5 BEST Things To Do As A Local In San Francisco In 2025

One of the best parts of living in San Francisco is being a tourist in your own city. Whether you've lived here for over a decade like me, or you're visiting the city for the very first time, there are endless things all across the city to see and learn that make this city one of the most beautiful and unique places in the entire world. This is Austin Klar, your lawyer turned real estate agent in San Francisco and Marin County, and in this video, I'm breaking down my favorite touristy things to do in the city. Anytime friends or family come to visit the city, these are my go-to activities, and even after living here for over a decade, I never get tired of them. I always experience something new and learn new things that I didn't know about my city before. But these are just what I like to do and what I suggest doing to other people. I definitely want more recommendations, so drop your thoughts in the comments below. But let's get right to the first one on my list, and it's the oldest public Japanese garden in the entire country. And this one's even more special because it's right here in the crown jewel of San Francisco parks, Golden Gate Park. The garden actually started as a quote unquote Japanese village in the 1894 California Midwinter Exposition, exhibits for which were designed to represent different places around the world, different cultures, cultures, and it was actually originally built by an Australian, George Marsh. But the real, you know, architects and designers behind it were Japanese craftsmen that Marsh hired. After the fair, Marsh sold the land to the city, and Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese landscape architect, was hired to care for the site. And he was the one that actually converted it from the former Japanese village into a Japanese tea garden. And he actually tended to the gardens while living there for the next 30 years until he died, after which time his daughter and grandchildren took over for him. During World War II, because of the Japanese sentiment that became so rampant all around the country. Much of the garden was destroyed and the architect's family were actually put in an internment camp. It wasn't until after Japan and the United States reached a peace agreement in the 1950s that the Japanese Tea Garden was restored and rebuilt, and it took several decades to get that done. Today, the garden comprises about 3 acres and contains absolutely gorgeous sculptures and buildings. Bridges, creeks, streams, rock formations, and beautiful landscaping. Really awesome way to spend an afternoon. There's a tea house that has been part of the garden since its inception. There's a 5-tiered pagoda and a ton of other cultural and religious elements throughout. I love going to the Japanese Tea Garden, and obviously there are so many other things to do in Golden Gate Park, which is where the garden is located. So you could pretty much spend an entire day or even multiple days exploring different parts of the park. If you haven't been, definitely worth checking out. One of my favorite spots in the city for sure. By the way, you want to learn more about things to do in San Francisco, coming soon events, new developments, San Francisco lifestyle, or just what's going on with the real estate market, I make videos about that stuff every single week. So subscribe to my channel. And if you're thinking about buying a home in the city and have questions about what's going on, given all the changes that we've been seeing, or you're having trouble figuring out the right neighborhood for you, definitely reach out to me. I used to be a lawyer at one of the biggest law firms in the world, and I've helped numerous people relocate to San Francisco from all over the country. I'd be happy to be a resource for you. I'll put my contact info in the description below. Reach out anytime. And now back to my favorite touristy things to do in the city. And the next one is the most under-the-radar beach destination in all of San Francisco, Clipper Cove. Smack in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, right between Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island, are the calmest waters you can find in one of the mildest beach climates you can experience in San Francisco at Clipper Cove. The area is named after Pan American Airlines airplanes called Clippers that used this area as passenger loading and taxiway in the 1930s and '40s. Because of its specific location, sort of shielded by Yerba Buena Island, it's shielded from a lot of the really heavy winds that you get when you're on the bay in other parts of the San Francisco Bay. So it actually has among the calmest waters in all of the Bay Area. There's also minimal ship traffic nearby on that specific part of the bay. So the waters really don't get disturbed that much in that specific location. And even better, because it's pretty shallow water, it tends to be warmer than other parts of the bay. So because it's warmer and calmer. You can do a whole bunch of things that might be more difficult to do in other parts of the San Francisco Bay. Things like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding. I've seen dogs, you know, play in the water. They play fetch in the water with their owners. People lounge around on the beachfront all the time and have picnics. It's a much more pleasant beachfront experience than a lot of the other beaches you have in San Francisco. You also have awesome views from the COVID You are like right under the Bay Bridge, so you have awesome views of the Bay Bridge. You have views all the way out to the East Bay, you have views of Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island, and there are actually a couple ways to get there. You can drive across the Bay Bridge if you're coming from San Francisco. You actually get off the highway before the toll booth, so there's no actual toll to get to and from Clipper Cove. You can also take the ferry from the San Francisco Ferry Terminal over to Treasure Island and then walk just a couple minutes from the ferry drop-off to Clipper Cove. Great way to spend an afternoon, especially when the weather's nice, and not a lot of people know about it. So definitely worth checking out when you're in the area. Now, the next one on my list might get me laughed at, but it's those little yellow GO cars that you see throughout the city. I think these yellow cars are one of the most unique ways to explore San Francisco. The cars are programmed with GPS-enabled tours. So basically, depending on where you're driving, different narration will come up that applies to the specific location that you're in, telling you a whole bunch of stuff about that location. So it's a great way to kind of make your own adventure, make your own tours, and you get to learn a whole bunch of stuff about the city. You know, as it applies as you're driving through that particular