17 hours ago
6 of the best sights and local secrets in San Francisco
The hotel After a ten-and-a-half hour flight from London, the 1920s glamour of the Beacon Grand (rooms from £169, makes for a plush and, crucially, well-located refuge for the weary traveller – it's just two miles from the San Francisco Opera and Fisherman's Wharf. Time your arrival right and you'll want to head straight to the 21st floor for a refreshing sundowner at the rooftop Starlite bar, which has one of the most enviable 360-degree views in town.
The heights Shake off your jet lag with a pre-dawn taxi trip up to leafy Twin Peaks (below) to watch sunrise over the city, serenaded by birdsong (that is to say, unless Karl the Fog has rolled in). Then take a 20-minute stroll or bus down, past San Francisco's 'I'd definitely live there' houses – with their flamboyant colours, bay windows and the occasional turret – to the Castro district for revivifying pancakes beneath fairy lights at Orphan Andy's diner.
The sights Despite its sticky-sweet confectionery stores and tourist tat, Fisherman's Wharf is a must-visit for its barking sea lions. Catch a ferry to Alcatraz Island, the infamous (and, for now, still former) prison, and out past the Golden Gate Bridge (below) from Pier 41. If you haven't packed your sea legs, a clattering old cable-car trolley ($8 a ride, bring cash) is a great way to see the city, or ride the Wiggle, a bike route that winds around (instead of over) many of SF's famous hills (Bay Wheels bike day pass, $15).
The bites From Four Kings' cheeky spin on chicken and waffles in Chinatown to the 'cozy Nob Hill jewel box' (Michelin's words, not mine) that is Sons & Daughters, British chef Harrison Cheney's homage to the forest-to-table kitchen, you could take a year to eat your way around SF and barely touch the sides. My favourite is the homely waterfront Italian, Scoma's of Sausalito (above), a 45-minute ferry ride across the bay, with superb views of the city and seafood dishes to die for.
The park The city has tripled down on friendly open spaces post-pandemic, a welcome counter-narrative to the tough times that some people will tell you the city has fallen on. The new Tunnel Top Park (above) has spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge, The Great Highway (an ageing stretch of road) is now closed to cars on weekends, making it a beachfront promenade devoted to pedestrians and cyclists, and Aquatic Park is where swimmers brave the frigid San Francisco Bay.
The after-dark SF loves a revival. Take in live jazz at the Dawn Club (above), the 2.0 update of the club of the same name from the 1930s and 40s (it's down the road from Twitter HQ, and after a few cocktails my friend wrote a job application to CEO Elon Musk here on the back of a napkin; she didn't get it). Sink a mai tai made with Chinese wine at legendary Chinatown cocktail bar Li Po Lounge or sip champagne with spiced nuts in French wine bar Verjus, then whizz back to HQ in a Waymo, Google 's ubiquitous driverless taxi.
