30 Best Things to Do in San Francisco: Cool Activities, Tours, & Free Fun

The best things to do in San Francisco start with the classics, like walking across the Golden Gate, riding a cable car, taking the ferry to Alcatraz, and watching the sea lions at PIER 39. Many of the rest cost nothing, and several work well for kids, from the Outpost playground at Presidio Tunnel Tops to the walk-through tunnels at Aquarium of the Bay.

I have explored the city multiple times with my family, from the Exploratorium to lunch in Chinatown, and below are the stops I would plan around.

30 Best Things to Do in San Francisco

The classics first

1. Walk the Golden Gate Bridge

Presidio · Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, south end

You do not have to cross the whole span of the Golden Gate Bridge to enjoy it. Start at the Welcome Center at the San Francisco end, which has exhibits and a coffee shop in the old Round House, then walk out on the east sidewalk, the side facing the city. This is the only sidewalk open to pedestrians. Cyclists share it at certain times, so keep children close by the towers, where space is tight.

Parking at the bridge is very limited, and the bridge district asks visitors to come by transit, rideshare, tour bus, or bike. If you want to ride, rent a bike before you set out, because there is no rental at the bridge itself. For the view from above, Battery Spencer on the Marin side is a cliff-top overlook almost 500 feet above the bay, a short walk from Conzelman Road.

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2. Visit Alcatraz Island

San Francisco Bay · Ferries by Alcatraz City Cruises

The only way onto the former prison island is a ferry run by Alcatraz City Cruises, the company the National Park Service contracts to run it. Other boats circle Alcatraz without docking, and street vendors do not sell genuine tickets. Tours often sell out a week or more in advance. Alcatraz was completely sold out when we brought my daughter to the city, so I recommend buying your tickets as soon as your dates are set.

The day tour includes the round-trip ferry, the cellhouse audio tour, and ranger programs. The operator says many children 7 and older enjoy hearing about the escape attempts. The night tour adds a cell door demonstration and a different route around the island, and children are welcome. It is often chilly and windy after dark, so bring layers.

Strollers are welcome, but the walk from the dock to the cellhouse is about a quarter mile uphill, and the accessible tram cannot take families with small children or strollers. There is no food on the island beyond bookstore snacks, so eat before you go or on the ferry.

Book the ferry and tour directly, or buy it as part of a combination package through my ticket store.

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3. Ride a Cable Car

Powell and Market · Hyde and Beach · California and Market

San Francisco runs three cable car lines. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines both start at Powell and Market and run to the Fisherman’s Wharf area, ending at Hyde and Beach and at Taylor and Bay. The California line runs from California and Market to Van Ness Avenue.

Board at the end of a line or at the brown-and-white cable car signs along the route. At the Powell and Market, Taylor and Bay, and Hyde and Beach terminals, you need to buy your fare before you board, and each ticket is good for one ride on one line. Cable cars do not have accessible boarding, and bikes are not allowed aboard.

We caught the Powell-Hyde car at Hyde and Beach with my daughter, who thought watching the cars turn around on the turntable was neat.

To see how the system works, visit the free Cable Car Museum inside the working powerhouse at Washington and Mason, where you look down on the engines and wheels that pull the cables under the street. It also has three antique cable cars from the 1870s.

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4. See the Sea Lions at PIER 39

Fisherman’s Wharf · The Embarcadero at Stockton Street

The sea lions on K-Dock in the PIER 39 marina are free to watch any time. They moved in shortly after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and their numbers rise and fall with the seasons, from dozens to hundreds, with some staying year-round. A big group of them is noisy and smelly. They may bite if provoked, and feeding or bothering them is against the law.

The pier itself has more than 90 restaurants, shops, and attractions. Aquarium of the Bay, at the front of the pier, has 300 feet of walk-through tunnels with sharks, rays, and schooling anchovies, and my daughter insisted on walking through them again and again. There are also touch pools and river otters. Plan on about 90 minutes for the aquarium.

