10 of the best restaurants near San Francisco’s main attractions
When you’ve admired the Golden Gate and done Haight-Ashbury’s hippie shake, skip the tourist trap restaurants and refuel at these local favourites
San Francisco’s Japantown: vibrant, on-trend and fighting for its future
Japanese people started moving to J-Town after the city’s 1906 earthquake and the area still reflects its roots with festivals, food stops and arty stores but its small businesses face a battle against a real-estate boom
Weed and wine tours in California
With recreational use becoming legal in January 2018, visitors to the state can join trips matching cannabis with the more established legal high of the region: wine
Big Sur, California’s most scenic coast, reopens – to hikers only
The picturesque highway from San Francisco to LA was battered by floods last winter, but an emergency walking route for residents is now a tempting trail for hikers too
San Francisco, 50 years on from the Summer of Love
The scent of marijuana still lingers in the air, but what about rebellion? Half a century on from the year the world was told to turn on, tune in and drop out, we revisit the birthplace of 60s counterculture
Escape from Alcatraz: a swim from the Rock to San Francisco
The cold water and tricky currents of San Francisco Bay make the crossing from Alcatraz a daunting one, but a group of expert guides is helping hardy souls complete the ‘impossible swim’
San Francisco on a budget: readers’ travel tips
Despite rampant gentrification, the City by the Bay still has some great affordable experiences, if you know where to look. Readers share their best bargains
Oakland city guide: what to see plus the best bars, hotels and restaurants
The city across the bay has shed its inferiority complex and offers plenty of reasons to visit. In fact you can skip San Francisco altogether, and fly to Oakland direct from the UK
San Francisco on a budget – send us your tip and win a £200 hotel voucher
San Francisco’s colourful reputation has suffered in the wake of gentrification from Silicon Valley. Help us shed some light on the affordable and independent hotels, restaurants and other genuine local spots
Stir it up: San Francisco’s Cala eatery uses ex-cons to serve and cook
Cala, the new fine dining spot from Mexico City’s Gabriela Cámara has taken a novel approach to the city’s hiring problem
Gay San Francisco: a guide to clubs, bars, drag shows and queer culture
One of the world’s most openly queer cities is a buzzing, colourful and heritage-rich destination full of party nights, live music, film festivals, street events and nightlife that offers something for everyone
California’s Pigeon Point lighthouse makes for an illuminating stay
This iconic 19th-century building is now a so-so hostel but it’s still worth staying for the hot tub, dramatic setting and incredible lighthouse itself
Arty living in San Francisco’s rising Outer Sunset district
This seaside haven for free-spirited artists, poets and surfers is on the up – and, despite the big city’s tech boom, it’s the area’s original community who are making the most of its upsurge in popularity
Ranger Betty Soskin, 93, on the Rosie the Riveter national park, California
The oldest national park ranger in the US tells us why she’s proud of the second world war home front park in Richmond, just across the bay from San Francisco
Oakland: the city stepping out of San Francisco’s shadow
There’s a cultural buzz around San Francisco’s lesser-known Californian sibling, with great restaurants and shops popping up all over the city, writes Chaney Kwak