Access San FranciscoRide over two hills, then watch the fog come under the bridge.
The Transamerica Pyramid and the downtown towers from Russian Hill, the Bay Bridge beyond
QUESTIONS ANSWERED AT LENGTH

The Journal

Visitor questions about San Francisco, answered at length: the airport train, riding the cable cars, the summer fog, walking the Golden Gate Bridge, a day on Alcatraz and what survives of 1906.

Photo: Michael Slaten, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Home · Journal

No. 1Each one a single question, answered in full

The articles

  1. 01Can you walk across the Golden Gate Bridge?
    The Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point

    Can you walk across the Golden Gate Bridge?

    Yes, on the eastern walkway, which faces the city. Which walkway is for whom, how long the crossing is, where to start and finish, what to wear for the wind, and what to look for on the way.

  2. 02How do you get from SFO to downtown San Francisco?
    Getting Here

    How do you get from SFO to downtown San Francisco?

    BART from the terminal to Market Street, the free AirTrain that links the gates to the station, how to pay, and when a taxi, ride-hail or Caltrain makes more sense.

  3. 03How do you plan a visit to Alcatraz?
    Alcatraz

    How do you plan a visit to Alcatraz?

    Who sells the only tickets, how to reach Pier 33, day or evening visit, how long to allow, the climb to the cellhouse and the accessible tram, what to bring, and what to see once you land.

  4. 04How do you ride the cable cars in San Francisco?
    The Cable Cars

    How do you ride the cable cars in San Francisco?

    The three lines and where they go, where to board to skip the longest queue, how to pay before you ride, how to stand on the running board safely, and what to see at the Cable Car Museum.

  5. 05What do the murals inside Coit Tower show, and who painted them?
    Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill

    What do the murals inside Coit Tower show, and who painted them?

    A guide to the Coit Tower lobby murals: their painters, subjects, the 1934 controversy, and how to see them today.

  6. 06What survives of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco?
    The Sights

    What survives of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco?

    The earthquake and fire of April 1906 destroyed most of the city. Here is what came through, what was rebuilt in its place, and where you can still see the traces, from Mission Dolores to the Portals of the Past.

  7. 07Why is San Francisco so cold and foggy in summer?
    When to Come

    Why is San Francisco so cold and foggy in summer?

    How the cold Pacific, the hot inland valleys and the gap of the Golden Gate make San Francisco's summer fog, why it comes and goes each day, where in the city it is thinnest, and how to plan around it.

No. 2Written one at a time

Next on the list

  • Lombard Street and Russian HillHow do you see Lombard Street's crooked block without driving it?
  • The HillsWhere are the best step streets to walk in San Francisco?
  • The HillsHow do you see San Francisco's hilltop views without climbing?
  • Golden Gate ParkWhat is there to see in Golden Gate Park in a single day?
  • Golden Gate ParkHow do you visit the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park?
  • ChinatownWhat is the history behind San Francisco's Chinatown?
  • ChinatownWhere can you eat dim sum in Chinatown, and how does it work?
  • Mission Dolores and the Mission DistrictWhere are the murals of the Mission District?
  • Fisherman's Wharf and the Hyde Street PierWhat historic ships can you board at the Hyde Street Pier?
  • Fisherman's Wharf and the Hyde Street PierWhy do sea lions gather at Pier 39?