• San Francisco Carousel: a double-decker carousel at the back of the pier. Children 2 and under ride free with a paid adult.
• Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze: a black-light maze you can go through as many times as you like. Kids 5 and under are free.
• The Flyer Thrill Zone: a flying-theater ride over the city, plus a 7D ride. Both have a 40-inch height minimum.

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5. Explore Fisherman’s Wharf and Musée Mécanique

Fisherman’s Wharf · Pier 45 to Ghirardelli Square

Entry to Musée Mécanique on Pier 45 is free. Its 300-plus antique arcade games and coin-operated machines all still work, so you pay only for what you play, and food and drinks stay outside.

• Boudin Bakery: at the flagship bakery on the wharf, you can watch the bakers through a 30-foot window and ask them questions over an intercom.
• Ghirardelli Square: the old chocolate factory at Beach and Larkin now holds restaurants, shops, a mini golf course, and the Ghirardelli chocolate shop and soda fountain.
• SkyStar Wheel: a 150-foot observation wheel with enclosed gondolas by Pier 41. Rides last 9 to 12 minutes, and children under 2 ride free.

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6. Spend a Day in Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park · JFK Promenade

Golden Gate Park can easily fill a day, and two of the city’s big museums, the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young, are inside it. A 1.5-mile stretch of JFK Promenade is car-free and lined with art, including a 100-foot sea serpent sculpture called Naga.

• Koret Children’s Quarter: thought to be the country’s first public playground, with a climbing wall, a rope structure, and a historic concrete slide. The 1914 carousel beside it has 62 animals, and its hours change with the weather and season, so check before you go.
• Blue Heron Lake (formerly Stow Lake): row boats and pedal boats rented first come, first served, with life jackets required. Kids need an adult in the boat.
• Japanese Tea Garden: the oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America. Every visitor now needs a timed reservation, entry is free for the first hour on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, and strollers stay outside.
• Conservatory of Flowers: a wood-and-glass greenhouse full of tropical plants. It is closed Wednesdays, free on the first Tuesday of the month, and strollers stay outside here too.
• Bison Paddock: a small herd of American bison grazes in a meadow at the park’s west end, cared for by the San Francisco Zoo.

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7. California Academy of Sciences

Golden Gate Park

The California Academy of Sciences puts an aquarium, a planetarium, a four-story rainforest dome, and a natural history museum under one living roof, so it works in any weather. Inside are African penguins, a 212,000-gallon living coral reef in the Steinhart Aquarium, and free-flying birds and butterflies in the rainforest.

Planetarium shows need a separate pass that you reserve in person at the museum, first come, first served. Children under 4 are not admitted, and the museum says the shows may not suit children under 7. Admission is free for children 2 and under. On Thursday nights, NightLife turns the museum into an evening for ages 21 and up.

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8. Exploratorium

The Embarcadero · Pier 15 at Green Street

The Exploratorium is a hands-on museum of science, art, and perception with more than 650 exhibits, from giant bubbles and a fog installation to the Tactile Dome, a dark space you crawl through by touch. The museum says its exhibits work for everyone from toddlers to adults. It sits on the waterfront between PIER 39 and the Ferry Building, and the F-line streetcar stops right in front.

I think the Exploratorium is at least a half-day adventure, but when my daughter was six we had only 90 minutes, and it was still worth the price of admission.

• Sunday mornings are reserved for members.
• The Tactile Dome has separate admission, needs a reservation, and is for ages 7 and up.
• Thursday nights are After Dark, for ages 18 and up.

Both CityPASS (with a reservation) and all three Go City San Francisco passes include it, and single tickets are sold on the Exploratorium’s website.

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9. Presidio Tunnel Tops and Crissy Field

The Presidio · Above the Presidio Parkway tunnels

Presidio Tunnel Tops opened in 2022 as a park over the highway tunnels. For families, the draw is the Outpost, a nature play area where kids scale a Woodland Wall and explore the inside of a giant fallen tree. Restrooms are next door in the Field Station, a free nature and history lab.

Pathways lead down to Crissy Field, a restored Army airfield that is now 100 acres of shoreline with a flat promenade for walking or biking, picnic areas, and East Beach, where families play in the sand.

