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Holidayco.co.uk specialises in Cheap holidays in San Francisco, package holidays and late deals to a huge number of destinations. Find out more about San Francisco in our guide below.

Holidays in San Francisco

USA Main Guide | California Main Guide

Lying on the west coast of California in the USA, San Francisco is a vibrant and colourful city with a population of over 750,000. Many international trends come out of San Francisco's varied and constantly developing culture.

San Francisco is built on some very steep hills, making for some spectacular views from the heights when the fog permits. The most famous landmarks are the island of Alcatraz prison and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The city is divided into many diverse neighborhoods, each reflecting the ethnic and cultural origins of the various groups who have arrived in San Francisco since the Gold Rush of 1848. Chinatown is famous worldwide, and there are also distinctly Japanese, Italian and Spanish districts.

Activities

If you visit San Francisco you must see the Golden Gate Bridge. The 3km long bridge spans the mouth of the bay and is considered to be one of the engineering masterpieces of the world. It is possible to walk across the bay on the bridge, stopping to take in the impressive skyline and the beautiful scenery of the bay.

Also in the bay is Alcatraz Island where the infamous prison stands. No-one ever successfully escaped from Alcatraz, which house many of America's Most Wanted. The island has been a military outpost, a pelican reserve and of course a prison. Today it is designated as a Recreation Area and hosts many visitors wanting to learn about the island and its history.

Fisherman's Wharf, and particularly the famous Pier 39, is very popular with tourists. The area has many shops and restaurants, especially seafood and fish restaurants, plus street performers and other attractions including a colony of sea lions. At Pier 45, which is still used by local fishermen, you can take cruises to Alcatraz and other parts of the bay. There are also a number of museums including the Historic Ships Pier.

At North Beach you will find San Francisco's 'Little Italy' and the distinctive Coit Tower, a tribute to the city's firefighters that also offers great views of the city and contains murals of the city during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The city has several very good parks, of which probably the best is Golden Gate Park. The park contains gardens and a lake but also hosts the California Academy of Sciences with its natural history museum, aquarium and planetarium.

San Francisco's public transport system is based around its archaic cable cars, which are now 130 years old and form an essential part of the city's culture. They run using gravity rather than engines, and the Cable Car Museum shows how.

If you're prepared to venture outside the city, there is beautiful wine-producing countryside within an easy drive. A little further afield is beautiful Lake Tahoe with its paddle boat cruises and the great outdoor and sporting activities of the region. Hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, tennis, golf or even skiing can be found not far from San Francisco's city centre.

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