Everything First-Time Visitors Need To Know Before Exploring The City By The Bay
San Francisco is one of America’s most walkable, colorful and unforgettable cities, but it can also be confusing for first-time visitors. Here’s what to know before you arrive, from neighborhoods and transportation to weather, local culture and how to get around like you’ve been coming here for years.
By Kevin Wilkerson, Editor of PubClub.com
Updated for 2026 with current transportation, safety and visitor information.
Locals simply refer to it as “The City.”
As if any other city really matters. Oh, actually one other does, but it’s way on the East Coast and people don’t mind sharing the phrase with New York. This is San Francisco and don’t dare call it “San Fran” or “SF,” for to be singled out as a tourist is, well, oh so NOT San Francisco. I know this because one of my closest friends grew up there and he’s taught me plenty about the city’s personality, including what locals call it.
Sure, San Franciscans are a bit snobby when it comes to their town – “nowhere else will you find so many great restaurants and live in a place with so much to do” they boast – but deep down they are still Californians at heart and harbor soft spots to those not fortunate enough in their minds to live in this wonderful place.
And it is a wonderful place. This page will let you get to know “The City” with information on its different neighborhoods, the people, the social atmosphere, transportation and weather.
Before You Arrive In San Francisco
• Airport
• BART
• Arrival
• Orientation
San Francisco is served by two airports, SFO (San Francisco International) and Oakland. Many frequent visitors prefer to go in and out of Oakland because they can use BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to get to town. SFO has been recently remodeled and talk is now centered on extending the runway farther out into the bay to try and minimize the too-frequent fog delays. SFO is roughly 20 minutes from downtown by car or taxi and is now serviced (thankfully) by BART. Many people prefer to fly in and out of Oakland across the bay; this is about 45 minutes from downtown via BART and about a half-hour by car.
Once in the city, it’s easy to lose the sense of direction. That’s because there is water on three sides and it’s hard for first-timers to get directional bearings . The water you see only has a one-in-three chance of being adjacent to Fisherman’s Wharf.
Most of the streets are in a grid pattern, which is nice, but some (most notably Columbus) go in a diagonal direction. Without getting too complicated, use these streets as boundaries: Van Ness to the North, Market to the West and The Embarcadero to the South and East (it curves around the land). This will at least keep you centered in the heart of the city.
San Francisco is only seven miles wide, but it can take 45 minutes to get from one side of it to the other because of the traffic.
What Is San Francisco Really Like?
• Culture
• Personality
• Bars
• Restaurants
• Lifestyle
Sophisticated – but not conservative – defines the social scene.
San Francisco’s nightlife landscape is cool and laid-back with big-city sophistication.
While it has large dance clubs and trendy spots, San Francisco is really all about its intimate bars and clubs.
These places have either live music or great character and history; there are seemingly hundreds scattered all over town. To really experience the true San Francisco, it’s a must to go to a few of these spots. A couple of examples are the Red Devil Lounge and the Gold Dust.
The people are as extreme as the City’s famous hills. Well-dressed businessmen, expression-filled young adults, gays, tourists, Deadheads and yuppies all make up the social landscape. Rarely do they get out of control, for although San Franciscans know how to have a good time, they are generally far to mellow or social conscious to go overboard. This isn’t exactly Cancun on Spring Break.
One of the most pleasant places to be in San Francisco is the Presidio, a park with picnics in the summer, great view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Tunnel Tops, which has a picnic area and food trucks.
Getting Around San Francisco
• Cable Cars
• Muni (Public Transit)
• Bart
• Walking
• Uber/Lyft
• Driving
Driving should be saved for out-of-city trips, such as crossing the Golden Gate.
See those things at the bottom of your legs? That’s right, your feet. You will be using them a lot.
San Francisco is a great walking city. There are shops to see, tiny bars to duck into and or restaurants to check out. Plus, the streets are alive with action.
Plus, the traffic blows. It’s virtually impossible to progress more than a block a minute in a vehicle. Being a taxi driver or delivery person here must take a heck of a lot of patience. Save the driving for trips across the Golden Gate, to the wine country or down the coast.
Cabs, Uber and Lyft rides are plentiful and not too expensive. Distances are short, so expect to pay $10-20 for a ride.
The famous cable cars are mostly for show; they really don’t take you anywhere. Still, they are a pretty cool treat. Make your way to Lombard Street to check out the twisty street, then hitch a cable car ride down toward the Hyde Street Pier. At the turnaround sits a historic bar, the Buena Vista, famous for its Irish coffee drinks.
