Sights—The Golden Gate Bridge; a cable-car ride over Nob Hill; Golden Gate Park; Fisherman's Wharf; a ferry ride to Sausalito; the postcard row of Victorians at Alamo Square and Lombard Street, America's crookedest street.

Museums—Asian Art Museum; the Legion of Honor; the de Young Museum; San Francisco Art Institute; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD); Seymour Pioneer Museum; the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Memorable Meals—Lunch at Tommy Toy's; vegetarian lunch at Greens; dim sum at Ton Kiang; sushi at Ozumo; dinner, dancing and great city views at Top of the Mark; Irish coffee and a sunset at the historic Buena Vista Cafe.

Late Night—Cocktails and film noir at Lone Palm; Beach Blanket Babylon at Club Fugazi; jazz at the Cafe du Nord; dancing at Harry Denton's Starlight Room atop the Sir Francis Drake Hotel; a late-night bite at the Globe.

Walks—Walking in Golden Gate Park; hiking across the Golden Gate Bridge; strolling anywhere along the 10-mi/15-km coastline from the Embarcadero through the Golden Gate Promenade (in the reclaimed Presidio); shopping around Union Square; exploring the smaller streets and alleys of Chinatown; climbing a garden-lined stairway to Coit Tower.

Especially for Kids—Aquarium of the Bay and watching the sea lions at Pier 39; hands-on science fun at the Exploratorium; a plethora of kid-friendly attractions at the Rooftop at Yerba Buena Gardens; paddleboats on Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park; a nature trek along the Presidio's ecology trail; the San Francisco Zoo.

Perched on the northern tip of a peninsula, San Francisco is surrounded on three sides by water—to the west by the Pacific Ocean; to the east by San Francisco Bay, with Berkeley and Oakland on the far shore (the East Bay); and to the north by the narrow mouth of the Bay, spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge, which stretches to Marin County. Forty-nine hills stud "the City" (as San Franciscans call it), accounting for the bounty of breathtaking views. These hills break up and isolate otherwise contiguous communities. It's a city of neighborhoods, each with its own distinct character and attractions. Some of the most visited are Union Square, the Financial District, SoMa (the area south of Market Street), the Embarcadero, Chinatown, North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf, all clustered in the northeast corner of town. Others well-worth visiting are Japantown, the Mission, the Castro, the Marina, Pacific Heights and Haight-Ashbury, which adjoins the eastern tip of Golden Gate Park. The park itself stretches westward to the Pacific Ocean, dividing two large residential neighborhoods, Richmond to the north and Sunset to the south.

San Francisco is a world-class destination, a favorite of international travelers and domestic tourists alike. An unmatched spectrum of dining experiences, first-class cultural events, exceptional scenery and a pleasant climate combine for an enjoyable visit. Tourism is its prime industry, and the city has a thriving convention business that keeps its hotels and restaurants busy throughout the year.

The San Francisco Bay Area was originally inhabited by the Miwok and Ohlone people, but after Spanish explorers arrived in 1775, the Native Americans were almost wiped out by disease and mistreatment. The Spanish themselves were forced out in 1846, when U.S. forces captured San Francisco during the Mexican-American War. Just two years later, a miner named Sam Brannan discovered gold around the American River (a little more than 100 mi/160 km from San Francisco), setting off the largest peacetime migration in U.S. history. The population leaped from 500 to 25,000 in one year, as people from all over the world rushed to San Francisco. In the following decades, the city grew from a collection of tents to a world-class metropolis where the new gold and railroad barons could enjoy the finer things in life. San Francisco also became known for its many brothels, saloons and opium dens. The city developed in size and importance as a shipping port and military garrison. Abandoned fortifications can still be explored along the coastline, and tourist destinations line some of the old piers.

In 1906, an immense earthquake struck, and one result was a fire that raged for three days. Some 400 people were killed, and half of San Francisco was destroyed. The city rebuilt itself quickly—much of the renowned architecture you see today dates from that era. City leaders, however, thwarted plans to rebuild the red-light district. San Francisco was a major staging area for troops during World War II, and its burgeoning shipbuilding industry attracted a diverse mix of people. As an international port linked to distant cultures, and as a destination for a multitude of Americans with various backgrounds, San Francisco became known for its liberal leanings and a tolerance for differences.

During the 1950s, the beatniks—Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and others—created a subculture of poets and writers in the North Beach neighborhood. Their music was jazz. When North Beach rents went up in the 1960s, many bohemians moved to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. San Francisco then became the birthplace of the hippie movement and a steady source for literary and musical innovation (and nostalgia)—a niche it retains to this day. The area's tradition of diversity continued in the 1970s and 1980s as the Castro district became a mecca for gays and lesbians from all over the world.

Despite another major earthquake in 1989, San Francisco's economy has prospered. Another "gold rush" erupted in the 1990s; the area benefited greatly from the technology boom years, and neighboring Silicon Valley became a hotbed of dot-com innovation. Renovations at City Hall, the development of South of Market (or SoMa), the construction of the Main Library and other expenditures reflect those indulgent times.

The steep hills of San Francisco are so hard on vehicles that city taxis get their brakes realigned every 2,000 mi/3,200 km.

Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco by German immigrant Levi Strauss. The miners, who went there for the gold rush, needed strong but comfortable pants.

Filbert Street between Hyde and Leavenworth is reportedly the steepest street in San Francisco at 31.5 degrees.

The Beatles' last concert was performed on 29 August 1966 at Candlestick Park (now Monster Park), the sports arena standing along the Bay Shore between the city and the airport.

Local legend says fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco in 1909 by a Japanese landscape designer named Baron Makato Hagiwara. You can see how they are made and enjoy them fresh from the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Chinatown just off Ross Alley.

In Golden Gate Park, be sure to see the bison that graze near Spreckles Lake. Bison have lived in the park since 1891.

In 1902, San Francisco outlawed further burials in town because of a lack of space. All bodies are shipped to the city of Colma, just south of San Francisco.