As you can imagine, there are too many San Francisco neighborhoods to list on one web page, so we’ll concentrate on the main ones. They are as diverse and as interesting as you imagine and probably more besides, making any visit here an eventful experience!
The Financial District is where money is made and deals are done. As San Francisco is a financial hub, this is one busy place. Most of the big financial institutions have a headquarters or at least a significant presence here. There is also plenty of shopping too, with the Embarcadero Center, the Ferry Building and Crocker Galleria all within the neighborhood.
Castro District is the center of gay life here in San Francisco. It’s an affluent, interesting, colorful and characterful neighborhood full of cute bakeries, coffee shops, boutiques, bars and the Castro Theater. It’s a great place to visit, whatever your persuasion.
Chinatown is a real highlight of San Francisco. Go through the Dragon’s Gate at Grant and Bush and enter a different world. Chinatown has been immortalized in movies, TV series and video games but really has to be seen to be believed. Try Chinese cuisine from street vendors, visit authentic Chinese stores and absorb as much Asian culture as you can.
Cole Valley is completely different to Chinatown. It’s cool, quaint and relaxed. The neighborhood is full of nice houses, small stores, mom and pop restaurants and offers a real feeling of city cool. If you want to step away from the city for a while, Cole Valley is a great place to do it.
Fisherman’s Wharf is probably one of the most famous neighborhoods in San Francisco. The area is full of stores, restaurants, bars, entertainment and the best seafood in the world. Fish Alley still has genuine, working fisherman who bring in the catch of the day for the many restaurants in the area. There really is a lot here and should be on every visitor’s to-do list.
The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood was the hippest, coolest place in the world during the 60s and 70s and still reflects those characteristics today. It has been gentrified a bit, but still has that revolutionary flavor that was so apparent during those times. It’s different, irreverent and well worth a visit.
Hayes Valley is where the cool go to play. It’s full of bars, clubs, museums, galleries and all that fun stuff. It’s the neighborhood to be seen in, with some of the coolest shoe stores, boutiques and bars around. It also has some of the best restaurants in the city too. Definitely somewhere you want to visit if you want to experience San Francisco to its fullest.