San Francisco Hostels
Located on the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, San Francisco is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, San Francisco Bay to the east, and the Golden Gate to the north. Internationally known for its Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, steep hills, and blankets of fog, San Francisco is a city of rich international culture with small-town flavor. The San Francisco-City Center hostel is located near San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza, a tree-lined area that features some of the city’s largest government and cultural institutions, including City Hall, characterized by its 307.5-foot dome – the fifth largest dome in the world – as well as the Herbst Theatre and Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, the permanent home of the San Francisco Symphony. Also nearby is the Asian Art Museum; with its collection of more than 17,000 artworks spanning 6,000 years of history, the museum is one of the largest in the western world devoted exclusively to Asian art.
The San Francisco-Downtown hostel is located just a block from Union Square, the city’s central shopping, theatre, and hotel district. Located in Union Square is the Metreon, a four-story entertainment shopping center, as well as the Yerba Buena Gardens, which are two blocks of public parks with public art installations, museums, and entertainment. One highlight of the Yerba Buena Gardens is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, with a waterfall that is regarded as the largest fountain on the west coast. To the north of Union Square is San Francisco’s Chinatown; established in 1850, it is the oldest of North American Chinatowns. One don’t-miss Chinatown event is its annual Chinese New Year Celebration, the largest Chinese New Year celebration outside of Asia. Event highlights include the Chinese New Year parade, one of the last surviving lighted night parades in the U.S., as well as a community street fair, flower fair, and the Chinese New Year Spectacular, a live performance of ancient Chinese traditions. Because the Chinese New Year is dictated by the moon’s phases, the dates for the week-long festival change every year, but it usually takes place between late January and early February.
The San Francisco – Fisherman’s Wharf hostel is located near the historic waterfront and popular tourist destination of Fisherman’s Wharf, known for its excellent fresh seafood, most notably its Dungeness crab and chowder served in sourdough bread bowls. Street performers line the area, and nighttime brings live music, dancing, and more. Fisherman’s Wharf is located near Alcatraz Island, the site of the infamous federal penitentiary known for its inescapability. Visitors are welcome to tour the abandoned prison and learn its history first-hand.
San Francisco offers a warm Mediterranean climate, with mild wet winters, and warm dry summers. Average summer high temperatures reach about 70 degrees, while winter temperatures average about 60 degrees. San Francisco’s rainy season spans from November through March. The combination of cold ocean water and the heat of the California mainland creates the city’s famed fog, which can cover the western part of the city during the spring and early summer.
