What to see and do in San Francisco ?

• Ferry Buiding

This former ferry terminal is home to San Francisco's gourmet scene. Rebuilt after the 1989 earthquake, it has become the temple of all the city's culinary innovations. You'll be spoilt for choice. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, local producers set up shop in the west corner of the building to sell their specialties. 

• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Put on your sneakers and explore this gigantic museum devoted to contemporary art in all its forms and expressions. Photography, painting, sculpture and every expression of modern art mingle with temporary exhibitions. Buy your tickets in advance to avoid long queues. Start on the third level and, if the weather is fine, enjoy a coffee on the roof terrace in the sculpture garden. 

• Exploratorium

After the works of art, it's time for science and human perception. The only place in the world where you can listen to salt singing or discover what cows see. This 36,000 m² glass building, with its Tactile Dome at its center, is packed with interactive experiments to help you understand new discoveries and inventions.  

• Diving into the heart of the Beat Generation

It will take you no less than two hours to discover this neighborhood like Jack Kerouac. You'll start off on Bob Kaufman Avenue, named in tribute to the founder of Beatitudes, then head to the Caffe Trieste where Ford Coppola wrote the screenplay for The Godfather. Finally, you'll visit the Beat Museum. Without breaking the law, you'll see over 1,000 documents and objects from this period. San Francisco nourishes spirits as much as it inspires them.

• A bohemian jaunt down Haight Street

Haigt is one of San Francisco's legendary neighborhoods. The tour begins in Buena Vista Park. Continue along Haight Street, stopping at no. 635, where Janis Joplin lived, and no. 1524, a guitar temple frequented by Jimmy Hendrix and others. The shadows of the anarchists Saco and Vanzeti permeate this district with its artistic soul, all the way to Golden Gate Park.

• Walk underwater at the Aquarium of the Bay

Explore the bay in complete safety as you watch manta rays, sharks and schools of fish move around you. Thanks to conveyor belts in glass tunnels, you can move around this gigantic underwater aquarium. As you leave this underwater exploration, you can play with the sea lions of Fisherman's Wharf, who have made the docks their own.

• A typical day in San Francisco, Californie

Make the most of the morning, even if the hotels in San Francisco are splendid, to devote yourself to a walk or drive around the must-see places of this superb American city. Unlike cities in France, you'll find many magnificent viewpoints in San Francisco, whether you're admiring the architecture of towers like the Coit Tower, visiting the Alcatraz prison or a series of parks and squares like the Japanese Tea Garden, or walking along Lombard Street to enjoy a moment of freedom. In the afternoon, you can take advantage of the many activities on San Francisco Bay: attractions, various sightseeing tours or just enjoy the Pacific Ocean with its big waves. As you can see, there's plenty to do in San Francisco, including the best flower parks in the painted ladies area.