spot. And they actually go pretty quick, uh, up to 30 miles an hour. It actually feels really fast when you're in those little cars. They have single-person vehicles, they have multi-person vehicles, so like you can go with a friend. They have larger vehicles for more than 2 people as well. If you're new to the city or you just haven't even done one before, I highly recommend it. The first time I did one of those, I'd already been living in the city for probably 8 or 9 years, and I learned a ton about San Francisco. You'll learn a ton of stuff about famous spots like Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, Golden Gate Park, Fort Point, the Painted Ladies, Chinatown, the Legion of Honor, the Haight, Pacific Heights. You can take them down Lombard Street, a really cool way to experience Crooked Lombard Street. They have larger vehicles you can actually take across the bridge and do like Sausalito and the Marin Headlands and get incredible views of the entire Bay Area. Tours range from like a short, you know, 1-hour tour to like full-day experiences. They are awesome. I highly recommend it. I'll put a link to book their tours in the description below. 100% worth checking out. And the next two my list, while not technically in San Francisco proper, are hands down my favorite ways to get the best views of San Francisco itself. And the first one of those is taking a ferry to Angel Island. Angel Island is a California Historic Landmark in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, the second largest island in the San Francisco Bay, and it's had a ton of different uses throughout history, from a fishing and hunting site for Native Americans to an immigration station to a quarantine station for the bubonic plague and as an army station from as early as the Spanish-American War through World War II. After World War II, it was decommissioned and a missile installation was put on the site, and that was there until around the 1960s when the military finally left the island. Today, the state park spans over 700 acres and has some of the best hiking trails and nature trails with beautiful foliage and incredible views, 360° of the entire Bay Area, stretching from the Marin Headlands to the East Bay to the Bay Bridge to San Francisco itself to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean. The island is only accessible by boat, so to get there you either take a ferry from San Francisco or you can take a ferry from Tiburon in Marin County. There are several campsites on the island, picnic areas on the island. You can actually bring bikes to the island. It's a great destination for kayakers or anyone looking to just experience gorgeous scenery in a way that they haven't before. My old law firm used to do summer associate events every year. One of my favorites was a ferry to Angel Island. They would set set up shop at some picnic tables there and do a massive lobster cookout there. It was awesome. Highly recommend visiting Angel Island if you haven't been already. And last but not least is the location with the single best views of San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean in all of the Bay Area, Hawk Hill. Hawk Hill is in the Marin Headlands, just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge if you're coming from San Francisco. The 923-foot peak is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and like I said, the single best lookout point if you want A+ views from the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco itself, and the Pacific Ocean. Like like a lot of other sites in San Francisco, Hawk Hill also has origins with the military. It was initially used to defend against air attacks and had these massive guns mounted on the site. Today it is a gigantic network of hiking trails, biking trails, walking trails, and offers 360-degree views spanning across the entire Bay Area. If you're going there for a full-on hike, make sure to bring food and water. There aren't any like stops anywhere on Hawk Hill or in surrounding area, so you're going to be fending for yourself. So make sure whatever you need— food, water, sunscreen, whatever it is— you bring it and have it on you. You are allowed to have dogs there, unlike Angel Island, which does not allow dogs. So really great place to take your pets and enjoy some exercise. One of my favorite things to do is drive starting at the bottom of Hawk Hill from the Sausalito side. You drive through these one-way tunnels and then you go up the hill, spend a few minutes taking in all those views, and then you go down the hill on the other side of Hawk Hill. And it spits you out at Rodeo Beach, which is one of the more like secluded beaches in the area in Marin. There's also an old lighthouse visible from there in the Marin Headlands, the Point Bonita Lighthouse. It's not accessible right now because there was a small landslide in the area, but when it opens back up at some point, really cool spot to check out. It's like an old school lighthouse. It's really cool to see. Of all the places on my list, this has the single best collection of hiking and biking trails and by far the best views that you get of the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean. So definitely can't miss whether you've been living here for 10 years or you're coming here for the first time. Well, there you have it. Those are my favorite touristy things to do in the city, and there are dozens of others that could have been on this list. I'm sure people watching this will have their own opinions, and I definitely want to hear your recommendations. Other great options are things like shopping in the iconic Ferry Building or, you know, seeing the architecture and cool shops in Jackson Square, exploring so many of our amazing parks like Presidio, Dolores Park, Alta Plaza Park. Lafayette Park, just endless amounts of things to see and learn about our incredible city. So please drop your favorite spots in the comments and let me know what you think. And if you like videos just like this, or you want to learn more about what it's like living in San Francisco, current events, new developments, and all things about the San Francisco real estate market, subscribe to my channel because I make videos about that stuff every single week. And if you're thinking of buying a place in the city and have questions about where to live or what's going on in the market, definitely reach out to me. I've helped numerous people relocate to San Francisco from all over the country and within San Francisco itself. I'd be happy to be a resource for you. Reach out anytime. I'll put my contact info in the description below. And before you go, if you want to learn more about my favorite places to shop in the city, I've got a separate video on that. I'll link that up top in the description as well. Definitely check it out and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoyed the video, and I'll see you in the next one. Thank you.