Your Guide to San Francisco | National Geographic

• [Narrator] San Francisco is a rush. A rush of art, flavors, history, and innovation. (funky rhythmic music) It's all packed into a seven-by-seven-mile square, between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay. The city has long attracted trailblazers and countercultures. The Gold Rush, immigration, beatniks, hippies, the LGBTQ community, and the tech industry have all fueled San Francisco's enduring influence on American culture.

If you've seen a movie set in San Francisco, you've probably seen Chinatown. The Dragon Gate arch at Grant Avenue and Bush Street tells visitors they're entering America's oldest Chinatown. In the mid-1800s, the lure of the Gold Rush and the availability of work building the Pacific Railroad, drew large numbers of Chinese immigrants to San Francisco. Today you can take in the scene on packed Grant Avenue, and head to Stockton Street for the authentic Chinatown experience. You can shop for traditional Chinese ingredients, sip a cup of fragrant jasmine tea, and eat at some of the best Chinese restaurants in the world.

The Golden Gate Bridge might be the most iconic San Francisco landmark, but the massive Golden Gate Park is one of the most visited green spaces in the U.S. 20% larger than New York's Central Park, it covers a thousand square acres in a near perfect rectangle, stretching from the oceanfront west, to the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. It includes numerous gardens, the historic Conservatory of Flowers, and two world-class museums, the California Academy of Sciences, and the de Young Museum of Fine Art. It also has some pretty unusual residents for the big city, a herd of bison. Buffalo have lived in the park since the 1890s. And the tradition continues today with a small group of six bison that spend their days in a bucolic green pasture next to Spreckels Lake.

Keep going west and you'll find yourself at Ocean Beach. The top of the five-mile stretch of shoreline borders Lands End, a national park with otherworldly views on the Northwest coast of the city. You can also explore the modern ruins of the Sutro Baths. When they opened in 1896, it was the largest indoor swimming facility in the world. But the massive complex of saltwater pools, restaurants, games, and even a museum, burned to the ground in 1966. After you've climbed the crumbling walls, stairs, and tunnels, you can unwind at the historic Cliff House restaurant. Originally constructed in 1863, the resort has been rebuilt three times over the years. Today you can take in the panoramic views in one of the two restaurants that now occupy the neoclassical structure.

The lure of the city by the bay goes so much deeper than its natural beauty. San Francisco's diversity, artistic spirit, and innovative drive all make it a rich source of adventure for any free spirited traveler. (upbeat funky music)