Best San Francisco Souvenirs

By <a href="#author-bio">Stuart Bak</a>
By Stuart Bak
Selection of San Francisco souvenirs including cable car and Golden Gate Bridge ornaments

What will you bring home from San Francisco, besides a California tan, flowers in your hair, several cable car selfies and a wistful longing to be back in the Golden City’s foggy embrace? Our guide to the best San Francisco souvenirs includes everything from fortune cookies to whale feed (no, that isn’t a typo) and ensures you’ll pick the perfect memento to remember your trip by. Read on for our top picks and where to find them...

Tacky Treasures

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Even a city as cool as San Francisco isn’t immune to the commercial potential of tacky tourist trinkets. But there’s joy to be found in those inexpensive little reminders of vacations well spent: the Golden Gate Bridge fridge magnet, a cuddly toy emblazoned with the ‘I ♥ SF’ logo’, an Alcatraz keychain, a mug bearing the (oh-so-true) sentiment ‘I left my heart in San Francisco’. You’ll find all these and more in stores affiliated to official tourist attractions, plus countless other variations in random gift shops citywide.

But there are two ubiquitous ‘tacky’ San Francisco souvenirs you really shouldn’t leave town without. Spend any time in the city and you’ll soon understand why it's one of the last places on the planet to retain working foghorns, their great plaintive parps guiding ships safely under the Golden Gate Bridge whenever those famously dense banks of San Francisco fog envelop the city. Which is frequently, especially during the Bay Area’s foggy summer season – or ‘Fogust’ as the locals have punningly nicknamed it. Step forward the San Francisco fog globe, a clever variation on the traditional snow globe that, when shaken, shrouds the attraction inside in a dense pea-souper. Magical.

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Also synonymous with San Francisco are the squealing cables, clanging bells and rattling wooden carriages of the MUNI cable car system. Riding these rolling National Historic Landmarks up and down the city’s rollercoaster streets is one of San Francisco’s must-do experiences. And what better memento of your journey than an adorable mini cable car of your very own, with authentic wooden frame and moving wheels? Find yours in the shop at the Cable Car Museum alongside a range of other official merchandise (the MUNI logo tees are pretty cool, too).

Cultural Souvenirs

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If you’re looking for something a little more... highbrow, make like Jack Kerouac and head for the City Lights bookstore where Chinatown and North Beach meet. It’s here (and in nearby bar Vesuvio) that Kerouac used to hang out with fellow beatniks, making it something of a spiritual home of the Beat Generation. Drop by for a browse and pick up a souvenir copy of On The Road or Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems, the latter of which saw City Lights embroiled in an obscenity trial when it first published the collection in 1956.

San Francisco’s museum shops are another great way to pick up unusual souvenirs and gifts. Always dreamed of owning a skateboard adorned with one of Andy Warhol’s soup-can paintings? Jeff Koons-style balloon dog bookends? Frida Kahlo in wooden doll form? Lichtenstein jigsaw puzzle? Then look no further than the arty emporium at SFMOMA in the heart of Downtown. NB: custom art prints are also available for something a little more traditional.

Take a little piece of the Exploratorium home with you: the huge curiosity shop of this astonishing interactive arts and science museum is brimful of colorful apparel, cool science kits and all manner of mindbending puzzles, gadgets and optical illusions.

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Or add a little more levity to your souvenir gifts at the Pirate Supply Store on quirky Valencia Street south of Downtown. Pick up an eye-patch, (fake) parrot and cutlass for the Jack Sparrow in your life, as well as stocking up on those other seafaring essentials: scurvy medication and whale feed.

Sport is also big business in San Francisco where even those with a passing interest are sure to have heard of baseball behemoths the San Francisco Giants and the 49ers, one of the most successful American football teams of all time. Pick up caps, shirts and all manner of other memorabilia at their official stadium shops and at outlets throughout the city.