San Franciscans have a love-hate affair with Muni, the bus and rail system. Among their complaints is that it’s unreliable, but still they use it like a crutch. Foot-weary tourists can also find Muni is a blessing. The buses pretty much go everywhere for a couple of dollars and a new train line along the Embarcadero is convenient for access to downtown, Pac Bell Park and Fisherman’s Wharf. BART is another mass transit system that serves the city (and actually operates the train to Pac Bell Park, so it’s necessary to get off MUNI and then onto BART.) Locals are quite helpful in assisting visitors to navigate the public transportation.
Then there is “Critical Mass.” For some reason, on the last Friday of each month every downtown bicycle delivery person in town rides around for two hours at the end of the business day, bringing traffic to a standstill. Why they do so is to question why San Francisco is so tolerant of freedom of expression. If you are trying to get out of town, make a dinner reservation or meet a hot date, be sure to be on your way before 3 o’clock. Otherwise, park it and go to a bar.
Understanding San Francisco’s Neighborhoods
• Downtown/Financial District/Union Square. This is San Francisco’s business district and at one time was buzzing the people and activity. The January 2026 closing of the one-time landmark San Francisco Center Mall on Market Street has created a bit of certainly in that area.
• SoMa. LGBTQ South of Market
• Marina District. “The Triangle,” mostly a locals’ neighborhood.
• Haight/Ashbury. The epicenter of the 60s hippies culture.
LGBTQ The primary LGBTQ area of San Francisco.
San Francisco has several neighborhoods for tourists to visit and some where the only tourists you’ll find are those tho read this guide becuase the people there are mosty locals. I’ve broken down the San Francisco neighborhoods in this story so click the link for more details on each.
Safety In San Francisco
There has been a lot of media attention about the homeless situation and businesses leaving the city as a result of high crime, but San Francisco doesn’t go down easily. The Union Square area is rising like a phoenix with trendy brew pubs, shops and even a new nightclub, the Starlite, in what was once Harry Denton’s Starlight Room at the Sir Francis Drake hotel (it’s now the Beacon Hotel).
The People Of San Francisco
Part of San Francisco’s quirkiness is that, despite the fact it is a great tourist city, the locals don’t really enjoy tourists. Rather, they tolerate them. (Okay, they do enjoy laughing at them for wearing shorts and tank tops in the summer). Traditionally, they have been a bit smug about where they live and have been known to quietly look down at people who live elsewhere.
That’s traditionally. Now, with tourism playing such a huge role in the city and many people having moved from different areas, those attitudes are pretty much a thing of the past. To best fit in, act like you belong, say something nice about the city and enjoy the fact you are in one of the most European cities in the States outside of New York.
Oakland?
It, too, is right on the water, has professional sports teams and some ritzy neighborhoods. So, is Oakland worth a visit?
The legendary Jim Murray, the late, great sportswriter of the Los Angeles Times once wrote: “Oakland is this kind of town. It costs $2 to go from Oakland to San Francisco across the Bay Bridge. Going from San Francisco to Oakland is FREE!”
It’s a great line but Oakland actually has several trendy craft breweries and the Urban Wine Trail. plus Jack London Square and is a gateway to the East Bay. If you’re got the time, it’s worth your time.
The Weather In San Fransisco
There’s a famous line about the weather here (attributed to Mark Twain): “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
There’s much truth to the statement (although it’s some matter of local debate whether or not Twain actually should be credited). The weather can be chilly any time of the year or time of day. Even on nice days, when the sun hides behind a cloud the temperature can drop 10 degrees or more. At about 5, the fog often rolls in off the bay interrupting an otherwise lovely, warm day.
It’s always wise to carry a jacket, sweater or sweatshirt. Many a tourist has been caught fighting off sudden chills because they went out wearing only shorts and a t-shirt (or even a tank top. Burr!).
The best weather in San Francisco is in the fall. Temperatures are in the upper 70s and its usually sunny. The late spring is pretty good, too. Outside the city, in Marin County or the wine country, for example, it can be 10-20 degrees warmer.
San Francisco Time Zone
San Francisco is GMT -8.
The Best Time To Visit San Francisco
San Francisco’s weather is best in the fall and late spring. In fact, it’s awesome. The annual Bay to Breakers race is in late May and in the summer there is some kind of street festival/party nearly every other weekend.
Now Hop On The San Francisco Party Bus To…
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Kevin Wilkerson is the founder of PubClub.com, an award-winning journalist and nightlife expert who has covered destinations, events and nightlife for more than two decades. While working as a newspaper reporter, he received an Associated Press award for investigative journalism.