San Francisco is a popular American city brimming with culture, history and superb attractions. Located along the west coast of America, this city is home to iconic landmarks, free-thinking inhabitants, a diverse range of architecture, a high standard of living and those famous steep hills with cable cars. San Francisco is also regarded as a major transport and finance centre. The historic Alcatraz Island is part of the city of San Francisco. Minor earthquakes are a regular occurence here with the nearby San Adreas and Hayward Faults causing most of the activity.
The reason San Francisco is such an important American city today, and one of the most popular destinations in this country, is because of its development during and after the California Gold Rush. During just a period of one year, from 1848 to 1849, the population rose from 1,000 people to 25,000. Ships were left abandoned in San Francisco Bay as crews came ashore and made their way to the gold fields in search of their fortunes. In order to secure San Francisco Bay, Fort Point was built at the Golden Gate and a fort was constructed on Alcatraz Island. Even though crime rates grew during the Gold Rush, along with prostitution and gambling, San Francisco did benefit. San Francisco became an important trading port, the banking industry developed, the famous Chinatown quarter was created, cable cars were introduced to the city, the citys architecture improved and so were its amenities.
Attractions
If you’re visiting San Francisco on a short trip, you should really try and see the following list of attractions this great city has to offer. For those staying for a number of days, check out our extensive list of attractions on our ‘Things To Do’ page. No trip to San Francisco is complete if you do not make time to drive, walk, or cycle across the 1.7 mile Golden Gate Bridge. One of the most popular museums in this city is the Exploratorium. This interactive science museum invites both young and old to participate in experiments. Fisherman’s Wharf not only provides visitors with fantastic views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge but it also offers plenty of attractions along this waterfront area. Alcatraz Island is one of the most popular attractions San Francisco has to offer. Visitors wishing to get to the island can do so by catching a Blue and Gold Fleet ferry. To get an good overview of the city, travel on a California Street line cable car.
Transport
San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) operates the public transport system in San Francisco. You can travel around the city either by taking light rail transport, the subway (Muni Metro), a bus or a cable car. Muni Metro street streetcars run above ground in outlying neighborhoods and underground in the downtown area. Services start at 5am Monday to Friday and finish at midnight. Services are limited at the weekend. The L and N lines operate a 24 hour service with ‘Owl’ buses taking over between 12.30am and 5.30am.