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    Tourist Attractions in San Francisco

    The most interesting tourist attractions places in San Francisco. Photos and a brief description.

    San Francisco
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    About San Francisco

    San Francisco began as a city of adventurers obsessed with the brilliance of the Gold Rush and the possibility of instant enrichment. From the small settlement of Yerba Buena, it has grown to a large modern city, which today attracts thousands of tourists.

    Unfortunately, everything that was built before 1906 has practically not been preserved. As a result of a large-scale earthquake, old San Francisco ceased to exist. But gradually a new one began to appear – with magnificent squares, business districts and huge parks.

    There are many amazing places in the city – Pier 39 with a colony of California lions that settled right in the city limits, and a mysterious prison island, and a group of miraculously surviving Victorian mansions. In a word, everyone will be able to find an attraction to their liking.

    Top Tourist Attractions in San Francisco

    Golden Gate Bridge

    The main transport artery of Northern California and a recognizable symbol of San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge was opened to traffic in 1937. The design was loved not only by motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Many filmmakers have shot the Golden Gate in their films. Grandiose flying flights of red color can be seen in the films "Interview with a Vampire", "Terminator 4", "Superman" and others. The bridge was built according to the project of D. Strauss, I. Morrow and Ch. Ellis. The length of the structure is 2737 meters, the width is 27 meters.

    Golden Gate Bridge
    Alcatraz Island

    Alcatraz Island

    A former prison on an island in San Francisco Bay. This place became famous for the fact that famous and especially dangerous criminals were kept here under the strictest protection. Until the closure in 1963, not a single person managed to escape from Alcatraz and survive. In 1969, the island was occupied by Indian chiefs who protested against the government and believed that the Americans had occupied their legitimate lands by force. At the moment, Alcatraz has been turned into a museum.

    Presidio of San Francisco

    A park near San Francisco Bay, next to the Golden Gate Bridge. At the end of the XVIII century, Spanish fortifications were located on this site. Then, for more than 200 years, this territory was occupied by a military base. And in 1994, a national park was built here. There are paths for hiking and bicyclists in the park. The most popular is the trail along the coast.

    Presidio of San Francisco
    San Francisco Cable Car Museum

    San Francisco Cable Car Museum

    Historical public transport, which began operating in 1873. A cable tram moves like a funicular on a cable car, that is, the engine is not in the car itself, but in the depot at the substation. Now this transport is used more as a tourist attraction, but the system is capable of transporting up to 7 million passengers per year. In the middle of the XX century there was a serious struggle for the preservation of the historical line, as a result, after several reconstructions, it was decided to leave the tram.

    Union Square

    One of the central squares of San Francisco, located in the district of the same name. It is surrounded by huge shopping malls, boutiques, hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, salons and galleries. Life here boils around the clock and does not stop for a minute. The square is the starting point for exploring the city, locals arrange dates and business meetings here.

    Union Square
    Girardelli Square

    Girardelli Square

    The famous square of the city, which has become a symbol of renewal. At the end of the XIX century, there was a cloth factory on this site, then a chocolate factory. The renovation of the square began in 1962, when William Roth bought the entire block and organized the reconstruction of the square. Currently, it is a restaurant and shopping complex. The former clock tower houses the Fairmont Heritage Place Hotel.

    Lombard Street

    A picturesque street, or rather, a 400-meter section of the highway, located on the Russian hill. Lombard Street is famous for having the shape of a winding ribbon descending to the highway at a rather steep angle. For cars, this is a rather difficult section of the road, for tourists it is an interesting sight like an attraction. The road surface of the street is made of red brick, green lawns are planted along the edges.

    Lombard Street
    Golden Gate Park

    Golden Gate Park

    A city park with a fairly extensive territory (the area is about 400 hectares), which begins in the city center and ends on the ocean coast. Inside there are artificial lakes, hills, islands, waterfalls, dunes, plains, there are also several museums. The park has all the conditions for sports, walking, cycling and just relaxing. In terms of attendance, the Golden Gate is second only to Central Park in New York.

    The Painted Ladies

    A group of Victorian-era houses that survived the 1906 earthquake. The attraction is located on the territory of the elite urban quarter of Nob Hill. The houses received the name "Decorated Ladies" due to their architecture and bright exterior coloring, which was worked on by B. Kardum in 1963. The picturesque wooden facades of the buildings are decorated with balconies, towers, verandas and other architectural delights.