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10. Chinatown

Chinatown · Dragon Gate at Grant Avenue and Bush Street

The city calls its Chinatown the largest outside of Asia and the oldest in North America. Walk in through the Dragon Gate and wander Grant Avenue, the oldest street in San Francisco.

When we brought my daughter to San Francisco, we headed straight to Chinatown, because after living in Hong Kong we crave it. We had lunch at House of Nanking, where the service is quick and the bill does not break the bank, and we came back on our last day to eat at Great Eastern, a favorite of ours for its mix of Chinese cuisines.

Kids can also write their own fortunes at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Ross Alley, which has made cookies by hand since 1962.

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11. Hike Lands End to the Sutro Baths

Lands End · Merrie Way parking lot

Lands End is the rocky edge of the city where the Coastal Trail winds along the cliffs above the ocean. Start at the Merrie Way lot, where the trail is easiest to reach. The first stretch is wheelchair accessible as far as the Mile Rock Overlook, and there are stairs farther along.

You can also wander the ruins of the Sutro Baths as the tide rolls in and out.

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12. Ferry Building Marketplace

The Embarcadero · Foot of Market Street

The Ferry Building has stood at the foot of Market Street since 1898, and today it holds nearly 50 local food merchants, restaurants, and small eateries. I love the shops here, especially Heath Ceramics.

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market runs year-round, and the Saturday market is the largest, with more than 100 vendors in front of the building and on the plaza over the bay, plus free cooking demos. The F-line historic streetcars stop right out front.

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13. Take a Bay Cruise or the Ferry to Sausalito

Fisherman’s Wharf · PIER 39 and Pier 43½

A bay cruise shows you the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz from the water without booking the island tour, though these boats do not land on the island. Blue & Gold Fleet’s one-hour cruise leaves from the west marina at PIER 39, sails under the bridge and around Alcatraz, and allows strollers.

Red and White Fleet, now called San Francisco Cruises, runs its one-hour Golden Gate Bay Cruise from Pier 43½, and children 4 and under ride free with a ticket. It also sells a 90-minute Bridge to Bridge Cruise and the two-hour San Francisco City Lights Cruise in the evening.

To go across the bay, Golden Gate Ferry sails to Sausalito from the Ferry Building every day, and Blue & Gold Fleet runs a Sausalito ferry from Pier 41 that takes about 30 minutes each way. Bikes are allowed on the Blue & Gold ferry, so you can ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and take the boat back.

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14. Fort Point

The Presidio · Under the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge

Fort Point is a brick fort that stood guard over the bay from the Gold Rush years through World War II. You can walk around the outside any day. Kids can earn a wooden badge in the free Junior Ranger program, and rangers give short talks when the fort is open. It is often colder than you expect, so bring a jacket.

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15. Lombard Street

Russian Hill · The crooked block at Hyde Street

The crooked block of Lombard Street is a public street lined with private homes, and the easiest way to see it is on foot. The Powell-Hyde cable car stops at the top of the curves, and walkers should stay on the sidewalks. The curvy part runs one way, west to east, and the city’s tourism board does not recommend driving it if you are not an experienced driver. Weekend afternoons and holidays get very crowded.

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16. Ride Up Coit Tower

Telegraph Hill

Coit Tower has stood on Telegraph Hill since 1933, and an elevator takes you to an observation deck with 360-degree views of the city and the bay. Buy elevator tickets in the gift shop. The elevator is sometimes out of service, and when it is, the deck is 13 flights of stairs up.

Artists employed by the Public Works of Art Project painted the murals inside the base in 1934, and docents lead small-group mural tours for a separate fee. Parking at the top is very limited. Take the bus or climb the Filbert Street stairs, and watch for the flock of wild parrots that lives on the hill.

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17. Palace of Fine Arts

Marina District · 3601 Lyon Street

The Palace of Fine Arts was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, and its rotunda and colonnades stand beside a lagoon with swans. The building behind the rotunda is an event venue, not a museum, so this is a place for a walk and photos.

