Top 20 Free things to do in San Francisco

Fodor's Travel: The courts are set on a steep block that offers park benches and peekaboo views of the Bay Bridge, Coit Tower, and the Golden Gate Bridge with Alcatraz in the distance. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: The city offers a number of outstanding beaches like Ocean Beach on the Western edge of town for watching surfers and sunsets. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: This waterfront complex has street performers, shops, restaurants, attractions, a five-acre waterfront park with a 300-berth marina, and the best views of the sea lions. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: Golden Gate Park is a large manmade park full of forests, lakes, gardens, and museums. The weekend is prime time to visit because it’s car-free on Saturdays and Sundays. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: Thanks to mild weather in summer and fall, free movies in the park are popular for locals and visitors alike. Of course you’ll want to bring blankets to sit on and bundle up. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: Omnivore Books is a mecca for food lovers and cooks, hosting an impressive lineup of culinary talent and the best chefs and food writers from around the globe. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: San Francisco City Guides is a volunteer organization run by local residents and sponsored by the San Francisco Public Library. They lead terrific walking tours of various neighborhoods and focuses. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: Today, the Ferry Building is a vibrant destination filled with local purveyors of everything from cheese and chocolate to coffee and cookware. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: San Francisco is a favorite city for photographers. Established in the 1940s, Harvey Milk Photography Center is named for one of Castro’s most famous residents. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: San Francisco has three murals from one of the world’s most famous modern muralists, Diego Rivera. Allegory of California (1931) resides on a wall and ceiling at the City Club. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: Twin Peaks, a sixty-four-acre mix of grassland and coastal scrub, offers 180-degree views that will give you a glimpse of what San Francisco looked like in its natural state prior to development. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: The Golden Gate Bridge is without a doubt the most well known emblem of San Francisco. Walking or biking across the bridge is a great experience, with incredible views from both sides. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: The Palace of Fine Arts is an iconic San Francisco building and one of the first you encounter upon entering the city from the Golden Gate Bridge. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: Crissy Field, part of the Golden Gate National Parks system, stretches from Fort Point to Fort Mason, with miles of flat, open space for walking, biking, and kite flying. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: San Francisco is built on hills, and some of the city’s steps offer great views and scenery. The Lyon Street Steps offer views of the bay and the Marina district, including the Palace of Fine Arts. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: Coit Tower is another recognizable landmark. The concrete tower was built in 1933 and resembles a fire hose to honor the city’s firefighters. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: There are so many reasons to visit Grace Cathedral that it’s hard to count them all. Walking the cathedral’s replica of the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth in France is a spiritual act. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: The Presidio was established as a military base, but in recent years the number of visitor attractions, many of which are free, has steadily grown. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: The Mission District is a neighborhood perpetually in transition and a convergence of cultures, cuisines, and all things cool. The Mission is also known for Chicano murals. Read more.

Fodor's Travel: The 2014 World Series-winning San Francisco Giants play at AT&T Park, one of the prettiest ballparks with its spectacular views of the bay. Tickets aren’t cheap, but you can catch some standing room. Read more.