Five-minute guide to San Francisco

Our guide to eating, drinking, shopping and everything in between – but whatever you do, don’t call it San Fran or Frisco… By Megan Arkinstall

Welcome to ‘SF’

Getting from the airport to Downtown San Francisco is a piece of cake on rail service BART, which runs from the airport every 15 minutes.
The journey takes roughly 35 minutes and costs around $9 to Embarcadero (the sea port).
The SFO BART Station is located on the Departures/Ticketing level of the airport.

Transport

For a very compact city, there’s a huge number of transport options known as the ‘Muni’.
Buy a multiple ride ticket for $16 (one day) to $31 (seven days) to access all transport. Or you must carry the exact change for a single ticket.
• By bus 48 different bus routes run at least every 10 minutes from 5am to 1am. Stops are usually located every few blocks.
• By metro The above-and-below-ground light rail runs on six different lines, every seven to 10 minutes, from 5am to 1am.
• By streetcar or cable car A ride on one of these National Historic Landmarks is a must.
They run every six to 15 minutes, 6am to 12am (streetcars) and 6:30am to 12am (cable cars). In peak times, 10am to 6pm, you may have to wait up to an hour for a ride!
If you jump off mid-route on a cable car, you will need to pay a second fare to continue your journey.
F-line streetcars offer hop-on/hop-off tickets valid for 90 minutes.
• On yer bike! The city has plenty of bike lanes and panoramic vistas.
Cruise around San Francisco Bay, Embarcadero and Fisherman’s Wharf (4.8 kms), explore Golden Gate Park (14.5 kms) or cycle from Union Square to Golden Gate Bridge and take a ferry back to the city (25 kms; best to do this one early in the morning to avoid ferry queues).
Visit sfmta.com for great walking and biking maps.
Or join a tour (from $70 with Streets of San Francisco Bike Tours; sosfbiketours.com).

Sightseeing

We all know Alcatraz, but have you heard of:
• Walk the Lands End trail
The wild and rocky north-western corner of the city has a spectacular walking track that passes sprawling hillsides of wildflowers, pocket beaches and lookouts.
We recommend taking the direction from China Beach to historic Cliffs House, where you can refuel with a bite to eat.
(2.4 kms, one hour each way.) nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/landsend.htm
• Watch a Giants game at AT&T Park
Not really a secret, but the atmosphere at a baseball game is electric and the food is surprisingly good too.
If you don’t feel like waiting in line for your Portobello mushroom sandwich, order a hotdog and beer from a vendor and watch as it’s passed down the line of fans to you!
Seats on the home base line get great views of the bay. sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com
• Watch a game of Mahjong
A wander through Chinatown is a must!
But as well as popular Grant Avenue, head to alleyways like the gritty Spofford Alley at sundown, when the locals come out to play Mahjong.

Top nosheries

• Tartine Bakery & Café is a local favourite for sourdough.
tartinebakery.com
• 15 Romolo is a great Downtown bar for cocktails.
15romolo.com
• Park Tavern in North Beach is a chic tavern with a menu driven by market produce – and the best burgers!
parktavernsf.com
• Zero Zero serves up rustic wood-fired pizza, pastas and antipasti and is kid-friendly.
zerozerosf.com
• Hopwater Distribution has 31 Californian beers on tap and simple pub grub in North Beach.
hopwaterdistribution.com
• Hidden Vine Wine Bar is a hip and moody watering hole in a back alcove near Union Square with its own bocce court available for hourly hire.
thehiddenvine.com
• AQ in Downtown has a menu that’s updated each season along with its interiors. Yep, the colour scheme, décor, even fixtures are changed to match the season! Now that’s a dining experience.
aq-sf.com
• Bluxome Street Winery is the (very divine) time-poor answer to Napa Valley. Go wine tasting right in SoMa.
bluxomewinery.com

You will pay… around $3 for a coffee, $2 for a bottle of water, $5 for a beer, $10-15 for a wine, $10 for a cocktail, $15-20 for a meal

Shopping list

• San Francisco Antique and Design Mall is a treasure trove for antique lovers.
(Open daily from 10am – 5:30pm)
• Treasure Island Flea Market supports local entrepreneurs selling fashion, upcycled goods, vintage and antiques and handmade wares.
(Last weekend of every month, 10am – 4pm)
• Union Square is the place for big-name stores Barneys NY, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue; designer threads from Chanel, Burberry, Prada, Vera Wang; and more affordable brands like bebe, GAP, Mango, Zara and Sephora.
• Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Markets is worth a visit for fresh, local produce like a punnet of organic cherries, a jar of homemade chutney, a wheel of goat’s cheese.
Or grab a freshly roasted coffee and simply enjoy the activity.
(Open Saturday 8am – 2pm, Tuesday and Thursday 10am – 2pm)

Sleep easy

All the city’s neighbourhoods are distinctive both in culture and charm.

We suggest staying in the Downtown/Union Square area, a bustling shopping and cultural hotspot with designer and boutique stores, art galleries, cafés, bars and restaurants.

It’s central to SoMa, Nob Hill, Chinatown and nearby North Beach, plus it’s a good base to get to Fisherman’s Wharf (19-minute cable car), AT&T Park (15-minute bus ride) and the ferry port to Alcatraz (20-minute bus ride).
• Galleria Park
The Galleria Park is only blocks from Union Square, offering modern earthy-toned rooms brightened with pops of colour.
There’s complimentary daily coffee/tea, newspaper and wine hour, plus a fitness centre and park terrace with a jogging track.
From $190 per night; jdvhotels.com
• Clift Hotel
This century-old hotel was re-imagined by interior king Philippe Starck and draws a hip, posh crowd with its black, ivory and steely grey scheme; hardwood, velvet and leather textures; eclectic furniture and hints of heritage Art Deco.
The rooms are light and airy with lavender and neutral hues and smallish but sleek bathrooms. Enjoy a tipple at the iconic and glamorous Redwood Room, resplendent in its original redwood panelling.
From $350 per night; morganshotelgroup.com
• Hotel Zetta
This vibrant and fun hotel is located in the SoMa district just steps from Union Square.
It has spacious rooms with pillowtop beds, all things tech, walk-in showers, and modern décor, plus a one-of-a-kind antique Oriental rug.
The Playroom bar is perfect for big kids – think pool, UNO, Connect Four, Nintendo, and the elegant Cavalier restaurant serves up British classics like fish ‘n’ chips.
From $475 per night; viceroyhotelgroup.com
• Omni San Francisco
If it’s white glove service you’re after, this Renaissance-style hotel, originally built as a bank in 1926, will tug at your heartstrings.
The service is first-class (impeccably dressed doormen, shoe shine, twice-daily housekeeping) and the interiors are ornate and timeless (crystal chandeliers, winding staircases, rich mahogany, marble flooring).
Located right on the cable car line in the heart of Downtown, just a short walk from Union Square.
From $650 per night; omnihotels.com

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.