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99 Best and Fun Things To Do In Little Italy, San Francisco


TouristWire Editors

This is a community that has developed in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. The area, also known as Little Italy, is known for its abundance of Italian restaurants and exudes a lively, bustling energy that draws in numerous tourists annually.

It is a fantastic vacation filled with delicious eateries, beautiful parks, and family-friendly amenities. It is also home to a vibrant nightlife scene, when the streets are lit with thousands of twinkling lights.

Little Italy and North Beach is especially popular during the month of June, when it plays host to the North Beach Festival and Street Fair. Here, visitors can stroll through hundreds of stalls with everything from gourmet food and beer to locally-made handicrafts and live entertainment.

Read on to discover more fun things to do in Little Italy, San Francisco, listed below

The 99 Most Popular Things To Do In Little Italy, San Francisco

99. California Historical Society

4.4 ★★★★☆ (23 reviews)

Location: 678 Mission Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 357 1848

Web Address:   http://californiahistoricalsociety.org/

98. San Bruno Mountain

4.7 ★★★★★ (24 reviews)

97. Davidson, Mount

4.7 ★★★★★ (49 reviews)

96. Language of the Birds

4.3 ★★★★☆ (50 reviews)

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Credit: Wayne Hsieh, License, Flickr

Location: 320 Columbus Ave San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 831 2782

Web Address:   http://sfgov.org/

95. China Beach, San Francisco

4.5 ★★★★★ (198 reviews)

94. Museum of Craft and Design

4.3 ★★★★☆ (208 reviews)

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Credit: Museum of Craft and Design, Google Maps

Location: 2569 3rd Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 773 0303

Web Address:   http://sfmcd.org/

93. Angel Island

4.5 ★★★★★ (210 reviews)

92. Lawrence Hall of Science

4.5 ★★★★★ (309 reviews)

Location: 1 Centennial Dr Berkeley CA

Tel:  510 642 5132

Web Address:   http://lawrencehallofscience.org/

91. Cartoon Art Museum

4.2 ★★★★☆ (310 reviews)

Location: 781 Beach Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 227 8666

Web Address:   http://cartoonart.org/

90. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

4.7 ★★★★★ (331 reviews)

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Credit: License, Wikimedia commons

Location: 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 750 3600

Web Address:   http://famsf.org/

89. Museum of the African Diaspora

4.4 ★★★★☆ (371 reviews)

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Credit: Museum of the African Diaspora, Google Maps

Location: 685 Mission Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 358 7200

Web Address:   https://moadsf.org/

88. Randall Museum

4.7 ★★★★★ (404 reviews)

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Credit: Abby Boudreau, Google Maps

Location: 199 Museum Way San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 554 9600

Web Address:   http://randallmuseum.org/

87. Lombard Street

4.7 ★★★★★ (582 reviews)

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Credit: Pom’, License, Flickr

86. The Marine Mammal Center

4.7 ★★★★★ (600 reviews)

Location: 2000 Bunker Road Sausalito CA

Tel:  415 289 7325

Web Address:   https://marinemammalcenter.org/

85. Children’s Creativity Museum

4.6 ★★★★★ (603 reviews)

Location: 221 4th Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 820 3320

Web Address:   http://creativity.org/

84. Lake Merritt

4.6 ★★★★★ (649 reviews)

83. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

4.5 ★★★★★ (662 reviews)

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Credit: Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Google Maps

Location: 2155 Center Street Berkeley CA

Tel:  510 642 0808

Web Address:   http://bampfa.org/

82. The Contemporary Jewish Museum

4.2 ★★★★☆ (681 reviews)

Location: 736 Mission Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 655 7800

Web Address:   http://thecjm.org/

81. Rodeo Beach

4.7 ★★★★★ (741 reviews)

80. Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

4.7 ★★★★★ (742 reviews)

Location: One Ferry Building #50 San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 291 3276

Web Address:   https://cuesa.org/markets/ferry-plaza-farmers-market

79. Point Bonita Lighthouse

4.7 ★★★★★ (825 reviews)

Location: San Francisco Bay entrance in the Marin Headlands Sausalito CA

Tel:  415 331 1540

Web Address:   http://nps.gov/goga/pobo.htm

78. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

4.5 ★★★★★ (837 reviews)

Location: 701 Mission Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 978 2787

Web Address:   http://ybca.org/

77. Misión San Francisco de Asís

4.6 ★★★★★ (952 reviews)

Location: 3321 16th Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 621 8203

Web Address:   http://missiondolores.org/old-mission/visitor.html

76. Marshall’s Beach

4.8 ★★★★★ (993 reviews)

Web Address:   https://nps.gov/goga/index.htm

75. Transamerica Pyramid

4.4 ★★★★☆ (995 reviews)

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Credit: Alfonso Jimenez, License, Wikimedia commons