    The Painted Ladies
    Fisherman Wharf

    Fisherman 's Wharf

    The tourist port area, which is famous for the abundance of fish restaurants, shops, museums. Ferries to Alcatraz depart from here, and there is also a cable tram line. During the Gold Rush, the Fishing Pier became a habitat for unsuccessful gold prospectors who began to fish in order to somehow feed themselves. There is a Marine Historical Park on the territory of the district.

    Pier 39

    A marina with a large selection of entertainment venues, a popular holiday destination for guests and residents of San Francisco. The main attraction of Pier 39 is the rookery of California sea lions. Special wooden platforms have been built for animals in the water, on which they rest and bask in the sun in whole flocks. In total, about 1,500 lions live in the pier area, they first appeared in the bay in 1989.

    Pier 39
    Chinatown

    Chinatown

    A bright and colorful Chinatown with traditional red lanterns and pagodas. Chinatown is not only a place of residence for emigrants from China, but also a popular tourist attraction. The district began to form in the middle of the XIX century, it became home to numerous Chinese refugees from Guangdong Province. For more than 150 years of history, the quarter has grown and acquired its own infrastructure.

    Castro Quarter

    A small urban area where a large number of representatives of sexual minorities live. Rainbow flags of the LGBT community are hung everywhere on the streets of the quarter. Local attractions are dedicated to the history of the emergence and development of the gay movement, as well as its struggle for equality. There is a "Museum of LGBT history", the famous gay club "Twin Peaks" with glass walls, the park "Pink Triangle".

    Castro Quarter
    Grace Cathedral

    Grace Cathedral

    The construction of the temple began in 1906 after the earthquake and lasted for more than 50 years. Due to the seismic instability of the territory, the architect had to abandon the additional elements of the facade decoration, as they could collapse during a natural disaster. The interior of the cathedral is made in Neo-Gothic style with numerous stained glass windows, frescoes and massive gates made of bronze.

    Palace of Fine Arts

    The structure is located on the shore of an artificial lake. It is not a palace in the literal sense, the structure is an open arched colonnade of white stone, surrounded by a picturesque park. In fact, the Palace of Fine Arts is a more durable copy of the exhibit of the 1915 exhibition, which was called the "Tower of Gems". The design was so loved by the residents of San Francisco that they called it a palace and decided to save it for the city.

    Palace of Fine Arts
    Legion of Honor

    Legion of Honor

    The museum is located in Lincoln Park. It was built in 1922-1924 by magnate Speckels. He and his wife have collected a unique collection of works of art and historical objects. The earliest exhibits of antiquity date back to the IV century BC. Works of art form the basis of the museum's collection. In particular, these are the works of El Greco, Rubens, Monet.

    San Francisco Cable Car Museum

    A cable tram is a hybrid of a cable car, funicular and tram. The museum of this unusual vehicle is located in the building of the current depot. In it you can see the types of cable cars of different times, see how the cable moves. The first carriages are also on display in the museum for inspection. The history of the creation and development of the cable tram is presented in the form of a photo gallery.

    San Francisco Cable Car Museum

    Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

    The largest museum on the West Coast of the United States and the second most popular in the whole country. The works of contemporary artists who worked in the XX-XXI centuries are exhibited here. Among the exhibits there are works by Pollock, Klee, Matisse, Saarinen, Warhol and other famous masters. The gallery was opened in 1935, in 1995 an original modern building was built for it according to the project of M. Bott.

    Scientific Museum Exploratorium

    Interactive exposition, founded by experimental physicist F. Oppenheimer in 1969. Some visitors call it the "mad Scientist Museum". Oppenheimer himself could not hold academic positions after being accused of anti-American activities. He got a job as a high school science teacher. At that time, he made many experiments to study the properties of the medium and materials, which became the blanks for the future museum.

    Scientific Museum Exploratorium
    De Young Museum

    De Young Museum

    The exposition is located on the territory of the Golden Gate Park. Its founder was M. de Young, a journalist at a local news agency. The exhibition halls house a collection of objects and works of art belonging to the period of the XVII – XXI centuries – paintings, clothes, furniture, etc. Mostly, the exhibits were collected in North and South America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

    California Academy of Sciences

    The Museum of Natural History, which is also a serious scientific organization. The Academy was founded in the middle of the XIX century. The team is engaged in educational work, organization of exhibitions and conducts scientific research in various fields, which include marine botany, ichthyology, ornithology, paleontology, anthropology and other disciplines.

    California Academy of Sciences
    Asian Art Museum

    Asian Art Museum

    The exposition is located in a building that previously belonged to the Public Library. The museum presents exhibits brought from various parts of the Asian region. There is also a shop at the gallery where you can buy jewelry, Chinese porcelain, silk and various antique items. Free guided tours are available on the territory of the museum.

