What's the best things to do in San Francisco???

I am going to San Francisco next month and I want to get the most out of my trip. This will be my first time to the west coast. I don't want to waste my time shopping, I can do that anywhere. What are some "not to be missed" things to do in and around San Francisco???What's the best things to do in San Francisco???
fishermans wharf

alcatraz

golden gate bridge

golden gate park

castro street

haight street

lombard street

union street

if you have time winchester house in san jose

napa valley is only an hour away

china town

north beach

maggie mcgarrys irish pub

fiddlers irish pub

redwoods

petrified woodWhat's the best things to do in San Francisco???
Eat. Next to Paris and New York, the culinary culture of SF is very high. First thing you will notice that in the City, there's not alot of chain restaurant (except maybe Dennys...but who goes there?).



If you like garlic, go to Stinking Rose (in NorthBeach)

For Chinese, House of Nanking (in Chinatown)

For Crab, Than Long (in the Sunset)

Nice Date place, Palominos (Near PacBell Park)

For Mexican tapas, Cha-Cha-Cha's (in the Haight)



I can go on and on and on....
I went there, (I only had about 3 days) but here are some of the places I visited and some places I wanted to go to:

Fishermans wharf

Alcatraz

Golden Gate Bridge (it has amazing views of San Francisco city, really great)

Lombard street

China town (novelty value)

redwoods

Petrified wood (I didn't get to see this but I hear it's quite something)

I know this sounds lame but walking around the city and just taking in some of the buildings and atmosphere of the city is always something I love to do.

I can't remember what it's called but it's one of the streets just next to the big macy's, and it's a 24hr Indian restaurant, self-service (get your own tea, water, plates, salad etc, it makes it a lot cheaper), I just loved eating there at 1am, it has a very nice atmosphere if you can find it!



hope you enjoy it as much as i did!What's the best things to do in San Francisco???
Good to hear you dont want to waste time shopping!!!



Do you like fresh fish?? You should check out our Fisherman's Wharf, for sure. From there, you can get to the Palace of Fine Arts - good museums there. Golden Gate Bridge shouldnt be missed - I hope its a nice clear day that you get to see this beauty. There is a really great display at the Sony Metreon currently - a Da Vinci exhibit. I thoroughly enjoyed that... Have to ride a cable car (although they are ridiculously expensive now - and dont waste you money on one of those public trans passes - cable cars dont take them, and they dont tell you that!) and maybe see our Chinatown and North Beach areas. Alcatraz is cool too, if youre into history. Be sure to visit at least one local museum so you can learn about the Great Quake of 1908 that nearly burned down the City!
It really depends on what you're into, whether you want to do very touristy things or non-touristy things. Everyone else will (and is) giving you wonderful touristy suggestions, so here are some different things...



The Graffiti murals in the Mission district are gorgeous. You can take a walking tour or just walk around the neighborhood on your own.



The Richmond district is fabulous... along Clement St, it's the "local's Chinatown"... A large Chinese population, cheap restaurants, interesting "junk" stores, etc... Along Geary St (from Park Presidio through about 25th) is the Eastern European (mostly Russian) neighborhood. Little Russian markets, orthodox cathedral, Russian bakeries, etc...



North Beach is lovely... traditionally Italian. Home of City Lights bookstore and many other places linked with the Beat era. Also has a lovely Cathedral, Peter %26amp; Paul, that is one of the prettiest in the entire city, and even has small little side rooms/shrines and statues of saints.



The Upper Haight is kinda artificial and a scene now, but still has some interesting people and stores to check out (whether or not you buy anything). The Lower Haight is more hipstery, and also kind of meh, but has some cute stores, great restaurants, and is definitely "local".



Land's End park is beautiful... if you hike down the hill at a low tide, there's a tide pool at beach with starfish, crabs, anenomes, and even an occasional sunbathing sealion. If you stay on the upper trail, it's still gorgeous and densely forested, and has probably the best views of the Bay in the entire city. Golden Gate Park, Mountain Lake Park, The Presidio, and Fort Funston are also fantastic.



Fisherman's Wharf at NIGHT is fantastic. Few tourists ever see it, but it's quite lovely. You can walk out onto the fishing docks (slightly East of Hyde St) and feel like you're in the middle of the Bay, and just relax and check out the stars and lights and all that. And Pier 39 is all closed down (but you can still walk around), so you get the sealions all to yourself without huge crowds. And during the day, Musee Mechanique is pretty amazing.



If you drive across the GG bridge into Marin, and keep driving (take the Mill Valley/Tam Valley exit, then the Stinson Beach turn-off, along highway 1) you'll encounter a twisty road through the foothills/mountains, lots of forest, and small beach towns. Muir Beach is lovely, and has a natural warm water lagoon. Stinson Beach is a cute town, though the beach itself is boring. A little further North is Bolinas, which is a small hippie town with a wonderful beach, lots of quaint outdoor restaurants with amazing food, etc... The town's small population is probably outnumbered by dogs, and it's all so very lovely! Further up north is a series of more small towns, as well as Point Reyes National Seashore, which is beautiful.



North from SF along 101 is Petaluma (about 1 hour north), which is also amazing. It's a medium sized but very quaint and "old" feeling river town... very quaint, but also very cosmopolitan (maybe moreso than San Francisco, actually) with a thriving art scene. Also, it's one of the few towns to be built prior to 1906, completely make it through the 1906 earthquake, and not be "renovated". So there's tons of old Victorian architecture in a classic "river town" kinda setting. Very beautiful.



To the south, along the coast, is a series of other towns, including Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. Both are only a short drive away, and wonderful. Pacifica is more "natural" and has tons of pristine natural coastline. Half Moon Bay is more developed, but still really nice, and has many great restaurants.



Lots else, too, but... that's enough.What's the best things to do in San Francisco???
Go to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Go to Pier 39, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf.

Go to San Francisco's Crookedest Street, Lombard.
The alcatraz tour is great check it out at http://www.san-francisco.cc/guide-tours-鈥?/a> or or the Golden Gate tour at http://sanfrancisco.nyctourist.com/san-f鈥?/a> Later Have Fun!!