The Presidio, the Marina and Lands End cover San Francisco's northwest corner, between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific. This is where you spend time outdoors: on the beach at Crissy Field, on wooded trails in the Presidio and along the Lands End coastal trail with views of the Golden Gate.The Marina is an affluent waterfront neighborhood with the Palace of Fine Arts, the Fort Mason cultural center and Chestnut Street for restaurants and bars. Just west is the Presidio, an Army post from 1776 to 1994 and now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, with museums in old barracks, the Tunnel Tops park and Fort Point under the bridge. Farthest west, the Lands End trail winds through cypress groves to the ruins of the Sutro Baths.Plan your day: Walk from the Palace of Fine Arts across Crissy Field to Fort Point (about 3 miles), then take the bus out to the Lands End Lookout.Weather: Fog and wind hit here first. Summer mornings are often gray, so bring a jacket.
Sights in Presidio, Marina & Lands End
Discover the most important sights and attractions
Point of Interest
1Palace of Fine Arts
Bernard Maybeck designed the rotunda with colonnades on a lagoon for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition; it's the only exhibition structure remaining on site. Built of wood and plaster, the structure decayed, was demolished in 1964, and rebuilt in concrete by 1974. The grounds are freely accessible; early mornings offer ideal light and tranquility. The rotunda also features in Hitchcock's "Vertigo".
The former army airfield on the north bank was transformed by 2001 into a park with a beach, dunes, and restored salt marsh. On the flat Golden Gate Promenade, you can walk or cycle with the bridge in sight, reaching the Warming Hut, a small café with a shop at the west end. From there, the path continues to Fort Point under the bridge. Wear a jacket; it's often windy by the water.
The 5.7-hectare park, opened July 2022 on Golden Gate Bridge approach tunnels, was designed by the High Line team. From meadows, paths, and viewpoints, gaze over Crissy Field to the Bridge and Bay. 2025 sees Outpost Meadow added, with Café Il Parco at its edge. Admission is free. Reach it via the free PresidiGo Shuttle from Downtown (Drumm Street near Embarcadero).
The US Army built this brick fortress directly under the Golden Gate Bridge's south end from 1853, with first cannons by 1861. Bridge engineer Joseph Strauss curved the roadway over the fort instead of demolishing it. From the roof, you get an unusual upward view of the bridge's structure. Inside, according to NPS, it's open Thursday-Monday 10 AM-5 PM (roof until 4:30 PM), outdoor area daily. In "Vertigo," Kim Novak jumps into the bay here.
In the far northwest of the city, the coastal trail from Lands End leads through cypress forest above the cliffs, with views of the Golden Gate and the Marin Headlands. At the south end lie the concrete remains of the Sutro Baths, an 1894 bathhouse with seven saltwater pools, which burned down in 1966. A good starting point is the Lands End Lookout Visitor Center from 2012 on Point Lobos Avenue. Access is free. Stay on the paths; the cliffs are steep and slippery.
One of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in the USA, in Building A of Fort Mason, right on the water. Seasonal cuisine draws global influences, with large windows offering bay views. Evening reservations for a window seat are recommended.
Southern Italian restaurant at 2355 Chestnut Street, named after the highway that leads from Naples to Campania and Puglia. The menu features Neapolitan pizza, homemade pasta, and a long wine list with wines from Southern Italy. One of the Marina's most popular spots, reserve for the evening.
Italian delicatessen at 2120 Chestnut Street, in business since 1929. At the counter, you can get sandwiches filled with salami, mortadella, and provolone, plus there's cheese and wine. Ideal for grabbing something for a picnic at Marina Green or Crissy Field.
Grab sandwiches at a deli on Chestnut Street and eat on the Marina Green or the lawns at Crissy Field, with the Golden Gate Bridge in view.
Vegetarian at Fort Mason
Greens at Fort Mason is a pioneer of vegetarian cooking in the U.S., with a seasonal menu built on Northern California produce.
Coffee at the Warming Hut
The little café at the west end of Crissy Field is the last stop before Fort Point, good for a hot coffee when the wind off the Golden Gate turns cold.
Culture and history
Spanish soldiers founded the Presidio in 1776 at the mouth of the bay. It became a Mexican and then, from 1846, a U.S. military post until the Army left in 1994 and the land joined the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.The 1915 world's fair: The Marina waterfront was built out for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Only the Palace of Fine Arts survives from it.Forts: Civil War-era Fort Point is a reminder of how strategic the Golden Gate once was.Sutro Baths: Entrepreneur and later mayor Adolph Sutro opened a bathhouse at Lands End in 1894, with seven pools at different temperatures. A fire destroyed what was left in 1966, and the ruins have been part of the national recreation area since 1973.
Café and bar of the Long Now Foundation in Fort Mason's Building A, right next to Greens. Coffee by day, cocktails and gin from a long bottle wall by night, plus exhibits and lectures from the foundation, dedicated to long-term thinking. Quieter than Chestnut Street bars.
Wine bar and wine shop at 2113 Chestnut Street, a fixture in the Marina for over 50 years. Sample wines by the glass from California and around the world, or buy a bottle to take home. A relaxed alternative to the louder bars on the street.
The area is spread out. The waterfront is easy on foot or by bike; for the Presidio and Lands End, take the bus or the shuttle.PresidiGo shuttle: Free. The Downtown route runs about 25 minutes from Drumm Street (near Embarcadero BART) to the Presidio Transit Center, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The South Hills route loops through the park to Baker Beach and the overlooks.Muni: The 30 Stockton runs from SoMa through Union Square and North Beach, across the Marina to Crissy Field. The 28 is the only Muni line that stops at the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza. For Lands End, buses run out along the Geary corridor; check a transit app for the best connection.On foot and by bike: The flat waterfront path from Fort Mason to Fort Point is about 3 miles, with the bridge ahead of you the whole way.Driving: The Presidio has paid parking; on weekends the lots at Crissy Field and Lands End fill early. Don't leave anything visible in the car.
