San Francisco escape

By Nikki Addison

October 3, 2017

October 3, 2017

There's lots to see in The Golden City. Here are our Top 10 Must-Do's.

Need an urban getaway? San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and has a myriad of activities on offer. Rich in history, culture and scenery, you can easily spend several weeks getting lost in this California metropolis. If you only have a little time on your hands, however, here are our 10 Must-Do Activities.

Located on Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square is the headquarters of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company and a place all sweet-lovers must visit. Home to a number of boutique shops and restaurants, as well as the original chocolate manufactory, you’ll never want to leave. Make sure you try one of Ghirardelli’s famous Hot Fudge Sundaes.

Alcatraz Island is home to an abandoned maximum security prison that housed notorious criminals including Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Visitors can tour the grounds by day or night, exploring the cells and taking in the oldest operating lighthouse on the American West Coast.

Founded in 1953 by publisher and artist Lawrence Ferlinghetti, City Lights is a historic artefact of the Beat Generation. Located beside the café Jack Kerouac frequented and as the first place that Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl & Other Poems’ was published, City Lights has a deep history. It’s also the first all-paperback bookstore in the USA.

San Francisco boasts the last manually operated cable car system in the world. While only 3 of the original 23 lines remain, tourists and commuters alike can still catch a car and even hang off the side. An icon of the city, the cable cars carry 7 million passengers a year.

Less than a 2 hour drive from central San Francisco are the esteemed wineries of Napa Valley. A range of tours offer luxury, public, safari, hot air balloon, bike and even train options. Sample some of the best wine the US has to offer and take in the rolling green surroundings of California’s wine country.

8 hairpin turns in 1 block of road earned Lombard Street the title of “crookedest street in the world.” A famous landmark of San Fran, Lombard Street is an architect’s dream – historic villas and sculpted hedges and gardens line the curves of the orange-brick road. Climb to the top for stunning views of the cityscape.

San Fran is known for its Mission Burritos, a larger-sized burrito which became popular during the ’60s in the Mission District. While there a ton of good Mexican restaurants in the city, La Taqueria is commonly regarded as home to the best burrito around. Located in the heart of Mission District, it’s been around for over 40 years – and claims to have “the best taco and burritos in the whole world.”

‘Painted ladies’ is a name for adjacent Victorian and Edwardian buildings in America that are painted in three or more colours. San Francisco has thousands of these houses, but most famous are the pastel Painted Ladies on Steiner Street, across from Alamo Park. Colloquially referred to as Postcard Row, the houses make a perfect travel picture with the backdrop of the city behind them.

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San Francisco escape

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