Map of San Francisco Waterfront

Overview: Water surrounds San Francisco on three sides, but the shoreline between the Golden Gate and Bay bridges gets all the attention. It's well deserved.

Something charming or funky or eye-popping pops up every few yards along these six miles of San Francisco Bay beachfront. Even the mobs of rubber-neckers at Fisherman's Wharf (a Grade A tourist Trap if there ever was one) can't spoil the experience.

For my money the best way to see the waterfront is on an urban hike: a 12-mile out-and-back from Ferry Plaza to Fort Point, next to the Golden Gate Bridge. It's all flat, with fog and ocean breezes cooling you the whole way. Saner folks rent bicycles, and some ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and return via ferry.

Tips: Though San Francisco has miles of sidewalks and bike lanes, you're still out there in big-city traffic. Travel defensively.

Golden Gate Bridge is best crossed on a bike, especially if you have fear-of-heights issues. The bridge is my favorite Bay Area landmark, but I still find that crossing it on foot is noisy, gusty, chilly and generally obnoxious.

If you rent a bike, pay close attention to everything you sign and beware of companies trying to hit you in the wallet with upgrades, ferry rides and other services.

Summer can be the coldest time to see San Francisco, while September and October can be the hottest. April is the best month to go.

What to bring:
Sunscreen: there's no shade.
Layers, especially a windbreaker. Average temperature at the waterfront is 62 degrees, and that's with damp breezes blowing in off the Bay.
Binoculars
Camera

Driving directions:
Take public transportation. Find out how at tripplanner.transit.511.org (Parking in San Francisco starts at $20 a day; you can park in the burbs and take the BART train in for half that.) Another option: arrive by ferry via the Blue and Gold Fleet: ; it's pricey but worth it.