Foodie Favorites

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Sourdough bread has been a staple of San Francisco life since treasure seekers first brought it here in the California Gold Rush of 1849. Even the 49ers mascot, Sourdough Sam, is named in its honor. You’ll find freshly baked loaves in every San Francisco bakery worth its salt, but locals swear by the Boudin Bakery in Fisherman’s Wharf, perhaps because it too was established in that fateful year of 1849. Stay for a burger or pizza (sourdough bun and base, natch), or grab a crusty loaf to take away and try to resist tearing into it like a wild animal before you get home.

Want more baked goods? Chinatown’s tiny Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory assembles thousands of the crunchy clairvoyant treats by hand every day. You can even have custom-made fortunes included to really creep out superstitious family members when they read their super-accurate predictions.

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There’s yet more gluttonous indulgence to be had in the shape of San Francisco’s damn fine coffee and moreish homemade chocolate. The city’s exploding specialty coffee scene has seen dozens of roasteries pop up over the last few years, including the likes of SoMa’s Sightglass with their signature Owl’s Howl espresso, and Sextant, the only independent Ethiopian trader currently roasting and brewing coffee in the US. Ritual Coffee’s roastery in the Mission district is one of the city’s pioneers and has been serving up the finest single-origin coffees from the Americas to grateful San Franciscans since 2005. Grab some beans from one (or all) of these fine establishments, for a San Francisco souvenir with a touch of class.

Hopeless chocoholics should make for historic Ghirardelli Square, where the chocolate and ice-cream emporium, chocolate tasting experience, chocolate café and pop-up chocolate shop from the legendary Ghirardelli Chocolate Company are enough to put Willy Wonka in the shade. Connoisseurs of the sweet stuff can find something with a little more local flavor at Dandelion Chocolate in the Mission. Take a tour of the factory to see expert chocolatiers conjure confectionery out of cocoa beans before your very eyes, then grab a bar (or six) which, with apologies to expectant chocolate-loving friends and family back home, will almost certainly not survive the flight.

Image of Cocoa, Dessert, Food, Chocolate,

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Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Freelance travel writer

Stu caught the travel bug at an early age, thanks to childhood road trips to the south of France squeezed into the back of a Ford Cortina with two brothers and a Sony Walkman. Now a freelance writer living on the Norfolk coast, Stu has produced content for travel giants including Frommer’s, British Airways, Expedia, Mr & Mrs Smith, and now Go City. His most memorable travel experiences include drinking kava with the locals in Fiji and pranging a taxi driver’s car in the Honduran capital.

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Things to do in San Francisco for a Birthday

