Where to stay · San Francisco, United States
Where to stay in San Francisco
6 areas worth booking in San Francisco, sorted by the budget each one actually suits — what the neighborhood feels like, and what a night there costs.
Budget — best areas
≈ $55 / nightColumbus Avenue's cafés and bars, City Lights bookshop and Coit Tower on the hill above. Old small hotels and the city's best-known hostel, with Chinatown next door.
The sunniest district: the murals of Balmy Alley, Valencia Street, the taquerias and Dolores Park. Few hotels, but BART runs underneath; eat here wherever you sleep.
Mid-range — best areas
≈ $170 / nightThe hotel district at the centre: department stores, the cable car turnaround on Powell Street and BART below. Convenient; the blocks towards the Tenderloin are rough after dark.
West of Civic Center: Hayes Valley's shops and restaurants and Japantown's malls and design hotels, between downtown and Golden Gate Park.
Luxury — best areas
≈ $480 / nightThe hilltop of the railroad barons' mansions, now the Fairmont, the Mark Hopkins and Grace Cathedral, with the California Street cable car down to the waterfront.
The waterfront from the Ferry Building to the Bay Bridge: high-floor hotels over the bay, the Ferry Building's food hall and the piers for the boats to Alcatraz.
Now pick the hotel
The San Francisco guide carries the full shortlist for each tier, with why each hotel is on it.