Palihotel San Francisco enjoys a central location, a short walk from the city’s best in art, culture, restaurants and shopping.
Planes
San Francisco International Airport is a 25-minute drive away, served by carriers such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United, Delta and more.
Trains
Powell Street Station is a five-minute drive away, on – you’ve guessed it – Powell Street. It’s served by the Bay Area Rapid Transit, which connects San Francisco and Oakland with urban and suburban areas in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties. You can also catch the train here from the airport.
Automobiles
The hotel is in central San Fran, but Berkeley is the next city along, under 20 minutes away by car. There’s a self-parking garage close by, with spaces available for $30–$50. It’s well worth bringing a wagon for day trips to beautiful beaches, peaceful forests, Yosemite National Park and more.
Other
This is the city of apps, so hitch a techy ride with Uber or Lift.
Worth getting out of bed for
Thanks to its enviable Union Square locale, Palihotel San Francisco puts you right at the heart of the city’s action.
Get your art fix at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (aka SFMOMA), one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States. SFMOMA is home to works by artists from around the world, including Frida Kahlo, Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol and Julie Mehretu. Go for a wander in the outdoor sculpture garden, admire the 30-foot-high living wall, refuel in one of three eateries and soak up the incredible views — all right in the heart of the city (). Swap art for science at the dazzling California Academy of Science, which houses a planetarium, aquarium, rainforest and natural-history museum under a living roof. Feast your eyes on the Greco-Roman splendour of the iconic Palace of Fine Arts, whose charms include a rotunda and colonnades, gorgeous grounds, a lagoon, and a spacious exhibition centre and theatre. Originally built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition, the venue now cameos as a venue, hosting weddings, galas and other city shindigs. Ponder how the mighty are fallen by visiting the Adolph Sutro-designed Sutro Baths, which occupy one of the most beautiful settings in San Francisco. Once the world’s largest indoor swimming establishment, accommodating 10,000 people at one time and offering 20,000 bathing suits and 40,000 towels for rent, they’re now an eerie ruin. Go for a stroll and admire kooky, crooked Lombard Street, which has eight hairpin turns to its name.
Come face to face with San Fran’s sobering penitential past by visiting the island of Alcatraz, aka the Rock, which was once a fort, a military prison and a maximum-security federal penitentiary. In 1969, the Indians of All Tribes occupied Alcatraz for 19 months, in the name of freedom and Native American civil rights.
Local restaurants
Arrive hungry at Yank Sing on Spear Street, which dishes up more than 100 types of dim sum. Keeping with tradition, it eschews menus for food trolleys manned by obliging servers in dashing white shirts and red aprons. Popular choices include sweet rice dumplings, har gau, pork sui mye and Peking duck. Mister Jiu’s occupies a handsome heritage building on Waverley Place, serving ambitious Cantonese fare pepped up with modern Californian influences. The dapper dining room deserves a mention, as do its stellar views. Don’t be deceived by the name: Absinthe offers a lot more than the dangerous green stuff. In fact, this French-style brasserie at 398 Hayes Street excels at Gallic classics such as onion soup, oysters, steak tartare and coq au vin. If you like your food endorsed by the Michelin Guide, pay Spruce in Presidio Heights a visit. The chefs work directly with the farmers at SMIP Ranch, a private farm in the hills above Woodside that proudly grows organic, hyper-seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs. Expect fancy, fine-dining cuisine that shines a spotlight on Mother Nature.
Local bars
Fans of drinking tequila and mezcal cocktails, playing pool and eating tortilla chips paired with habanero salsa will fit right in at Peacekeeper, which is helmed by a team of prolific restaurateurs.
