San Francisco sits on a peninsula, surrounded by San Francisco Bay on the east side and the Pacific Ocean on the west, a compact city composed of several distinct neighbourhoods. Millions of travellers take cheap flights to San Francisco each year to see its iconic landmarks - the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Haight-Ashbury, Alcatraz - ride a cable car along California Street or saunter through the colourful Chinatowns (there are two).
North Beach is one of San Francisco's best-loved neighbourhoods. Famous for its cafe culture, it has everything that has made the city famous - cable cars, corkscrew-like streets and bohemian bars.
Pacific Heights boasts those elegant mansions and Nob Hill and Russian Hill are ritzy. The Castro is renowned worldwide as a gay hotspot. Chinatown is a riot of colours, sights, sounds and mouthwatering food.
Haight-Ashbury may no longer be the hippie culture capital, but it has kept its laidback vibe even if its stores are more high-end than tie-dyed.