Location: 600 Montgomery Street San Francisco CA

Web Address:   http://transamericapyramidcenter.com/

74. San Francisco City Hall

4.5 ★★★★★ (1,148 reviews)

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Credit: Georgia Cartharis, License, Flickr

Location: 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 554 4000

Web Address:   http://sfgov.org/cityhall/contact-us

73. Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

4.7 ★★★★★ (1,205 reviews)

Location: Oakland CA

Tel:  888 327 2757

Web Address:   http://ebparks.org/parks/sibley/

72. SS Jeremiah O’Brien

4.7 ★★★★★ (1,226 reviews)

Location: Pier 45 San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 544 0100

Web Address:   http://ssjeremiahobrien.org/

71. Top of the Mark

4.4 ★★★★☆ (1,273 reviews)

Location: 999 California Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 616 6916

Web Address:   https://topofthemark.com/

70. Children’s Fairyland

4.5 ★★★★★ (1,292 reviews)

Location: 699 Bellevue Ave Oakland CA

Tel:  510 452 2259

Web Address:   http://fairyland.org/

69. Glen Canyon Park

4.7 ★★★★★ (1,317 reviews)

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Credit: SooMin Lee, Google Maps

Location: Elk Street and Chenery Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 831 2700

Web Address:   https://sfrecpark.org/511/Glen-Canyon-Park

68. The Wave Organ

4.2 ★★★★☆ (1,446 reviews)

Location: 83 Marina Green Dr San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 528 4444

Web Address:   https://exploratorium.edu/visit/wave-organ

67. University of California, Berkeley

3.3 ★★★☆☆ (1,474 reviews)

Location: Berkeley CA

Tel:  510 642 6000

66. Swan Oyster Depot

4.6 ★★★★★ (1,593 reviews)

Location: 1517 Polk Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 673 1101

65. Baker Beach

4.7 ★★★★★ (1,596 reviews)

64. University of California Botanical Garden

4.8 ★★★★★ (1,599 reviews)

Location: 200 Centennial Dr Berkeley CA

Tel:  510 643 2755

63. Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar

4.2 ★★★★☆ (1,713 reviews)

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Credit: Seulki Noh, Google Maps

Location: 950 Mason Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 772 5278

Web Address:   http://tongaroom.com/

62. John McLaren Park

4.6 ★★★★★ (1,771 reviews)

Location: 100 John F Shelley Dr San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 831 2700

Web Address:   https://sfrecpark.org/454/McLaren-Park-Trails

61. USS Pampanito

4.6 ★★★★★ (1,782 reviews)

Location: San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 775 1943

Web Address:   http://maritime.org/

60. Angel Island State Park

4.7 ★★★★★ (1,842 reviews)

Location: Tiburon CA

Tel:  415 435 1915

Web Address:   http://parks.ca.gov/

59. Buena Vista Park

4.6 ★★★★★ (1,868 reviews)

Location: Buena Vista & Haight St San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 831 5500

Web Address:   https://sfrecpark.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/Buena-Vista-Park-155

58. Grace Cathedral

4.6 ★★★★★ (2,051 reviews)

Location: 1100 California Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 749 6300

Web Address:   http://gracecathedral.org/

57. Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park

4.6 ★★★★★ (2,169 reviews)

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Credit: Bryan Goff, Google Maps

Location: 1414 Harbour Way S #3000 Richmond CA

Tel:  510 232 5050

Web Address:   http://nps.gov/rori

56. Sutro Baths

4.7 ★★★★★ (2,178 reviews)

Location: 1004 Point Lobos Ave San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 426 5240

Web Address:   https://nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/cliff-house-sutro-baths.htm

55. Tadich Grill

4.5 ★★★★★ (2,180 reviews)

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Credit: Tadich Grill, Google Maps

Location: 240 California Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 391 1849

Web Address:   http://tadichgrillsf.com/

54. Joaquin Miller Park

4.7 ★★★★★ (2,202 reviews)

Location: 3300 Joaquin Miller Road Oakland CA

Tel:  510 615 5566

Web Address:   http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/opr/s/Parks/JoaquinMiller/

53. Bay Area Discovery Museum

4.7 ★★★★★ (2,210 reviews)

Location: 557 McReynolds Road Sausalito CA

Tel:  415 339 3900

Web Address:   http://bayareadiscoverymuseum.org/

52. Madame Tussauds San Francisco

4.3 ★★★★☆ (2,344 reviews)

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Credit: Robert Vee Velarde, Google Maps

Location: 145 Jefferson Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 757 2707

Web Address:   https://madametussauds.com/san-francisco/en/

51. San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge

4.5 ★★★★★ (2,467 reviews)

Location: San Francisco   Oakland Bay Bridge San Francisco CA

Web Address:   https://baybridgeinfo.org/

50. 16th Avenue Tiled Steps

4.7 ★★★★★ (2,525 reviews)

