Explore Chinatown, Nob Hill & North Beach on a Self-Guided Walking Tour

Old St. Mary’s Cathedral

The oldest cathedral in California, Old St. Mary’s, was built in 1854 by Chinese laborers using granite quarried in China and bricks shipped around Cape Horn from New England. In those wild, early days, bordellos surrounded the church. If men exiting those neighboring houses of ill-repute glanced up at the clock on the church bell tower, they would be admonished by a Bible verse inscribed there: “Son, observe the time and fly from evil.”

San Francisco Cable Car Museum

Look into the bowels of the beast! The San Francisco Cable Car Museum is not just a fun place to learn about cable cars; it’s the actual working mechanical headquarters for the entire cable car network—and it’s free! You're invited to view the cable winding machinery and the underground cable as it pulls the cable cars.

Chinese Historical Society

Free to the public on the first Thursday of every month, the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum is the oldest organization in the country dedicated to the interpretation, promotion, and preservation of the social, cultural and political history and contributions of the Chinese in America. Closed Sundays.

Waverly Place

The alleyway looks so adorable; you might never guess this was the sight of a vicious Tong battle over a Chinese girl in 1879. Tongs began as Chinese protective associations but became organized crime gangs.

Shortcut!

Cut left through Portsmouth Square to see the plaque for the first public school in California, a replica of the “Goddess of Democracy" used in Tiananmen Square, and see dozens of impromptu card and domino games enjoyed by Chinatown residents.

Portsmouth Square

In 1846, Capt. John B. Montgomery of the sloop-of-war Portsmouth marched into the then-Mexican town’s central square, raised the American flag, and declared Yerba Buena and its few hundred inhabitants part of the United States. A year later, the city was renamed San Francisco.The square was still a mere cow pen surrounded by tents in 1848 when the discovery of gold was announced here. By 1850, an entire city of 25,000 residents had built up around the square.

Buddha’s Universal Church

Built over a decade by volunteer labor from congregants, this is one of the largest Buddhist churches in the United States. Before that, the dilapidated brick building was most famous as the factory that sparked the 1938 Garment Workers Strike.

CCSF Chinatown Branch

Founded in 1935, today City College of San Francisco is one of the largest community colleges in the country. Multicultural, multi-campus, offering 50 academic programs, 100 occupational disciplines, and serving 70,000 students, CCSF provides an invaluable service to the citizens and industries of San Francisco.

Manilatown I-Hotel

The International Hotel was built in 1907 as low-cost housing in the heart of Manilatown, but it became ground zero for the social revolution in the late 1960s. Mass evictions by developers at the I-Hotel made it a symbol for every group fighting for rights in the turbulent '60s and '70s and inspired massive protests. Three decades later, the Manila Heritage Foundation and 100 affordable housing units were constructed, and the I-Hotel was born anew. Step inside and learn more.

City Lights Bookstore

The first paperback-only bookstore in the U.S. Owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti was charged with obscenity for publishing Alan Ginsburg’s "Howl and other Poems". He won the court battle and his support of Beat poets launched the Beat movement.

Condor Club

The Condor Club fired a major salvo in the sexual revolution when it became the world’s first topless (1964) and bottomless (1969) entertainment venue in the country. The 40-foot neon-lit cartoon image of stripper Carol Doda with two red lights on her…bikini top…came down in 1992 (but if you’re brave enough to peek inside, you’ll get a glimpse of it right by the front door!).

Grant Ave. and Columbus Ave.

Columbus Ave. is the typical route through North Beach, but Grant Ave. is North Beach for the locals, offering boutiques, bakeries, music, antiques, art, and more. Check to see if you can spot the 49 Mile Drive graffiti wall on the east side of the street.

Joe DiMaggio Playground

As you pass the Joe DiMaggio Playground, named for the local baseball legend, to your left on Lombard St., you may hear the bells from Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Fior D’Italia

Fior D’Italia bills itself as America’s oldest Italian restaurant.

Ginsberg's Dublin Pub

This was once the site of Ginsberg's Dublin Pub, at 400 Bay St., a favorite haunt of sailors and fishermen. It was built in 1906 and stood on this spot until 2011.

International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU)

Beginning in 1902 on the docks of the Pacific Coast, ILWU workers “built a union that is democratic, militant and dedicated to the idea that solidarity with other workers and other unions is the key to achieving economic security and a peaceful world” and the best way “to achieve abetter life for themselves and their families.”

The end of your self-guided tour will leave you a few short blocks from Fisherman's Wharf and PIER 39, two other classic San Francisco destinations worth exploring.