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Overview
Overview
intro mini:Rollercoaster streets, countless countercultures, salt-lick breeze.
intro short:
San Francisco has an atmosphere of genteel chic mixed with offbeat innovation and a self-effacing quality so blatantly missing from brassy New York and plastic LA. Its hilly streets provide some gorgeous glimpses of the sparkling bay and its famous bridges.
At a Glance
Fast Facts
area sqkm: 127population: 775000
timezones: -8 Pacific Time
daylight savings start: first Sunday in April
daylight savings end: last Saturday in October
currency name: US Dollar
currency symbol: US$
electricity voltage: 110V
electricity hz: 60
electrical plugs: elec_3 American-style plug with two parallel flat blades above a circular grounding pin elec_2 Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades
mobile network: GSM 900, CDMA 800
country dialing code:
areacodes:
San Francisco and Marin County 415; Oakland and Berkeley 510; the Peninsula 650; Wine Country 707; San Jose 408 and Santa Cruz 831
language spokens: Spanish other Native American languages other English essential
when to go:
Pick a month of the year and there's always a festival or street party on somewhere in San Fran. Unless a bit of fog or a brisk morning perturbs you, you can't go too wrong visiting the city. The best months to come are either side of the summer peak season, with the September to November period being particularly festive.
When to Go
when to go:Pick a month of the year and there's always a festival or street party on somewhere in San Fran. Unless a bit of fog or a brisk morning perturbs you, you can't go too wrong visiting the city. The best months to come are either side of the summer peak season, with the September to November period being particularly festive.
Weather
Climate
weather overview:San Francisco is a popular location any time of the year. Summer is the prime tourist season, but its summer weather is none too hospitable anyway: the bay is often foggy, while inland or north in the Wine Country it's often too hot and dusty for comfort. Local weather patterns are highly unpredictable, but generally the best months weather-wise are between mid-September and mid-November.
Getting Around
Transport
destination transport topics: getting around overviewWithin the compact city centre, walking is a pleasurable way to get around, but there's a solid transport network backing you up when perambulation seems too pedestrian. San Francisco's principal public transport system is Muni (San Francisco Municipal Railway), which operates nearly 100 bus lines (many of them electric trolley buses), streetcars and the famous cable cars.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system is a convenient, economical subway system linking San Francisco with the East Bay.
Ferries are a scenic way to get around.A car is more of a liability than an asset in downtown San Francisco: hills are steep and parking spots few. If you're considering a taxi, the best way is to phone.For most visitors, the thought of hopping a bicycle in the city is gruesome - there's too much traffic and the hills are fearsome - but the Bay Area is a great place for recreational biking.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system is a convenient, economical subway system linking San Francisco with the East Bay.
getting around ferryFerries are back in business, plying the waters from Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero Ferry Building to Alameda, Oakland, Sausalito, Tiburon and the bay islands.
getting around tramWhere else can you travel in a tourist attraction from one tourist highlight to another? As well as getting you around its three downtown routes, a ride in one of San Francisco's old-fashioned, open-air, seemingly dangerous cable cars can be exhilarating fun. The subterranean rumbling on Market St is an underground light-rail run by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni), that weaves its way through downtown San Francisco. Downtown, Muni stations are the same as BART stations.
getting around busAlong with the Muni light-rail and cable cars, Muni buses will get you almost anywhere in the city. A Muni passport allows unlimited travel on all Muni transports and is available from Visitor Information Centres, hotels and from businesses that display the Muni pass sign in their window.
MUNI passports can be bought in 3-day, 5-day and 7-day increments. They are sold from smoke shops, magazine stands, and the cable car turntable at Powell and Market Sts.
getting around carA car is the last thing you want in downtown San Francisco: negotiating the hills and trying to find a parking spot are going to stress both you and your machine. For travelling further afield though - up to the Wine Country for example - a car can be invaluable.
getting around taxiTaxis are tough to secure in San Francisco; you may find phoning one easier than whistling or waving your hand on street corners, especially during peak hours, but even that's no guarantee.