Location: 16th Ave San Francisco CA

Web Address:   http://16thavenuetiledsteps.com/

49. Conservatory of Flowers

4.7 ★★★★★ (2,545 reviews)

Location: 100 John F Kennedy Dr San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 831 2090

Web Address:   http://conservatoryofflowers.org/

48. USS Hornet – Sea, Air and Space Museum

4.8 ★★★★★ (2,595 reviews)

Location: 707 W Hornet Ave Alameda CA

Tel:  510 521 8448

Web Address:   https://uss-hornet.org/

47. Fort Point National Historic Site

4.7 ★★★★★ (2,807 reviews)

Location: 201 Marine Dr San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 504 2334

Web Address:   http://nps.gov/fopo/planyourvisit/hours.htm

46. City Lights Booksellers & Publishers

4.7 ★★★★★ (2,923 reviews)

Location: 261 Columbus Ave San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 362 8193

Web Address:   https://citylights.com/

45. Asian Art Museum

4.6 ★★★★★ (3,052 reviews)

Location: 200 Larkin Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 581 3500

Web Address:   http://asianart.org/

44. The Walt Disney Family Museum

4.6 ★★★★★ (3,089 reviews)

Location: 104 Montgomery Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 345 6800

Web Address:   http://waltdisney.org/

43. Legion of Honor

4.7 ★★★★★ (3,094 reviews)

Location: 100 34th Ave San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 750 3600

Web Address:   https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/

42. Battery Spencer

4.8 ★★★★★ (3,122 reviews)

Location: Conzelman Road Sausalito CA

Tel:  415 561 4700

Web Address:   https://nps.gov/places/000/battery-spencer-overlook.htm

41. Fort Funston

4.8 ★★★★★ (3,132 reviews)

Location: Fort Funston Road San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 561 4700

Web Address:   https://nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/fortfunston.htm

40. Tilden Regional Park

4.8 ★★★★★ (3,397 reviews)

Location: 2501 Grizzly Peak Blvd Orinda CA

Tel:  510 544 2747

Web Address:   http://ebparks.org/parks/tilden

39. Yerba Buena Gardens

4.6 ★★★★★ (3,699 reviews)

Location: 750 Howard Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 651 3684

Web Address:   http://yerbabuenagardens.com/

38. Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach

4.5 ★★★★★ (3,957 reviews)

Location: 8th St Otis Dr Alameda CA

Tel:  510 544 3175

Web Address:   https://parks.ca.gov/

37. Aquarium of the Bay

4.2 ★★★★☆ (4,009 reviews)

Location: PIER 39 The Embarcadero & Beach Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 623 5300

Web Address:   http://aquariumofthebay.org/

36. California Academy of Sciences

4.6 ★★★★★ (4,014 reviews)

Location: 55 Music Concourse Dr San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 379 8000

Web Address:   https://calacademy.org/

35. San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

4.6 ★★★★★ (4,389 reviews)

Location: San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 447 5000

Web Address:   http://nps.gov/safr

34. San Francisco Cable Car Museum

4.7 ★★★★★ (4,556 reviews)

Location: 1201 Mason Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 474 1887

Web Address:   http://cablecarmuseum.org/

33. Crissy Field

4.7 ★★★★★ (5,060 reviews)

Location: 1199 E Beach San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 561 4323

Web Address:   http://parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/crissy-field.html

32. Musée Mécanique

4.7 ★★★★★ (5,796 reviews)

Location: Pier 45 San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 346 2000

Web Address:   https://museemecanique.com/

31. San Francisco Botanical Garden

4.8 ★★★★★ (5,994 reviews)

Location: 1199 9th Ave San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 661 1316

Web Address:   https://sfbg.org/

30. de Young Museum

4.6 ★★★★★ (6,229 reviews)

Location: 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 750 3600

Web Address:   http://deyoung.famsf.org/

29. Lands End Lookout

4.8 ★★★★★ (6,896 reviews)

Location: 680 Point Lobos Ave San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 426 5240

Web Address:   https://store.parksconservancy.org/collections/lands-end

28. Exploratorium

4.7 ★★★★★ (7,501 reviews)

Location: Pier 15 Embarcadero at Green Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 528 4444

Web Address:   http://exploratorium.edu/

27. Marin Headlands

4.8 ★★★★★ (8,152 reviews)

Location: Sausalito CA

Tel:  415 331 1540

Web Address:   http://nps.gov/goga/marin-headlands.htm

26. San Francisco Zoo

4.4 ★★★★☆ (10,916 reviews)

Location: Sloat Blvd & Upper Great Hwy San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 753 7080

Web Address:   http://sfzoo.org/

25. Coit Tower

4.6 ★★★★★ (11,109 reviews)

