The Unofficial Guide
to San Francisco Tourism
...insider tips from a local

COVID-19 Status: at midnight on Monday, March 16, San Francisco was placed under a "shelter-in-place order.

All residents were ordered to stay home, except for necessary trips to grocery stores and essential medical visits, and solo outdoor activities like hiking.

The city has been gradually reopening of many businesses and activities, but others have been placed on hold.

Most recently, November 13, SF has been moved to a much more restrictive tier (red) of the risk tiers in California due to a sudden increase in infection rates.

Public transportation options have been cut way back. See SF transit for more info.

See COVID rules for current SF status.

Highlights of changes: everyone in SF is now required to wear a mask when they are outside and within 30 feet of other people.

Parking lots for SF beaches and the Golden Gate Bridge are now open (as well as the beaches and bridge). 

Restaurants were open for indoor as well as outdoor dining, but as of Friday, Nov 13, indoor dining is suspended again, due to an increase in Covid cases.

Businesses can now allow customers inside.

Muir Woods, the SF Botanical Garden, Japanese Tea Garden and the SF Zoo are now open. The zoo and Muir Woods require reservations.

Alcatraz is open as of Monday, August 17, but only the outdoor areas are accessible. Day tours only. See Alcatraz.

Sept. changes: hotels, gyms, tour buses, and boat cruises opened (though not all are availing themselves, check individual businesses). Also indoor hair and nail salons/barbershops can open.

Museums Open: de Young Museum, Legion of Honor Museum,  SF MOMA, California Academy of Sciences, Asian Art Museum, and Conservatory of Flowers.

Exploratorium: spring 2021.

Playgrounds: open.

Schools: many private schools have begun reopening; SF public schools still on hold, except for a few charter schools.

On hold: indoor swimming pools and most indoor movie theaters are still closed. 1 Cinemark theater in SF is open: in SF Centre Mall at 845 Market St.  CineArts in West Portal is still closed).

Last to open will be concerts, live theater, sporting events, nightclubs and festivals.

For info on what's open in other cities and counties of California, see California reopening schedules.

See coronavirus news in the SF Chronicle for articles and updates.

Also see site closures for the National Park Service (Alcatraz, Muir Woods, etc).

Plus helpful info on which parks and hiking trails are open in the Bay Area.

And to check the air quality (fires) in SF and the Bay Area, see airnow.gov and the SF Chronicle map showing current tests.