Things to Do
Highlights
eat:Celebrity chefs on every corner, and for every occasion.
San Francisco's culinary strengths are the diversity of its influences, which stretch from Europe to Asia, and its wealth of high-quality, moderately-priced choices as well as prestigious restaurants. Not content to just follow fashion, San Francisco has its own treasured culinary traditions.
night:
More bars than Alcatraz.
Hedonism must be built into the local DNA from the giddy days of gold fever: no doubt about it, San Franciscans like to get out. The city may be known for its restaurants, but its citizens spend even more of their time in bars, clubs and theatres.
see:
Your interest is bound to be 'peaked' by all those hills.
The city's steepness makes for some wonderfully panoramic viewpoints. Spread out below you is an appetising mix of colourful neighbourhoods, bohemian history, mind-teasing art, innovative architecture and restorative parks. Go explore - by foot if you're particularly sprightly, by cable car if not.
shop:
Love to shop in the Haight for a one-in-a-million oddity.
San Francisco's shopping is best for small, quirky items. Sure, there are big department stores and an international selection of name-brand boutiques, but the oddities are a lot more fun. Check out Hayes Valley and the Haight for lateral-leaning goods.
Event Calendar
key events: New Year's Day 1 Jan Martin Luther King Jnr Day third Monday in Jan Super Bowl late Jan Chinese New Year Jan/Feb Presidents' Day third Monday in Feb Mardi Gras Feb/Mar St Patrick's Day mid-Mar Easter Mar/Apr Cherry Blossom Festival Apr International Film Festival Apr Kentucky Derby May Bay to Breakers third Sunday in May Memorial Day last Monday in May Carnaval during Memorial Day weekend, May Gay Pride Week last week in Jun Cable Car Bell-Ringing Championship Jun/Jul Stern Grove Concert Series Jun-Aug Independence Day 4 Jul Opera in the Park Sep Folsom St Fair Sep Blues Festival Sep Labour Day first Monday in Sep Columbus Day second Monday in Oct Halloween 31 Oct Veterans' Day 11 Nov Thanksgiving fourth Thursday in Nov Christmas Day 25 DecActivities
activities: sailing The bay is at its best from April through August, when the west winds blow. But the waters around San Francisco are treacherous at any time of the year, and it's extremely important to pay attention to the tides. The easiest way to get out on the water is to take a sailboat cruise and let a more experienced skipper take the helm. swimming (outdoor) Swimming is unsafe and unpleasant in the arctic currents of oceanside San Francisco. There's a tiny patch of beach at Aquatic Park, just west of Fisherman's Wharf, where you often see hardy swimmers in the chilly waters. surfing San Francisco's Ocean Beach is one of the most challenging and exhausting places to surf in California, especially in winter, when the powerful, cold swells can reach 4m (12ft) or more. There are no lifeguards, and you should never surf alone or without at least a 3mm full-length wetsuit. walking Walking the hilly streets of downtown San Francisco combines excursion with exertion, challenging even the fittest tourist. Golden Gate Park is the place for promenading, while San Francisco's wind-swept beaches are for passionate lunging. jogging At dawn and dusk, the running paths in Golden Gate Park are infested with brightly-clad jogging hoards. This is a jogger's catwalk, so wear your Sunday best. The Presidio is another great park for running. cycling For leisurely cycling, head to Golden Gate Park or the Presidio and avoid the inner-city hazards of steep hills and aggressive motorists. Downtown becomes a sea of festive bicyclists on the last Friday of every month when Critical Mass, a cheerfully anarchic ride of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of cyclists, gathers at the bay end of Market St and rides, bells ringing, to a different destination along a different route each time. roller skating Rollerblading will help you cover more of Golden Gate Park than you can manage on foot, and you can rent skates from nearby Haight St. Every Friday night about 20:00, hundreds of rollerbladers meet at Justin Herman Plaza for Midnight Rollers, a 20km (12mi) group cruise around downtown and the northern waterfront.Useful Links
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