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San Francisco · History

From Yerba Buena to the city that rose from its ashes

Walk from the street where the city was born to the fountain where survivors found each other in 1906. Along the way: the Gold Rush, the stranded ships now sleeping beneath office towers and the grand ferry terminal.

  • 5 stops
  • 3 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Market Street in ruins in 1906 with Lotta's Fountain still standing

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Grant Avenue, where the city was bornA ship's sail turned into a tent, a village called Yerba Buena and the square where gold was announced.
  2. 2 Jackson Square, the district that survived the fireGold Rush warehouses, a bank run by William T. Sherman and the whiskey that, as the joke goes, God chose to spare.
  3. 3 The Niantic, the ship buried under the officesWhere offices stand today there was water, and beneath your feet lie the remains of a whaler turned warehouse and hotel.
  4. 4 The Ferry Building, gateway to the bayBefore the bridges, everyone arrived here; its clock tower outlasted two earthquakes and a freeway that hid it.
  5. 5 Lotta's Fountain and the 1906 earthquakeThe gift of an actress who started out singing for miners became the meeting point of a city in flames.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

From Yerba Buena to the city that rose from its ashes

The Gold Rush city

Places where gold was announced and where the first banks and warehouses went up.

Beneath your feet

Find out where the old shoreline ran and which ships were buried as land was reclaimed from the bay.

1906

The earthquake and fire told through the buildings that survived and the fountain that became a meeting point.

Keep exploring

More routes in San Francisco

Back to San Francisco
Mysteries & legendsEmperors, kidnappings and tunnels: secret San Francisco MixedCable cars, Chinatown and the Beats: San Francisco highlights

Itineraries

How many days do you have in San Francisco?

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.

1

San Francisco in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

San Francisco in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

San Francisco in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary