On the rolling hills of one of the most cosmopolitan of destinations, Victorian and modern architecture intertwine. Find the Hotel in the Yerba Buena neighbourhood, the cultural heart of San Francisco.
Things to do in San Francisco
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Concierge Recommends:
San Francisco
The Concierge at Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco offers insider tips on the best things to see and do in the city—from night-time museum visits to kayaking on the bay.
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Within Walking Distance of
Four Seasons San Francisco
From the Ferry Building farmers market to the upscale shops on Maiden Lane, you can easily explore San Francisco's eclectic offerings on foot.
Must-See Attractions
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Hotel Art Collection
Walk around the Hotel and take in an art collection that opens a window on San Francisco’s diverse and culturally rich art scene.
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Alcatraz
Enter the once-home of infamous maximum-security prisoners, and recount the history of the island and its most famous inmates: Machine Gun Kelly, Al Capone and the Birdman of Alcatraz.
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Aquarium of the Bay
Get a glimpse of the hidden world under the water of San Francisco Bay via a moving walkway that leads you through two crystal-clear tunnels offering a chance to view more than 23,000 aquatic animals. Pet live sharks, too.
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Cable Cars
Step on board and ride a national historic landmark on three original routes that date back 100 years. The route’s Powell Street turntable is just outside the Hotel’s doorstep.
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Coit Tower
Behold views of the North Bay area atop the tower on Telegraph Hill, contemplate the Diego Rivera-inspired frescos in its lobby, then walk nearby Lombard Street, the “crookedest street in the world.”
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Ferry Building Marketplace
Stroll a farmers’ market renowned as a top “foodie” destination. Take part in a Four Seasons’ guided culinary tour and sample the creations of artisan foodmakers and the bounty of nearby farms.
Compare the finest first-growths from the acclaimed regions of Napa, Sonoma and other top growing areas in California at our monthly wine tasting event.
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Golden Gate Bridge
Built in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge is the most iconic of the five bridges that traverse the San Francisco Bay. It spans 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometres) long — cross it by car, on a bicycle or on foot.
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Japanese Tea Garden
Stroll the 5 acres (2 hectares) of the oldest Japanese-style garden in the U.S. (built in 1894) and view an eclectic collection of sub-gardens, buildings and artefacts.
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Ocean Beach
Enjoy brisk jogs, seaside drives, sunset walks and kite flying along the esplanade that tops the sea wall of the widest, longest expanse of sand on San Francisco’s shores.
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Point Bonita Lighthouse
Part of the largest urban national park in the U.S., Point Bonita is an active lighthouse maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, and is reachable via a scenic half-mile (0.8-kilometre) trail.
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Presidio of San Francisco
Put your hiking boots on: Presidio contains more than 500 historic buildings, coastal defence fortifications, an historic airfield, forests, native plant habitats, coastal bluffs and more.
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Stinson Beach
Visit this quiet community and go for a hike, enjoy a picnic, explore the town or simply relax on the beach.
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Yerba Buena Gardens
Yerba Buena Gardens, located immediately behind the Hotel, offers a host of fun family activities with ice skating, Children's Creativity Museum, a carousel and outdoor gardens that host live performances and festivals.
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Golden Gate Park
The largest man-made park in the world, Golden Gate Park offers endless green lawns, bridle paths, lakes and flora, along with a museum, planetarium, aquarium arboretum and a restored carousel.
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Chinatown
Home to the largest concentration of people of Chinese descent in the U.S., Chinatown is 24 blocks of bustling activity: shops, restaurants, produce markets, traditional herbalists and temples.
Fisherman's Wharf
Still a working fishing pier, Fisherman's Wharf is the city's most popular tourist destination, with colourful shops, restaurants and copious sea lions. Embark on a boat tour of the Bay if you like.
Ghirardelli Square
See the original chocolate-making equipment of the flagship Ghirardelli Chocolate Manufactory and Soda Fountain in operation. Behold its trademark clock tower, designed in the style of Chateau Blois.
California Historical Society Galleries
Since 1871, the California Historical Society has been collecting materials documenting the West. Take in an impressive collection of paintings, photographs, costumes and archival materials.
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Mission District
Mission District — described as the area where San Francisco was born — is home to Mission Delores, the city’s oldest structure, bustling marketplaces, hot restaurants and rows of Victorian houses.
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Haight Ashbury Neighbourhood
The Haight Ashbury neighbourhood is one of the liveliest, most unconventional places in San Francisco, boasting some of the city’s best cafes as well as excellent book and music shops.
North Beach
The birthplace of the Beat generation, North Beach retains its famed bohemian atmosphere with cabarets and jazz clubs. It’s also home to San Francisco's Little Italy, with many a gelato parlour.
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Sausalito
Located across the Bay from San Francisco, the Mediterranean-inspired city of Sausalito delights with cafés, boutiques, yacht clubs, fine restaurants, shops and plentiful art galleries.
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Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the western world, devoted exclusively to Asian Art — offering nearly 15,000 treasures spanning 6,000 years of history.
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Cable Car Museum
Located in the Washington/Mason cable car barn and powerhouse, the museum deck overlooks the huge engines and winding wheels that pull the cables. On display are artefacts dating from the 1870s.
de Young Museum
Founded in 1895, the much-cherished de Young Museum integrates art, architecture and natural landscape, and houses collections from the Americas, the Pacific Islands and Africa.
