See San Francisco’s top 10 exciting tourist places in 2021

If you’re thinking about visiting San Fran this year, you’re in the right place. I just took a tour of this this amazing city and I have a lot of useful tips and info that I want to share with you. But since San Francisco is such a big city with so many things to offer, I thought it would be easier if I made a list of the most thrilling tourist destinations I enjoyed while I was there:

1. Union Square a.k.a. The Shopping Paradise.

This one-block plaza and surrounding area is one of the largest collections of department stores, high-end boutiques, gift shops, beauty salons, theaters, luxurious hotels and art galleries in the United States.

And that’s not all, this vibrant district located at the heart of the city center also offers some of the best nightlife and dining experiences. From fun bars and lively lounges to Michelin-starred, elegant restaurants, you could say that the Union Square has the whole package.

2. Golden Gate Bridge

You have not visited San Francisco if you haven’t seen Golden Gate Bridge. This iconic symbol of San Fran, which gracefully spreads over the Golden Gate strait, is one mile (1.6 km) wide and is made entirely from steel. Its sight is so impressive that the American Society of Civil Engineers actually declared it was one of the Wonders of the Modern World. This engineering marvel connects San Francisco city to Marin County.

Every year, the bridge attracts more than 10 million visitors to admire its signature Orange International color. So, make sure you add it to your bucket-list 🙂

3. Exploratorium

Exploratorium – the place where you’re guaranteed to fall in love with science. And that’s coming from someone who was not particularly fond of this discipline in school :)).

What’s really interesting about this museum is that you can learn by exploring because it offers a fascinating hands-on learning experience. I even made sand spikes in the magnetic field between two giant magnets. And I have to tell you that was a pretty spectacular sight! (you can see the whole thing in the San Francisco Vlog-link at the end of the article)

And, apart from the amazing exhibitions, the museum also features all kind of interesting events for curious kids and science passionate adults as well.

I’d say ticket prices are pretty reasonable taking into account how much fun you’re gonna have there:

Adults (18–64): $29.95

Youth (4–12): $19.95

Children (3 & under): FREE

4. Lombard Street

Up until my visit to San Francisco I didn’t even know there was such a thing as the”the crookedest street in the world”. Turns out there is one and it is as contorted as it sounds 🙂

But the reason why this street is so twisted has to do with more than looks. This extremely curved segment of the road was designed like this in 1922, when some of the residents noticed that the 27% grade of the hill was too steep for most vehicles as well as pedestrians.

Because of its eight steep and sharp turns, this street has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco. It’s zig-zag pattern and the colorful flower décor make it the perfect place for spectacular vacation pictures.

5. Ferry Building Marketplace

Ferry Building Marketplace is the best place to visit if you want to enjoy the local cuisine. Let yourself be charmed by the open-fronted shops filled with delicious artisanal products and the vibrant smells, tastes and colors of these rare tasty finds.

But this building wasn’t always a food lover paradise. Until 1930, when the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge were completed, the Ferry Building was the second busiest transit terminal in the world. The building was a popular landing place for the ferry and rail commuters to San Fran.

Today, after a magnificent restoration, the Ferry Building houses some of the most tasty delicacies in the city. From coffee to oysters and from chocolate covered gummy bears to mushrooms that you can buy and grow yourself at home, this place has got a mouth-watering choice for every foodaholic.

6. Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary

The world famous former maximum security federal prison is located on Alcatraz Island, 1.25 miles off the coast of San Francisco. Apart from the strong walls, high barbwire fences and steel bars covered windows, this prison had something more intimidating that discouraged the majority of the inmates’ escape attempts. The strong and cold currents that surround the island made it impossible to break loose from it.

This is the reason why America’s most dangerous criminals were held there. Gangsters such as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, political terrorists such as Rafael Cancel Miranda and others, served time in Alcatraz during its operation years from 1934 to 1963.

During these years, the penitentiary claims that no prisoner managed to escape. Although 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, most of them were caught or killed in the process.

And I have to say, after seeing this place with my own eyes, I’d say the inmates that tried to escape were either incredibly brave or really naive because there is really, a very slim possibility to make it out of there alive.

If you want to visit Alcatraz, make sure you buy your tickets online, a few days before your visit. Tickets are not available on site. Also, this is a very popular tourist place so it’s better to plan your visit ahead of time or else you might not find tickets on the day you want to see it.

An Alcatraz Tour Day ticket costs 41.01$ for an adult and 25.01$ for a child ages 5-11 and it includes the boat ride to the island and the audio tour-guide inside the building.

7. Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is known as a global center for high technology and innovation. The area houses the world’s largest high-tech corporations including the headquarters of Google, Facebook and Apple and I was really curious about them so, I went to take a look.

Googleplex houses a really nice sculpture garden where you can find statues of all the Android operating systems. Even though at the moment, the garden seemed to be under renovation, the cheerful colored statues really made my day.

Facebook also has a really impressive headquarters with beautifully colored buildings while Apple’s Infinite Loop really amazed me with its onsite store, where you can find exclusive products such as personalized t-shirts, pens and many more.

8. Chinatown of San Francisco

Chinatown of San Francisco is the largest Chinese community outside of Asia and the oldest in North America. It covers 24 blocks and it overlaps 5 postal ZIP codes.

Aside from admiring the colorful alleys the beautifully decorated buildings, you can experience this exotic neighborhood a little more up-close. You can enjoy some of the local Chinese food which is available in many street boutiques, you can taste the local tea infusions and learn a thing or two about it from the very knowledgeable staff or write a wish in the Wish Tree from a vibrant gift-shop.

This unique neighborhood fascinates not only with its beautifully decorated shops, historic pagoda roofs and colorful hanging lanterns, but also with it’s unique authentic cultural experience. Or to put it simpler, it’s like a short trip to China! 🙂

9. Treasure Island

Treasure Island is an artificial island in San Francisco Bay. The island is named after the gold it might contain since it was made from soil extracted from the Bay.

It was built in 1937 for the Golden Gate International Exposition which celebrated the completion of the famous bridge and since then it has become a famous viewpoint over the foggy city. San Fran’s entire northern waterfront is picture perfect from almost every angle on the Avenue of the Palms.

And there’s more! Over the last few years design and construction has begun converting it to residential use so it probably won’t be long until you might be able to admire this scenic view from the comfort of a luxurious hotel balcony.

10. California Academy of Sciences

California Academy of Sciences is one of the largest and eco-friendly science museums in the world as well as a research institute. This is the perfect place to visit if you want to make friends with enthusiastic penguins, singing parrots, curious sharks, friendly butterflies and even a rare albino alligator.

Besides the various interesting exhibitions, the museum is also home to a planetarium, a glass-dome rainforest and an aquarium. And, what’s even more cool about this building is its roof which is practically a garden. The living green roof was planted with 1.7 million California native plants which help the building cool off without air conditioning, making it more energy efficient.

Tickets cost 38$ for an adult and 29.75 $ for a child ages 3 to 17 years old.

So, as you can see, San Francisco has a lot to offer and I really hope I’ve inspired you to visit this beautiful city 🙂

In case you haven’t seen my Vlog in the beginning of the article, you can do so here and join me in a fantastic virtual tour of San Francisco where you can find all of the places that I already mentioned in this article and much more 🙂

Until next time, dear traveler!

Love,

Alina from Frames of Life