San Francisco Visitors Planning Guide - 2025 VPG

If retail therapy, world-class theater and decadent meals are calling your name, you’ll want to spend some time in this bustling neighborhood.

SEE & DO

Virtually every brand name in fashion can be found around Union Square. Stores like Dior, Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana sit alongside mainstays such as Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus. Stroll the pedestrian-only Maiden Lane, lined with art galleries, boutiques and swanky cocktail bars, to discover one of the city’s most charming corners. By night, Union Square is San Francisco’s Theater District. Catch a performance at acclaimed theaters like the Curran, the Phoenix, San Francisco Playhouse and A.C.T.’s Toni Rembe Theater.

EAT & DRINK

Right on the Powell Street cable car line sits a San Francisco classic, Sears Fine Food, famous for its Swedish pancakes. An upscale brunch or lunch at The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus will give you a chance to rest your shopping bags. Book ahead for Kin Khao, a MICHELIN-starred gem that gives Thai cuisine the farm-to-table treatment. Check out the neighborhood’s rooftop scene at MKT Restaurant & Bar, serving to-die-for pasta, and Starlite, an Art Deco jewel box on the top floor of the Beacon Grand Hotel. Mastro’s Steakhouse is tops for a pre-show dinner.

WHERE TO STAY

Choose from an assortment of high-end hotels, including the Westin St. Francis, The Clift Royal Sonesta, Taj Campton Place and Grand Hyatt San Francisco. Go for something a little edgier at Hotel Zeppelin or Axiom Hotel, two of the neighborhood’s most raved-about boutique properties.