Alcatraz Island in San Francisco

San Francisco Neighborhoods 

1. Italian North Beach - North Beach is a San Francisco neighborhood surrounded by the former Barbary Coast, now Jackson Square, the Financial District south of Broadway, Chinatown to the southwest of Columbus below Green, Russian Hill to the west, Telegraph Hill to the east and Fisherman's Wharf at Bay Street to the north. If you want to visit North Beach, you can easily walk there from the wharf and most downtown hotels. Most San Francisco city tours incorporate Italian North Beach into the tour, and there are also some food tours worth trying. At night, there are loads of restaurants that stay open late and many people dine outside, similar to what you would find in Europe. My personal favorite in the area is a small indoor spot called Caffe Sport on Green.
2. Haight Ashbury - The Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco is named after the intersections of Haight and Ashbury Streets. The area is most famous for its role as the center of the 1960's hippie movement. It is surrounded by Golden Gate Park on the West, the Golden Gate Park Panhandle on the North, Buena Vista Park to the East, and Ashbury Heights and Cole Valley neighborhoods to the South. Today, the street is full of merchants with everything from thrift stores and clothing boutiques to toy stores and head shops. There are also a variety of restaurants and bars along Haight Street including a personal favorite, El Balazo. There are not many tours that visit Haight Ashbury due to the fact that street traffic and parking make the area difficult for large tour buses. For this reason, jeep tours are the best way to enjoy city sightseeing without excluding this neighborhood.
3. Golden Gate Park - A visit to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco is a perfect way to spend a sunny day. With over 1,000 acres of public grounds, this is an extremely large urban park. There are many attractions to enjoy including the De Young Museum, the Japanese Tea Gardens, the California Academy of Sciences, and the San Francisco Botanical Gardens to name a few. On a recent trip to Stow Lake, we rented bikes and enjoyed a leisurely ride around the lake and park. Rentals are available on site on an hourly basis and include helmets. A picnic in the park is another fun suggestion with no shortage of great places to setup your spread. If you plan in advance, there are barbeque grills and park benches that can be reserved through the city.