Must-See San Francisco Attractions for the First Time Visitor

San Francisco is a busy city with a multitude of different things that you can experience while you are there. You could explore the city for months and not see all that there is to see. Even those people who have lived in the city for years will find that there are hidden nooks and crannies to be discovered on a near-daily basis. However, there are certain San Francisco attractions that must be seen by the first time visitor. That´s because these things are iconic, important or just plain interesting.

The major San Francisco attractions that a first-time visitor can´t miss out on start with the iconic landmarks that help to separate this city from other cities around the world. Things that you can´t see anywhere else include the Golden Gate Bridge, Coit Tower, Lombard Street (the "crookedest street in the world") and Alcatraz Island. These are places that you hear about before even visiting the city. They´re the ones that all tourists should make a part of their itinerary. Don´t be too proud to enjoy the activities that are marketed to tourists including ferry rides around the bay, double-decker tour bus rides around the city or a land/sea tour on The Ducks. Also make sure that you ride the cable cars which are an important part of both the history and modern experience of living in San Francisco.

One of the greatest things about San Francisco is that it is a dense urban area but it also has a lot of nature for you to explore. Make sure to include some popular natural attractions in your vacation to the area. A trip to one of the major beaches (such as Ocean Beach or Baker Beach) is definitely in order. Be forewarned that the weather usually prevents you from going into the water but the view is beautiful. On good days you may even see kitesurfers out there. Explore Golden Gate Park (particularly the botanical gardens there), take a drive to Muir Woods just north of San Francisco and be sure to walk through the backyard gardens of Telegraph Hill (in the area known as the Filbert Steps). These attractions all allow you to appreciate the natural beauty of the Bay Area.

If you´re ready to head indoors then there are definitely some popular attractions that you can add to your list. San Francisco has numerous museums that are popular with visitors including the California Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium (which is great for kids of all ages), SFMoMA, the DeYoung museum, the Asian Art Museum and the Legion of Honor. There are always interesting exhibits at these places and the San Francisco visitor can learn a lot more about the city by checking some of them out. In addition to museums, you can visit popular historic live performance venues for music and theatre (such as The Great American Music Hall or Beach Blanket Babylon). See a comedy show at the famous Cobb´s Theatre or catch an old movie at the historic Castro Theatre. These places are all popular with locals but are great attractions for a first-time visitor to experience as well.

Finally, if you still have some time to continue seeing San Francisco attractions then you´ll want to take the opportunity to wander through the neighborhoods of San Francisco. Each neighborhood is unique and presents a different slice of life in this amazing city. Top neighborhoods to be explored by first-time San Francisco visitors include Fisherman´s Wharf, North Beach (aka Little Italy), Chinatown, Japantown, the Union Square shopping district, the Haight, the Mission and the Castro. Whether you explore specific attractions in these places or not, these areas will give you a great idea of what life in San Francisco is all about.