San Francisco City Guide

by Alison Bing, John Vlahides, Lonely Planet

"Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher"

Lonely Planet San Francisco is your passport to all the most relevant and up-to-date advice on what to see, what to skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Loll in Golden Gate Park, stroll across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, get spooked at Alcatraz, ride a legendary cable car, maneuver down the crookedest street in the world, or take a day trip to wine-soaked Napa Valley; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of San Francisco and begin your journey now!

Inside Lonely Planet's San Francisco Travel Guide:


Full-color maps and images throughout
Highlightsand itineraries show you the simplest way to tailor your trip to your own personal needs and interests
Insider tips save you time and money, and help you get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots
Essential infoat your fingertips - including hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, and prices
Honest reviews for all budgets - including eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, and hidden gems that most guidebooks miss
Cultural insights give you a richer and more rewarding travel experience - including history, music, art, architecture, literature, cinema, cuisine, wine, and more
Free, convenient pull-out San Francisco map (included in print version), plus over 38 full-color maps
Useful features - including Top Itineraries, Walking Tours, With Kids, What's New, Month by Month (annual festival calendar), and Day Trips
Coverage of Golden Gate Park, Fisherman's Wharf, downtown, North Beach, Chinatown, Nob Hill, the Mission, the Haight, and the Castro, as well as Berkeley, Muir Woods, Sausalito, Napa and Sonoma Wine Country, and more
The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet San Francisco, our most comprehensive guide to San Francisco, is perfect for those planning to both explore the top sights and take the road less traveled.""


Looking for just the highlights of San Francisco? Check out Lonely Planet's Pocket San Francisco, a handy-sized guide focused on the can't-miss sights for a quick trip.
Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet's California guide for a comprehensive look at all the state has to offer, or Lonely Planet's Discover California, a photo-rich guide to the state's most popular attractions.


Authors: Written and researched by Lonely Planet, Alison Bing, Sara Benson, and John A Vlahides.

About Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveler community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travelers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places they find themselves in.

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"TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category"

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"'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' -" The New York Times""

"'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' "-Fairfax Media (Australia)""

Genres: Travel, Reference, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2008

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great travel book. I've been to San Francisco a couple of times so I could really identify with this book. I thought it contained really good information and recommendations for any traveler. I actually enjoyed reading sections on the history of San Francisco and its various sections. My favorite experience of my trips was going to Alcatraz prison. I wasn't that impressed to go and it was going to take a whole day but I couldn't get enough once I boarded the ferry. The park service does a wonderful job of covering the history of Alcatraz right up to the Indian Rights movement in the 1970s. Never loved a national monument more, well worth preserving for countless generations. Castro Street, the Mission district and Haight-Ashbury are pretty wonderful places too. A church in the Mission district was used in Vertigo and if you drive up on route 1 to Bodega Bay, you'll see the restaurant, school and house that was in the movie The Birds. They are all brightly painted, better to show up on Technicolor I guess. San Francisco has many treats. Great city.

[J C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read the History and Neighborhoods sections. I was unimpressed. The history is from a very biased perspective, telling the plight of the Ohlone with minimal firsthand accounts. From getting to know SF from this book, I would never want to visit.

Some of the information on neighborhoods is still relevant but a lot has changed. The descriptions of the Presidio and Golden Gate park have stood the test of time.

The authors overuse and abuse adjectives, the excessive overuse almost makes me think that they're getting paid by word count.

Would not recommend.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm only partway into this book, and already considering putting it down. It might be full of good suggestions for things to do, but several things have grated on me thus far. For one, in the section on San Francisco's history, the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake is described, and the death toll in the ensuing fires "mounted to an estimated 3000 people, plus an unknown number of prostitutes kept under lock and key." Grammatically convenient, perhaps, but the way it's worded gives the implication that these demised captives aren't people like the rest of the population. Another item that chafed was the section on "San Francisco's 3 biggest musical crimes" - yes, people might be tired of the songs "named and shamed", but the segment comes across as the author trying to be funny but just sounding bitter and judgmental. The latest offense I've encountered comes in the section on the "must-see movies" set in the city - if you're going to recommend a film as a "must-see", then at least try to get basic details about its most famous scene correct. In this case, the recommendation is "Bullitt", with the iconic car chase through San Francisco's streets, pitting Steve McQueen's Mustang against a Dodge Charger. The book lists McQueen's car as a GTO. It's a small detail, but for this book being such a supposedly thoroughly researched guide, it stands out.

Edit: Having finished reading through it, the sections on shopping and restaurants redeem this book somewhat. The pun-filled description of the Grateful Dead house was also a plus. Still don't care for the issues previously mentioned, but at least the book did improve.

[Emily]

A great guide to San Fran. Love the Lonely Planet series!

[sislasus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Massor av info!

[Liz De Coster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like Lonely Planet guides, but this was a bit scattershot for me. I'd recommend the abbreviated pocket guide instead.