    The Walt Disney Family Museum

    The museum was opened to the public in 2009 thanks to the efforts of the daughter of a famous animator. The building is located on the territory of the Presidio Park. There is a collection of personal belongings of W. Disney, his sketches and sketches, layouts and other exhibits. One of the walls of the building where the exhibition is located is made of glass. Thanks to this, you can admire the picturesque views of the San Francisco Bay.

    The Walt Disney Family Museum
    San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

    San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

    A museum located in the open air in the bay. It includes several facilities: a library, the museum itself, a marina and a visitor center. The exposition is devoted to the history of shipbuilding and navigation, as well as some events of the naval history of the United States. On the pier you can see the historical ships of the XIX-XX centuries. The museum library contains ancient documents – drawings, archives and maps.

    San Francisco City Hall

    The City Hall building of 1915, built in the elegant architectural style of Bozar designed by A. Brown Jr. The building is crowned by a monumental dome, marble decoration prevails in the interior, statues of mayors of San Francisco are installed in the corridors. Guided tours of the City Hall are organized for tourists, or you can go inside yourself - on working days admission is free.

    San Francisco City Hall
    Golden Gate Ferry Terminal Upper Level Public Viewing Area

    Golden Gate Ferry Terminal Upper Level Public Viewing Area

    The largest market in San Francisco, which is very popular among tourists. The retail space is located in the ferry terminal building, which is located in the central part of San Francisco. In addition to shops with a large selection of drinks and high-quality products, there are cafes, counters with ready-made food and branches with products from local farms in the market.

    Transamerica Pyramid

    The pyramid skyscraper, the tallest building in San Francisco. The construction of the structure was completed in the 1970s. The height of the tower reaches 260 meters, it accommodates 48 floors, where offices and various retail premises are located. 1.5 thousand people come to work here every day. Tourists cannot climb to the top of the tower, as only the first floor is open for free access.

    Transamerica Pyramid
    Coit Tower

    Coit Tower

    The structure is located at the top of Telegraph Hill. The tower is an architectural monument of a difficult period in the history of the United States – the Great Depression (1930s). Inside, the walls of the building are painted with frescoes demonstrating current topics of those years: economic difficulties, unemployment, social protest. There are even drawings depicting sympathy for communist ideas.

    Westfield San Francisco Centre

    A shopping mall and entertainment complex located in the central part of San Francisco. The interior of the building is made in a somewhat pompous style for such a place, many structures are decorated with gilding and decorated with marble. Inside the mall there are more than 170 shops of the highest price category and several expensive restaurants. Westfield was opened in 1988.

    Westfield San Francisco Centre
    Westfield San Francisco Centre

    AT&T Park

    A baseball stadium that is located in one of the suburbs of San Francisco. It is an important sports facility and a popular tourist attraction. The arena is home to the San Francisco Giants (a member of the Major Baseball League of the USA). AT&T Park is able to host not only matches, it is also perfect for concerts, festivals and other large-scale social events.

    Twin Peaks

    A hill with an observation deck offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. There is a nature park on the slopes. It is best to arrive at the site before sunset. At this time, the sun's rays flood San Francisco with golden light and bright highlights play in the waters of the bay. According to many tourists, no observation deck of a skyscraper can compare with Twin Peaks.

    Twin Peaks
    Lands And Trailer

    Lands And Trailer

    A hiking trail at the "edge of the earth" is the so–called tip of San Francisco from the northwest. The trail is laid through thickets of cypress and eucalyptus along the winding cliffs of the ocean. From here you can enjoy a picturesque view of the main attractions of the district – the Pacific Ocean, the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The trail is laid far from civilized places, so it is not recommended to leave it. Wildlife can be dangerous.

    Ocean Beach

    A beach on the Pacific Ocean, located in the western extreme part of the Golden Gate Park. The Great Highway stretches along the beach. The water in this place is quite cool, and in summer there may be fogs at a temperature of only 9 ° C. It is better to visit the beach in late autumn or early spring. Ocean Beach is the most attractive for surfing, but dangerous currents often arise here.

    Ocean Beach
    Baker Beach

    Baker Beach

    A small beach with a length of 800 meters, located in the northwestern part of San Francisco. It is perfect for hiking, barbecuing or sunbathing, but the water is too cold for swimming. The Golden Gate Bridge is perfectly visible from the beach, framed by picturesque coastal hills. Baker Beach is quite popular among nudists, the northern side of the beach is specially reserved for them.

    Public Instagram Photos from San Francisco

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