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18. The Painted Ladies at Alamo Square

Alamo Square · Hayes and Steiner Streets

Alamo Square is the park where you see the Painted Ladies of Postcard Row, the houses known from TV shows like Full House. The park has an accessible children’s play area, which makes it an easy stop with kids.

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19. San Francisco Zoo

San Francisco Zoo & Gardens

The San Francisco Zoo has more than 1,500 animals across nearly 100 acres of oceanfront gardens. The restored 1921 Dentzel Carousel and the Little Puffer miniature steam train cost extra, and the train does not run in wet weather.

Through January 3, 2027, Dinos Rule! adds 21 animatronic dinosaurs for an extra ticket on top of admission. ZooLights, the zoo’s winter light show, returns November 6, 2026, through January 3, 2027, for the first time since 2018. The zoo also has capybaras for the first time in nearly 10 years.

→ Read my guide to discount San Francisco Zoo tickets

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20. de Young Museum and Legion of Honor

Golden Gate Park and Lincoln Park

The de Young in Golden Gate Park shows American art, costume and textiles, and art from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park holds 4,000 years of ancient and European art, with Rodin’s The Thinker in its Court of Honor and a setting that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge.

Youth ages 6 to 17 are free, and children 5 and under do not need a ticket. Through January 31, 2027, the de Young’s Treasures of the Pharaohs exhibition needs a separate timed ticket.

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21. SFMOMA

SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, is one of the largest modern and contemporary art museums in the United States. Book kids’ free tickets online with the rest of your party. You can visit the museum’s public spaces and its children’s book room without a ticket, but the hands-on Co-Lab needs admission.

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22. The Walt Disney Family Museum

The Presidio · 104 Montgomery Street

The Walt Disney Family Museum tells Walt Disney’s life story inside an 1897 Army barracks in the Presidio, and it is independent of the Disney company. Kids under 12 need an adult with them. Reserve a timed ticket before you go. The museum is on CityPASS and all three Go City San Francisco passes.

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23. Mission District Murals and Dolores Park

Mission District · Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley

Balmy Alley has the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco, many of them about human rights and cultural challenges, and the nonprofit Precita Eyes maintains them and leads guided walks. In Clarion Alley, the murals change as artists repaint their walls, some every few months.

Afterward, Mission Dolores Park has skyline views and the Helen Diller Playground, with separate areas for ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12, and a 45-foot slide.

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24. Seward Street Slides

Seward Mini Park

Seward Mini Park has two long, steep concrete slides designed by a 14-year-old named Kim Clark, who won a competition organized by the sculptor Ruth Asawa. Slide down on a piece of cardboard, and wear sturdy pants. The city says the slides are not meant for small children. The park’s posted hours are inconsistent, so check before you go.

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25. Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks · Christmas Tree Point overlook

At 922 feet, Twin Peaks is the second-highest point in San Francisco, and the north peak parking lot has 180-degree views of the Bay Area. Until about mid-2027, the trails and promenade are fenced off for a construction project, but the road to the Christmas Tree Point overlook stays open. Expect strong wind, and do not leave valuables in the car.

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26. Haight-Ashbury

Haight and Ashbury streets · Just east of Golden Gate Park

Start at the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets, where the street sign marks the center of the 1960s flower power scene. The city calls the neighborhood the home of Peace and Love. For vintage shopping, look for Relic Vintage, Decades of Fashion, and Held Over Vintage.

Amoeba Music, at 1855 Haight Street, has what the city calls the largest vinyl selection under one roof in San Francisco. The former Grateful Dead house at 710 Ashbury Street is a private home, so take your photo from the sidewalk.

If you have kids with you, Buena Vista Park, at Haight Street and Buena Vista, has a playground, and it is the oldest park in the city. Haight Street also runs west to Golden Gate Park, where the Koret Children’s Quarter playground (#6) sits in the park’s southeast corner.

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27. Tour Oracle Park

Oracle Park · Juan Marichal statue, O’Doul Gate on Third Street

The San Francisco Giants run a 90-minute behind-the-scenes tour of Oracle Park that takes you onto the field, into the dugout, past the visitors’ batting cage, and up to the press box. Tours run rain or shine and sell out, so book ahead. Backpacks are not allowed inside, clear ones included.

