Travel guide San Francisco

Protected from the fury of the Pacific, the bay is a small haven of peace where coastal towns have been able to develop as far inland as San José. San Francisco is known as the City of the Bay. Oakland and Berkeley are part of the East Bay, while Sausalito and Tiburon to the north have become attractive marinas.

The poets of the Beat Generation, known as the Beatniks, gathered in San Francisco in the 1950s. The result was endless drinking and, occasionally, some fine literary work. Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg were the initiators. Kerouac's book Sur la route is one of the best-known.

Half tramway, half funicular, these little trains pulled by cables through the historic corners of the city have been around since the 1870s. They offer magnificent views and allow you to climb the city's steep hills, notably Nob Hill and Russian Hill. The best-known is the Powell Street line. Don't hesitate, hop on!

No, it's not a myth: fog is real in San Francisco and along the Pacific coast in summer. Don't think of a light mist, think of an opaque cloud. It arises when heat stored inland collides with frozen ocean water. The result is the thick fog that washes over the city at the end of the day.

In English, we call them murals. There are plenty of them in San Francisco, particularly in the Mission district, where street painting is a veritable institution. They are an opportunity for residents to express their political opinions, whether on the oppression of peoples in Central America or on international political issues.

This is the famous road that runs along the Pacific Ocean from Northern to Southern California, passing through Eureka, San Francisco, Big Sur, Mendocino... It's famous for its breathtaking ocean views, but also for a few passes through the famous redwoods. Be careful and allow plenty of time, as it is winding and sometimes submerged in fog.

Ashbury Haight, with its Flower Power vans, multicolored Peace and Love goodie stores and 70's thrift stores, remains THE hippie district of San Francisco. A wave born against the tide in the 60s in the midst of the Vietnam War and a community that flourished with its own philosophy and musicians, who still fascinate today.

If there's one city in the world where life is good for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders, it's San Francisco. This dates back to the Second World War, when homosexuals were drafted from the Pacific fleet and landed in the city. But beyond that, it was the activism of the 1970s that succeeded in opening minds.

These famous Victorian houses, built in the second half of the ^19th century, are emblematic of Northern California cities. San Francisco, of course, but also Eureka, Salinas, Pacific Grove, Ferndale, Mendocino... However, they have only been painted in bright colors since the early 70s, by hippies of course.

It was the Gold Rush that launched California's development. Until 1848, it was a region that enjoyed peaceful days around the Franciscan mission. With the discovery of the first nuggets, an ocean of ambitious forty-niners arrived. The ghost towns of the hinterland bear witness to this tumultuous past.

The cradle of microcomputing since the early 1970s, the region between Palo Alto and San Jose is home to cutting-edge computer industries, the famous "techs" who employ Stanford and Berkeley students in software design. Silicon Valley is, of course, home to Apple, Google, Meta...

The San Andreas Fault that runs along California causes intense seismic activity. Earthquakes are permanent, but most are imperceptible. In 1896, a huge earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale caused gas lines in San Francisco to leak, resulting in a fire that destroyed half the city.