1. Civic Center includes City Hall, Federal and State Office Buildings, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Asian Art Museum [map it], Main Library and the Performing Arts Center’s handsome components: Davies Symphony Hall, War Memorial Opera House and Veterans Building/Herbst Theatre, where the U.N. charter was signed. A permanent memorial commemorating the 50th anniversary of the United Nations is located in United Nations Plaza.

2. Cathedral Hill is dominated by the strikingly contemporary St. Mary’s Cathedral.

3. Japan Center and Japantown have many shops, restaurants, several theaters and two hotels. The Peace Plaza of the Japan Center is the focal point for Japanese festivals.


4. Haas-Lilienthal House [map it], an 1886 Victorian at 2007 Franklin, is open Sundays, as well as Wednesday & Saturday afternoons.

5. Union Square is the heart of the downtown shopping and hotel district. Many civic events are held in the square.

6. Chinatown evokes all the exotic sights and sounds of Hong Kong beginning at the Chinatown Gate, Grant Avenue at Bush Street.

7. Nob Hill is the elegant hilltop area of hotels and apartments with Gothic Grace Cathedral, Huntington Park and the Nob Hill Masonic Center at its crest.

8. Cable Car Barn, Mason and Washington Streets, has a visitors gallery and a museum with 19th century photos of cable car operations and scale models.

9. Portsmouth Square, a small historic park in Chinatown where the U.S. flag was raised in July 1846, is a gathering place for the community.

10. Jackson Square has preserved handsome 19th century buildings occupied by antique dealers, art galleries, gift and apparel shops. Enter the square on Jackson Street at Montgomery.

11. North Beach is a neon-studded nightlife area clustered around Broadway and Columbus. Three blocks north is Washington Square, the piazza of the city’s Italian sector.

12. Telegraph Hill has Coit Tower, a 210-foot (64 m) landmark, plus one of the city’s best views. (Congested area best visited on foot or via public transportation.)

 

13. PIER 39 is a waterfront festival marketplace. Built on a 1,000-foot-long pier and flanked by small boat marinas, it offers sweeping views of the bay and city.

14. Fisherman's Wharf is the center for seafood restaurants, fishing boats, harbor cruise boats, gift shops and numerous attractions.

15. Alcatraz, infamous former Federal prison, is an island a mile and a half (2.4 km) off Fisherman’s Wharf. Alcatraz tours leave from Pier 33. (Reservations suggested.)

16. Aquatic Park, three blocks west of Fisherman's Wharf, has Hyde Street Pier with old-time exhibition ships and ship-shaped Maritime Museum (closed for repairs until 2009). Municipal Pier is a popular spot for fishing.

17. The Cannery at Del Monte Square [map it], an inviting three-level restoration that was once a canning factory, is now filled with a spectrum of shops, galleries and restaurants. A nearby center, the nautically-inspired Anchorage Square [map it], offers shopping, dining and lodging as well.

18. Ghirardelli Square [map it], a collection of red brick buildings that served as a chocolate factory, now is a charming restaurant and shopping center with open-air plazas and waterfront views. Across the street is landscaped Victorian Park.

19. Russian Hill has country-like lanes and terraces and panoramic bay views. Lombard Street descends the hill from Hyde—with nine hairpin turns in a single block.

20. Union Street's Victorian buildings, from Van Ness to Steiner, now house art galleries, antique shops, specialty stores, restaurants, coffee houses and pubs.

21. Fort Mason Center, hub of the world’s largest urban park—the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, anchors a number of museums, theaters and galleries and is a staging area for special events.

22. Marina Green, a grassy waterfront recreational area, is a good place to watch yachting activities. Crissy Field also offers bayside vantage points.

23. Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, has been restored to its original glory. Contains the Exploratorium [map it] science museum and the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre.



24. Presidio of San Francisco, a unit of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, offers 1,500-acres (16 sq. km) of parklike hills and ocean vistas.

