Welcome to San Francisco, California's lodging guide!

Welcome to San Francisco, California! You've probably enjoyed postcards of San Francisco, caught glimpses of its Golden Gate Bridge in movie scenes, or even whistled to tunes about the city during your lifetime. You may even be a San Francisco 49ers fan. But if admiring San Francisco from afar is the closest you've ever come to it, then you really don't know what this lovely West Coast community truly has to offer. This golden city - a 46.6-square-mile peninsula bounded by the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate Strait, and the San Francisco Bay - glimmers through a foggy atmosphere with the help of the sun. World-renown museums and art galleries, award-winning restaurants, eccentric neighborhoods, rolling streets of Victorian-style homes and a variety of ethnicities distinguish San Francisco from the rest of coastal California. In fact, the nation's fifth-largest metropolitan city promotes individuality, as indicated by its pervasive gay presence. Vacationing there is a wonderful experience for anyone, so buckle down and let your heart guide you to some wonderful San Francisco lodging. Finding a place to stay shouldn't be an issue, because San Francisco resorts are as diverse as the city's culture.

Visiting San Francisco

San Francisco, from its architecture to its people, has preserved traces of its Gold Rush era. The presence of Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, and Filipino cultures has remained strong since slave owners brought groups of immigrants from those countries to work the railroads and mines during the 19th century. Distinct neighborhoods such as Chinatown (the largest of its kind outside of Asia), Japantown, and North Beach reflect San Francisco's cultural diversity and the people's determination to remain firmly planted in their roots. These distinct neighborhoods and their many shopping outlets fuel San Francisco's billion-dollar tourism industry, along with the region's attractions, beautiful vistas, and scenic bay area. Colorful Victorian-style homes with unique carvings and fancy woodwork are other vestiges from the Gold Rush period. Close to 48,000 Victorian homes were built within 65 years between the Gold Rush and 1915, according to city architects. The unique-looking dwellings always arouse the interests of passersby during tours of San Francisco's residential areas. There is so much to do and see in San Francisco, but it will cost you a pretty penny to do so. The city imposes an additional 8.5 percent nonrefundable sales tax on every item; however, international visitors can enjoy duty-free shopping at some places, including Union Square.