The Most Instagrammable Spots around Downtown SF
Seeing as we are based in San Francisco, we at TravelBank hold this city pretty near and dear to our hearts. Our creative team – who are all SF transplants! – recently set out in search of the city’s most photogenic (read: instagrammable) spots.
With the business traveler in mind, we kept a tight radius close to the downtown area. Most of these spots are walkable and could easily be visited on your next business trip to the city.
We’ve been sharing these spots all week on our Instagram and today we are sharing the full list as a walkable itinerary!
Watch the cable cars pass on the corner of Powell Street and California.
This first stop on our list will give you a taste of San Francisco’s famously steep hills and old school cable cars all at once.
Peek inside of some of San Francisco’s fanciest hotels.
While you’re up here, you can pop into the Fairmont or the Intercontinental, both colossal hotels sit atop the hill looking over downtown. If you happen to visit during like the holidays like we did, the Fairmont hosts a variety of over the top Christmas decorations in their lobby.
Walk through Chinatown.
Next head down California Street towards Chinatown. The lanterns hanging across Grant Street paired with the decorative store fronts make for a great Instagram op. If you’re hungry there are lots of restaurants to duck into while you’re in the neighborhood.
Order a double decker ice cream sandwich at The Baked Bear.
After walking through Chinatown, stop at The Baked Bear on the corner of Broadway and Columbus for a custom ice cream sandwich.
Walk off the ice cream on the Vallejo garden stairways.
Now if you walk up Vallejo, the climb is steep but the views are pretty phenomenal. We walked from Columbus and Vallejo to Hyde Street. At Hyde we turned right and walked over to Lombard Street.
Watch the cars zig zag down Lombard Street.
Lombard is a popular photo op for its famously winding drive. Instead of waiting in line to drive down, it’s just as fun to walk along the stairway on the side. We may or may not have experience hopping the rail and walking down the actual road, but do not condone it.
Catch a ride over to the Palace of Fine Arts.
For the last stop of the day, catch a Lyft or an Uber over to the Palace of Fine Arts. We got there just after the sun started setting. It’s a great time of day to catch a shot of the architecture and all its drama.
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