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28. Take a Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

Hop-on hop-off buses stop in neighborhoods across the city, so you can get off to look around and catch a later bus.

My ticket store sells tickets for two of these companies. Big Bus Tours offers a 1-day Discover ticket, an Essential ticket that adds a sunset tour, and a 2-day Explore ticket. Skyline Sightseeing sells 1-day and 2-day passes, night tours, and Alcatraz & 2-Day Hop-On Hop-Off, which includes the ferry to the island.

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29. Muir Woods

Marin County · About 11 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge

Muir Woods National Monument protects an old-growth forest of coast redwoods, the world’s tallest trees.

If you drive, you need a parking reservation, made online ahead of time at GoMuirWoods.com. Reservations often sell out, especially on weekends and holidays, and each one comes with a 30-minute arrival window. The seasonal shuttle needs a reservation too, but rideshare passengers, walkers, and cyclists do not.

Adults 16 and older pay a park entrance fee, which is separate from the parking or shuttle reservation. Pets are not allowed, and bikes must stay off the trails.

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30. A Day at a Bay Area Theme Park

Santa Clara and Vallejo

Two Six Flags parks make a day trip from the city. California’s Great America in Santa Clara, now in its 50th season, has kid-sized rides in Planet Snoopy, and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo combines rides with animal experiences.

→ Read my guide to California’s Great America tickets

→ Read my guide to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom tickets

Sand, Picnics, and Tide Pools

The Best San Francisco Beaches

Most of San Francisco’s beaches are for walks, picnics, and sand play, not swimming. The National Park Service says Stinson Beach in Marin is the only swimming beach in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the ocean can be as cold as 50°F, and rip currents and sneaker waves can pull someone in from water as shallow as their knees.

I know from experience that keeping kids out of the water may be impossible where it is safe to swim, so bring sweatshirts and thick, fluffy towels to warm them up after a dip.

Crissy Field East Beach

This bay-side beach near the Golden Gate is where the Park Service says everyone can safely play in the bay water. It has accessible restrooms, drinking water, a large picnic site with grills, and a free parking lot (other Presidio lots charge). The Outpost playground at Presidio Tunnel Tops is a short walk away.

Aquatic Park

This small cove by the Hyde Street cable car turnaround is part of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, and the Park Service lists it for open-water swimming in a semi-protected environment, in cold water. The silty beach is good for playing in the sand. There are no lifeguards, so keep a close eye on young children. Restrooms are at the Maritime Museum, and dogs are not allowed.

Baker Beach

Baker Beach is a mile-long stretch of sand in the southwest corner of the Presidio, with picnic tables, grills, restrooms, and two free parking lots that get congested on sunny weekends. The waves, undertow, and rip currents make it unsafe for swimming, and the north end is traditionally clothing-optional, as is Marshall’s Beach just north of it.

China Beach

China Beach is a small cove in the Sea Cliff neighborhood, between Baker Beach and Lands End, and the Park Service calls it a good play spot for children. At low tide you can walk toward Baker Beach and find sea stars, anemones, and mussels in the rocks. A major construction project is underway, parking is very limited, and parts of the site are closed, so check before you go. Pets are not allowed.

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach is 3.5 miles of sand on the city’s western edge, next to Golden Gate Park, and it is good for long walks and flying kites. The Park Service says it is never safe to swim here and even wading is dangerous. Fog usually covers it in late spring and summer, and September and October are the sunniest months for a beach walk. Beach fires are allowed only in the fire rings, and not at all from November 1 through the end of February.

Fort Funston

Fort Funston sits on 200-foot bluffs above the ocean and is one of the premier hang-gliding spots in the country, especially in March and October. I like searching the shore for sand dollars and fossils and hiking the trails along the bluff, which is a great place to watch the hang gliders.

The loop trails on top are paved and wheelchair accessible, but the trail down to the beach is steep, and the surf and undertow are extremely dangerous. Dogs can be off leash under voice control in most of the park.