25. Fort Point National Historic Site lies beneath the structure of the Golden Gate Bridge and offers an unusual view of the bridge and the bay’s shifting tides.

26. Golden Gate Bridge, the world’s most beautiful suspension bridge, links The City with Marin County and the area to the north. Auto toll collected southbound; pedestrians free.

27. China Beach at 28th and Sea Cliff Avenue has 600 feet (183 m) of sandy beach frontage for swimming, sunbathing and picnicking.

28. Legion of Honor [map it], a replica of its Paris namesake, has masterpieces of European art from Medieval times into the 20th century, many Rodin bronzes, period rooms, prints and drawings.

29. Ocean Beach has plenty of sand and surf—and a view of the small, stony islands called Seal Rocks. Swimming and wading at this beach are strongly discouraged; immediately offshore are unpredictable currents which can take even the strongest swimmer by surprise.

30. San Francisco Zoo [map it] contains Koala Crossing, Gorilla Preserve, Little Puffer steam train and a thousand fascinating animals and birds from all over the world.

31. Lake Merced’s fresh waters offer boating and trout fishing within the city limits.

32. Sigmund Stern Grove rings with the sounds of musical entertainment, free for all on summer Sundays.

33. Golden Gate Park, originally 1,017 acres (4 sq. km) of sand dunes, has National AIDS Memorial Grove, miles of drives, green lawns, playfields, bridle paths, lakes and flowers.

34. Japanese Tea Garden, an authentic Japanese garden dating back to 1894, has a tea house, pagoda ponds, bridges and bonsai. In the spring the cherry blossoms and flowering shrubs create a rare floral spectacle. San Francisco Botanical Garden, a "living library," nurtures over 7,000 species of plants.

35. de Young Museum [map it] is a landmark art museum showcasing collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries.



36. California Academy of Sciences (temporarily relocated to 875 Howard Street) reopens here in 2008.

37. Twin Peaks has a scenic drive to its 910-foot (227 m) summit, and offers a 360 degree panoramic view of the city.

38. Mission Dolores, Dolores and 16th Streets. Father Serra established this Spanish Mission in 1776; the historic church was completed in 1791.

39. San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is one of the world’s longest (8 1/4 miles/13.3 km) steel bridges. Toll collected westbound.

40. Ferry Building, a terminal for commuters before the bridges were built, is one of the city's landmarks and houses a vibrant marketplace and frequent farmers markets.

41. Embarcadero Center [map it], an eight-building complex, embraces shops and restaurants. Justin Herman Plaza is framed by Vaillancourt Fountain.

42. Montgomery Street is the center of an expanding Financial District. Major buildings are often distinguished by landscaped plazas and art works.

43. San Francisco Visitor Information Center [map it] is operated by the Convention & Visitors Bureau. Multilingual personnel are there to assist with brochures and information. The Center is located at Hallidie Plaza (lower level), Powell and Market Streets. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Closed Sundays November – April and major holidays.

44. Old Mint, an impressive 1873 building, is a virtually unique example of Federal Greek Revival architecture; starting point for Barbary Coast Trail. Closed to the public. Westfield San Francisco Centre [map it] is nearby.

45. Moscone Center, offers more than 1 million square feet of space, and one of the biggest column-free exhibit halls in the United Sates. Located in the central blocks of Yerba Buena Gardens are Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Rooftop children's area.

46. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art [map it] housed in an impressive new building, is the principal center for modern art in the Bay Area.

47. AT&T Park [map it], home of the San Francisco Giants, evokes the intimate feeling of classic ball parks across the land.


48. Sports Arenas: Monster Park is the home of the San Francisco 49ers (football). Cow Palace, an indoor arena, hosts sports contests, trade shows and entertainment events.

49. San Francisco International Airport [map it], 14 miles (24 km) south via the freeway, is San Francisco’s gateway to the Pacific and to the world.

Download the 49 mile drive map.