“If you’re alive, San Francisco won’t let you get bored. If you’re dead, San Francisco will bring you back to life” – these words of American writer William Saroyan best describe this California city. Amazing San Francisco is built on 42 hills, so an ordinary ride on the local cable car turns into a “roller coaster”. San Francisco is a hippie city, a Pacific paradise with gorgeous beaches, Silicon Valley, Stanford University, Apple Park, parrots on every tree and inventive cuisine. What makes the city by the bay special are its residents – weirdos, dreamers, and wandering poets who don’t want to come down from the clouds to earth.
San Francisco is washed by the Pacific Ocean on three sides, and sunny and warm weather is rare here. The climate is very similar to the Mediterranean, which is something to consider when you start packing your suitcase. In summer, the coast is not hot, the average temperature is +18 ° C. From May to September it is dry with no precipitation. In winter it’s not too cold, the temperature is +15°C, but it rains all the time. On this basis, the best time to visit the hippie city is in May or September, when the weather is warmest, there are few fogs and no rain yet.
What a tourist should do in San Francisco
- Relax in Baker Beach. This beautiful walking and picnic area is equipped for Americans’ favorite barbecue. From here at sunset you can enjoy unforgettable views of California’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge as the sun goes down.
- Surf on Ocean Beach. All surfers in the world dream of coming to San Francisco at least once and spending time on its shores. There are a lot of downshifters here now – people from other countries who gave up their jobs there and moved to San Francisco. They mostly work as surf coaches and say they have found their heaven on earth here.
- Ride the cable car. How else to view the entire city on 42 hills? The cable car itself is a landmark and a wonderful attraction. You will see a fabulous stop on Lombard Street, which is studded with flowers and descends down the hill in a serpentine 30° angle.
- Visit China town. The largest Chinese diaspora in the world is a must visit. Here Chinese culture will surround you with smells of spices, bright lanterns, colorful dragons and hieroglyphics.
- See the city from its heights. San Francisco has several sites at incredible heights from which you can see the entire city like the palm of your hand. No. 1 is the Transamerica or Spire skyscraper. Access to its observation deck is closed, but don’t despair – it has been replaced by the Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill. No. 2 is the Twin Peaks hills. Their observation decks offer a circular panorama of the city.
- Explore San Francisco from the inside at its museums. Visit the interesting and impressive Museum of Modern Art, the Walt Disney Museum, the Exploratorium (science museum), and the Museum of Mechanics.