Top Attractions in San Francisco

Few, if any cities on the west coast are as iconic, scenic, and fun as San Francisco. Boasting breathtaking views, clean air, and greenery everywhere (have you ever been to a big city with almost no potted plants? It’s very dreary), not to mention an attractive mix of beautiful historic buildings and sleek, sweeping skyscrapers. It’s also just an incredibly green and innovative city, using as many ways as possible to save power and keep the air clean, including the network of trolleybuses powered by electric cables strung above the streets.

The city is full of authentic local culture and is simply teeming with fun things to do, with options for just about every taste and walk of life, not to mention an astounding amount of delightful foods. Today, Vine Vera would like to cast a much-deserved spotlight on this windy, green seaside city and give you the lowdown on all the best things to do there.

The Golden Gate Bridge
And likewise, we’d be equally remiss not to mention the Golden Gate Bridge. This massive suspension bridge spans the Golden Gate strait, and is an impressive three miles long. It’s become recognized as an iconic symbol of San Francisco and even the state of California itself and the entire United States. The American Society of Civil Engineers even considers it one if the Wonders of the Modern World, a prestigious title awarded for it’s innovative construction and impossibly grand stature.

So take a walk across the golden gate bridge (you can drive it too, but the bridge feels more impressive if you walk) and take in the breathtaking view.

Chinatown
San Francisco’s Chinatown is a tourist favorite, jam packed with authentic Chinese shops and restaurants. Grab some peeking duck and shop for anything from thousand-and-one different varieties of tea, swords, and souvenirs.

Pier 39
If we wrote about San Francisco and didn’t mention pier 39, we’d never live it down. One of the most iconic and well-known attractions in the city, this pier’s actually more of a collection of attractions than a single one.

Lined with fun, quirky, enticing shop fronts and restaurants, arcades, and an outdoor stage for street performances that can spontaneously erupt as you walk by, the pier is certainly a hotspot of fun and interesting things to do. Some notable places to stop by are the hard rock cafe and gift shop, where you can see relics from rock history, and Bubba Gump’s, the shrimp-centric restaurant originating from the film Forrest Gump. There’s also a spot where you can watch sea lion’s gather and interact!

Japantown
Often overlooked in favor of the better-known Chinatown, Japantown is just as full of culture as its Chinese counterpart. More modern and sleek, here you’ll be able to have real ramen (which is nothing at all like the instant stuff you’re probably used to, and more like a gourmet Japanese noodle soup), shop for anime, manga, and video game memorabilia, or pick up some intriguing Japanese candies and other goodies.