Holiday Ayo - Situated along the ocean, with rolling hills and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States and the jewel of Northern California. The city is full of history, great neighborhoods, parks, beaches, museums and lots of entertainment options.

Some of the most famous attractions, outside of the famous bridge, are historic Alcatraz Island and Fisherman's Wharf. In the city center is Golden Gate Park, a large green space with all kinds of things to do. San Francisco's Chinatown, the largest of its kind in North America, is definitely worth a visit. For a great tour of the city, hop on one of the historic cable cars, which stop at many of the city's top sites.

1. Golden Gate Bridge

source: Visit The USA

The Golden Gate Bridge is a California icon that overlooks the San Francisco Bay. It's the most photographed site in the city, with its orange structures supported by blue water, or in many cases, peaking through low clouds. At night, the floodlit structures are just as striking.

Connecting San Francisco with Marin County and other districts further north, the Golden Gate Bridge was, at one time, designated the United States' largest man-made sight by the U.S. Travel Service. Opened on May 28, 1937, the bridge took four years to build and at the time of its completion, was the longest suspension bridge in the world, approximately two miles long.

2. Alcatraz Island

source: National Park Service

The historic and famous Alcatraz Penitentiary, located on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay, is one of the most famous prisons in America. It operated for nearly thirty years, closing in 1963 and reopening as a tourist attraction in 1973. Some of America's most notorious criminals were convicts here, including Al Capone and "Birdman," which would later become the basis for the fictional film The Birdman of Alcatraz.

You can take the ferry to the island and explore the site while listening to amazing audio recordings that offer a glimpse of life in the prison, not just a list of historical facts. This narrative has even been voiced by ex-convicts and Alcatraz guards.

3. Golden Gate Park

source: Curbed SF

Golden Gate Park, home to gardens and a museum, is an extraordinary green space in the heart of San Francisco, often considered the "lung" of the city. Before construction began in 1871, this was a dry dune area. Today, the park contains a network of walking and cycling paths, more than 5,000 types of plants and dozens of tree species, several lakes, bridle trails and buffalo bulls. Main attractions include the de Young Museum , the California Academy of Sciences Museum with the Steinhart Aquarium , the Japanese Tea Gardens , and the San Francisco Botanical Gardens .

4. Legion of Honor

source: Fine Arts Museums of San Fransisco

An impressive Neoclassical Beaux-Arts building in a stunning setting, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor is San Francisco's most beautiful museum. The Legion of Honor is a gift from socialite, philanthropist and patron of the arts Alma de Bretteville Spreckels. Out of his love for all things Parisian, this museum was designed as a replica of the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur in Paris. The Legion of Honor Museum has an outstanding collection of European art, sculpture and decorative painting, along with antiquities from the Mediterranean and Near East.

5. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

source: Los Angeles Times

After extensive renovations, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) reopened in spring 2016, with an exhibit area of 170,000 square feet; nearly three times its previous size. The museum now has 10 floors, with 45,000 feet of ground floor gallery space open to the public free of charge. In addition to the new space, the museum has also acquired thousands of new pieces. The museum displays a variety of exhibits, some from the museum's permanent collection and others specially commissioned for opening.