10 Best Things to Do in San Francisco

We wouldn’t try to claim San Francisco’s an undiscovered gem — not with 16.5 million visitors a year. What locals often find surprising, though, is how few of those out-of-towners resist the tidal pull of Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf. Sure, that tourist-friendly district boasts tons of hotels and views, and a location convenient to the old cruise terminal at Pier 35 and the new one opening next year at Pier 27. But you really should escape the tourist zone. Here are the best things to see and do in San Francisco:

Hotels in San Francisco

Splurge: Hotel Vitale – Across the street from the Ferry Building — culinary showcase of all things local — this 200-room hotel was already a favorite for its sleek Armani-esque aesthetic and New Age aura (think lavender-scented hallways).

Steal: Inn at the Presidio – There’s another bridge in town, of course, and this new 22-room hotel puts you within walking distance of it. (OK, walking distance for most locals — those used to driving everywhere may chafe at the 1.6 miles.) The first lodging to open within the Presidio (the city’s fort-turned-national park), the inn occupies a graceful brick structure built in 1903 to house bachelor officers. Now, the historic details (army blankets, Doric columns, framed bugles) blend comfortably with modern luxuries (gas fireplaces, pillow-top beds, flat-screen TVs).

Top San Francisco Restaurants

Breakfast: Ferry Building Marketplace – What’ll it be … the jalapeño scrambled-egg taco at Gott’s Roadside? A double bacon-maple biscuit at the Biscuit Bender cart? The breakfast options increase exponentially during the Saturday morning farmers market. Decisions, decisions… make Blue Bottle Coffee your first stop so you can concentrate.

Lunch: Pizzeria Delfina – This spinoff of perennially top-rated Delfina has itself spawned branches in Pacific Heights and the suburbs. But head to the tiny original on what must be the Mission’s most food-centric block for a margherita pizza with creamy fior di latte mozzarella. (Also on this stretch of 18th Street: cult favorites Bi-Rite Market and Tartine Bakery.) If the wait for a table is long — and the sun’s out — get your pizza to go and brave the hipster hordes in nearby Dolores Park.

Dinner: Rich Table – In their Hayes Valley restaurant, co-chefs Evan and Sarah Rich pair the kind of innovative cooking you’d expect to find in Manhattan with the rustic, relaxed atmosphere you’d only find in California. Bare-wood tables, hefty Heath pottery, and dish-towel napkins meet bucatini with peas and mint, a popcorn soup (really) spiked with chiles, and house-baked Doug fir levain (again, really!). Don’t forget the by-now-famous sardine-speared potato chips — those you’ll have to see, and taste, to believe.

Dessert: Smitten Ice Cream – These days, great ice cream is available all over town, but to see it created right in front of your eyes, you have to go to the Proxy project, a flock of repurposed shipping containers around the corner from Rich Table. There you’ll find Smitten, which makes every scoop from scratch. The secret? A chorus line of liquid nitrogen-fueled ice cream machines. Only four flavors are available at a time — vanilla and chocolate, plus two seasonal options, like strawberry white balsamic — but here, less is definitely more.

Best Activities in San Francisco

For everyone: Angel Island – You’ve already been to Alcatraz, of course — if not, proceed directly to alcatrazcruises.com and order tickets — but you’ve probably never even heard of Angel Island, San Francisco’s answer to Ellis Island. Tour the restored Immigration Station, which saw a million people pass through its doors. Then walk or ride (you can rent a bike at the ferry landing) the five-mile Perimeter Road, which offers, in a silver-lining twist, even more dramatic views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate than it did before a brushfire scorched the island’s south side several years back.

For couples: Dogpatch – The hottest of San Francisco’s microhoods, this patch of Victorian cottages surrounded by waterfront industry has become Artisan Central, home to high-end chocolatiers (Recchiuti Confections), messenger-bag manufacturers (Rickshaw), urban wineries (Dogpatch WineWorks), and even a French butcher (Olivier’s Butchery). Fittingly, the Museum of Craft and Design recently opened here, too. Explore, shop, taste, and soak in the maker vibe.

For families: Exploratorium – For nearly half a century, this hands-on science museum has been showing kids — and adults — how the world works in the most creative ways. In 2013, it moved into a flashy new building on the Embarcadero, with space for such exhibits as an algae chandelier and a see-through pinball machine, but it hasn’t lost its DIY soul. Don’t miss the phantasmagoric portrait of San Francisco constructed out of toothpicks.

For the adventurous: The Presidio’s Crissy Field – In a pair of former aircraft hangars, test gravity — and your nerves. After taking an hour-long belay class at Planet Granite, you can explore the climbing gym’s 45-foot-high walls overlooking the Bay. Or bounce to your heart’s content at House of Air’s indoor trampoline park.