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San Francisco Bucket List
Landmarks, food stops, hikes and day trips to tick off, with a few things worth booking or timing ahead.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
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Two things on a San Francisco list need a bit of planning. Alcatraz tickets should be bought in advance, and Muir Woods goes better if you arrive early, because of the parking. This list mixes the icons with food stops, hikes and day trips from four sources. Tick them off in any order; the sequence below is a suggestion, not a route. It skips hotels and dated events, so check hours before you head out.
Why these items are on the list
- Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. Secret SF says it's 1.7 miles, built 1937. Plenty of people bike over to Sausalito and take the ferry back.
- Book Alcatraz tickets ahead. Buy tickets in advance, Sugar & Stamps warns. Don't wing this one.
- Ride a cable car. Hang off the outside if you can. The wind in your hair is the point.
- Drive down Lombard Street. Cornell Hotel says one block, eight tight turns, designed to tame a hill too steep for most vehicles.
- Picnic at Alamo Square. The Painted Ladies sit right there, which Cornell Hotel calls Queen Anne-era Victorians. Bring lunch and linger.
- Spend a day in Golden Gate Park. Secret SF says it covers 1,017 acres, so pick a stop or two and let the rest go.
- Sip tea at the Japanese Tea Garden. Secret SF calls it the oldest public Japanese garden in the US, dating to 1894.
- Wave at the Pier 39 sea lions. Fisherman's Wharf is a bit touristy, but the sea lions are worth the stop.
- Play at the Exploratorium. Secret SF counts over 650 exhibits. Adults get Thursday After Dark events.
- Walk Salesforce Park. Per Secret SF, a rooftop park 70 feet above the street, free and open to visit at any time.
- Climb the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. Colourful tiles make a pattern of shapes and symbols. Art and exercise in one.
- Walk the Land's End labyrinth. Rocks laid in a maze pattern near Mile Rock Beach. Cornell Hotel says the walk is about a mile.
- Catch sunset at Sutro Baths. Ruins of a once-public bathhouse. A sunset visit earns bonus points.
- Order an Irish coffee at Buena Vista. Secret SF credits it as the first place to serve it in the US, back in 1952.
- Visit Muir Woods early. Majestic redwoods. Arriving early should help you dodge the parking fiasco.
- Take the ferry to Sausalito. Waterfront dining, ice cream and sunset views add up to a full day.
- Eat dim sum in Chinatown. Cornell Hotel suggests starting at Dim Sum Bistro or Hang Ah Dim Sum Tea House.
- Grab a donut at Bob's. Cornell Hotel says it's open 24 hours a day, so there's no wrong time.
- Walk SFMOMA's colour tunnel. Olafur Eliasson's One-Way Colour Tunnel. Secret SF says Bay Area residents get free entry first Thursdays, 12 to 8pm.
- Walk the Point Reyes cypress tunnel. Like something out of a fairytale, says Cornell Hotel. A proper day trip.
- Hike Mission Peak. Only if you're ready: Sugar & Stamps says six miles round trip, roughly 2 to 5 hours.
- Browse City Lights bookstore. A good move on a rainy, foggy day.
Keep it open on your phone and tick things off between meals and ferries. Share it with whoever you're travelling with, so you each claim a few and nothing gets done twice.
When to use it
Useful when you're planning a visit, with enough lead time to book the tickets that sell ahead.