San Francisco Top 10 Best Photo Spots
Listing my top 10 most Instagram worthy photo spots in San Francisco! Because it’s SanFran, many of these locations are for the best view and photos of the Golden Gate Bridge, but there are many other spots too. You may be surprised that some places are not on this list, and you may have not known about some of my picks! This list describes why each place is a great photo spot and includes the address so you can easily find them! Lets get started!
10. Chinatown
The largest Chinatown outside of Asia and a must visit while in San Francisco is also an Instagrammable area. Grant Avenue is has numerous red lanterns hanging above the street that are both beautiful during the day and while lit up at night. Other great photo ideas in Chinatown include bright street art, streets lined with flags, the marketplaces and of course authentic Chinese food!
Another great spot that is technically in Chinatown is the crosswalk at Columbus Ave & Broadway where you can get a great shot of the Transamerica Pyramid. I randomly found this gem of a photo spot while walking around one night after dinner and went back during the day to take a photo. I will say it looks so much better at night! You will have to wait until you have the right away to use the cross walk to get the best photo, just be careful and make sure you have a friend to watch for traffic!
9. The Redwoods
Muir Woods National Monument Mill Valley, CA 94941
The Redwoods just north of San Francisco are awe worthy. This is further up on the list just because they are harder to get to unless you have a car for transportation. If you are planning on visiting Muir Woods National Monument you will NEED TO reserve parking or the shuttle in advance or you wont be able to visit (I learned the hard way)! But you can find some redwoods without having to go to Muir Woods. I got beautiful photos at Old Mill Park! If you have the time and transportation, I highly recommend adding the redwoods to your list.
8. Salesforce Park
425 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105
A fairly new park in San Francisco and not really well known. This five and a half acre rooftop park has stunning views of San Francisco’s skyline including Salesforce Tower. In addition to beautiful city photos, the park has 6,000 trees and 16,000 plants which makes for some great photos with greenery and plants from all over the world!
7. Alcatraz
Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, CA
I definitely recommend visiting Alcatraz if you are going to San Francisco! Not only is it a great attraction its a great place to take photos! Not only can you get some artsy/creepy photos of the prison, Alcatraz has gardens and an exceptional view of San Francisco from the bay. If its not foggy outside, you have a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge, the SF skyline and the Bay Bridge! It was foggy went I went so there was little visibility but I did get some great photos inside the prison!
6. The Palace of Fine Arts
3601 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123
I just love The Palace of the Fine Arts! It is such a beautiful place and great for photos that make you look like you’re in a different country with its Beaux-Arts architecture style! It is a popular tourist attraction and extremely popular for photo shoots. After I took some pictures in one area, a wedding party came to take photos in the same area. You’ll see this place on Instagram a lot, so why not take your own insta-worthy pic here?!
5. Battery Spencer
Battery Spencer Conzelman Rd, Sausalito, CA 94965
Arguably one of the best places to get a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge since you look down towards the bridge and skyline. The only reason it’s not number 1 or 2 is because it is relatively hard to get to without a car. Since this lookout point is in Sausalito, CA it requires a drive across the bridge. If you have a car it’s a must go to, but if you are traveling and didn’t rent a car you can take an uber or lyft but it does take a while to find a ride back and the fare is more expensive than trips inside of the city of San Francisco. If you plan on walking or biking across the bridge it’ll be about a 10 mile round trip to get to Battery Spencer and back.
4. Umbrella Alley
757 Beach St, San Francisco, CA 94109
This cute little alley is located just steps away from Buena Vista (famous for Irish Coffee). It’s filled with art from local muralists and artists and even has wooden stands for your phone to take photos! It is free to visit but donations are encouraged to help support the artists.
3. Torpedo Warf
Torpedo Warf, Long Avenue San Francisco, CA 94129
This popular local fishing pier is actually a hidden gem for photographs of the Golden Gate Bridge! This is the closest pier to the bridge and it extends out into the bay. You can take photos here with no one in the background and get a full view of the bridge! I will say the pier itself is not cute, but the photos here are perfect.
2. Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA
You could spend multiple days taking photos in Golden Gate Park! This park is larger than Central Park in NYC at 1,017 acres and has so many great areas to visit! This is number 2 because there are so many great places to take photos!
Insta-Worthy Spots in Golden Gate Park
- Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden / Dutch Windmill
- Strawberry Hill (featuring a waterfall)
- Conservatory of Flowers (fee required)
- Japanese Tea Garden (fee required)
- Botanical Gardens (fee required)
- Shakespeare Garden
- de Young Museum (art museum, fee required)
- California Academy of Sciences (science museum, fee required)
- Bison Paddock with live bison
1. Golden Gate Overlook
Langdon Ct, San Francisco, CA 94129
My number 1 pick is the Golden Gate Overlook, specifically an area between the Overlook and Presidio Battery West where there are two trees that perfectly frame the bridge! This spot is known and you’ll likely have to wait a little bit to get the perfect shot but luckily it’s not too touristy. I recommend getting some beautiful photos in this spot, but honestly anywhere in the Presidio you’ll get stunning photos of the bridge! take a drive and stop at all the lookout points in the Presidio if you have the time and you’ll get plenty of photos.
Wait… What about:
Now you may be thinking why I didn’t include some popular places.
Painted Ladies
I realized the Painted Ladies aren’t on this list and honestly I would have put it at number 11. A very popular tourist spot, it’s a must see if you’ve never seen them. They are beautiful and make for a great photo, but for me just didn’t quite make the cut. Expect Alamo Square Park (directly across the street from the Painted Ladies) to be busy. You may have to wait a little while to get that perfect photo with no one in the background, but don’t let this deter you from going!
Lombard Street
Honestly, it is extremely hard to get a good photo of Lombard street unless you can get an aerial photo. From above the road or below the road you can’t see all the twists and turns because there is a lot of greenery in between. and if you are trying to get a photo of yourself on the road you’ll only be able to see part of it (plus it can be very busy with traffic).
So many other great spots
There are soooo many insta-worthy places in San Francisco including many tiled steps, parks, neighborhoods, and lookout points, but these are the ones I got to in a long weekend. What other San Francisco photo spots would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments!
Like this post? You may like my post Top 10 Places to Visit in San Francisco!
