Fodor's San Francisco 2012

Get inspired and plan your next trip with Fodor's ebook travel guide to San Francisco.

Intelligent Planning: Discover all of the essential, up-to-date travel insights you expect in a Fodor's guide, including Fodor's Choice dining and lodging, top experiences and attractions, and detailed planning advice.

Added bonus: At the end of each Fodor's hotel review, we've included snippets from TripAdvisor reviews. Plan your trip with the extra peace of mind that comes from knowing each of Fodor's expert selections is reinforced by consumer experience and feedback.

Easy Navigation for E-Readers: Whether you're reading this ebook from start to finish or jumping from chapter to chapter as you develop your itinerary, Fodor's makes it easy to find the information you need with a single touch. In addition to a traditional main table of contents for the ebook, each chapter opens with its own table of contents, making it easy to browse.

Full-Color Photos and Maps: It's hard not to fall in love with San Francisco as you flip through a vivid full-color photo album. Explore the layout of the city and popular neighborhoods with easy-to-read full-color maps.

What's Covered? Get to Know San Francisco: First-time visitors should head to Union Square, home of the tourism trifecta: hotels, public transportation, and shopping. Try Chinatown for an experience so authentic you'll feel like you should have brought your passport. Visitors flock to Japantown for ethnic shopping and dining opportunities. The only locals you'll meet wandering the shops and so-called attraction of Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 30, and Ghiradelli Square in the Northern Waterfront will be the ones with visitors in tow. Everything here is designed for tourists.

Topped by staid and elegant behemoths, and hotels that ooze reserve and breeding, Nob Hill is old-money San Francisco. Monumental city government buildings and performing-art venues dominate the nearby Civic Center. The locals love Hayes Valley, the chic little neighborhood to the west. Locals also flock to Polk and Hyde streets, Russian Hill's main commercial avenues for excellent neighborhood eateries and fantastic window shopping. For great views of the Bay Bridge, head to the promenade in North Beach.

For history buffs and antiques lovers, Jackson Square is a pleasant diversion. Head to the Marina, the city's yuppiest neighborhood for fine-wine shops, trendy boutiques, and fashionable cafes and restaurants. Locals come to the Presidio, the wooded shoreline park just west of the Marina, for a quick in-town getaway, the sprit-lift that only an amble on the sand in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge can provide. Nearby Golden Gate Park covers more than 1,000 acres of greenery, with sports fields, windmills, museums, and gardens.

Hip locals come to The Haight for great secondhand shops, cheap brunch, and low-key bars and cafes. It may be proudly rainbow-flag-waving-in-your-face fab, but the Castro is a friendly neighborhood that welcomes visitors of all stripes. Shop the trendy boutiques and catch a film at the Castro Theater. 24th Street in the Noe Valley is lined with coffee shops, eateries, and boutiques. When the sun sets people descend on the Mission District from all over the Bay Area for destination restaurants, excellent bargain-priced ethnic eateries, and the hippest bar scene around. Or head to SoMa, the once-industrial neighborhood that now sports luxury condos, dance clubs, and restaurants.

Note: This ebook edition is adapted from Fodor's San Francisco 2012 but differs in some content. Additionally, the ebook edition includes photographs...