Gold, earthquakes, poets and hills you climb by cable car.
Within a few years San Francisco went from a sleepy cove to the boomtown of the Gold Rush; it burned in 1906 and reinvented itself again and again as Chinatown, a haven for Beat poets and the capital of the counterculture. Its steep streets hide buried ships, eccentric emperors and legends of shanghaied sailors. Three free walking tours to explore it on foot, at your own pace.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the mixed route.
From the village of 1835 to the 1906 earthquake: gold, buried ships and a city that rose twice.
An emperor without an empire, shanghaied sailors, tunnels nobody has found and a tower with a legend.
San Francisco's must-see sights in one walk: from the cable car to the street of eight curves.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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Itineraries
We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.
All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.
See the itinerary 2A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.
See the itinerary 3The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.
See the itineraryWhat to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
A thick, creamy soup of clams, potatoes and cream served inside a hollowed-out round of sourdough, which you end up eating too. San Francisco sourdough has been famous since the Gold Rush, and Boudin has been baking it since 1849. Swan Oyster Depot, with its marble counter dating from 1912, is the classic lunchtime alternative.
Where to try it
The seafood stew of North Beach's Italian fishermen: Dungeness crab, clams, mussels, shrimp and fish in a tomato and wine broth, with bread for mopping up. Tadich Grill, founded in 1849, serves it in a wood-paneled dining room that seems frozen in time.
Where to try it
Small Cantonese bites, steamed or fried, such as shrimp dumplings, barbecue pork buns and rice noodle rolls, eaten mid-morning or at lunch with tea. In Chinatown you can sit down in a traditional dining room or pick some up to go from a bakery on Stockton Street.
Where to try it
Huge, wrapped in foil and stuffed with grilled meat, rice, beans, salsa and guacamole: the burrito born in the taquerias of the Mission District. La Taqueria, open since 1973, champions the rice-free version; El Farolito stays open late and is a must after a night out.
Where to try it
Coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and a layer of cream floating on top. As the house tells it, travel writer Stanton Delaplane brought the recipe back from Ireland's Shannon Airport in 1952, and the Buena Vista, near Fisherman's Wharf, made it famous across the United States. Perfect for a cool, foggy afternoon.
Where to try it
Crisp and folded by hand with a message inside. At the tiny workshop on Ross Alley, open since 1962, you can watch them being made and buy them fresh off the press. A good afternoon treat as you explore Chinatown.
Where to try it
Domingo Ghirardelli, an Italian chocolate maker who arrived with the Gold Rush, founded his company in San Francisco in 1852. His old factory by the bay is now Ghirardelli Square: the perfect place for a hot fudge sundae for dessert.
Where to try it