CityPASS or Go City

Should You Buy a San Francisco Sightseeing Pass?

San Francisco CityPASS and Go City San Francisco both bundle the city’s big family attractions into one pass on your phone, and neither includes the ferry to Alcatraz, though CityPASS sells a separate CityPASS + Alcatraz ticket that does. The difference is how much choice you get.

CityPASS is the simpler buy when four of its eight attractions are already on your list and you can fit them into nine days. Go City suits a trip with more stops, or a mix of museums, cruises, and bike rentals. If most of your list is free, like the bridge, PIER 39, and the parks, you may not need a pass at all.

Pass	What you get	Best for	At a glance
San Francisco CityPASS	The big museums, the zoo, Aquarium of the Bay, and a bay cruise	A simple pick of four big stops	4 of 8 · 9 days
Go City Essentials	The Exploratorium, the zoo, and a bike rental, but not Cal Academy	Just a few stops	3 of 9 · 30 days
Go City Explorer	Adds Cal Academy, Big Bus, and a 1-day Muni pass for the cable cars	A mix of museums, cruises, and bikes	2 to 5 of 25 · 30 days
Go City All-Inclusive	As many of the 25 as you can fit in	Several stops a day	1 to 5 days in a row

Where to Stay in San Francisco

A lot of people use our VIP benefits to book San Francisco weekend getaways at hotels like these.

FAQs About Things to Do in San Francisco

What are the best things to do in San Francisco with kids?

For young kids, start with the free Outpost playground at Presidio Tunnel Tops, the hands-on exhibits at the Exploratorium, the penguins and rainforest at the California Academy of Sciences, and the walk-through tunnels at Aquarium of the Bay. Add a cable car ride, the antique arcade games at Musée Mécanique, and the sea lions at PIER 39. Older kids can add Alcatraz, where the operator says many children 7 and older enjoy hearing about the escape attempts.

What can you do for free in San Francisco?

Walking the Golden Gate Bridge is free, and so are Fort Point, Presidio Tunnel Tops and its Outpost playground, Lands End, the PIER 39 sea lions, Chinatown, Lombard Street, the Painted Ladies, and the Cable Car Museum. Entry to Musée Mécanique is free too, though you pay for the games. SFMOMA is free for visitors 18 and under, and its public spaces are free for everyone.

Is CityPASS or Go City better for San Francisco?

CityPASS fits a trip with four of its eight attractions already planned within nine days. Go City’s three passes give you more choice, including bay cruises and bike rentals, and the Explorer and All-Inclusive passes add a 1-day Muni pass for the cable cars. Neither includes the Alcatraz ferry.

Do you need to book Alcatraz tickets in advance?

Yes. Alcatraz City Cruises, the only ferry allowed to land on the island, says tours frequently sell out a week or more ahead and same-day tickets are rare. Tickets go on sale up to 90 days ahead.

What can you do in San Francisco at night?

Alcatraz runs a night tour with a cell door demonstration, and children are welcome on it. On Thursday nights, the Exploratorium hosts After Dark for ages 18 and up and the California Academy of Sciences hosts NightLife for ages 21 and up. Red and White Fleet sells the two-hour San Francisco City Lights Cruise, and Skyline Sightseeing sells double-decker night tours.

Can you swim at San Francisco beaches?

Mostly not. The National Park Service says Stinson Beach in Marin is the only swimming beach in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes Crissy Field, Baker Beach, China Beach, Ocean Beach, and Fort Funston. Aquatic Park Cove, in a separate national park, is the exception, with open-water swimming in a semi-protected cove, but there are no lifeguards and the water is cold.

How do you get from SFO to downtown San Francisco?

BART runs directly from the airport to downtown San Francisco in about 30 minutes, and Embarcadero station is close to the Ferry Building. We have taken BART from SFO to the Embarcadero, and for us it is always easy, though I might reconsider if you have more luggage than you can handle yourself.

When is the best time to visit San Francisco for beach weather?

September and October are the sunniest months for a walk at Ocean Beach, which is usually covered in fog in late spring and summer.