# Top things to do in San Francisco

Golden Gate, Alcatraz, cable cars and the city's best neighbourhoods and museums, as rated by Lonely Planet, U.S. News and visitors.

- 1211 votes · 16 items
- Aug 7, 2025 · Shannon Spencer
- https://even.best/en/l/160/top-things-to-do-in-san-francisco

## Top 15

1. **Golden Gate Bridge** (112 · ▲120 ▼8) — The 1937 Art Deco suspension bridge; walk or cycle across, or see it from Battery Spencer.
2. **Alcatraz Island** (86 · ▲99 ▼13) — Former federal prison (1934–1963) that held Al Capone; tickets sell out weeks ahead. <https://www.nps.gov/alca/>
3. **Cable cars** (69 · ▲81 ▼12) — The world's last manually operated cable car system, running since 1873; the Powell-Hyde line has the best views.
4. **Chinatown** (68 · ▲76 ▼8) — The oldest Chinatown in North America, entered through the Dragon Gate on Grant Avenue.
5. **Golden Gate Park** (66 · ▲79 ▼13) — Park larger than Central Park with the de Young Museum, the Japanese Tea Garden and the California Academy of Sciences.
6. **Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39** (60 · ▲69 ▼9) — Waterfront with sea lions lounging on Pier 39's docks and clam chowder in sourdough bowls.
7. **California Academy of Sciences** (56 · ▲69 ▼13) — Natural history museum with an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest dome and a living roof. <https://www.calacademy.org/>
8. **Ferry Building Marketplace** (49 · ▲60 ▼11) — 1898 ferry terminal turned food hall with a farmers market on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. <https://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/>
9. **Lands End and Sutro Baths** (47 · ▲53 ▼6) — Coastal trail with Golden Gate views past the ruins of the 1896 Sutro Baths.
10. **Lombard Street** (46 · ▲54 ▼8) — The 'crookedest street', with eight hairpin turns between Hyde and Leavenworth.
11. **SFMOMA** (45 · ▲59 ▼14) — San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, expanded in 2016, with a living wall and works by Warhol and Rothko. <https://www.sfmoma.org/>
12. **Painted Ladies (Alamo Square)** (42 · ▲49 ▼7) — Row of Victorian houses facing Alamo Square, made famous by the sitcom Full House.
13. **Twin Peaks** (34 · ▲50 ▼16) — Two 280 m hills in the centre of the city with a 360-degree panorama.
14. **Mission District and Dolores Park** (28 · ▲39 ▼11) — Murals on Balmy Alley, Mission burritos and the city's favourite park for sunny afternoons.
15. **Haight-Ashbury** (26 · ▲43 ▼17) — Birthplace of the 1967 Summer of Love, now full of vintage shops and record stores like Amoeba.
16. **Exploratorium** (21 · ▲33 ▼12) — Hands-on science museum on Pier 15 with hundreds of interactive exhibits. <https://www.exploratorium.edu/>

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.