The former prison on an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay is another one of the major sights that make San Francisco unique and famous.

A visit to Alcatraz takes between two to four hours so make you should plan it as a half-day trip and not something you can rush through. You also need to match a ferry departure in both directions.

Normally I never pre-book things on my trips. I liked to keep my schedule open and just buy everything on the actual day of visiting. However, Alcatraz is an exception as it is almost always sold out a month in advance. This is one of the few sights you will have to plan ahead for.

You will see cable cars everywhere in the city. Personally, I think you should also ride them once. Today, the cable car is mostly a tourist attraction and doesn't serve the initial purpose of public transportation anymore. It is the world's last manually operated cable car system.

If you want to learn more about cable cars in San Francisco you should visit the Cable Car Museum. It is really interesting and educational about how the system works and the history behind it.

Fisherman's Wharf is still an active fishing harbor, but most of all it is a gigantic tourist trap where you can eat the catch of the day at countless seafood restaurants. The area also has many stores that sell everything from your typical souvenirs to high-end brands, everything at tourist prices of course.

Go and take a look at the Fisherman's Wharf sign at the corner of Jefferson and Taylor Street. Visit one of the maritime museums such as USS Pampanito or SS Jeremiah O'Brien. You can also go to Ripley's Believe It or Not! or Madame Tussauds.

... But the most important sight of Fisherman's Wharf is Pier 39. It is however even more of a tourist trap than Fisherman's Wharf. I still like Pier 39.

One unique thing you must not miss while you're here is the sea lions that live on the barges outside the pier. They came after the earthquake in 1989 and haven't left since then.

It is the oldest in the United States and one of the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. Walking these streets feels like a weird but lovely mix of China and the US.

Landmarks to look for are the Dragon Gate and Portsmouth Square. The main street of the area is Grant Ave. I would recommend walking that street first and then exploring side streets on the way back or the next time you pass through the area.

Union Square is the center of Downtown San Francisco. The square is surrounded by department stores, flagship stores, upscale boutiques, and hotels. It is also a center point of the cable car system and two out of the three lines serve the square.

The square itself is rather unimpressive. It's the life around it that attracts interest and is the reason why you should visit! It's a good starting or ending point of a walking tour of San Francisco. There's not much of interest further Southeast, while the stretch from Union Square until the coastline and Fisherman's Wharf in the North contains the majority of the sights listed here, as well as a majority of the remaining sights of San Francisco.

The famous part of this street is the one-block section with eight hairpin turns between Hyde St and Leavenworth St. Start at the top and walk down through the stairs that have replaced the sidewalk. Keep in mind that the street is still a residential street and the houses you walk past are someone's homes.

The street, often called "The Crookedest Street In The World", is built like this because it was considered to be too steep to build a normal road. This says something considering that the hills of San Francisco might look steep in pictures but they are even worse when you're there in real life.

You've probably seen them on television as they often feature in introduction shots from San Francisco. This row of victorian houses is enhanced by the magnificent skyline of San Francisco behind them.

The Painted Ladies are best viewed from nearby Alamo Square which is slightly higher in elevation to give you further views of the skyline.

Two hills with an elevation of just 282 m (925 ft). It wouldn't be much to see if it were not for the spectacular views of the San Francisco peninsula you get from the top!

You can walk, bike, or if you're lazy like me - take the car and drive - up to the top. Walking takes slightly over an hour.