Visitors flock to Venice year-round, and who can blame them?
09.02.2024 - 12:04 / lonelyplanet.com / Diego Rivera / Frida Kahlo
Famously beautiful, San Francisco is one of the most filmed, photographed (and shared on social networks) cities in the world. It’s even better in real life.
Pictures can never capture the taste of mouthwatering, farm-fresh dishes, the clang of the cable car and the truly joyous celebrations of individuality you’ll find on any visit here. But where do you start your urban exploration? From world-class museums to the best in LGBTIQ+ culture and incredible city vistas, here are the best things to do on any visit to San Francisco.
Other suspension bridges are impressive feats of engineering, but the Golden Gate Bridge tops them all for its razzle-dazzle. On sunny days, this American icon transfixes crowds with its radiant glow (there are great views from Crissy Field), made possible by the work of 28 daredevil painters who reapply around 1000 gallons of International Orange paint each week. To inspect their work, duck under the bridge into Fort Point, make your way to the roof and look up: you’ll notice that even on the underbelly of the bridge, not a single rivet is allowed to get rusty.
Planning tip: Head to the Marin County end of the bridge as the late-afternoon fog rolls in, and you’ll witness the ultimate magic show: now you see the Golden Gate Bridge, now you don’t. Return tomorrow for its dramatic unveiling, just in time for the morning commute.
Golden Gate Park seems to contain just about everything San Franciscans love about their city, from bonsai and buffalo to flowers, free music and free spirits. The de Young Museum offers superb exhibitions of fine art in a striking contemporary building designed by Herzog & de Meuron, while the nearby California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and fabulous natural history museum complete with its own rainforest and aquarium. The park is also home to the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Japanese Tea Garden, Conservatory of Flowers and Stow Lake. Today, everything SF needs is here: inspiration, nature and murals.
Planning tip: With its myriad attractions, you could wander the park for a week and still not see them all. Select a few, take your time, and end your day enjoying the sunset over the Pacific with a fresh-brewed beer at the Beach Chalet.
Love changed the course of art history in the 1930s when modern-art power couple Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo honeymooned in San Francisco. Kahlo completed her first portrait commissions during her time in the city, while Rivera created public masterpieces that inspired generations of San Francisco muralists. Today San Francisco’s Mission District is an urban-art showstopper, featuring more than 400 murals throughout the neighborhood.
Planning tip: Head to Balmy Alley for some of the oldest murals, while
Visitors flock to Venice year-round, and who can blame them?
April brings a seasonal shift across the globe, making it the ideal time of year for exploring ancient wonders, embarking on epic adventures and savoring fresh local produce.
Stretching along the sinewy curves of the Douro River, Porto is a city of hilly cobblestone lanes, avant-garde museums and grand architectural monuments that date back to the Middle Ages.
Forget crossing bridges to get across the Bay – San Francisco locals are notorious for not wanting to leave the city.
Beyond the hippy days and techno raves, the best things to do in Ibiza can be attributed to the island's staggering natural beauty of windswept beaches, coves, rocky red cliffs and pine forests. Spend your days swimming and snorkeling, hiking, or renting a boat to explore hard-to-reach bays. Away from the beaches, visit the cute villages and town squares that make this Balearic Island beat, each with its unique vibe but full of local cafes, restaurants, and shops. With a Phoenician settlement founded in 654 BC, much of the island is steeped in history, with UNESCO heritage sites of ancient settlements dotted around. Spend some time traipsing around Ibiza Town, a labyrinth of bustling shops and restaurants with an ancient past seen in its cobbled stone streets and castle that looms large over the island. Here, we share a snapshot of things to do in Ibiza, including what to see and explore to get to know this mythical island.
Whether it's crowd-free sandy bays, dramatic cliffscapes or marine life havens, travelers love a day out at the beach. Each year, travel review and advice site Tripadvisor releases a list of the world’s best beaches as part of its Travellers’ Choice Awards. The site analyses the tens of millions of reviews submitted by global travelers over the past 12 months and looks at the quality and quantity of ratings for beach experiences.
Québec City is known for its enchanting architecture and historic vibe – a French-Canadian city that feels European, with a side of deliciously gooey poutine.
The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root “yuj,” which means to unify. A growing number of yogis have taken this pursuit to a new level by joining immersive yoga retreats that offer a deeper connection with nature, the self, and the collective consciousness. Whether you practice daily or it’s your first time on the mat, embarking on a yoga retreat can allow you to focus on your well-being in a remote or natural setting. Studies have linked yoga to reduced stress, and committing to a structured program with daily classes can help you reap those benefits—while also enjoying the stunning surroundings of your chosen destination.
San Francisco has a long way to go before tourism, meetings and conferences fully return to the city. Its association with homelessness, public drug abuse and crime has done a lot to drag out its post-pandemic recovery.
Forget Paris in spring: Rome is both warmer and cooler in the first few months of the year. The locals are in their winter black rollneck jumpers, accessorised with equally noir-ish sunglasses. With an average of 17C by March, it’s warm enough to sit outside cafés and bars, but not hot enough to fall foul of the “no shorts” rule enforced in Rome’s oldest churches.
South Korea might not leap out as the obvious place for a road trip. The country's superb public transportation means a private vehicle is rarely necessary, and the traffic in Seoul can make you question the point of the open road when you spend so much time at a standstill.
Vermont—home of the Green Mountains, fantastic cheese, and Noah Kahan. The state is a haven for artisans, makers, and bona fide New England yankees looking for a quieter pace of life, and a rich tapestry of well-known scenery and hidden gems to explore. Ask ten visitors which part of Vermont they love most and you’re likely to get ten different answers—but pretty much everyone can agree that in the winter, it’s all roads lead to Stowe.