 101 California
• Shaklee Terraces
• San Francisco Mall (Spiral escalator)

Embarcadero

• Embarcadero center
• Skydeck
• Hyatt, Eclipse
• Justin Herman Plaza, Vaillancourt Fountain
• Ferry Building

SoMa

• Moscone Center
• Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
• SoMa clubs (Folsom, Harrison)
• China Basin (Harrison & Embarcadero)
• Bay Bridge
• Treasure Island (left-lane exit on Bay Bridge)

see page on the South Coast

Marin County, etc:

• Hawk Hill (first 101 exit)
• Rodeo Beach
• Tennessee Beach
• Sausalito
• Tiburon
• Angel Island
• Alcatraz
• Mt Tamalpais
• Inspiration Point
• Muir Woods
• Bolinas
• Bodega Bay
• Mill Valley: Frank Lloyd Wright's Marin County Civic Center on San Pedro Rd

North Bay, etc:

• San Quentin: penitentiary
• Marine World USA
• Richmond Bridge
• Napa Valley

Berkeley (**):

• UC Campus
• Telegraph Ave sunday market
• Restaurant row (College Ave)
• Grizzly Peak Blvd (panorama)
• Claremont Hotel
• Maybeck's First Church of Christ, 2619 Dwight

Oakland:

• Chick House (1913), 7133 Chabot (Broadway exit of 24, U-turn on Patton, go under the freeway, right on Chabot)
• First Presbyterian on Broadway
• First Baptist on Telegraph
• Telegraph & 19th
• Civic Center
• Court House
• Tribune Tower
• Lake Merritt
• Alameda
• Oakland Museum, 1000 Oak St
• art deco facade of Paramount Theater (2025 Broadway)

East Bay

• Mount Diablo
• Blackhawk Automotive Museum
• Danville, Hartz Avenue

San Jose:

• Winchester Mystery House
• Mt Hamilton/Lick observatory
• Flea Market (101 & Hedding)
• Great America
• A tour of Silicon Valley

Palo Alto

• Stanford University
• Stanford Shopping Center
• University Ave

San Mateo county

• Filoli Mansion
• Water Temple
• The Buddha of Redwood City (in the back of 370 Convention Way)
• The Great Spirit Path of Bedwell Bayfront Park (1600 Marsh Rd, Menlo Park)
• Sweeney Ridge (Sneath Ln off 35)
• Mori Point
• Emerald Hills (houses: Hillcrest @ Sunset, Occidental & Jefferson)

Atherton/Woodsise

• Mountain Home Rd (mansions)
• Stockbridge Ave, Atherton Ave, Isabella & Elena, Brittany Meadows (mansions)

San Mateo

• Coyote Point trail
• San Mateo Bridge
• Tom Sawyers trail (reservoir)
• Highway 35 ("Skyline") from 92 to 9

Hillsborough

• Mansions of the Hayne Rd/ San Raymundo area
• 45 Berryessa Way (a really weird house)

Colma

• Necropolis (Cypress Lawn at 1370 El Camino Real south of Serramonte Blvd)

Mountain View

• Computer History Museum

Saratoga

• Villa Moltalvo

Silicon Valley

• Click here for a tour of Silicon Valley's historical buildings

DAY 1

• Vermont Ave Exit (View Of Sf)
• Bay Bridge And Treasure Island (View Of Sf)
• Hyatt Regency/ Justin Herman Plaza/ Embarcadero/ Ferry Building
• Financial District South Of Market St (Salesforce, Transportation Hub)
• Haans-Lilienthal House (2007 Franklin & Jackson)
• Optional: Octagon House (2645 Gough & Union)
• Lombard St
• Palace Of Fine Arts (34th)
• Optional: Lyons Steps
• Optional: Block Of 3200 Pacific
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Optional: Legion Of Honor
• St Mary’s Cathedral On Geary
• Alamo Square (Postcard Row)
• Twin Peaks
• Castro: Italianate Homes (109 & 159 Liberty St)
• Optional: Vulcan Stairways: 20th & Connecticut (Saturn Stairways...)
• Mission Murals:
• Clarion Alley. Clarion Alley (Btwn 17th & Sycamore St)
• Balmy Alley. 50 Balmy St (Btwn 24th & 25th St)
• Optional: Ashbury-Haight (Haight St & Ashbury)
• City Hall & Asian Museum

• Optional: Union Square
• Cable Car
• Fisherman's Wharf
• Pier 39
• Optional: Musee Mecanique (Pier 45, End Of Taylor St)
• Ghirardelli Sq
• Nob Hill (Grace Cathedral)
• Optional: Greenwich & Filbert Steps (Filbert St To Coit Tower)
• Coit Tower
• Washington Square
• Broadway
• Chinatown (Grant St North Of Bush St)
• Transam Pyramid And Financial District North Of Market St

1. Start from the Embarcadero BART station
2. Check out Market St, skyscrapers, Ferry Building
3. Walk up Battery St to Levi's Plaza
4. Walk up the Filbert Steps to Coin Tower
5. Descend to Washington Square and explore North Beach
6. Descend Macchiarini Steps (Kearny St) towards Broadway with great views of the Transam Pyramid and Bank of America building
7. Cross Columbus St and turn left into Grant St to explore Chinatown
8. Retrace your steps to Columbus St to Stockton and head north towards Fisherman's Wharf
9. Explore Pier 39
10. Walk to the cable-car terminal and take the cable car to Market St
11. Walk to Civic Center
12. Civic Center BART station