San Francisco, in northern California, is a city on the tip of a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. It's known for its hilly landscape, year-round fog, iconic Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and colourful Victorian houses. The Financial District's Transamerica Pyramid is its most distinctive skyscraper. In the bay sits Alcatraz Island, site of the notorious former prison.

2. WHAT’S THIS ALL ABOUT?
San Francisco, in northern California, is a city on the tip of a peninsula
surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay. It's known for its hilly
landscape, year-round fog, iconic Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and colourful
Victorian houses. The Financial District's Transamerica Pyramid is its most
distinctive skyscraper. In the bay sits Alcatraz Island, site of the notorious former
prison.

3. ATTRACTIONS
We’ve selected our top 3 things to see and do in St Petersburg:
Golden Gate Bridge: San Franciscans have passionate perspectives on every subject, especially their
signature landmark, though everyone agrees that it's a good thing that the navy didn't get its way over the
bridge's design – (naval officials preferred a hulking concrete span, painted with caution-yellow stripes), over
the soaring art deco design of architects Gertrude and Irving Murrow and engineer Joseph B Strauss, which,
luckily, won the day.
Union Square: Louis Vuitton is more top-of-mind than the Emancipation Proclamation, but Union Square –
bordered by high-end department stores and boutiques – was named for pro-Union Civil War rallies held
here 150 years ago. Plop down on a bench, with espresso from Emporio Rulli , for perfect people-watching.
Find half-price theatre tickets at the TIX Bay Area booth.
Balmy Alley: Balmy Alley is located in the Mission District in San Francisco, California. The block long alley is
the best place to see the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco. The murals began in the
mid-80's as an expression of artists' outrage over human rights and political abuses in Central America.
Today the alley contains murals on a myriad of styles and subjects from human rights to local gentrification
and Hurricane Katrina. The alley is best viewed on foot- either by yourself or on a guided tour from Precita
Eyes Mural Arts. Park nearby or take the short walk from BART (San Francisco's subway).

4. WEATHER
July is the hottest month in San Francisco with an average temperature of 14°C
and the coldest is January at 10°C with the most daily sunshine hours at 14 in
July. The wettest month is January with an average of 119mm of rain. The best
month to swim in the sea is in August when the average sea temperature is 15°C.
For up to date weather in San Francisco visit our partner site World Weather
Online.

5. CULTURE
Although the Financial District, Union Square, and Fisherman's Wharf
are well-known around the world, San Francisco is also characterized by
its numerous culturally rich streetscapes featuring mixed-use
neighbourhoods anchored around central commercial corridors to which
residents and visitors alike can walk. Because of these characteristics,
San Francisco is ranked the second "most walkable" city in the U.S.

6. IDEAL FOR…?
The city of rolling cable cars and kid-centric museums, tours and
parks – and of course, the world famous Fisherman’s Wharf with
its endless amusements – has leaps of ways for kids of all ages
to get wacky or down to some serious exploration.

7. WHAT NOW?
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