California Academy of Sciences
The oldest scientific institution in the West, the California Academy is one of the 10 largest natural history museums in the world, with research departments studying animals, plants and artefacts.
Cartoon Art Museum
Focusing on preserving, documenting and exhibiting the unique art form of cartooning, this museum permanently houses over 6,000 original pieces, and hosts at least seven major exhibitions each year.
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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Until early 2016, the Museum of Modern Art will be closed. Instead, visitors can enjoy exhibitions held throughout the city as part of the SFMOMA on the Go program.
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Contemporary Jewish Museum
Designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, the Contemporary Jewish Museum engages audiences while exploring contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture via art, music, film and literature.
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Exploratorium
The Exploratorium aims to educate informally. It’s an experimental, hands-on museum of science and art, where you can pick up or touch the exhibits: great for kids.
Nob Hill
Nob Hill is alive with elegant residences, restaurants and panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its crowning jewel is Grace Cathedral, the third-largest Episcopal Church in the nation.
Museum of the African Diaspora
The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) exhibits objects of art and culture from around the globe in an attempt to collect stories and create a repository of information about the African Diaspora.
Palace of the Legion of Honor
Housed in a building that’s a three-quarter-scale adaptation of the 18th-century Palais de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris, the Legion of Honor features an impressive collection of 4,000 years of art.
Society of California Pioneers
The Society’s museum and library feature exhibitions and programmes focused on early California, with collections that showcase paintings, photographs, artefacts and more from the Gold Rush era to 1945.
Moscone Center
The largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisico, It comprises three mail halls to total over 900,00 sq. ft. of meeting space including the three level Moscone West exhibition hall.
Año Nuevo State Park and Santa Cruz
A short drive to the coast takes you to the spectacular Año Nuevo State Park, with a wealth of nature hikes and an excellent opportunity to view elephant seals and sea lions.
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Children's Creativity Museum
The Children's Creativity Museum is a multi-media arts museum that combines hands-on use of animation, digital technology, electronic media, and your imagination to create high-quality stories, movies, music, art and more.
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Mendocino
Drive along a rugged coastline, through unspoiled country, to Mendocino. Declared a historic monument, this town is alive with charming architecture, antique shops and picturesque surroundings.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Focusing on living artists, the YBCA schedule of rotating exhibitions showcase the works of those who use film, printed art, dance, music and interactive media to push boundaries and take risks.
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Monterey
The historic town of Monterey occupies one of the most scenic stretches of California, offering the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the National Steinbeck Center.
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Napa Valley
All of the Napa Valley region – Napa, Sonoma, St. Helena, Calistoga, Yountville – still retain a turn-of-the-century air: find 237 vineyards, numerous orchards and the legendary “Old Faithful” Geyser.
Metreon
Located across the street from the Hotel, this shopping and entertainment complex houses dining, shopping, movie theatres and an impressive event space with panoramic city views.
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Sonoma County
Sonoma County offers visitors vineyards and restaurants, berry patches and orchards, as well as Robert Louis Stevenson State Park.
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Union Square Shopping District
Find the city’s best four blocks of shopping. Highlights include: Chanel, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Levi’s, Gump’s, Giorgio Armani, Hermès, Macy’s and Niketown.
Cow Palace
The Cow Palace and its extensive stable and barn facilities are home to the annual Grand National Rodeo. The facility also hosts ice hockey, basketball games, concerts, circuses and other events.
Oracle Arena & O.co Coliseum
Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics, National Football League's Oakland Raiders and National Basketball Association's Golden State Warriors all call the Oracle Arena & O.co Coliseum home.
Fillmore Theatre
The Fillmore Theatre is San Francisco's historic music venue that represented the pinnacle of creative music-making in the late 1960s - and still introduces audiences to eclectic musical combinations.
War Memorial Opera House
Home to the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet, the opera house boasts elegant lines, a vaulted and coffered ceiling, marble foyer and sweeping balconies that rival Old World theatres.
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AT&T Park
Take yourself out to the ballgame. Catch the San Francisco Giant at their home field: AT&T Park, a classic urban ballpark design with the amenities you’d expect of a great ballpark.
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Westfield San Francisco Centre
The largest urban centre west of the Mississippi, this newly redeveloped shopping centre offers an array of boutiques, including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Juicy Couture, Simayof, Ann Taylor and BCBG.
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Muir Woods
Hike the flat paved trails of Muir Woods National Monument and behold a 550-acre (223-hectare) stand of coast redwoods — some soar to 252 feet (77 metres) and are up to 1,000 years old.
William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre
Modelled after an ancient Greek amphitheatre, the William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre hosts ceremonies, classical music performances and plays, and concerts by some of the biggest names in music.
American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater renews and reinvents our relationship to our theatrical traditions, with groundbreaking productions of classical works and bold explorations of contemporary playwriting.
Curran Theatre
The Curran Theatre’s Best of Broadway series brings high-quality musical theatre productions and award-winning plays, including Les Misérables and Fences, to the Bay Area.
Golden Gate Theatre
Opened in 1922, the Golden Gate offers a palatial stage and stellar acoustics like no other theatre in the city. Take in a Broadway blockbuster — previous shows have included Chicago and Rent.
Orpheum Theatre
Since 1926, Orpheum audiences have seen an array of American theatrical entertainment — from vaudeville to movies to musical comedy — pass across its stage and screen.