Location: 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 249 0995

Web Address:   http://sfrecpark.org/destination/telegraph-hill-pioneer-park/coit-tower/

24. Japanese Tea Garden

4.5 ★★★★★ (11,566 reviews)

Location: 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 752 1171

Web Address:   http://japaneseteagardensf.com/

23. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

4.7 ★★★★★ (12,408 reviews)

Location: 151 3rd Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 357 4000

Web Address:   https://sfmoma.org/

22. Mission Dolores Park

4.7 ★★★★★ (12,460 reviews)

Location: Dolores Street & 19th Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 831 2700

Web Address:   http://sfrecpark.org/destination/mission-dolores-park/

21. Muir Woods National Monument

4.8 ★★★★★ (13,888 reviews)

Location: Mill Valley CA

Tel:  415 561 2850

Web Address:   https://nps.gov/muwo/index.htm

20. Golden Gate National Recreation Area

4.7 ★★★★★ (16,645 reviews)

Location: Mill Valley CA

Tel:  415 561 4700

Web Address:   http://nps.gov/goga/index.htm

19. Palace of Fine Arts

4.7 ★★★★★ (19,301 reviews)

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Credit: Billy Wilson, License, Flickr

Location: 3601 Lyon Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 376 1704

Web Address:   http://palaceoffinearts.com/

18. The Painted Ladies

4.4 ★★★★☆ (19,302 reviews)

Location: Steiner St & Hayes St San Francisco CA

17. Oracle Park

4.7 ★★★★★ (23,225 reviews)

Location: 24 Willie Mays Plaza San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 972 2000

Web Address:   https://mlb.com/giants/ballpark

16. Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience

4.5 ★★★★★ (23,335 reviews)

Location: 900 North Point Street Streete F301 San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 447 2846

Web Address:   https://ghirardelli.com/StoreLocations-SanFranciscoSquare

15. Ferry Building

4.6 ★★★★★ (27,757 reviews)

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Credit: Wayne Hsieh, License, Flickr

Location: 1 Ferry Building San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 983 8000

Web Address:   https://ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

14. Union Square

4.4 ★★★★☆ (29,934 reviews)

Location: 333 Post Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 486 4800

Web Address:   http://visitunionsquaresf.com/

13. Alcatraz Island

4.7 ★★★★★ (32,126 reviews)

Location: San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 561 4900

Web Address:   http://nps.gov/alca/index.htm

12. Golden Gate Park

4.8 ★★★★★ (41,756 reviews)

Location: San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 831 2700

Web Address:   http://sfrecpark.org/parks-open-spaces/golden-gate-park-guide/

11. Golden Gate Bridge

4.8 ★★★★★ (60,297 reviews)

Location: Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 921 5858

Web Address:   http://goldengatebridge.org/

10. PIER 39

4.6 ★★★★★ (104,631 reviews)

Location: The Embarcadero San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 705 5500

Web Address:   https://pier39.com/

Our Top picks

9. Columbus Tower

5.0 ★★★★★ (2 reviews)

Location: 141 Columbus Ave San Francisco CA

8. Chestnut Street

4.8 ★★★★★ (6 reviews)

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Credit: ulle, Google Maps

7. Columbus Avenue

4.3 ★★★★☆ (10 reviews)

6. National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi

4.8 ★★★★★ (94 reviews)

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Credit: Andy Coan, License, Wikimedia commons

Location: 610 Vallejo Street  San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 986 4557

Web Address:   http://shrinesf.org/

5. The Beat Museum

4.4 ★★★★☆ (224 reviews)

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Credit: Lawrence Marcus, Google Maps

Location: 540 Broadway San Francisco CA

Tel:  800 537 6822

Web Address:   http://kerouac.com/

4. Joe DiMaggio Playground

4.7 ★★★★★ (497 reviews)

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Credit: Delina Huang, Google Maps

Location: 651 Lombard Street San Francisco CA

3. Saints Peter and Paul Church

4.7 ★★★★★ (601 reviews)

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Credit: Matthew Black, License, Flickr

Location: 666 Filbert Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 421 0809

Web Address:   https://salesiansspp.org/

2. Powell-Mason Cable Car Turnaround

4.5 ★★★★★ (2,184 reviews)

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Credit: Angelic Kühn, Google Maps

Location: 2350 Taylor Street San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 701 2311

Web Address:   https://sfmta.com/getting-around/transit/fares-passes

1. Washington Square

4.5 ★★★★★ (4,175 reviews)

Location: Filbert St & Stockton St San Francisco CA

Tel:  415 274 0291

Web Address:   https://sfrecpark.org/

Final Words:

Thank you for reading our list of the best things to do in Little Italy, San Francisco! We hope it helped you plan the perfect itinerary for your next trip to this fantastic destination. Happy travels!

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