They called it ‘the bridge that couldn’t be built’, thanks to its sheer size and the hostile terrain. Today, the Golden Gate is the most famous bridge in the world and a true San Francisco landmark. You can cross it by car, bicycle and on foot, and both ends are surrounded by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area – a vast national park filled with scenic walks and idyllic vistas. Fort Point, Baker Beach, Marin Headlands and Battery Spencer are the best places to grab your postcard-worthy photo – if the fog allows.

Fisherman’s Wharf is one of the most popular places to visit in San Francisco. Stroll along Pier 39, snack on seafood delicacies such as oysters or Dungeness crab – a West Coast speciality – and watch the sea lions basking on the docks. Next, head down the Embarcadero: the city’s eastern shoreline is known for its lively atmosphere and glistening bay views, not forgetting the Ferry Building Marketplace, which is crammed full of phenomenal food you won’t want to miss.

San Francisco is home to the very first cable car system in the world, established in the late 1800s in response to the dangers of horse-drawn streetcars on the steep hills of the city. The Powell/Hyde line is the most fun, offering superb views of Coit Tower, Lombard Street (better known as “the crookedest street in the world”), Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay.

San Francisco has no shortage of landmarks, but it’s the neighbourhoods that really bring the city to life. The Haight is the birthplace of the counterculture movement, now filled with colourful houses, vibrant street art, hip bars and high-end boutiques. The Mission sits at the heart of the city’s Mexican-American community, with a thriving art scene and delicious eats. Another essential place to visit in San Francisco is the Castro: this neon-signed, rainbow-flag-adorned LGBTQ+ neighbourhood was the country’s first.

Alcatraz Island lies two kilometres off San Francisco’s eastern shoreline, accessible only by the ferry from Pier 33. This notorious former federal prison housed some of the nation’s most notorious criminals, Al Capone chief among them. You can explore at your own pace during the day, but for a unique experience, go at night, when guides offer special tours, activities, and demonstrations – and the whole building feels even more eerie.

The sprawling green space of Golden Gate Park stretches almost half the width of the city, and is an essential stop on a San Francisco holiday. Located inside the park, the Japanese Tea Garden offers a tranquil escape, while the California Academy of Sciences is one of the world’s largest eco-friendly natural history museums. Finish your day around a fire pit on Ocean Beach, watching the sun dip behind the Pacific Ocean as you warm yourself on an open fire.

Union Square and Chinatown sit cheek-by-jowl, each offering a very different side of the city. Union Square is a vibrant public plaza, surrounded by designer-store-lined streets, upmarket restaurants and some of the city’s finest hotels. Leading up to it is Chinatown: the oldest in North America and the largest outside of Asia. Grant Avenue is the most visited street, while Stockton Street features crowded food markets, traditional medicine stores and mom-and-pop shops.

The Twin Peaks are located right in the heart of the city, and travellers can walk, bike, drive or bus up the north peak of this San Francisco attraction for an unrivalled panorama of San Francisco Bay. But for the best view, climb the stairs to the top of the southern peak. The slopes are covered in colourful flora and are home to the beautiful and endangered Mission Blue Butterfly. Head up the peaks early to avoid the crowds at this popular San Francisco attraction.

About a 4-hour drive from San Francisco lies the crown jewel of California’s national parks: Yosemite. With more than 3,000 square kilometres of deep valleys, cascading waterfalls, magnificent granite peaks and towering sequoias, Yosemite boasts some of the most breathtaking nature in the country. The park is full of landmarks – from Yosemite’s almost 2,700-metre trademark peak, Half Dome; to the largest granite rock on Earth, El Capitan; to the thundering Yosemite Falls – the highest on the continent.

There are many fantastic day trips from San Francisco, and a spin out to Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey is one of the most magnificent. Hop on the scenic route between them: the oceanfront highway known as the 17 Mile Drive. This coastal road is one of the most beautiful on the West Coast, with azure blue waters, white sand beaches and dramatic cliff faces around every bend. Meanwhile, both towns offer old-world charm, full of fairytale cottages and boutique shops and restaurants.