What do you think?
Rate this book
Eyewitness Travel Guides
San Francisco & Northern California
Recognized the world over by frequent flyers and armchair travelers alike, Eyewitness Travel Guides are the most colorful and comprehensive guides on the market. With beautiful commissioned photographs and spectacular 3-D aerial views revealing the charm of each destination, these amazing travel guides show what others only tell.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
30 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 31, 2025
Good guide book
August 15, 2013
Of 3 San Francisco travel guides I looked at, this is the one I actually took with me on a recent vacation with my family. It has a good mix of history, informative snippets, maps, and photos. At over a pound, it was a little weighty to carry around but well worth it. I liked it so much, I bought the New York City guide for a friend who is traveling to the Big Apple next month.
January 6, 2019
Like all the DK books it has a nice collection of pictures which makes it easier to anticipate what you are going to see. I found the suggestions about activities / destinations pretty good, but I think their recommendations on lodging, and especially food miss the mark. Like most guides, very little useful information about the space between San Francisco and San Jose.
December 22, 2021
It's A Very good guide book with plenty of photos and illustrations.as not yet been to San Francisco
July 31, 2010
I'm a big fan of the Eyewitness Travel Guides. The format is appealing -- a lavishly illustrated introductory section expounding on the history and key features of the city followed by color-coded sections, each devoted to a different area. As might be expected, particular attention is given to San Francisco's rich architecture, best explored on the recommended short walks detailed in most sections. The "street by street" pages provide more detailed looks at particularly noteworthy areas of the city.
The rear of the book is devoted to practicalities such as transportation, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. Since it heavily relies on pictures rather than words, it's easy to pick up a guide, thumb through it, and let a striking photo serve as inspiration for where to go or what to do. The text on even the major sights is succinct, so if it's the full monty you're after, supplement this guide with something more substantial like a Blue Guide. However, if you want to get a quick sense of what a destination has to offer, an hour or so spent with one of these guides is probably one of the most effective ways to do background research.
One quibble is that since the Eyewitness Guides are printed on nice, heavy stock, they're not that light. Perhaps in the future another format - digital? - will get around this problem.
The rear of the book is devoted to practicalities such as transportation, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. Since it heavily relies on pictures rather than words, it's easy to pick up a guide, thumb through it, and let a striking photo serve as inspiration for where to go or what to do. The text on even the major sights is succinct, so if it's the full monty you're after, supplement this guide with something more substantial like a Blue Guide. However, if you want to get a quick sense of what a destination has to offer, an hour or so spent with one of these guides is probably one of the most effective ways to do background research.
One quibble is that since the Eyewitness Guides are printed on nice, heavy stock, they're not that light. Perhaps in the future another format - digital? - will get around this problem.
July 19, 2020
Disclaimer: I didn't read the San Francisco portion of this travel guide, which is the great bulk of the book. If I had a need for a guide to San Francisco, I'm sure I would have enjoyed what the authors had to say here. However, I picked up this guide because I'm planning a road trip through Northern California, and in that regard, this guide completely failed to deliver.
The "and Northern California" part of the title is a complete misnomer. This guide focuses less than 20 pages (19, to be exact, plus part of another page on restaurants) out of 280 total pages (not counting maps and index) on the vast and varied terrain of Northern California. It's an afterthought here, really a footnote in a guide intended primarily (and dare I say, solely) for those planning on visiting San Francisco. If you're looking for information to help plan a trip to NorCal, you won't find anything useful here.
The "and Northern California" part of the title is a complete misnomer. This guide focuses less than 20 pages (19, to be exact, plus part of another page on restaurants) out of 280 total pages (not counting maps and index) on the vast and varied terrain of Northern California. It's an afterthought here, really a footnote in a guide intended primarily (and dare I say, solely) for those planning on visiting San Francisco. If you're looking for information to help plan a trip to NorCal, you won't find anything useful here.
November 4, 2017
I really liked the layout in this DK book. I will certainly be bringing it with me when we go on our trip. It has historical bits of info, places to see, it's easy to read & highlights a lot of valuable info!
February 12, 2020
A better choice for San Francisco than anywhere else in California. But for travelers who are concentrating on San Francisco with just a short few days elsewhere, it provides a good overview of other attractions in the Northern California area.
April 8, 2007
Nice travel book, if you are sick of Frommers layout.
July 27, 2010
Used the book while traveling to SF by myself.most information is very useful. Heavy to carry around.
July 23, 2012
Love the snippets. Great book. Overview is comprehensive. Just thoroughly the Eyewitness travel series.
December 2, 2020
Really helpful travel guide for someone planning a quick getaway or a full tour of Frisco!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews