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Free San Francisco
Kindle Guide to 101 Free Attractions
101 free San Francisco attractions and things to do are in the Kindle guide, 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco, in the Travel Free eGuidebooks series.
Free San Francisco? Well, it's an expensive city but there are plenty of free things to do and free attractions (if you know the right days to turn up). In fact author Daniel Davidson has found 101 of them, included in the San Francisco guide in his admirable series of Travel Free eGuidebooks.
You can see from the Table of Contents what's covered in the guide. We'll also show a screenshot of the first page of Chapter 1, the Free Museums and Galleries. It doesn't show the museums and galleries covered in that chapter, but does show you how helpful the book is.
The reference to 'over 200 museums in San Francisco' takes you to a Wikipedia page listing all of San Francisco's museums, which has photos and, in turn, links to Wikipedia's entries on each museum, with of course links from there to the museum websites.
The page also shows one example of the bonus material included in the guide - free attractions that the author found in the wider Bay Area that were too far away to include in the main part of the book.
Click on the image below to enlarge it
So What's Free in San Francisco?
If the book merely listed obvious free attractions like parks and markets, there wouldn't be much special about it. It's still useful to have them, but as a reader I'd expect more than that.
And the book delivers. Who would have thought you could get free food and drink in an expensive city like San Francisco? And I don't mean the Soup Kitchen. The author tells you where you can get a free pizza and free beer (yes, really), a free sake tasting, free chocolate, and even free oysters.
The book also lists some free walking tours, and other tours where children go free. There's a separate chapter on free activities for kids, too.
But what's most impressive about the book is the generous way the author shares what he's found. There are links to organizations that can help, phone numbers, information about magazines, and loads of other extras like a link to a Google map where the author has pinpointed all the kids' playgrounds in the city, and another link to a web page listing 44 kid-friendly parks in Marin County.
Alcatraz
It is a little cheeky to include Alcatraz as a free attraction. Technically it is, as there's no charge to get onto the island. You do have to pay for the ferry there and back, though! To be truly free you'd have to swim both ways. But I suppose if you're going to list the attractions with free admission, you can't not include this major San Francisco landmark.
I did find one or two little technical errors, which I hope the author corrects. In my version, although there is a Table of Contents at the front of the book, I was unable to click on 'Table of Contents' on my 'Go to' menu to take me back there. And in that Table of Contents, when I click on item 2, Interactive Map, I'm taken not to the map but to the very end of the book.
Free San Francisco Interactive Map
The Interactive Map is there, and what a bonus it is for an ebook compared to a printed guidebook. If you have an internet connection you can access it online, and it lists all 101 of the free things to do in San Francisco.
In fact, thanks to the wonders of technology, you can see the map here:
View 101 Free Things To Do In San Francisco in a larger map
If you're staying in or near San Francisco you can use the map to get your driving directions. You also get the address, phone number, a link to the website if there is one, the chance to search nearby for other attractions in the area, and read other people's reviews of the place. One other feature is that it shows you when the map entry was last updated. I was very impressed to see that although the book first came out at least 12 months ago, the map was last updated just over three weeks ago as I write this review.
Free San Francisco: Amazon Reviews
It's always useful to check out the Amazon reviews for Kindle travel guides, as there are some real rip-off titles out there - sometimes just a few pages in badly-written English. Fortunately this isn't one of them, and it has mostly 4-star and 5-star reviews.
I can't believe the 1-star review which says the book only has the same free tips that are available in any city. What? Did we read the same book? Can you get a free sail-boat ride in San Francisco Bay in any city? Or free urban bicycling workshops? Or get a free sake tasting? I don't think so.
The 101st Free Thing to Do in San Francisco
I'm not going to spoil the fun but I love the author's listing for the 101st free thing to do in San Francisco. It's highly appropriate.
Buying this Guide to Free San Francisco Attractions
We really do recommend this book highly, if you're planning to visit San Francisco. Even if you're not too bothered whether something is free or not, the author has still unearthed lots of fun things to do in the city. The guide will work best if you have a good internet connection, but even if you're using a standard Kindle with poor connectivity, it's still worth it.
101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco is available for the Kindle at Amazon in the USA, Amazon in the UK, And at other Amazon stores worldwide.
CityPASS San Francisco
If you're going to be spending any time in San Francisco then we really recommend doing what we did, and getting a San Francisco CityPASS. Not only does it get you into some of the top attractions like the California Academy of Sciences and the Aquarium of the Bay, it also includes a 7-day Cable Car and Muni Bus Passport and a free cruise in San Francisco Bay. We definitely got full use of ours!
Where to Stay in San Francisco
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San Francisco sightseeing tours can be by helicopter, bike, walking, eating in Chinatown, touring the gay area or trips to the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.
Coastal California Guidebook
Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.
California Living and Eating
California Living and Eating by Eleanor Maidment is a handsome coffee table book celebrating the food and lifestyle of the Golden State with 80 tasty recipes.
California Backroads
Some of the best California Backroads are included in Backroads of the California Coast, with 24 highly recommended driving tours off the Pacific Coast Highway.
Michelin Guide to California
The Michelin Guide to California is a gourmet's guide to the best restaurants along the Pacific Coast Highway and elsewhere in California.
Photos of the Golden Gate Bridge
A selection of the best Photos of the Golden Gate Bridge on the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website, for travel and photographic inspiration.
Napa and Sonoma Guidebook
The Napa and Sonoma Guidebook to California Wine Country is from the Moon Handbooks’ travel guide series with reviews of wineries,vineyards, and wine tastings.
Los Angeles Travel Guide
The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.
Frommers Guide to Oregon
The Frommer's Guide to Oregon has good information on hotels, restaurants and what to see in Portland, and along the Pacific Coast Highway.
John Steinbeck California Guide
This John Steinbeck California Guide, A Journey into Steinbeck's California, shows readers how towns like Monterey, Carmel and Salinas influenced the author.
The Best Coast Book Review
The Best Coast is a west coast travel guide, sub-titled A Road Trip Atlas it doesn't use photos but instead has hundreds of beautiful illustrations.
Epic Drives of the World
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Pacific Coast Highway in California
The Pacific Coast Highway in California book shows in historic photos the building of the Pacific Coast Highway from its earliest beginnings in 1911.
Santa Barbara Guidebook
The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.
Best Nightlife in San Francisco at the California Academy of Sciences
The Best Nightlife in San Francisco could be at the California Academy of Sciences where once a week it becomes a temporary nightclub.
Northwest Wine Country
Northwest Wine Country is a food and wine lover's guide to vineyards, fine dining, accommodation, restaurants in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia.
Pacific Coast Highway Moon Guide
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Frommer's Guide to Seattle
The Frommer's Guide to Seattle has good information about the city and side excursions to the Olympic National Park and elsewhere, plus free city and area map.
Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips: Lonely Planet Guidebook Review
Review of the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips book from Lonely Planet, which includes a California Driving Guide, by the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website.
San Francisco Music Tour on the Magic Bus to Haight-Ashbury
Take a San Francisco Music Tour with Magic Bus, a trip through the musical past to Haight-Ashbury, the City Lights Bookstore and the Summer of Love.
Michelin Green Guide California
The Michelin Green Guide to California covers the whole state and is good on maps, the sights, major cities and towns, less good on hotels and restaurants.
San Francisco Airport Hotels
San Francisco Airport hotels include a Grand Hyatt, La Quinta, Westin, Marriott, Super 8 and bayfront hotels ranging from budget to 5-star luxury.
Cycling the USA West Coast
Lonely Planet's Guide to Cycling the USA West Coast is a bicycling guidebook for anyone touring California, Oregon and Washington by bike.
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