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The most attractive of American cities and regularly voted the best city in the USA, San Francisco is adored because of its colourful history, dramatic setting and its laissez-faire atmosphere, a quality missing from synthetic Los Angeles. It is a regular trendsetter in everything alternative, from flower-power to 'free love' and gay liberation; it prides itself on being individualistic, down-to-earth and cultured.

Streets rollercoaster up and down the hills, and when not swathed in the city's trademark fog, there are superb vistas of San Francisco Bay, spanned by one of the world's most famous sights, the Golden Gate Bridge. Surrounded by hills and urban development, traversed by bridges, dotted with sails and 14 small islands, including the notorious Alcatraz, the bay is the largest inlet on the Californian Coast. Fisherman's Wharf at the edge of the bay is a popular place to eat, stroll and shop, with its resident seals a favourite photographic subject.

Within the surprisingly compact city are distinct neighbourhoods that reflect the cultural background of diverse communities that were attracted to San Francisco by the discovery of gold in 1848, and the promise of a new life for those desperate to escape their harsh circumstances. Most of San Francisco's residents were born outside the city and this mix of cultures is reflected in the dragon-studded temples of colourful Chinatown and Japantown, the characteristic bohemian flavour of the Italian pasta restaurants and cappuccino cafes in North Beach, the old Spanish-speaking Mission District that blends with the nightlife of SoMa, the modern Financial District, the gay centre of Castro and The Haight, characterised by the memory of the hippie movement of the 1960s.

Why? Renowned as the world's most free-spirited city, a holiday in San Francisco sends one on a roller-coaster ride of fun in keeping with the trams that traverse its steep, hilly streets. From its diverse neighbourhoods to its bayfront pleasure-land and the offshore bulk of the Alcatraz prison, overlooked by Nob Hill, it is a city of unique charm and character.

When to go? The weather in San Francisco stays a stable 'cool to mild' throughout the year, though fog can put a damper on things in the summer and if you holiday in San Francisco during winter pack an umbrella, because rain is likely. There is thus no best time to visit, and San Francisco welcomes visitors all year round.

Who for? There are so many facets to a holiday in San Francisco, from history to hippies, prisons to parks, seafood to shopping, and art to architecture, that the city can truly be said to offer something for everyone. San Francisco is also rated as the world's most 'gay-friendly' city and its annual Gay Pride parade is a popular event.

San Francisco International airport is one of the USA's busiest airports, with 4 terminals. Taxis cost around US$45 to a downtown hotel. Buses and shuttles are available cheaper.

Things to Experience in San Francisco

Alcatraz Island.
Golden Gate Bridge
Cable Cars
Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world
Chinatown
Coit Tower

San Francisco is a major city in California, the centerpiece of the Bay Area, well-known for its liberal community, hilly terrain, Victorian architecture, scenic beauty, summer fog, and great ethnic and cultural diversity. These are only a few of the aspects of the city that make San Francisco into one of the most visited cities in the world.

San Francisco is located on a small seven-by-seven mile (11x11km) square of land at the tip of a peninsula between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific coast. It has a population of 815,000, but is the center of a metropolitan area of 7.1 million. San Francisco is just one of the cities which makes up the entire San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco's neighbors - municipalities to the east of the Bay Bridge, north of the Golden Gate Bridge, and south of the city are all part of separate counties, each with their own governments and local public.

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