Some of the best ways to explore San Fran are almost free: Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Stroll through colorful Chinatown. Window-shop in funky Haight-Ashbury. Or just relax in Golden Gate Park.

Walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. Don your windbreaker and walking shoes and prepare for a wind-blasted, exhilarating walk across San Francisco’s most famous landmark. It’s one of those things you have to do at least once in your life and it's free.

Touring Alcatraz. Even if you loathe tourist attractions, you’ll enjoy a tour of The Rock. The National Park Service has done a fantastic job of preserving the venerable prison—enough to give you the heebie-jeebies just looking at it—and NPS rangers and volunteers give excellent guided tours. Even the boat ride across the bay is worth the price. You shouldn’t miss this one, so be sure to reserve tickets far in advance. Day trips (with audio tour) run around $16.

Strolling through Chinatown. I’ve been through Chinatown at least 100 times and it has never failed to entertain. Skip the crummy camera and luggage stores along Grant Street and wander around the funky side streets where a cornucopia of the bizarre, unbelievable and just plain weird is on display. (Tip: Go very early in the morning to watch the merchants setting up their wares before the tourist throngs show up—you’d swear you’re in a Beijing marketplace.) While you’re there, take one of Shirley Fong Torres’s Wok Wiz tours of Chinatown ([tel] 415/981-8989; www.wokwiz.com) for the full effect.

Watching a Major League baseball game at SBC Park. If it’s baseball season, then you must spend an afternoon or evening watching the National League’s Giants play at one of the finest ballparks in America. For only $10 you can buy a bleacher-seat ticket on the day of a game. Even if the season’s over, you can still take a guided tour of the stadium.

Waking up with North Beach coffee. One of the most pleasurable smells of San Francisco is the aroma of roasted coffee beans wafting down Columbus Avenue in the early morning. Start the day with a cup of Viennese at Caffè Trieste, followed by a walk up and down Columbus Avenue, stopping for lunch at Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store and dinner at L’Osteria del Forno. Finish off the day with a brandy cappuccino nightcap accompanied by Enrico Caruso on the jukebox at Tosca’s.

Browsing the Haight. Though the power of the flower has wilted, the Haight is still, more or less, the Haight: a sort of resting home for aging hippies, dazed Deadheads, skate punks and an eclectic assortment of rather pathetic young panhandlers. Think of it as visiting a people zoo as you walk down the rows of used-clothing stores, ultra-hip boutiques, and leather shops, trying hard not to stare at that girl (at least I think it’s a girl) with the pierced eyebrows and shaved head. End the mystery tour with a pitcher of sangria and a plate of mussels at Cha Cha Cha, one of San Francisco’s top ethnic restaurants that’s a bargain to boot.

Getting back to nature at the Marin Headlands. San Francisco’s backyard of sorts, the Marin Headlands (located just across the Golden Gate Bridge to the west) offer not only the best views of the city, but also a wealth of outdoor activities. Bird-watching, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding—the list goes on—are all fair game at this glorious national park. Don’t miss the Marine Mammal Center, a ward for injured or abandoned seals and sea lions.

Cruising the Castro. The most populated and festive street in the city isn’t just for gays and lesbians (though you’ll find the best boy-toy cruising in town here). There are some great shops and inexpensive cafes—particularly Café Flore for lunch—but it’s the people-watching that makes the trip to the legendary Castro District a must. And please make time to catch a flick (any flick, doesn’t matter) at the Castro Theatre, a beautiful 1930s Spanish colonial movie palace that puts all those ugly multiplexes to shame.

Soaking up the sun in Golden Gate Park. A sunny day walking through Golden Gate Park is a day well spent. Its arboreal paths stretch from the Haight all the way to Ocean Beach, offering dozens of fun things to do along the way. Top sites are the Japanese Tea Garden and Stow Lake, where you can rent paddleboats and feed the ducks. The best time to go is Sunday, when portions of the park are closed to traffic (rent skates or a bike for the full effect). Toward the end of the day, head west to the beach and watch the sunset.

Content Source:
Excerpted from Frommer’s San Francisco from $70 a Day, 4/e, © 2004.