A relaxing holiday in San Francisco may sound like a great idea, and it truly can be!  There is a lot to see in the city, especially if you’re adventurous and don’t mind doing a lot of walking up steep hills.  Here are just a few of the city’s highlights that you may want to put on your itinerary when you arrive in San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Bridge is, of course, one of the most well known landmarks in the city.  While it’s on the edge of the city proper, many who drive in to San Francisco from the north will have to cross the bridge to enter.  The bay area, the name for the area surrounding the San Francisco peninsula, is absolutely gorgeous.  Driving across or walking across the Golden Gate Bridge is a great way to experience these clear blue waters, but it can be a bit of a walk if you’re staying in one of the San Francisco hotels downtown. Interestingly there you can stay in the Presidio Inn at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The San Francisco Bay is also home to Alcatraz Island, one of the most famous prisons in history.  While it has served as a lighthouse, military base, and prison in the past, Alcatraz now serves as a tourist attraction and historic landmark.  Tours are available from the island, and a ferry takes tourists out to Alcatraz daily from Pier 33.

Another great highlight is Lombard Street, a street renowned for its twisted, windy path.  In fact, you can find postcards in San Francisco bearing the slogan, “I survived a cab ride up Lombard Street!”  It’s incredibly steep and going up (or, even more exciting, going down) the street has been compared to taking a roller coaster ride.  It may not be for the weak of heart, though.  Also, unless you’re used to driving on steep roads, visitors may want to avoid driving on Lombard Street.

There are many other locations to see in San Francisco besides these, of course, but these three are three of the most famous.  No trip to San Francisco is complete without seeing at least one of them!