Are you planning a trip to San Francisco soon? Are you looking for the most Instagram worthy places in SF? If you said yes to both, this blog post is for you!
This past weekend my friends Giulia, from Palm Trees and Pellegrino, and Karya, my photographer, traveled to San Francisco. We spent 3 days exploring the city, avoiding the rain, and looking for the most Instagrammable places in San Francisco.
Here is San Francisco’s Most Instagrammable Places:
1. The Golden Gate Bridge
Address: Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center, Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA 94129
The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and is probably one of San Francisco’s most famous landmarks. The bridge ironically isn’t painted in gold because the “Golden Gate” actually refers to the Golden Gate Strait – where the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean meet. The bridge is actually painted international orange because it stands out in the cool colors of the sky and the water. You can read more about the Golden Gate Bridge history here.
2. The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel – The Lavender Staircase
Address: 495 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
The Clift Hotel originally opened in 1915 and its recognize as a San Francisco landmark. It was first advertised as the first “fire proof” hotel in the city.
I was surprised and exicted to discover the lavender hallways and staircases of this hotel! This is the first hotel I’ve stayed out where I gasped when I discovered that the hotel room floors were painted this beautiful lavender color. I knew this lavender staircase needed a spot in my round up of San Francisco’s Most Instagrammable Places!
3. Chinatown San Francisco
Did you know that San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of the
largest Chinatown’s outside of Asia?
San Francisco’s Chinatown spans over 30 city blocks and is packed with bakeries, restaurants, produce stands, and shops. We stopped by Dol Ho on Pacific Avenue for dim sum and it was delicious!
4. Home Cafe – San Francisco
Address: 1222 Noriega St San Francisco, CA 94122
If you’re looking for a colorful cup of coffee, you have to stop by Home in San Francisco. This adorable cup of coffee made its way into my heart and the list of San Francisco’s most Instagrammable places.
There’s two locations in the city and we ended up going to the Noriega Street Home location.
5. The Painted Ladies
Address: Steiner St & Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94117
San Francisco is famous for its Victorian homes. The most famous row of houses in the cities is probably the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square. These beautiful homes were first built between 1892 and 1896. You might recognize these homes from Full House – an American TV sitcom that aired from 1987-1995.
6. Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park
Address: Golden Gate Park 100 John F. Kennedy Drive San Francisco CA 94118
The Conservatory of Flowers opened in 1879 and went through
a major restoration effort in 2000. The Conservatory reopened in 2003 and has
seen millions of visitors since then. You can visit the Conservatory of Flowers
Tuesdays-Sundays between 10am-6:30pm.
You can find free parking throughout Golden Gate Park – but spaces can be limited. We ended up taking a Lyft to the Conservatory!
7. The Pink House in Outer Sunset
Address: Somewhere in the Sunset Neighborhood
We were on the hunt to find the Flower House SF so we
ventured out to the outer Sunset neighborhood. We found that the house was
painted over a peach color, but we did stumble upon this barbie pink house by
surprise!
The Sunset neighborhood is filled with colorful homes. We probably could have just walked up and down the street taking photos of all the adorable houses.
8. Mosaic Stairs
Address: 16th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122
The Mosaic Stairs are located on 16th avenue in between
the Inner Sunset and Golden Gate Heights neighborhood. We ventured to the steps
on an early weekend morning and found a few runners hiking up the stairs.
The stairs and the succulent gardens are beautiful! There were warning signs everywhere about car break ins – so if you choose to drive and park in the neighborhood, make sure you don’t leave any personal belongings in the car.
9. The Riddler
Address: 528 Laguna Street San Francisco CA 94102
We decided to stop by the Riddler – a champagne bar in the
Hayes Valley neighborhood. There’s over 100 champagnes by the bottle. We
stopped by here for a brunch snack (we had already had toast and coffee at
Home). Karya and I split the smoked salmon tater tot waffle and it was
delicious! Since it’s a champagne bar, the brunch menu is pretty limited.
We ended up walking in a finding a table since we got there
pretty early. But I would recommend setting up a reservation if you’re trying
to grab brunch after 11am. The place filled up by noon when we were getting ready
to go.
10. San Francisco Museum of Art (SFMOMA)
Address: 151 3rd Street San Francisco CA 94103
SFMOMA is one of the biggest modern and contemporary museums
in the US. SFMOMA features work from Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Louise Stettner,
and Louise Bourgeouis.
Tickets for adults are $25, young adults (19-24 yrs old) are $19, and kids under 18 can visit the museum for free. The museum is closed only on Wednesdays as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
11. Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
Address: 1042 Larkin Street San Francisco CA
If you’re in the mood for a donut or a cruffin, you have to stop by Mr. Holms Bakehouse. I personally discovered Mr. Holmes Bakehouse through Instagram. You may have seen their famous neon sign “I got baked in San Francisco”. It’s a pretty small shop so beware it can get crowded but the sweets are worth it!
12. In-N-Out Burger
With over a million photos under the #innout hash tag on Instagram, In-N-Out burger is probably one of the most popular burgers and fries spots on the West Coast. I personally always make a stop at In-N-Out burger if I’m in California!
13. Son & Garden
Address: 700 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
If you’re looking for an Instagram worthy brunch spot in San Francisco, I recommend checking out Son & Garden. Maddy and I recently took a trip to San Francisco and knew we had to eat in this beautiful restaurant!
What other Instagram worthy places in San Francisco do you recommend?
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my round up of San Francisco’s Most Instagrammable Places! You can also check out my friend Giulia’s round up of 16 Most Instagrammable Places in San Francisco for more ideas.
For more Instagram city guides, you can also check out:
15 Most Instagrammable Places in Portland, Oregon
Pittsburgh’s Most Instagram-Worthy Places
8 Unique Instagrammable Spots in Seattle
Love,
Emma
Photos: Karya Schanilec
San Francisco is one of the places I really want to go!
Briana
https://beyoutifulbrunette.com/
Hi Emma,
Do you know of any Bay Area photographers that have a good eye for taking instagrammable pics? Mostly for branding purposes?
I’d love to help out!