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Dom Bewley
Fireworks over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
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New Year's Eve in San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the USA's finest party towns, with neighborhoods that are characterized by their lively nightlife scenes. We’re talking the Castro’s uber-hip LGBTQ+ clubs, high-end dining in Nob Hill, laidback speakeasies in North Beach and chilled-out arty bars in The Mission. In other words: great for seeing in the New Year with a bang. But it’s not all Cable Car cocktails and morning-after Alka-Seltzers. There are loads of ways to spend New Year’s Eve in San Francisco, and we’ve put together a selection of the best, to be enjoyed with or without a drink in your hand. Read on for art and Alcatraz, ballet and burritos, skating and sightseeing, and much more... In the Daytime... Ride the Cable Car The squeal of the cables, the rattle of the wheels, the great clang of the bell: San Francisco’s colorful MUNI tram cars are a great way to while away a New Year’s Eve hour or two. 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And don’t neglect to say hey to the sea lions at Pier 39 while you’re at it. Bag a Bargain If, once again, Father Christmas failed to find space in your stocking for the designer handbag or brand-new iPhone you so desperately wanted, now’s your chance to take the matter into your own hands. Post-Christmas sales run from 26 December right into the New Year, so this is prime time to pick up a bargain. Hit up the big department stores and malls – Saks, Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nieman’s, Westfield – for some of the best. Take a Hike Sure, it’s a bit hilly, but just think of all the good it will do your calves and glutes! There are loads of great walks in San Francisco, from short sightseeing tours of the Castro’s celebrated LGBTQ+ landmarks, to longer walks that take in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood’s boho vibe and Instagram eye candy of the Painted Ladies. But if you really want to get the blood pumping, try the Filbert Street Steps challenge, a steep climb up 500-or-so steps that takes in sweeping views of Treasure Island and the San Francisco Bay Bridge and promises encounters with talkative Telegraph Hill parrots, quaint cottages and cute formal gardens on the way to Coit Tower at its summit. Get Your Culture Fix San Francisco is home to some of California’s finest museums and galleries so where better to while away a few hours while you wait for the New Year festivities to kick off? Experience one of the planet’s largest collections of modern and contemporary art at SFMOMA, starring Hopper, Kahlo, Klee, Matisse, O’Keeffe, Richter and Warhol, to name but a few, and unleash your inner Einstein at the super-cool Exploratorium on Pier 39, where you can summon up your own sandstorms, get lost in the fog and dance with... yourself. Kids young and old will thrill to the vast range of playable vintage arcades and pinball machines at the Musée Mécanique in Fisherman’s Wharf. Chill Out in The Mission Hands-down one of San Francisco’s hippest ‘hoods, The Mission is a great place to chill and take in the sights on New Year’s Eve. Check out the eye-popping painted murals on Balmy Alley and Clarion Alley, and window-shop the cool indie stores on Valencia Street, where vintage fashions, pre-loved vinyl records and, um, pirate supplies are the order of the day. For lunch, seek out a legendary ‘Mission Burrito’ in one of the district's many authentic taquerias. These edible monsters are famed for their super-soft tortillas, farm-fresh ingredients and medley of Mexican flavors. Heave yours up to Dolores Park and find a spot to tuck in accompanied by panoramic views of the hazy Downtown skyline. In the Evening... Take in a Show Kick off your celebrations in earnest with one of San Francisco’s fab New Year shows. Check out listings for some of the city’s top venues – The Fillmore, The Warfield, The Independent – to find the perfect performance to suit your mood. Or go full glad-rags-and-monocles mode behind the stately colonnaded facade of the War Memorial Opera House, where you can catch world-class performances from the vaunted San Francisco Ballet, Opera and Symphony ensembles. Have a Nice Dinner Book early if you want to secure a New Year’s Eve spot for dinner in any of the city’s top restaurants. We’re talking dinner with a view in upscale Nob Hill – check out the Fairmont’s Laurel Court or Top of the Mark at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins. Or hit up Zingari on Union Square for high-end Italian food and live jazz. Looking for something a little less formal? Chinatown is your friend. Generally considered one of the best enclaves for Chinese food in the US, here’s where you can dine like an emperor on fluffy BBQ pork dumplings, delicate shrimp and chive gyoza, crispy sesame balls and all manner of other umami Chinese treats. Find yourself a tiny, cramped restaurant for a fully authentic experience. Go on a New Year’s Eve Cruise A favorite way to spend New Year’s Eve in San Francisco is aboard a cruise on the Bay. It’s a fine (and unusual) way to ring in the New Year, complete with picture-perfect night-time views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and, of course, the city’s spectacular midnight firework display. Cruise options range from high-end dining experiences to booze-fueled party boats that are strictly for revelers aged 21 and over. Note that at least one of these options has the potential to leave you feeling a little, shall we say, seasick the morning after. Skate into the New Year The Embarcadero Holiday Ice Rink is the city’s largest and offers glittering views of San Francisco Bay, the Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge as you glide and swoop, graceful as a drunk swan, across the ice. The rink stays open until 11.30PM on New Year’s Eve, meaning you can skate until late before huddling with the crowds to enjoy the midnight pyrotechnics. The views of the firework display from here – as with just about anywhere along the eastern waterfront – are among the very best in town. Save on things to do in San Francisco Save on admission to San Francisco attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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