Basking in the sunshine of Golden Gate Park, riding up all 43 of the steep hills, exploring Haight-Ashbury’s counter-cultural history, eating your way through seemingly countless farmer’s markets – there’s a San Francisco vacation for everyone.
You can make this a purely urban adventure or pack your sun lotion and head straight for the coast. The gold rush may be over, but there are still riches aplenty to be found here.
From dunes to delight
San Franciscans adore Golden Gate Park. This focus of civic pride was once all sand dunes until ambitious planners started the process of converting it into a park in the 1860s. There’s plenty of city history packed into its huge grounds, from a 1912 carousel to the art deco splendor of the Horseshoe Pits. Fragrant flowers, towering redwoods dwarfing tiny Bonsai and, brilliantly, a Shakespeare Garden dedicated to the 200-plus varieties of flowers featured in the famous bard’s collected works.
You’ll chance upon lawn bowling, concerts and performances, picnickers and skaters, endless places for children to play and even a ruined monastery. It’s the city’s lungs and one of the greatest parks in the world.
City of culture
San Francisco has a history of embracing art, revolt and a different way of looking at things. It formed the nexus of the Summer of Love, and Haight Street was the very heart of that movement. You won’t be alone as you stand to take a picture on the corner of Haight and Ashbury, but you can still tap into the hippie vibe. Murals and street-art abound, while there are still plenty of edgy, independent stores.
The world-class San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – SFMOMA – is the city’s contemporary love letter to all things different. The cavernous space finds rooms for numerous exhibitions – Rene Magritte work had never exhibited in the US before, for example – while the permanent collection has significant pieces from realist painter Edward Hopper, pop artist Andy Warhol and portraitist Frida Kahlo.
Snacking on San Francisco
Food is a big deal here. It makes sense, given the bounty of the sea on one side and the rich California terrain on the other. It’s a key area in the organic food boom and the city has numerous farmers’ markets, as well as a thriving street-food scene.
Gourmet dining is amply catered for, with several restaurants boasting a full three stars in the Michelin Guide, one of the most famous being Benu. If you can’t bag a table here, you won’t go hungry. Head to Fisherman’s Wharf, a rightfully popular tourist area with a plethora of food opportunities – and with a view out to Alcatraz Island, home to the infamous and eponymous prison. Feast on fresh crab from a seafood stall while admiring the boats that caught it or eat chowder served in a bread bowl. It’s a real taste of this sensational city.
Rent a car in San Francisco with Hertz and you’ll be able to explore the full range of what San Fran has to offer.
