Marin County & the Bay Area

24 free things to do in San Francisco

Contrary to what you might expect from such a well known, tourist-heavy city, San Francisco quietly delivers a lot for the money. Many of its hotels offer comfort and location for a third of the cost of a comparable New York or London hotel; public transit is part of the fun (cheaper Market Street vintage street cars are better than the famous cable cars), and for food you can’t beat a $4 burrito in the Mission. And so much of the fun in San Francisco is free. Here's a list of 24 options.

Sea-lion-watching people or people-watching sea lions? Pier 39 is a popular free attraction for visitors to San Francisco. Image by Kārlis Dambrāns / CC BY 2.0

Robert Reid

Lonely Planet Writer

Cinematic San Francisco: movie locations in the City by the Bay

Although LA is considered the heart of the US movie industry, filmmakers have always liked shooting in its sister San Francisco to the north and many a major movie has the city’s steep, Victorian-studded hills and their panoramic views as a backdrop.

The Golden Gate Bridge has had a starring role in many a San Francisco-set movie © Alexander Howard / Lonely Planet

Alexander Howard

Lonely Planet Writer

San Francisco's top cheap eats

Booms and busts come and go fast in this Gold Rush town, but there's one thing you can always count on: dinner. Whether you're flush or broke, San Francisco offers vast menu options and excellent value for money. Not that it's always cheap – the fad for pricey pizzas and gourmet burgers isn't quite over yet – but in San Francisco you're paying for locally grown ingredients cleverly prepared, not servers that snub you (ahem, New York) or dubious lounge décor (*cough-L.A.-cough*).

Location is no big deal to diners here either, with Michelin-starred chef's tasting menus and $3 tacos on the same block, and lines down gritty Tenderloin sidewalks for the best banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). So where do you find the best meal deals in San Francisco? Glad you asked … hope you came hungry.

Alison Bing

Lonely Planet Writer