San Francisco

The port is home to many of the city's foremost attractions, including Hyde Street Pier, Fisherman's Wharf, PIER 39 and access to Alcatraz. Together, they bring more than 15 million visitors each year to San Francisco's northern waterfront.

The metro journey from San Francisco Airport to Embarcadero station costs 5$.

From Embarcadero station, allow a good 20 to 30 minutes to walk to the cruise terminal; alternatively, take a cab from the Hyatt.

Pier 27's new terminal has just opened, with everything a cruise ship might need: electric shore power so ships need not run engines in port, heated and air-conditioned boarding areas, a specially designed $3 million passenger elevator, and many other amenities. Tourist information, including maps and advice, is on the first floor, while another tourist office is on Pier 39's first floor.

On occasion, other nearby piers are also used when required.

Take a printable map with you.

Often regarded as America's most attractive city and regularly voted the USA's best, San Francisco is loved for its colourful history, dramatic setting and laissez-faire atmosphere—a quality absent from synthetic Los Angeles. A trendsetter in alternative movements from flower-power and 'free love' to gay liberation, it prides itself on being individualistic, down-to-earth and cultured.

The streets roller-coaster over the hills and, when the city's trademark fog does not shroud them, reveal superb views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the world's most famous sights. Surrounded by hills and urban development, crossed by bridges, speckled with sails and 14 small islands including notorious Alcatraz (a 5 minute walk north from the terminal), the bay is the Californian Coast's largest inlet. On its edge, Fisherman's Wharf is a popular place to eat, stroll and shop, and its resident seals are a favourite photographic subject.

Despite its surprising compactness, the city contains distinct neighbourhoods reflecting the diverse communities drawn to San Francisco by the 1848 gold discovery and the prospect of a new life away from harsh circumstances. Most residents were born outside the city, and their cultural mix appears in colourful Chinatown and Japantown's dragon-studded temples, North Beach's Italian pasta restaurants and cappuccino cafes with their bohemian character, the old Spanish-speaking Mission District blending into SoMa's nightlife, the modern…

There is plenty to see and do in San Francisco, so an indispensable good guide book will help you plan your sightseeing.

Downtown SF is highly walkable, although the streets can be very steep; use the famous cable car where possible. Its main station is at Market and Powell St.

San Francisco Hop-On Hop-Off Double Decker Bus Tour offers different loops.

For digital bus/train tickets, one mobile transport option in San Francisco is the MuniMobile app.

See the Muir Woods Redwoods, some standing more than 800-years-old and 250-feet tall!

Discover Sausalito, a quaint Mediterranean-style village with art galleries, boutique shops and fine dining, and home to some of San Francisco's rich and famous.

With some of the world's best shopping, San Francisco naturally attracts tourists and serious shopaholics wanting to spend both time and money in its varied shopping centres, districts and malls. Union Square, Hayes Valley, upper Fillmore, the Mission, Sacramento Street, Chinatown and downtown's San Francisco Shopping Center each provide a unique style, one-of-a-kind shops and a distinctive mood for every kind of shopper, from urban sophisticate to funk fantastic.

Bustling nearby Pier 39 has more than 110 stores.

Official U.S. currency is the United States dollar (symbol: $), with ATM's found everywhere.

Visa, MasterCard and other major credit cards are widely used and accepted, even for purchases of only a few dollars; sometimes they may be the only way to make a transaction. Overseas visitors should remember that goods and services can seem cheaper than they are because taxes and gratuities are rarely included.

Most states levy sales tax from 2.9% to nearly 10% of the retail price, with 4-6% typical. Posted prices almost never include it, except for gasoline and, in most states, alcoholic beverages consumed on-premises; it is instead calculated and added when you pay.

Tipping is widespread and expected in America. Although Americans themselves often debate appropriate levels and exactly who should be tipped, the generally accepted standard rates are:

• Full-service restaurants: 15-20%. This is often the wait(ress)'s only income. Tips may be left in cash or added to the credit card slip. Note: Few restaurants add an automatic service charge; when they do, it is up to you how much extra to tip. Check your bill!
• Taxi drivers, hairdressers and other personal services: 10-15%.
• Bartenders: $1 is customary for an inexpensive drink; otherwise use 15% of the total.
• Bellhops: $1-2 per bag, with a $3-5 minimum regardless.
• At hotels, give the doorman $1 for each bag they help with and $1 for calling a cab
• Tour guides: Depending on the tour's length, size and overall quality; for half day tours or less, $5-10 per person, and for longer tours, $10-20 per person.
• Private car & limousine drivers should receive 15-20%.
• Hotel housekeeping: for long stays, $1-2 per day; for very short stays, $5 minimum (optional).
• Food deliveries, including pizza and similar orders: $2-5, potentially more for very large orders.

There is no official language at U.S. federal level, though English is overwhelmingly the everyday standard. Several states have named English as their official state language; Spanish is also official and widely spoken in New Mexico, French is official in Louisiana, and Hawaiian is official in Hawaii. Neither French nor Hawaiian approaches English in use and their official status is primarily for historical reasons.

For emergencies, dial 911.

In large metropolitan areas such as New York and Los Angeles, many drugstores and supermarkets routinely operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Department stores, shopping centres and most other large retailers generally trade 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, often with shorter Sunday hours—usually 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m. On holidays, the tendency is to stay open, except on the most important holidays such as Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, when stores are generally closed.